Book #231 of 2021: Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson, and Jason Stanford An interesting look at the historical record surrounding the Alamo battle site in the Texan war for independence from Mexico. The first half of the book contextualizes what’s known and unknown about …
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Book Review: Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck
Book #230 of 2021: Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck I’ve heard there’s reason to doubt that the events related in this 1962 travelogue actually happened as written, but if you take everything at face value, it’s a lovely tale of author John Steinbeck’s leisurely drive around the country with only …
Continue reading “Book Review: Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck”
Book Review: The Andalite Chronicles by K. A. Applegate
Book #229 of 2021: The Andalite Chronicles by K. A. Applegate (Animorphs Chronicles #1) I’m still too early in my Animorphs reread to definitively call this prequel my single favorite entry, but it is certainly a strong contender for that eventual claim. In its first half in particular, it’s a sweeping space opera that takes …
Continue reading “Book Review: The Andalite Chronicles by K. A. Applegate”
Book Review: Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Book #228 of 2021: Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner A powerful memoir exploring the grief of losing author Michelle Zauner’s mother, who was also the main tie to the Korean side of her family. A lot of the writer’s observations are deeply rooted in particular cultural experiences, which I think will resonate with …
Continue reading “Book Review: Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner”
TV Review: Broadchurch, season 3
TV #64 of 2021: Broadchurch, season 3 This last run of Broadchurch is its strongest yet, although it’s a bit of a departure in two key ways. First, the central case is a rape, which of necessity entails a different sort of investigation than the child murder of previous seasons. And second, an entirely new …
Book Review: Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
Book #227 of 2021: Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters Slow-paced literary fiction about sad people’s messy personal lives is not my favorite sort of genre, but this 2021 novel is elevated above others of its kind by its distinctive #ownvoices perspective and subject matter. Author Torrey Peters is transgender herself, and this story of a …
Continue reading “Book Review: Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters”
TV Review: Dawson’s Creek, season 6
TV #63 of 2021: Dawson’s Creek, season 6 A regrettably weak ending to a series that I’ve never wholly loved, but have at least come to appreciate in its own way. The previous year was already a shaky departure from the show’s core strengths and character histories, and this final stretch reads like a faded …
Book Review: The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
Book #226 of 2021: The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo Overall I find this retelling of The Great Gatsby to be an improvement on the original, to which it has added some light touches of sorcery and demons. The biggest change is its queer reading of most of the cast, with Daisy, Jay, …
Continue reading “Book Review: The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo”
Book Review: The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
Book #225 of 2021: The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix Author Grady Hendrix’s latest novel diverges from his usual supernatural fare, while still delivering a killer [sorry] premise: that a collection of the young women who have survived till the end of slasher-movie style attacks are now in group therapy together, only for …
Continue reading “Book Review: The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix”
TV Review: Leverage: Redemption, season 1
TV #62 of 2021: Leverage: Redemption, season 1 I enjoyed the original 2008-2012 run of Leverage, but I’m not sure there was any pressing need for this modern reboot of the Robin Hood-minded heist show, especially without former star Timothy Hutton (and with costar Aldis Hodge limited to two appearances). While it’s as fun as …
Continue reading “TV Review: Leverage: Redemption, season 1”
The Lesser Joke: book reviews and more 