Book #5 of 2017: White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America by Nancy Isenberg An eye-opening account of class distinctions in America that have often been downplayed or ignored in popular history. Nancy Isenberg traces the white lower class from the early days of Bacon’s Rebellion through the populism of Andrew Jackson …
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Book Review: The Innocent Mage by Karen Miller
Book #4 of 2017: The Innocent Mage by Karen Miller (Kingmaker, Kingbreaker #1) This was a pretty adequate fantasy novel. It wasn’t awful, but it was definitely bogged down by the slow reveal of its relevant worldbuilding and a perpetually surly protagonist whose only friends spend the whole novel lying to him. Things pick up …
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Book Review: A Saint on Death Row: The Story of Dominique Green by Thomas Cahill
Book #3 of 2017: A Saint on Death Row: The Story of Dominique Green by Thomas Cahill Green’s story is heartbreaking, but Thomas Cahill’s account of it really only scratches the surface. There’s pathos here for any reader already opposed to the death penalty, but not really any new information or insight that could sway …
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TV Review: Jane the Virgin, season 2
TV #1 of 2017: Jane the Virgin, season 2 Still a fun show with great – nearly all Hispanic! – performers, but perhaps a tad more predictable in its sophomore year. (Luckily this is definitely a show where the twists are still enjoyable even when you see them coming.) The Mutter and Derek storyline(s) kind …
Book Review: The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit
Book #2 of 2017: The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit I tried to keep an open mind while reading this novel, because I knew it was published in a very different era. And it is interesting as a historical artifact, offering a glimpse not only of 1907 Britain, but also of the state of children’s …
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Book Review: Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens by Brandon Sanderson
Book #1 of 2017: Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens by Brandon Sanderson (Alcatraz #4) Like Harry Potter, this series gets darker and more mature as the books progress. Even though the protagonist in this case is still a thirteen-year-old boy, he’s grown up a lot just by going through the events of these novels. Author …
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Book Review: Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
Book #152 of 2016: Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang Science-fiction is generally concerned with exploring the unknown: potential future technologies, or alien lifeforms, or anything else that could perhaps be possible. And there’s some of that in this collection of stories from Ted Chiang, but the strongest entries are more fantastical …
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TV Review: The West Wing, season 4
TV #51 of 2016: The West Wing, season 4 After a rocky adjustment post-9/11 in the previous season, this year The West Wing is back to its usual level of quality. I’m also amazed, even on this millionth rewatch, at the audacity of Aaron Sorkin to end his last season that way and leave such …
Book Review: Goldenhand by Garth Nix
Book #151 of 2016: Goldenhand by Garth Nix (The Old Kingdom #5) A triumphant return to the Old Kingdom, finally resolving the fate of the lost Abhorsen, Clariel (whose early life is described in the prequel which bears her name, and which should definitely be read prior to this book). So many old favorites are …
TV Review: Orange Is the New Black, season 4
TV #50 of 2017: Orange Is the New Black, season 4 Still a powerhouse this many seasons in, with an ever-deepening roster of characters and flashbacks. It’s hard to really discuss the arc of season 4 without spoilers, but it was a powerful indictment of the corporate prison system, with inefficiencies and unchecked (if not …
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The Lesser Joke: book reviews and more 