This isn’t so much a review as it is an admittance of inadequacy: I do not possess the proper background to get the most out of these poems. Howl, the piece from which this book takes its name, was first published in 1956, a post WWII masterpiece. I’ve heard amazing things about Ginsberg’s work ‘defining a generation’ and you know what? I guess on a surface level I get that… but not to the depths. Continue reading “Saturday of Book Reviewing – Ginsberg’s Howl and Other Poems”
This is a play! Which is both new and exciting coming from Kurt Vonnegut’s brilliant, beautiful library. It was, however, also very strange. It was funny, as all his work is, but since it was dialogue driven I almost couldn’t tell he had written it. There’s still his distinct humanist positivity going on, but without his elaborate descriptions and carefully chosen details, I will say it fell a little short for me. This play was really a serious bout of ‘buts’ for me. It was entertaining, but I expected more. The characters were interesting, but they didn’t make me think the way his previous protagonists have. This wasn’t my favorite, but Kurt Vonnegut is still KING. Continue reading “Saturday of Book Reviewing – Vonnegut’s Happy Birthday, Wanda June”
I imagine many have read this book before myself. Since it’s so well known, I rather think I’ll ‘review’ it by continuing a trend I started with BJ Novak’s novel: answering John Green’s discussion questions at the end! There are a few, so bear with me folks, along this journey of general thought over specific details.
Some Intentionally Vague and Broad Discussion Questions Continue reading “Saturday Of Book Reviewing – Green’s Looking For Alaska”
Disclaimer #1: This book was written by a gentleman who does not believe in God, nor in free will. His perspective is both enlightening and potentially damaging to those who wish to hold tight to an exclusively religious worldview. To be frank: straight up avoid this book if you think people can only live by a moral code given by a higher power; nothing he writes will make sense to you. Continue reading “Saturday of Book Reviewing – Harris’ Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values”
See also: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal
See also: Read awhile ago, reviewing now in honor of Jesus’ bday celebration last sunday! Hurray for Christmas.
From the first subtitle alone, I’m sure you can guess this novel will be stored under ‘irreverent comedy’. This guess is correct, but incomplete. Christopher Moore, our author du jour, is fairly well known for his absurdist fiction and Douglas Adamsesque style of writing. He likes recurring jokes, making even his villains fully sympathetic characters, and playing with history, so if you lose track of one liners, prefer your bad guys in black hats with swirly mustaches, and only enjoy historical fact: this is not the book for you. Continue reading “Saturday of Book Reviewing – Moore’s Lamb”
Written far more recently than my usual science fiction fare, Becky Chamber’s first entry in this ongoing series, Wayfarers, is a delight and an abrupt departure from the hard sci-fi of the past. Continue reading “Saturday of Book Reviewing – Chamber’s The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet”
I thought about writing a full-fledged review of Star Wars: The Last Jedi after seeing it on Friday night, but I’ve had several days to mull it over and read some other articles about it.
Such as this one, explaining why, evidently, a lot of Star Wars fans hated the film: http://epicstream.com/features/Top-13-Reasons-Why-Some-Star-Wars-Fans-Hate-The-Last-Jedi
I think instead I’m just going to highlight what stuck out to me about the movie.
Sound good?
***Spoilers Abound***
Continue reading “10 Thoughts from Star Wars: The Last Jedi”
Now, while this book was super entertaining, I don’t really have much to add to that. It was fun. Light. But it wasn’t really a piece that I would revisit; it didn’t offer any intense moral lessons or revealing new facts about life or the world or thought. I enjoyed it’s skewing of expectations and surprising inversions of old tales. However, this would be a very short review if that’s all I had to say. Continue reading “Saturday Of Book Reviewing – BJ Novak’s One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories”
All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell, PVRIS’s second album, is perhaps my favorite new album this year. While it feels less emo-core and more electronic than White Noise, PVRIS still delivers hard-hitting music with even more piercing lyrics. Continue reading “A Hundred Thousand Souls: PVRIS’s Second Album Elevates their Sound”
It’s always cool to see friends have stuff posted on the interwebs. My friend Lauren Jones recently wrote a review of the new PVRIS album for Alter the Press. Continue reading “Reblog Wednesday: ATP! Album Review: PVRIS”
Evening Satellite Publishing 