I always feel I’m a little hard on local writers. I want to like them, but. So far I haven’t really found anyone who writes the way I want to read. Maybe my standards are[…]
Being an Account of the Life and Death of the Emperor Heliogabolus by Neil Gaiman
I admit, even if all Neil Gaiman did was draw a piece of poop that said “Boo”, I’d probably find it brilliant. But that’s probably because despite whatever he’s writing, be it a review or[…]
Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami
Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami is a fine place to start if you’re venturing into Murakami’s world and writing for the very first time. This slim volume was first published in 1999, and seems to[…]
William Shakespeare’s The Empire Striketh Back, Star Wars part the Fifth by Ian Doescher
In which Luke findeth out that Darth Vader is his father. And the young Skywalker is still prone to lamentation and monologues. Ian Doescher’s sophomore effort is definitely an improvement on Verily, a New Hope,[…]
The Long Cosmos by Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter
This is it. The last book in the Long Earth series, and one of the few Terry Pratchett stories left that I can say I am reading for the very first time. The feeling is[…]
Looking, season 1-2
Looking reminds me of Sex in the City in that it features a tight group of friends looking for true love. Except this time the group of friends are three gay guys, the city is[…]
Flow issue 12
Apparently Flow is a magazine for people like me – you know, makers, crafters, shop smallers, non-corporate types. But I wonder if the readers who gushed about Flow have actually read it cover to cover,[…]
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
I wanted to like this novel. I really, really did. I wanted a new author to add to my collection of must-reads, instead of flitting around from one writer to another. Sadly, Ruth Ozeki is[…]
Jane the Virgin, season 1-4
I was looking forward to watching Jane the Virgin when it came out a few years ago. I am, as usual, late to the party, but I’m glad I finally got here. It’s not surprising[…]
An Honest Answer and Other Stories by Neil Gaiman
An Honest Answer and Other Stories is a nice quick read I completed in about 10 minutes or less. It’s a compilation of three short graphic stories, the first about answering that age old question,[…]
Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years by Sue Townsend
Adrian Mole is back in Adrian Mole: the Prostrate Years. And this time he’s 39 1/2 years old, married to Daisy, has a precocious daughter, is going to the toilet way too often, is still[…]
House of Lies, season 4-5
Thankfully. despite my hiatus from this series, it was pretty easy to get back into House of Lies again. Time has obviously passed, what with Marty being in prison and Jeannie being super pregnant with[…]
William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope by Ian Doescher
Like the movie franchise, Ian Doescher began writing William Shakespeare’s Star Wars with Episode IV. Me, being the kind of person who likes to start at the beginning of the story instead of somewhere in[…]
Heroes Reborn, season 1
I really enjoyed the original Heroes series, and it’s a pity it didn’t last very long. I was so into it that I would even read the add-on comic tales online. But then the writer’s[…]
The Long Utopia by Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter
The Long Utopia carries on the style and story of its predecessors, with stories of The Long Earth told through different perspectives, although this time, the first half of the book is dominated by historic[…]
Helix, season 2
It’s been a good couple of years at least since I watched season one of Helix that it took me awhile to remember what it was all about. I knew there was a deadly infectious[…]
Hawaii Five-0, season 5-7
It’s good to be back in Hawaii! Even if it’s via a cop show remake featuring the same classic theme song – because, let’s face it, it would not be Hawaii Five-0 otherwise! I don’t[…]
Ready Player One (2018)
I get the feeling that Ready Player One will be one of those movies parents bring their kids to see, but will end up enjoying a whole lot more instead simply by virtue of having[…]
Pocket Post Power: 120 Words You Should Know by Wordnik
I did not expect to ‘enjoy’ reading a book about words I should know, but this little collection turned out to be surprisingly informative, and, I hope, useful. The fact that it only required a[…]
Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is not an easy novel to read, and not because the language is complicating, although there were a few parts where things got quite technical. That aside,[…]
Wonder (2017)
Disclaimer: I watched Wonder while sitting on the floor, my eyes and hands mostly busy with cutting up pieces of paper. My view of half the screen was blocked most of the time. Despite this,[…]