There’s something strangely compelling about wrestling in fiction. I’ve noticed it while reading the very excellent Gimmicks and decided to test the theory with this book. Admittedly, a considerably less excellent boo, but nevertheless the wrestling components were fun. The rest was somewhat brought down by a personal dislike of the main character, who I’m pretty sure was designed to be likeable.
Mind you, Ricky isn’t a total sh*t, he’s even mildly amusing at times, but overall he’s tediously immature, brash, foul tempered, shortfused manchild that throughout the novel is essentially dragged kicking and screaming into something resembling adulthood. Now having typed all of that up, it’s obvious he definitely has the personality for wrestling, if maybe not the discipline. Then again, all of that is rendered irrelevant, because Ricky goes down in act one, chapter one, in fact, and stays down for the count. Temporarily disabled to a life changing degree, he can no longer wrestle or do his day job as a high school janitor, he ends his relationship with his beloved girlfriend when she very reasonably decides this isn’t the right time for them to have a child and gets an abortion and now all Ricky has is his Gilmore Girl tinged relationship with his mom, who has had him young and an absentee relationship with his father, whom Ricky has never known, but through whom he has always claimed a 50% Native American inheritance. In fact, the latter has been an indelible aspect of both Ricky’s personality and his wrestling persona. This is all despite the fact that he looks as white as wonderbread. And then Ricky finds out that the man he has always been so proud to claim as his father might not have been that at all and begins to spiral like a top, unmoored from his personal mythology of birthright. And the novel becomes one of those…will Ricky get his sh*t together sort of things. Which, of course, he has to, more or less, to meet the classic three act literary composition. So there you have it, a fun read, a read where the narrative is more fun than the characters, unless I’m not quite understanding or appreciative of that flat midwestern, specifically Nebraskan, mentality. A reasonably entertaining read despite its bratty lead. Something of a belated coming of age story. Reads quickly and easily. Thanks Netgalley.
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The idea behind this was that if anyone can draw me in to the tangled web of spy thrillers, it would be someone like Pitoniak, an author whose previous books I’ve read and loved. And sure enough, it worked. Good strategy,me.
Pinoniak blended two worlds in her novel, the modern barely fictionalized US and the Iron Curtained Europe of the 10’s and 80s so well, so thrillingly indeed, it was difficult to put down. Even for this reader with very limited interest in spy games of all sorts. My fiancé has watched all of The Americans tv show last year, so while I’ve not ever sat down through an entire episode, for a long time it was so consistently in the background and I’ve heard so much about it, that it kind of intrigued me. At the very least it made me recognize the appeal of the ever shifting loyalties and shadowy deals and the ever increasing moral shades of grey, the neverending dreadtinged suspense and that very specific doom and gloom of the not so warm war that in my mind is so synonymous with the spy genre. And this book really gets that and represents all these aspects so well. The basic plot has to do with an America that has managed to elect (and reelect) a dangerously belligerent populist amoral racist bigoted liar to power…which is just preposterous, of course, what thriving democracy would do that, right? This man, made wealthy by his inheritance and famous by his volume, is married to an Eastern European former model, who for all the world to see presents as a perfectly two dimensional cardboard cutout of a trophy wife. But that’s where fiction enters the picture, because apparently the FLOTUS has some layers to her, secrets that can unravel the very face and fabric of the Oval Office. And so the FLOTUS, Lara Caine, hires a reporter to write her biography, although this being a spy thriller, you can expect everyone has clandestine motives of their own. For the reporter it would, of course, be a huge scoop, a huge deal, but for Lara it may be something much more, not just an unburdening, but a chance at something like justice after years and years of silence. Sounds riveting…because it is. You know something’s gone off the rails, because the novel starts with the reporter hiding out in Europe, watching her back, twitching the curtains. But the story pivots, alternating timelines, until you know exactly what’s going on. Though the plot will do a striking job of executing serpentine twists and turns to get to the end and then throw in one last reveal…which is, frankly, the thing that didn’t quite work for me, but either way…riveting. So yeah, ok, I kind of get it now, the genre appeal. It is exciting if done right. In fact, the novel never shines more than when it covers Lara’s early years. All that communism flavored KGB crafted excitement. Wow. Plus with Pitoniak being a genuinely great writer, there’s plenty of things like character development and atmosphere crafting to rely on. This novel comes to life resoundingly and cinematically. At the very least as exciting as The Americans. Yes, it was uncomfortably (and arguably unimaginatively) close to real life, but then again what a fun reminder of how creative minds work and see stories where some might not, imagine layers to what for all the world to see might be just a drawing of an onion. Very well done. I was thoroughly entertained. A shadowy delight for both new and old spy genre fans. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley. All children, except one, grow up. And it that exceptional one that has become such a legendary emblem of defiant youth and invincible spirit of adventure. Or something much darker. Depends on your interpretation. A.C.Wise’s interpretation is definitely down the dark path, but this book isn’t so much about the ageless boy as it is about his once upon a time friend (or, as Wise casts her, victim) Wendy.
Wendy Darling did grow up. And didn’t have the easiest time of it. While her brothers promptly conditioned themselves to forget their time in Neverland, Wendy was never able to do that, which causes much family strife and resulted in her eventual lock up in an asylum…because that’s what was done with difficult women at the time. Eventually she got out, conditional to an arranged by her brother marriage and had a daughter of her own. And was happy enough until a boy, that boy, showed up and stole her daughter away. At which time Wendy went into proper mamabear mode, remembered her flying lessons and took off to Neverland to save young Jane from the clutches of the evil boy/man. And evil is pretty much how Pan is presented through the entire novel. Not just general evil, but the oppressive MeToo era kind, for casting Wendy into the traditional mother role, for his expectations and manipulations. Most of the original story is recast in a light so sinister, you’d think it’s the original Nosferatu or something. Which is actually…fine. It’s understandable. There is indeed a certain darkness in Neverland just below the superficial fun and games. I’m not sure it was intended that way, in fact personally I’d wager it wasn’t, but it can be easily interpreted as such, specifically from a modern/woke brain perspective. Brom, the writer and artist, understood that and utilized it perfectly in his darkly luminous retelling of the novel. Wise didn’t want to just settle for horrortinged approach, she went for the feminist angle. Which worked to an extent, since women were treated (more) deplorably back in the day, especially women who challenged the societal norms, but there’s something about having such a beloved character (from one of my all time favorite stories no less) cast in this role of a vile oppressor that didn’t really sing for me. And there’s a lot here about oppression. The title itself (this is quite clever, actually) reflects how patronizing calling someone darling can be. Wherein our intrepid protagonist is very proud of being a Darling, she’s never happy about being darling. And I suppose babe/baby/bae was out of the question for the times and culture or she’s take that on too. Pan can be easily accused of being cruel, but his version of it was always more along the lines of the unthinking callous variety of arrogant youth, not the evil patriarch kind. And so all Wise tries to make those shoes fit, it just doesn’t quite work. In fact, one might argue her own brothers, one through control and one through indifference and both through denial might have harmed Wendy more than a boy who once taught her to fly. Wise’s is a hyperwoke perspective, she infuses modern sexuality, awareness and ideas into her narrative, Wendy’s marriage is most unconventional in real life as it was in Neverland, and she’s all about fighting the power once she gets back to Neverland, but in the end of the day the author’s messages come through as way too heavyhanded and nowhere near exciting or original enough to compete with the magic of Neverland, real or Wise’s version thereof. The Neverland always wins. The timeless appeal of timelessness simply cannot be denied. Outside of the fact that the author essentially utilizes one of my favorite stories as a message delivery platform, I also didn’t really love the writing. And I’ve read Wise before and enjoyed it, but this book, while technically perfectly decent, just seemed so overwritten. The approach to narrative was on a very microscale and it was (and this is as good as I can describe it) aggressively emotional and emotive. All the innards on the outside. Elaborately, exhaustively, exhaustingly so. Arguably appropriate for feminist fiction, but it did nothing for pacing and overall dynamism of the story. But otherwise (and I know that’s a huge but, but still) it was a pretty interesting read. Possibly because I love Neverland so much, any fictional revisit is fun, possibly because the fan of classic children’s tales and a fan of scary stories in me like the marriage of the genres. I didn’t love the book, that much is obvious by now, but it made for an intriguing, somewhat frustrating, but fairly entertaining read. Thanks Netgalley. Once I realized this was by the author of All of Us, I didn’t even read the plot description, just hit the request button. Which should tell you all you need to know about how much all of me loved All of Us. Alas, this wasn’t the sophomore effort one might have been hoping for.
The author, to her credit, tried something different, pivoting from the mental disorders that made her debut such a blast to the white trash noir, creating a moribund nowhere town with disappearing economy and rampant small time crime, where the protagonists (all different people this time and less fun for it) find themselves involved in some murder business. It begins with a single mom named Git who works almost twice the normal work week to get away from her white trash origins and give her and her young daughter a chance at a decent life. Git has a terrible taste in men, in fact she has all but swore off men, but every so often she gets too horny to bear, throws on $100 worth of lingerie (seriously, Git? What sort of a shopping decision is that for a woman on your budget?) and hits up a local bar to get laid. She tries to be selective, but once again fails, ending up with a guy so wrong that he literally ends up dead on the same night. Also, 18 grand worth of local crime family’s money he had with him disappears. So now not only are the cops involved, but also the scion of the crime family who has employed the guy is looking for the money too. The novel has three narrators, Git, Connor the criminal and Delia the cop. But it’ mainly Git and Delia show. Delia’s also a single mom. And a lesbian. And apparently a career driven masochist, because the smallness of the town and its denizens all by guarantees her no romantic life whatsoever. But Delia’s tough. And determined to solve the case. And Git’s tough and determined to get out alive. And Connor’s just fronting tough, because he has a loyal sidekick who does the heavy lifting for him. But really most everyone in this novel is some kind of tough, because that’s the kind of life there are leading. It’s the genre, you know, they are written that way. They are all kind of like battered pickup trucks of people. And so’s the town. Everyone’s just beaten down by life, weathered, downtrodden and desperate. But scrappy, very much so, admirably so, scrappy. So that’s essentially it. Not so much of a mystery, more of a crime drama, albeit with enough suspense and thrilleresque elements to qualify for the genre. Makes an overtly conscientious effort of having two mighty and righteous female characters. Reads easily and quickly, the author certainly does that right, establishes and maintains the immediacy of the narrative. But overall, it leaves something to be desired. Possibly because it’s just nowhere near as clever or original as the author’s first novel, it just pales in comparison. Without the comparison it’s a fine read, especially if white trash noir (if that is indeed a genre) is your thing. Sufficiently entertaining for the time it takes to get through. Thanks Netgalley. There are so many instances when literature waxes poetic on its chosen city, despite all odds, statistics, crime rates, etc. But not this book. This book presents Baltimore in all its gloomy, creepy, murderous splendor. One atrocity at a time.
Such an unconventional novel this is. It utilizes a method of interspersing the central narrative with random thematically connected vignettes. I know there’s a word for this technique, but it eludes me at the moment. At any rate, it worked surprisingly well, the sum total doesn’t seem disjointed. The bones held the meat. Etc. The main plot is a story of the narrator, Barney, and his companion, searching for their siblings, both of whom have disappeared some time in the past in Baltimore. Barney and his companion get a chance to housesit In Baltimore for a year and jump on the opportunity, thinking this will help their search, only to find out once there that Baltimore isn’t a city to give up its secrets easily or at all. Barely a city at all, more of a frightening abyss of doom that hungrily devours its denizens in a variety of mordantly creative ways. Such an odd number, but made for a strangely compelling read. The classically posh narrative tone juxtaposed ever so nicely with the morbid contents. The reality and surreality (Word insists on surrealness, but honestly my version seems more fitting) worked side by side instead of competing to create something genuinely original and compelling. There are also cartoons with each chapter, though not sure they added much to the production, other than informing you that the author can also draw. Overall, quirky in the right way. Some kind of fun. read quickly as to not overstay its welcome. Definitely had a certain charm to it…unlike, say, Baltimore. The sheer definition of Golden Age presupposes a lot, at the very least a certain kind of quality and sure enough this collection makes good on that promise. Otto Penzler, a man who really, really, really knows mystery, put together a lovely roster of stories that represent some of the very best that era had to offer.
I’m a fan of mysteries, irrespective of their age, just love a good mental puzzle. And while I’ve read some Golden Era mysteries before, it probably wasn’t a large enough of a sample to formulate real passions or opinions. This one just might do the trick, though. You gotta love a well put together anthology, a cleverly selected and curated one. Each one of these stories is preceded by an author’s bio, including historical data on both publications and cinematic adaptations (and of this there were many). It seems that back in the day a lot more moviemaker drew their inspirations from books than they do now, another age when mystery genre thrives. Interesting… Anyway, in this book you’ll find a number of longer short stories by all the genre luminaries of the day. Most of the names are well known and easily recognizable, from the strikingly productive Gardner to the gloomy Woolrich. It was nice to finally read some of these authors, having watched movie and tv adaptations of their stories and being aware of who they are. But the greatest kudos and main credit go to the editor for putting together such a notably undated collection, all things considered. Barely a trace of the rampant casual sexism, racism and chauvinism that were so prevalent back then…this is as close as one gets to all things being equal by the social standards of the time. In fact, many of the authors and protagonists of these stories are women and they acquit themselves marvelously. It’s impossible for this collection to be completely undated, of course, times change and all that, but mainly it is reflected in the language, mores and morals. All the sinister and murderous intentions are still there, but in a much cleaner format. Presumably this will appeal enormously to the readers who inexplicably (to me) complain about adult language in fiction. But anyway, it’s just an altogether more innocent of a production, at least superficially and there is a certain undeniable elegance to that. Plot wise, mystery fans will be pleased, there are lots of fun puzzles here to solve. Almost all of the stories were above average in concept and execution and, of course, the twist of it all. So all in all, a lovely collection. A delight for genre fans and a good way to drum up some new ones. It reads strangely long for me, but it isn’t that long at all, so no idea what that’s all about. Maybe I was too busy playing along. Anyway…a very enjoyable read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley. I was actually able to have an intelligent informed conversation about Israel prior to reading this book based on having taken an excellent Middle East class and doing other reading and following the news. But the thing about knowledge and information is that there’s always more to be had. And this book provided that amply. It even had drawings, very good ones, from minimalist outline like sketches to excellent portraiture.
The thing is my knowledge of Israel’s past, facts and politics went up to approximately the beginning of Netanyahu’s reign and since then the country has taken a critical turn to the right, following the terrifying global nationalistic trend of recent years and this book covered all of that. So now I’m educated…and saddened. But that’s politics for you. You can’t be informed and happy or, you know, that thing they say about ignorance… But whether you had some foreknowledge of Israel or none, this book will get you up to speed. It’s an excellent comprehensive primer on the country’s origins and it’s tumultuous existence. The author is someone who really knows what he’s talking about, having lived there and having been actively involved with it as the CEO of the New Israel Fund. The man is used to talking about Israel, knows how to do it and can write about it eloquently, eruditely and accessibly. And boy does he have his work cut out for him. Israel isn’t just one of those divisive subjects that make you want to avoid politics in polite company, it’s also an insoluble political puzzle. A question with no right answer. The author, to his credit, tries to provide answers stated with tact as personal opinions while presenting the readers with a multitude of perspectives, but in the end it seems (more so the more I learn about it) that there is no end to it all. Two nations both convinced of their right to belong, unwilling or unable to satisfactory compromise. The last four years have been spectacular for Netanyahu, propped up by his best American buddy, but now things have changed. And (related or not) The New York Times has had reports of worse violence in years in Israel the last few days. It’s difficult to hope for a happy resolution, based on the ample empirical evidence offered in the book. The author tries to give you a positive ending, featuring testimonials of individuals who are fighting for unity and trying to make a positive change, but as nice as that is, it seems profoundly insignificant against the sheer immensity of the conflict. The interesting thing is that whatever you want to accuse Israel of, it’s nothing new, it’s just more recent. America has been found on displacing and killing the native people and everyone seems to be ok with it, made Thanksgiving out of it. It seems that in politics as in life, if you’re large, loud and obnoxious enough, you’ll be forgiven. Israel, a country the size of New Jersey, remains as controversial as ever and has had more than a fair share of wars, opprobrium and difficulties for a place that’s only been established in 1948. But that’s just yet some of the yet another one sided Israel conversation, albeit now, thanks to this book, more informed than ever. This book is smartly laid out, first talking facts then connecting them to the grand scheme of global politics. You will absolutely be able to talk about Israel after finishing it, so fait accompli for the author. I’m very glad I read this book. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley. Since race is such a popular subject these days and there are so many books about it, it has become abundantly clear that there is a right and wrong way to write about race. The Days of Afrekete gets it exactly right. It features racial (and sexual and socioeconomic and class and income) diversity and definitely has a message, but never lets it overpower the actual story.
But first and foremost, for me this was a story about choices. We meet the protagonist, Liselle, at a party, thrown for a not so happy occasion of her spouse’s thwarted political ambitions, the situation that is compounded by the fact that he may also be under an FBI investigation. The progressive diverse cast of supporting characters are saying all the right things, but Liselle’s mind is drifting back in time, to her college years, to the woman she loved, to the strange turns her life has taken to bring her to the now she’s in. Back in her college days Liselle was a player, sleeping her way through attractive female coeds, but the one that really got her was Selena. Their brief affair left an indelible mark on Liselle’s soul. It might have been a personal high, after which life has slowly and strangely tumbled in unpredictable directions, ending up married to a man, a white man, no less. And then the novel pivots to show you what became of Selena in the intervening years. So really, it covers a lot for being just over 200 pages. And where it excels is at just showing how different life turns out from what one might have hoped or dreamed about and how far you can go from love to find yourself. And then, of course, there’s the racial commentary, done cleverly and subtly. Because for all the difference it implies, it is only one of the many factors that go into relationships. Plus the author makes it work every which way, from Liselle’s biracial marriage to Liselle’s interactions with her Latina maid, it’s all in the nuances and it’s very well done. I found the Liselle/Selena romance/connection to be somewhat underdone, it seemed abrupt and undeveloped for something that meant so much to both of them. But overall enjoyed reading it, it played like a well done A list cast indie drama. Lus it’s always nice when an author manages to tell a story succinctly. And to honor that, this review is getting wrapped up, so…Recommended. Thanks Netgalley. The world’s most lethal grandma and her reluctant sidekick of a grandson are back. England is still/once again under attack from legendary characters of yore. This time it’s Beowulf and Grendel, because you gotta have someone awesome to follow up the King Arthur act.
Going into this knowing what to expect, having read the first book not too long ago, made it more enjoyable. Sure, it’s kind of a silly monsterhunting Grimm tv show style thing and sure, an old lady and her untrained for this grandson shouldn’t be able to be quite so dangerous to creatures like that, but in the end it’s all just pure fun. The art is great, really great, one striking panel after the next, courtesy of a very talented Dan Mora. And the bookish nerds will be delight to bookishly nerd out over the author’s use of Anglo Saxon myths and legends. So yeah, quick entertaining read. Fun was had by all. Recommended. Stringer is a kind of second best reporter on the scene, not the actual journalist, but someone who collects quoters, etc. to assist the journalist with the article. That’s how the main character in this book gets his start, but he is a second generation newspaperman, the news are in his blood. Alas, wrong sort of family business, with newspaper circulations steadily in decline since the 60s, by now social media has all by killed it.
The only options seem to be adapt to the new paradigm and learn to survive in a world determined to stay under or wrongly informed by memes and tweets or quit. Or…reinvent the game altogether and yourself along with it. The protagonist chooses the latter option, abandoning all of his morals and journalistic integrity and becomes a newsmaker, a clever behind the scenes presence, manipulating forces of evil to…well, do evil, but of a predictable and reportable variety. Then comes power, fame, acclaim, money…question is, will it be enough at the end of the day to make a man happy? Very clever commentary on not only the status of reporting in this day and age, but on the very nature of news. No time like the present, when facts and truth are no longer empirical or real or even important and liars have been upgraded from soapboxes to worldwide platforms to shout their vitriol into the universe. Also, since this is a graphic novel, it stands to mention it is a very well drawn one, switching seamlessly from black and white to color and comfortably landing somewhere between a classic comic book art and elaborate cartoons. The art compliments the story, though the story definitely outshines the art and is the real star of the show here. Very good read. Recommended. |
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