Birds do it…you know how the song goes. But have you ever wanted to know exactly how they do it? Well, now you can - this delight of a book will tell you exactly how, one animal penis at a time. Why only penis? Well, because research (like life itself) is sexist and heavily skewed toward male species in all respects. Though whatever there is that’s known about female reproduction and mating quirks is featured here too.
And oh my, is it fun. It’s so weird, so bizarre, so alien…you just can’t put it down. And, the good news is, you don’t have to, the book is slim enough to easily get through in one sitting, it took me maybe 120 minutes. It even had some lovely art, so you know just which creature you’re learning all those terribly intimate things about. And some of the things you’ll learn are terrible – animals are pervs. Just like people, in that respect. But then there are detachable (or prehensile) penises and gender swapping and some profoundly odd genital shapes that are…well, different. Very, very different. But, of course, all perfectly natural, because, you know, it's nature. Literally. The author, much to her credit, has struck just the right tone here, it’s science but one you just have to marvel at with bewildered bemusement or something like that. It’s disturbing, funny, strange, and, above all, absolutely fascinating. It’s also a pure pleasure to read, this NC-17 rated nature documentary you’ve been secretly searching for. Oodles of fun. Recommended.
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This is a man’s world…as the song says. But women have been trying to come up in it, taking positions of power, etc. There are still obstacles, biases, glass ceilings and such, so banding together seems like a great idea, stronger together and all that. well, that’s the general idea behind this novel. The specifics are infinitely more complicated, morally dubious and ethically murky. That’s where the fun comes in.
Our protagonist, Nicole, is a lawyer at the top of her game, partner in a Manhattan firm, at thirty nine she’s got most things she wants, things she had worked so diligently for. But then a wrench is thrown into her works, her position at her firm is suddenly at risk and it sends her tailspinning into…well, something that seems disturbingly cult-like. Of course, no one calls it that, it’s more of a by-invite-only exclusive networking opportunity for women that demands unquestionable loyalty from its members. Oh well, at least there’s no branding, right? Anyway, Nicole becomes one of the elite PL members, good things begin to roll her way so epically that it takes her a moment to realize that something hinky is going on, some underlying conspiracy. When it dawns on her, she’s up to her elbows in it and must find a way to get herself out. Not an easy task, for it turns out women of power can be just as sinister and as manipulative and evil as men. Ta-da…gender equality. Excellent. So, there you have it. A thoroughly engaging and pretty exciting thriller that kinda lets go of some momentum when it veers into corporate territory. Unless corporate takeovers are your thing, in which case you’re going to love this book. For me, it didn’t quite work, the business end of it all, the legal proceedings, kind of hampered the ending to what was otherwise a very thrilling ride. But until then (and aside from that) this was a very entertaining and dynamic read. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, because normally tales of NYC elite tend to be ever so first-world tedious. But this was fun despite all that, despite how thoroughly its characters are steeped in privilege. So yey. Nicely done. My first experience with an author and quite an impressive one at that. She’s a retired lawyer turned author, her fiction reflects it. Write what you know and all that. But the writing is good, it draws you in, it does all or most of the things thrillers are supposed to and does so without insulting the readers’ intelligence. So all in all, pretty good. Please Join Us is the kind of book one can easily get on board with. Then again the same can be said about cults. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley. Ok, it’s official now. I really, really don’t like Don DeLillo’s writing. It should have been obvious from the disappointment of Zero K, but no, I figured I’d give him another go, being that this one was so short. It is, indeed, as silences regrettably tend to be, very short. It reads in about 60 minutes. But there’s no reason I can think of for why one should read it at all.
The timing of this book is auspicious enough; it was completed right before the world turned to doodoo and thus thematically is perfect for it. The story itself takes place in 2022 during a mysterious power outage. It essentially features a get together of friends who talk over a meal. Yeah, it’s as exciting as that. Mind you, such things can be made exciting, but DeLillo is above all that conventional appeal. DeLillo, it seems, fancies himself something of a poet. At least, that’s how this novella and its accompanying essay read. Like poems - heavily stylized, light on substance, rhythmless and rhymeless poems. Or, in art lingo, if you will, DeLillo writes through sketches, his pictures are incomplete, missing vitality, missing something. No meat on these bones. Things go nowhere. From a purely fictional perspective, this story is barely an appetizer. The premise is intriguing, but then…nothing. Nothing at all. People talk, have sex, talk. It’s all so vague, so tedious, so freaking pretentious. It’s the kind of fiction that wins awards not reading excitement. 60 minutes of silence would have been more rewarding. Pass. |
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December 2023
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