overdue book review(s)

You may or may not have noticed that things have been awfully quiet around here at isn't it pretty to think so? Chalk it up to a series of 3am nights churning out a labor of love (...that may have come out wrong). At any rate! I've been reading about as much as ever, just terribly lax with posting reviews. So let's play a round of catch-up, shall we?

No, David!

David Shannon

My boyfriend's mom gave him this for his birthday, so of course I gave it a read. The concept is pretty self-explanatory after a glance at the cover: David does something he's not supposed to; David's mom says, "No!" It's a cute little book with some good laughs to be had, but the best part is the art. Shannon's illustrations have a definite whimsy, but of a sort not typically found in children's books (at least in my experience). And the colors are absolutely fantastic. Highly recommended for anyone with children (your inner child counts).

shameless self promotion

It's a long time overdue, but my baby Leonard has finally made his debut! After much thought and consideration, the working title stayed, and Leonard & the Telescopic Trachea is officially in print.

player 2 has joined the game

Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter

Tom Bissell

Full disclosure: I am not—nor have I ever been—a gamer. That being said, I have friends in the industry, so despite the fact that I do not own a console of any kind, video games are incredibly close to my heart. And Tom Bissell delivers the goods. 

death by legume

Welcome back, dear readers (all three of you)! Don't let the lack of recent posts fool you: I've been reading up a storm, just haven't had additional downtime to blog about it. So now, I diligently set fingertips to keyboard to fill you in on the latest books to take their leave of my "to-read" shelf.

Mr. Peanut
Adam Ross

Every so often, a novel comes along that's a complete game changer, surpassing your expectations and taking you to places you'd never have dreamed of (or had at least forgotten existed), and as you turn the final page of the story to find blank space and the back cover on the other side, all you can do is release a breathless, blissful "wow."


This is one of those novels.

used // in well-loved condition

The Late American Novel: Writers on the Future of Books
edited by Jeff Martin & C. Max Magee


A new month, a new review. This was an impulse buy off the "employee recommendations" display at my local Barnes & Noble while killing time before seeing "Thor" in 3D. One look at the cover art, and I couldn't very well not buy it. Throw in the fact that I've been kicking around the idea of doing my thesis on reading as tactile experience and the fetishization of print, and it's fairly obvious that this particular book was tailor-made for me.


Happily, it did not disappoint.

i'm cool. i have tattoos.

A Heap of Broken Thoughts
Sean Pearson


Just shy of two years ago, one of my best and oldest friends informed me that he was looking at self-publishing a collection of short stories, poetry, and miscellaneous odds and ends that he'd written throughout the years and asked if I'd write some copy to put on the back cover. Never one to shy away from a challenge, I happily accepted. But although I'd read most of the book's contents, I hadn't actually read the book itself.

Which, as you might imagine, made things a little complicated.

so many books, vol. 2

Yesterday, I threw down some book recommendations. Today, you get the rest! So sit back, relax, and try to steer clear of your plastic, cos nearly all of these are worth owning.

so many books...

For a while now, I've been posting brief reviews of books here and there on other sites thanks to Powell's Daily Dose and its lure of free books, but I've recently been inspired by my amazing pal Audrey and her work over at Bibliosaurus Text to post reviews here. After all, what good is it being a bibliophile if you can't share the love? And besides, my reading habit is about to kick into overdrive with the start of a new school year, so this might be a good excuse to get back into the swing of putting my thoughts on paper/screen.

and they called it mandroid love...

So remember when I said the guys over at Star Wars v. Star Trek were going to let me edit their blog? It turns out I'm allowed to write there, too! Check it out!

Image courtesy Botropolis.

slow boat to china

my chinese consulate friend // san francisco

...and by "boat," I mean "very long flight(s)," but you get the idea.

At any rate, it's an announcement fairly long coming, and many (if not most (or maybe all)) of you are already aware of the news, but just to make it official: I'm moving to China for a year. Specifically, Shanghai. So yeah. Color me stoked.

i quit this bitch!

I wrote this back in the days when we were all firmly entrenched in the Space, but once again, the words are relevant. So here it is, slightly altered for accuracy's sake:

Saints be praised — I have begun the process of shaking off my shackles of cubicle oppression. BE GONE, vile headset; thou hath no power over me! The time of my rebirth is now. A new day is dawning, and I rise to greet it with open arms and a brilliant smile. The gods may feast in bacchean ecstasy on nectar and ambrosia, but I shall soon taste the sweet fruits of victory and emancipation.

I have given my three weeks' notice...

Rock. 

And now, some musical entertainment:



So apropos.

waiting for godot banjo

Counting down the days...

so a starfleet officer walks into the cantina on mos eisley...

No I won't. More's the pity... but I digress. Time for another shameless plug on behalf of my star-studded* parade of brilliant friends. I've once again offered my pro bono copyediting services,** this time for the fanboys—pardon me, fanmen—behind the helm of Star Wars vs. Star Trek. If you're into discussing the practical applications of futuristic sci-fi technologies, debating the relative merits of humanoid artificial intelligence compared to its more mechy counterparts, ogling scantily clad women of the green and/or chained variety, pyrotechnic explosions that do or do not (there is no try) resemble what could actually occur in the vacuum of space... or if you're just in the mood for some occasionally foul-mouthed and/or low-brow but always sufficiently geeky humor... then this is clearly the best blog you're not reading.*** So I suggest you rectify that situation.

MTFBWY // LL&P

leonard, revisited

Big, beautiful developments are in the works, courtesy of a woman who more than knows her way around a Sharpie and a block of wood, bringing us one step closer to putting Leonard the giraffe's story into print. And there was much rejoicing!

...or there would be, were it not for a currently significant roadblock: I have to pick a title first.

Shoot.

this is what they pay me for...

You know the sort of thing where one person starts a story and then a group of people take turns adding to it, picking up the narrative ball where the last person left off? Sort of like Click... aaaaaaanywho. A coworker just forwarded a story kicked off by another of our coworkers, and added to be at least one other (if not more) in the interim, which starts off talking about a poor schmuck wasting away in cubicle land a la "Office Space," then shifts point of view to his boss, Amy, who thinks bitterly to herself that her male subordinate wouldn't have lasted nearly as long were it not for his conventional good looks because, in the world of depilatory creams, some man candy often helps to close the sale.

Needless to say, this got my mind stuck on unwanted body hair (and yes, I freely admit to having first googled "depilatory" to figure out just what sort of cosmetic product the story was dealing with)... so I ran with it:

medieval times // more than just dinner + a show

In case you were unaware, renowned historian* Dr. David B. Jaloza, Esq.,** also posts things on the interwebs here, although it should be noted that he does so far more eloquently and informatively than I could ever hope to do. That being said, I've offered my pro bono services as a copy editor, and he has accepted, so as I read through his back catalog of posts, I encourage you to do the same.

Hop to it!

Image borrowed from Loyola University, Chicago, Department of English.

*and by "renowned," I mean "by me" as opposed to "by society."

**Dr. David B. Jaloza, Esq., is neither a doctor, gentleman of noble birth, civil servant, government official, nor practitioner of law.

piss-pots & poets

Just finished reading The Ends of Our Tethers by Alasdair Gray—enormous thanks to Joanne [aka my newly-minted Kimberry] for introducing me to another voice that cuts to the quick as only Scots seem able to do. It's a great read for anyone who enjoys short stories, especially if you have an eye/ear for the at least mildly experimental variety, but the book recommendation is really neither here nor there. After all, that's what Goodreads is for, is it not?

So back to the matter at hand:

leonard and the telescopic trachea

Needless to say, the title is a work in progress. But I think I'm happy with how the story turned out, and it's not like it's a baby [just written for one], so who cares if I don't name it right away? Anyway, it's my first stab ever at a children's book.* Anthropomorphic animals teach us all a valuable lesson... or something.

cruelty to stuffed animals

I'm having entirely too much fun... but you know what's even more fun??

Sleep!

no, really...

...the dog totally ate my homework.