Best of Apex Magazine. Volume 1

How fun is this cover?!

Where I got the book

LibraryThing Early Reviewers, as an eBook.

Why I’m reading

I just finished For Exposure, an autobiography by Jason Sizemore, the creator and editor of Apex Magazine -- so of course I want to see what all the fuss was about.

Expectations

A collection of (hopefully high-quality) scifi short stories. I’ve got to get the taste of Joy to the Worlds out of my mouth...

How was it?

I started this months ago, but just finished the last few. I love short stories, but collections are hard to finish than novels -- there’s no ‘what happens next?!’ when you finish each story in one sitting. The whole thing blew me away, really; I really haven’t been reading enough of this sort of thing. I was expecting much more strict scifi, but these stories were a fantastic mix of scifi, fantasy, horror (Gothic, not slasher), thought experiments, and old campfire ghost stories. What struck me is that these stories all played to the strengths of the short story, tossing the reader into the middle of a world and letting them figure things out as they go. Some felt unfinished or not fully realized, which isn’t a bad thing. Weirdly enough, it’s something I see often in good fanfiction: stories that are allowed to be ephemeral and experimental rather than definitive. The stories feel shorter than Joy to the Worlds, but I can’t tell if they’re actually shorter or just less painful to read…  

Jackalope Wives // Ursula Vernon
A short, dark fantasy story about shape-changing jackalope wives, in the style of an old fairy tale -- the kind that were weird and twisted and creepy as hell.  

Going Endo // Rich Larson
This whacks you right over the head with the sort of technobabble future-speak that usually comes off trite, but this time it sets a great mood -- it sounds like natural slang, and there are no Importantly Capitalized Nouns. It’s a slice of life from some kind of militarized bio-VR company engineer… and then also sex. Cheeky!

 Candy Girl // Chikodili Emelumadu
A quick and dirty voodoo story that's like something out of a dream - random and strange,but not terrifying. Wickedly vindictive.

 If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love // Rachel Swirsky
Starts out a bit like Neil Gaimon’s The Day the Saucers Came or If You Give a Mouse a Cookie -- mostly nonsense. Ends a bit like the song If You Could See Her from Cabaret.  

Advertising at the End of the World // Keffy R.M. Kehrli
A post-apocalyptic survivor and the hi-tech remnants of advertising culture. A little sad; probably a metaphor for old age. Strangely comfortable.  

The Performance Artist // Lettie Prell
A performance artist explores the connection between self and machines. I didn't really connect with this one, but, well... she nailed performance art. Imaginative, though.

A Matter of Shapespace // Brian Trent
All mass (humanity included) can be transmitted and manipulated electronically, through simple thought commands. A little like The Matrix, a little like I, Rowboat I like it. http://www.flurb.net/1/doctorow.htm  

Falling Leaves // Liz Argall
Two outcast teen girls connect (sort of) in a post apocalyptic society. Post apocalyptic teenage angst. Meh.  

Blood from Stone // Alethea Kontis
Summoning demons and dark, twisted love... except, yeah, I've read tons of stuff that's darker and more twisted. Your standard Gothic fare: not a bad read, but nothing special.  

Sexagesimal // Katharine E.K. Duckett
This one was weird - a trippy and very unique take on death, with an afterlife that runs on a memory-based economy.  

Multo // Samuel Marzioli
Are you afraid of the dark? A simple story that perfectly captures the old childhood fear that kept us tucked safely under our quilts at night.  

Keep Talking // Marie Vibbert
Like contact, a little bit, I guess? But with autism and interpretive dance? I wasn’t a fan of this one.  

Remembery Day // Sarah Pinsker
Another one about memory, this time focusing on memory and war. Definitely a thought exercise on the question of memory: are we better off remembering bad things (like war)? If we could forget, should we -- as an individual, and as a society?

Blood on Beacon Hill // Russell Nichols
Immortal vampires are just as messed up by family and society as mortals are.  

The Green Book // Amal El-Mohtar
Epistolary. A man, his mentor, a talking book who was once a girl, a sort of shadowy religious order, and absolutely zero context. Interesting.  

L’espirit de L’escalier // Peter M. Ball
An endless stairwell three sharpies and a bottle of ashes: that’s it. I love the lack of context.  
Still Life (A Sexagesimal Fairy Tale) // Ian Tregillis
In a palace that time forgot, a clock maker - the only person who can age - falls in love and builds magical time pieces.  

Build-a-Dolly // Ken Liu
We're cruel to our toys.  

Armless Maidens of the American West // Genevieve Valentine
An armless girl (woman?) wandering the forest -- like a local ghost story, except everyone knows she's real and just doesn't pay much attention. A commentary on ignoring suffering of others simply because it's the way things are.

Pocosin // Ursula Vernon
A tired witch and a dying possum god. Very atmospheric.  

She Gave Her Heart, He Took Her Marrow // Sam Fleming
A mentally ill girl in the middle of a sort-of zombie apocalypse. Very confusing at first. Err… very confusing at the end, too. Not quite a zombie story, but I got the same sort of vibe.

Eleanor // Jason Gurley

Why I'm reading
I almost skipped over this -- it seemed like your typical tug-on-your-heartstrings mother-daughter story. Then halfway through the summary, suddenly... Scifi?

Where I got the book
Received this from LibraryThing's early reviewer program.

Expectations
The summary was strange. 99% of it reads like something from Lifetime or Oprah's book list, until I realized trite phrases like "Eleanor's painful reality begins to unravel" and "Eleanor is torn from her world" are happening literally.

So how was it?

Eleanor is the story of three generations of women... mostly making each other miserable. It spans forty years (1962-1996), with a plot that jumps between Eleanor, her daughter Agnes', her daughters Eleanor (junior) and Esmeralda, and -- ready for the Scifi? -- a mysterious rift dimension. Oh, and a series of husbands/fathers who don't really help the situation.

I've been calling this all Scifi, but it's not really Science Fiction. It has the freedom and imagination of Scifi, but there's no science involved; it's closer to mythology. I would probably call it Fantasy, but it has no relation to familiar High Fantasy exemplified by Tolkien.

Recommendation
Extremely similar to the video game Life is Strange -- love, tragedy, time travel, and relationships between women. Vaguely similar to Donnie Darko, except A) it's not super-pretentious, and B) I didn't hate it.

Feels
Deals with grief and pain between generations of women. The cosmology reminds me of Egyptian or Tolkien's mythology.

Favorites
I thought I'd hate the myriad of characters introduced, but it was satisfying once everything came together. The story didn't constantly need to ram its own mystery/suspense down the reader's throat.

Least favorites
I guess I like that it bounced around between characters/times, but it did that a little too much.

Mockingjay // Suzanne Collins {Audiobook}

Why I'm reading
Duh.

Where I got the book
Greeeeeeenwich.

Expectations
Finally getting to this whole rebellion thing.

So how was it?

After being rescued in Catching Fire, and bumming around with what is probably several layers of PTSD, Katniss ends up the Mockingjay: the rebellion's figurehead. There’s lots of arguing about everything, a new flavor of makeover, and actual rebellion-fighting action! Then she sets off with a small elite squad and the real action actually starts. Also, Peeta’s all sorts of messed up.

This vastly exceeded my expectations. Not so much in terms of plot, but in terms of how Collins handles the emotional aspects of war. There's a brief afterword at the end (read by the author in the audiobook) explaining how she came up with the idea: she was flipping through channels, and saw  young reality TV stars juxtaposed against young soldiers in Iraq. I'm so glad I stuck around for the afterword (I usually don't read them) because it explains how this book had such an impact; the plot and the characters are your typical dystopian thriller, but there's a strong undercurrent of -- I don't know what to call it, but it reminds me of M*A*S*H.

The afterword also explained why I was constantly thinking jeez, I really hope they filmed this shot-for-shot, the scenes are set up perfectly for film -- Collins worked in TV!

Recommendation
Well, if you’ve made it this far…

Feels
Like everyone’s dying and you don’t have time to care. Seriously, just assume everyone dies. Not everyone does, but at least then you'll be -- let's not say pleasantly surprised, but at least not totally crushed.

Favorites
Continues to be Finnick and Haymitch, although Haymitch plays a smaller role this time. The shenanigans with the camera crew. Katniss’ last arrow.

Least favorites
The whole thing with Peeta was a little silly initially, but I guess it served its purpose. I also wasn't a fan of the way she wrote the fire... thing at the very end.

So what did I really think?

Click "read more"... massive spoilers ahead!

Hunger Games // Suzanne Collins {Audiobook}

Why I'm reading
I feel like a bad librarian for not having read Hunger Games yet. That's me, always late to the party!

Where I got the book
Overdrive from Greenwich Library.

Expectations
I've seen the first movie, so more or less (more, it turns out) know the plot.

So how was it?

The movie stuck fairly close to the plot -- and feel -- of the book, so it was what I expected: a dystopian future, where North America is split into twelve districts, each of which sends two 'tribute' citizens to compete in the Hunger Games.

The book is always better (of course) but in this case, the movie had no chance; as a film medium, it just can't get the same message across. In the book, we understand that Katniss is playing things up for the camera, that everything she feels/does is filtered through the lens of being watched and fighting for her life, and that she's disgusted by the audience watching her -- all things that are nearly impossible to convey to... well, an audience watching her. Jennifer Lawrence actually does a fantastic job conveying the right blank-face disgust and terror.

I've held back on watching the other movies, because I don't want to spend the rest of the series comparing the two (hey, it worked for LotR!)

Recommendation
If you liked the movie, you'll like the book. It's got a little of everything: fighting, survival, romance, a little bit of a psychological thrill (like a spy novel), family drama, and pageantry -- but definitely heavy on the fighting and survival.

Feels
Fast-paced without being ridiculous or confusing. The romance elements are a bit annoying, but honest and don't have any real resolution.

Favorites
It's nothing groundbreaking, but I really appreciated the detail and honesty given to Katniss' relationships -- they're allowed to be conflicted and confusing. She doesn't understand the motives behind her own actions, especially when it comes to Peeta.

Least favorites
Suddenly werewolves? Or something? I can see why they downplayed that in the movie.

Writing style
Easily accessible, descriptive, just the tiniest bit cheesy. Lots of flashbacks.

So what did I really think?

Click "read more"... massive spoilers ahead!

Dad is Fat // Jim Gaffigin {Audiobook}

Why I'm reading
It was sitting in my 'to read' queue, from back when I thought it was possible (and a good idea) to go through the entire humor and Scifi audiobook offerings in Overdrive. Yeah. Also, I was in the mood for humor, after officially running out of Sherlock Podfics (yeah, that's a thing now!) 

I have zero interest in (having, teaching, librarian-ing, or otherwise interacting with) kids, but I like Gaffigan's stand-up, and comedy about kids can be pretty funny.

Where I got the book
Overdrive!

Expectations
Mild humor about the funny/annoying parts of parenting.

So how was it?

Pretty good! Not as good as his stand-up, but I suppressed a few chortles. The entire thing is about kids and parenthood, so no surprise there. He's got five kids (wow) and lives in a small New York apartment (...wow).

Recommendation
The target demographic is obviously parents -- down-to-earth parents, parents with several children, working parents, etc. But you don't need to be a parent (or even like kids) to get the humor.

Feels
Positive, down-to-earth. "Family friendly" in the sense that he doesn't swear, but also in the sense that he the kind of things labeled "family friendly."

Favorites
Gaffigin is clearly a very involved father, and it's good to hear a man's voice/perspective on parenting. This kind of thing is important to breaking up traditional ideas of gender.

Least favorites
Eh, some parts can be a little fixated on gender roles -- not enforcing them, as such, but there's still an uncomfortable amount of "women are naturally mothering," and "men parent this way." But even so, most of what he says is specifically about him and his wife, and there's nothing wrong with choosing to fill a gender role; he just slips into traditional ideas of gender more than I'd like. It's more of a language issue than anything.

Writing style
Very similar to his stand-up, with great segue between individual stories.

Inside Out {Movie}

Why I'm watching
It’s got incredibly good reviews, and Tina Fey Amy Poehler is the main character/voice.

Where I saw the movie
Local theater with Alan.

Expectations
Family friendly fun. I was hoping for something on par with Pixar’s other fantastic works, like Up! and Wall-E.

So how was it?

Inside Out is the story of a young girl, Riley, during her move from the Midwest to San Francisco -- or, rather, the story of her emotions. Joy, along with Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness, try to make sense of Riley’s upheaval by exploring the metaphorical landscape of her mind.

Recommendation
EVERYONE. Literally everyone should see this movie. Including people who have already seen it. Go. Now.

Okay, no, this isn’t really a movie for younger children. It’s not going to be scary, but it deals with concepts that young children might not understand. They'll be super bored.

And if you're depressed, it's a great message, but it will make you feel all the emotions.

Feels
It’s beyond hilarious, but it’s also sweet and upsetting in places… and no, not upsetting like Up! It’s pretty much teaching an entire generation of children (and adults!) the importance of acknowledging and listening to sadness.

Favorites
As an individual character: Anger. Anger is ridiculously hilarious. But the star of this movie is absolutely the relationship (both literal and metaphorical) between Joy and Sadness.

Least favorites
I know a lot of people loved Riley’s imaginary character, and I appreciate his role in the story, but I didn’t actually connect with him as a character.

So what did I really think?

Click "read more"... massive spoilers ahead!

Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us // Allen Salkin {Audiobook}

Why I'm listening
Another audiobook for the airplane, although I didn’t really get into it, and ended up half-ignoring it at work.

Where I got the book
Greenwich (again!)

Expectations
A book about festivus? I guess?

So how was it?

Pretty much the history of Festivus. Not terribly interesting, but good background noise.

Recommendation
If you don’t know what Festivus is, it’s not the book for you.

Feels
Fun, lighthearted, actually informational.

Favorites
What they did with it in Seinfeld (which... wasn’t really part of the book.)

Least favorites
It was less funny and more informational than I was expecting.

Dirty Daddy // Bob Saget {Audiobook}

Oh my GOD I got Alan to read a book. Okay, listen to a book. Without internet. While trapped on an airplane. In other news: we went to Arkansas for an action-packed week of alcohol and board games with friends!

 Why I'm reading
Bob Saget, star of Full House, bastion of 90s TV.

Where I got the book
Overdrive, Greenwich Library.

Expectations
It’s called Dirty Daddy, and I’ve certainly heard how bad his stand-up can be, so… dirty.

So how was it?

And -- it wasn’t. Dirty, that is. It was a fairly clean and even motivational memoir about Sagat's life and family, and most of the crude humor seemed tacked on to keep the reader from getting bored.

Apparently, despite what we've all heard, Bob Saget actually is (a slightly ruder) Danny Tanner. And that’s actually pretty neat.

Recommendation
Fans of Full House, or Bob Saget in general. Not for people who can’t handle a few “my laptop is melting my balls” jokes, but it doesn’t go much further than that.

Feels
Heartfelt, but inexperienced in terms of writing.

Favorites
The unexpectedly heartwarming focus on the role of humor in times of tragedy.

Least favorites
Like quite a few memoirs, this one falls into the trap of talking about itself way too much -- naval gazing about the process of writing a memoir, the whys and wheres, the deadlines, how far along it is, how silly and awkward it is to be writing about oneself, etc. etc. Sagat is an actor and comedian who can write jokes, but doesn’t seem comfortable writing an actual book.

Writing style
Conversational and heartfelt, with a dirty joke tacked on every few paragraphs.

Sh*t My Dad Says // Justin Halpern

Why I'm reading
I came across it looking for audiobooks, and I know Shatner did the TV adaptation.

Where I got the book
Greeeeenwich!

Expectations
Someone's crotchety old dad saying funny things.

So how was it?

The book is based on the twitter account Shit My Dad Says, which (as you’d expect) consists of funny and insightful quotes from Halpern’s dad. But the book itself is less “funny shit my dad says,” and more “life lessons from my dad, who often says funny shit.”

It’s fairly good, as far as humorous essays go.

Recommendation
I imagine this would mostly appeal to young men, and to people who are close with their fathers (err… not that I’m not the latter).

Feels
Coming-of-age, family bonding. What I imagine Everybody Loves Raymond is trying, and utterly failing, to be.

Choose Your Own Autobiography // Neil Patrick Harris {Audiobook}

Want to read about the life of a gregarious, gay, well-adjusted child actor turned magician, Broadway-TV-movie star, and family man? Yes. Yes you do.

Why I'm reading
It’s Neil Patrick Harris! 

Actually, there is a “why I’m not reading” for this book, or at least a “why I’m listening to the audiobook instead.” I love the idea of a choose-your-own-adventure autobiography, but I always tried to read those wrong, with my fingers bookmarking each and every possible outcome. Plus, I’ve been listening to a lot of autobiographies recently, and for those a book just can’t beat an audiobook read by the author. 


Where I got the book
Audiobook, Greenwich, etc. etc.

Expectations
Fun showbiz stuff, Dougie Howser, sappy stuff about his husband.

So how was it?

It was pretty much exactly what I was expecting. Maybe even more what-I-expected than I was actually expecting (...?!). And of course, since it’s in the format of a choose-your-own-adventure book, it’s peppered with exaggerated fake endings.

I did notice that NPH stuck almost entirely to the positives in his life. I can hardly complain about it, because it was an artistic (and personal) choice that made the book a very fun read... and I'm not all that surprised, either. NPH has always struck me as the kind of person who has a very open and outgoing personality, but is pretty guarded about deeper feelings.

He also talks exactly the right amount about his kids -- you get a glimpse into a very important part of his life, but you don't feel like he just strapped you to the couch and pulled out twelve photo albums and a heap of parenting books.

Recommendation
NPH fans (of course) and basically anyone interested in celebrities.

Feels
Fun, lighthearted, honest, loving, hilarious.

Favorites
Dougie Howser days, of course. I also like how he talked about figuring out his sexuality, but it wasn’t this whole big over dramatic thing… just something he slowly figured out. His stories about David Burtka were adorable.

Least favorites
I really wish he went into more detail about Hedwig (what can I say?) or mentioned John Cameron Mitchell. I’ve seen interviews where he clearly has interesting JCM stories.

Writing style
Awesome. Basically, Barney Stinson telling a really awesome story, except take away all the Barney craziness.

Not My Father's Son // Alan Cumming {Audiobook}

I’m quickly coming to the realization that memoirs make great audiobooks, especially when they’re read by the authors. Unfortunately I’m tearing through the small number of audiobook-celebrity-memoirs, at least the ones I’m interested in.  

Why I'm reading
Alan Cumming is one of my (many, many, many) long-standing celebrity crushes.

Where I got the book
Greenwich Library, audiobook. I’d passed this by before, but decided to pick it up this time because I wasn’t in a sci fi mood.

Expectations
I know the basics of his life, but I haven’t really delved into it much.

So how was it?

Wow, I had no idea Alan Cumming was abused as a child, let alone so severely. I can’t imagine how hard it was for him to put this all out there for the public to read; at one point, he explains that he tries to live his life as openly as possible, and he’s not kidding.

I was expecting your standard “my life up ‘til now” memoir, which is not what I got. The book specifically focuses on Cumming’s father, and family history on his mother’s side. He starred in an episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, discovering some unfortunate things about his grandfather on his mother’s side; while shooting the episode, he explains, he was also going through drama with his estranged father. I actually just watched this episode -- like, paused it halfway through, went to bed, went to work, then borrowed the audiobook -- and completely forgot about it.

Recommendation
Fans of Alan Cumming, of course. Although I can’t speak from experience, I think it would be a validating and uplifting read for survivors of abusive homes. If you’re just interested in family history (in the historical sense), you’re better off just watching the Who Do You Think You Are? episode.

Feels
Both devastating and uplifting. Cumming is surprisingly frank about everything, and it somehow does not feel uncomfortable.

Writing style
Honest, dramatic, paints a colorful picture.

Yes Please // Amy Poehler {Audiobook}

The next audiobook after my failed attempt to complete Ray Bradbury...  

Why I'm reading
Amy Poehler!

Where I got the book
Greenwich library, audiobook. I didn’t even know she wrote a memoir until I saw it on the shelf… now, I’m seeing it everywhere.

Expectations
Something like Tina Fey’s memoir.

So how was it?

I can’t help but compare it to her comedy-wife Tina Fey’s memoir -- and since I’m much more of a Tina than an Amy, I liked hers a lot better. But that’s entirely down to preference. There was a lot of baby/mom stuff, and it was all front-loaded into the beginning of the book. But all in all, a fun and interesting read (listen). She spends a lot of time talking about her insecurities, but it never gets dark. After you get past the baby stuff, she has some cool stories about SNL cast members, award shows, and Parks and Recreations.

Recommendation
Fans of Amy Pohler, Saturday Night Live, Parks and Recreations. Anyone with an inner doubt demon.

Feels
Fun, funny, family oriented, a little self-help-y.

Favorites
Award show shenanigans, and the fact that she brings in a bunch of other actors/comedians to read bits.

Least favorites
Eh, some of it gets philosophical... or at least tries to. Also there was maybe like 25% more baby stuff than there really should have been,

Writing style
Very conversational, with some additional (improv’d?) discussion with her guest readers.

The Sandman // Niel Gaiman

Illustrated by Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, Jill Thompson, Shawn McManus, Marc Hempel, Michael Zulli, Todd Klein (lettering), Dave McKean (covers)

Where I got the book
My local library has copies of all the bound collections!

Why I’m reading
Another one of those “I’ll get around to reading it eventually” books. I finally decided to give it a go after I saw Boyhood with a friend, and we got to talking about manga and graphic novels. We also talked about a manga called The Gamer that I'm following now. He specifically told me about one small storyline that sounded awesome: a guy in a bar is bragging that death is for suckers and he’s having none of it; Dream and Death decide it would be fun to go ahead and give him immortality. Dream meets up with him every hundred or so years, and eventually people notice and start thinking they’re some sort of mythical conspiracy. In retrospect, I think my friend made it out to be more ‘hilarious hijinks’ than it actually was.

Expectations
90s goth sensibilities, lots of eyeliner, hijinks and messing around with mortals.

So how was it?

First of all, I may have been hopped up on Vicodin for the first few books. I powered through them in a day and a half after getting my wisdom teeth taken out. I’ve eaten mostly baby food and spaghetti-os for the last week. Fun times.

I liked this a lot more than I thought I would, even though it was less “fun” than I was expecting. I was worried it would be over-dramatic and full of dull tropes, which it wasn’t. I should trust Gaiman at this point, I don’t know what I was thinking.

The graphic novels focus on Dream, the sandman, who is one of seven entities called the Endless. The other six are his family: Desire, Delirium, Despair, Death, Destiny, and Destruction… wow, I just realized they all started with a “D.” They exist as anthropomorphic representations of patterns or concepts in the human psyche. Dream isn’t just involved with sleeping dreams; hopes, creativity, waking dreams, etc., are also his jurisdiction.

The story follows Dream’s capture and escape from a sorcerer, righting his past wrongs, searching for his brother, and defending the dream world. His siblings are major characters, along with his servants and several humans. It’s also a story about stories, with all sorts of interwoven side characters and side stories; sometimes you’ll go an entire chapter barely seeing Dream or one of the other Endless.

The artwork is great: creative, imaginative, without getting to “comicbooky.” Dream is so much 90s Trent Reznor it’s not even funny. With maybe a dash of Alan Rickman for flair. It threw me a little that the artwork changes depending on the story, but once I noticed it was happening, I loved it. It’s very subtle. Dream’s clothes were probably the coolest, especially his cape; not sure how I felt about his helm, it was a little too sci-fi buggy.

Recommendation
For fans of mythology, traditional Gothic and Romantic literature. 

Feels
Somber and introspective, but not depressing. Loving. Sometimes funny.

Favorites
It’s the family dynamic between the Endless that really makes the story, especially Dream’s relationship with Death, Delirium, and Destruction. The characters are anthropomorphic concepts whose behavior is based on what they represent; but at the same time, it’s a very real family dynamic, not some attempt at philosophizing. Gaiman also gets really deep into itty bitty side characters, making them just as interesting and real as the main characters.

In terms of actual characters, I didn’t fixate on just one, which is unusual for me. I loved Dream, but Delirium, Death, Lucien (the librarian!) and Fiddler’s Green were also favorites. Matthew the crow ended up being a surprisingly touching character, as did Despair.

Least favorites
I wouldn’t say that there was anything missing, but I wanted to see the main character, Dream, go wild at least once. The artwork was fantastic, and the conceptualization of Dream’s powers were so imaginative and cool, and we do see him using it in a lot of creative ways. But… I don’t know, I wish there was a chapter or two where we could just see him create. Dream felt a little fenced in, which is entirely keeping with his character, but seeing him let go for a while could have created contrast and would have been satisfying for me as a reader. Basically, I think it could have benefited from a few more artwork-heavy pages with swirly capes.

For characters, there were a whole bunch that I didn’t necessarily connect with, but that’s fine. The only one that was actually a little disappointing was Desire; I felt like we don’t get much insight into the character or the concept, even though s/he gets a lot of screen time. Despair felt deeper, despite having much less screen time and sort of boring powers.

Writing style
Subtle, very subtle. There was a lot left unsaid, lots of little details, intertwining plots, and the story never spoon-fed you meanings or feelings.

Related reading

• William Shakespeare is actually a side character; Dream commissions his plays A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest. The folklore fairies Titania and Auberon are characters.
• The Sandman is one of only a few graphic novels to make it onto the New York Times Best Seller list, along with Maus, Watchmen, and The Dark Knight Returns.
• Several other DC comic book characters appear, including John Constantine, Batman, and several Justice League characters.

Boyhood // Directed by Richard Linklater {Movie}

A coming-of age drama following a young boy from ages six to eighteen, living in Texas with divorced parents ; filmed in near real-time.

Where I saw the movie
I didn’t drive, so I honestly don’t remember. Oops.

Why I’m watching
Alan's been on about it for years; he's a big fan of the director. And I'll admit, he got me excited for it.

So how was it?

Boyhood was filmed over the course of a decade, using all the same actors. The main character started at about 8 years old, up through 18. It was weird watching everyone age.

I liked it, I thought it was a worthwhile project, but it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. It wasn’t as fun as it could have been. It wasn’t even as “deep” as it could have been. I didn’t love any of the characters, or even like them very much, but I could empathize with them and understand their decisions. It was just sort of… real. In a way, it was a little disappointing; at the same time, life is a little disappointing, and we see most of the characters go through that. You expect these awesome, meaningful things, but life just sort of happens, and you do the best you can.

Alan described it as “looking through a window at a real person.”

Anyway, I feel like this review is overly negative, and I don’t want to end it like that. It was a good movie, and absolutely worth seeing. It’s something that hasn’t been done before, and it’s an extremely realistic portrayal of life and all its little disappointments and challenges. The acting (except a few teen side characters) is fantastic. Each of the characters is a real complex person, not just the main character’s mom/dad/sister/etc. And I bet that those characters will resonate emotionally for a lot of people who have had similar life experiences. For me, only a few things were close enough to my life to really have an emotional impact: the divorced dad sharing music with his kids, the mom making ends meet (thankfully the only thing she had in common with mine), the teenage whatever and I’m bored.

Recommendation
For people who like portrayals of real life (and don’t need closure).

Feels
The movie didn’t hit me in the feels, really. Some of the decisions left me a little unsettled and annoyed at the characters, while still understanding them. 

Favorites
The cognitive dissonance when he walked into his elementary school classroom, and it looked like every elementary school classroom ever. Suddenly my brain is recognizing stupid posters, door art, reading slogans, fonts, etc. that were entirely forgotten back in the 90s.

Least favorites
Several scenes with teenage actors (other than the main characters) were not very good. There was one scene that felt like a horrible cheesy anti-drugs-and-alcohol PSA, complete with stilted conversation, overt peer pressure, and cheesy teen lingo. The whole movie seemed to put too much emphasis on alcohol, which was a little distracting. I get it: alcoholism is bad. Yeah, I guess teen drinking is sort of bad. But there’s no need to focus the camera meaningfully when random adults are pouring a glass of wine at a low-key party.

Related reading (or viewing):

• The decade-long filming has been done before in movies like American Promise, Paradise Lost, and the non-fiction Up series.

Hyperbole and a Half // Allie Brosh

“Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened ” ; a full-color graphic novel based on the eponymous webcomic.

So, I'm about two weeks out from graduating with my MLS, which means I actually have time to read books again! And look for a job. And let's be honest, TV too. I've been re-watching Star Trek and blogging that -- more reactions than reviews -- which inspired me to do the same for the books I read. I've never tried before, so we'll see.

I'll start with something I read fairly recently, and really loved: Hyperbole and a Half, a graphic novel (sort of) by Allie Brosh. Check out her blog (same idea, same name). If you spent any amount of time on the internet, you've probably encountered at least some of Brosh's work. The Alot is extremely popular, and her (clean) ALL the things! image is a pretty popular meme. Her work doesn't really look like a traditional graphic novel: it's definitely a web comic style of illustration, with chunky sort-of-stick-figures. It works.

She writes stories based on her life: her childhood, adulthood (mostly her dogs), and even her experience with depression. But these aren't your run-of-the-mill trips down memory lane. How do I put it nicely? She's NUTS. In the best of ways. She has this twisted, unique outlook on life - not at all dark, just... special. And honest. At times, incredibly insightful. I've never experienced depression, but I've heard many people say that hers was the most accurate description of depression they've ever encountered. I know that I found it very empathetic, and (I'm not sure how) still incredibly funny. But if you're not interested in reading about depression, please don't let that turn you off from her work; it's just another topic she turns her unique attention to, right next to the simple dog and the Alot.

I'll be honest: there are some duplicated stories from her blog, and she definitely has some blog posts that are funnier. You won't meet the Alot in her book, either (and yes, a lot of people are complaining.) But it was absolutely worth reading.