Book Talk - Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

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Book Review - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

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I get it. I really do. Barbara Kingsolver's modern envisioning of David Copperfield comes in the form Demon Copperhead. Like David Copperfield , Demon Copperhead takes a look at orphans and the services that are provided and fail them. David Copperfield isn't the only inspiration, this book will give many vibes similar to Beth Mercy's Dopesick as well. That is to say, this is bleak. And it's never not bleak.  Demon is born into poverty, and we see that poverty play out in the most grim of ways. Overdoses, uncaring foster parents, and exploitive child work practices all become mere backdrops. What first becomes harsh and shocking, soon numbs your senses. Kingsolver builds the most disturbing images and then somehow beats you down by showing you something equally grotesque. Characters make bad decision after bad decision, heroes will fail you, and our main character Demon is on the receiving end of all of it. It's overwhelming. And fascinating. For the first 300 pag
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Audible Review - Dykes to Watch Our For

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From 1983 to 2008, Alison Bechdel's suburban sapphists gave us the foundations of much of our queer representation. Will & Grace, The L Word and Queer as Folk can all attribute their foundations to Bechdel's comic strip. In 2020, The Essential Dykes to Watch Our For was released, and became my own personal obsession. Since then rumors swirled about a Netflix show, but as of 2023, nothing.  Thankfully, this June (for Pride month) Audible released Dykes to Watch Our For, reenvisioned into 20 minute sitcom-like episodes. The translation feels impossible. How does a comic, an almost strictly visual medium, translate to an audio only sans any visuals? The answer: effortlessly. Through both sharp written scripts and outstanding voice acting, Dykes to Watch Out For comes alive. Each character you know and love, whether it's Mo, Lois, Clarice, or the many others, sound exactly as you would imagine. Performances feel emphatic and funny. Meanwhile, the narrator is none other tha
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Book Review - Time Out by Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner with Carlyn Greenwald

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Time Out  is a perfectly suitable and predictable YA coming out story. Big time high school basketball start Barclay Elliot comes out in the most public way possible at a pep-rally, and the subsequent fallout is disastrous. This is the kind of typical coming out literature you would expect a decade or more ago, so this is hardly breaking new ground. What does feel original is Time Out  focuses on a basketball star. A decidedly macho kind of character. But since Heartstoppers , it's hard to say this is new ground. Barclay Elliot overcomes adversity. He's the object of affection for much of this small town, and then that's kind of it. There are some elements that are introduced to keep the adventure exciting: a potential love interest, school board corruption and a negligent mother all give the story some depth. But Barclay Elliot is a surprisingly one dimensional character.  It doesn't help that surrounding cast is chock full of stock characters. The homophobic character
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