"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter." —Mark Twain
Unsolicited opinions on books, movies, TV shows, consumer products
“I told Agustus the broad outline of my miracle: diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer when I was thirteen. (I didn’t tell him that the diagnosis came three months after I got my first period. Like: Congratulations! You’re a woman. Now die.) It was, we were told, incurable.” — The Fault in Our Stars, John […]
You Can’t Read That! is a periodic post featuring banned book reviews and news roundups. YCRT! News Wisconsin man banned from libraries. All libraries, that is. On the earth. “Carter was out in the open, not trying to conceal his act.” I wish I could report that his act involved a banned book, but alas, it did […]
“Honey, could you hustle us up a couple of daiquiris and a cocktail weenie? On second thought, just bring the booze, I brought my own weenie. Oh, she’s offended. And she should be. I’m a pig. And I hate me. That’s what we have in common, nurse Ratched. We both hate me. ” — John […]
Proving once again that you can find anything with Google image search, here is a literal bag o’ knees. So what shall we blog about today? Knees, maybe? Yes, knees. I spent the weekend doing normal things: normal as in the kinds of things people with normal knees do. Walking and riding my motorcycle, mostly. […]
Today is book club day. It’s my turn to host, so I’ve been helping clean up for company. We’re going to be talking about The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, which I reviewed here last week. But this short post is not about that. It’s about the two books I’m currently reading, A […]
You Can’t Read That! is a periodic post featuring banned book reviews and news roundups. YCRT! News In my last YCRT! post I mentioned Rudolfo Anaya’s novel Bless Me, Ultima, a frequently challenged and banned book now being made into a movie. Here are a few other banned books that have received the Hollywood treatment. Did […]
Already you can feel the autumn. You know there will not be many more days like these; so let us stand, the horseboys of Wolf Hall swarming around us, Wiltshire and the western counties stretching into a haze of blue; let us stand, the king’s hand on his shoulder, Henry’s face earnest as he talks […]
Well, doesn’t that sound self-serving and dramatic! It’s not nearly as bad as it sounds. Donna left this morning for a five-day sewing expo in Puyallup, Washington. Her greatest concern, leading up to this long-planned trip, was that I’d be okay by myself for a few days. Since my recovery is going so well, I […]