Paul’s Book Reviews: Fiction, a Memoir, and a Guidebook

Dear Jennaveieve, I’m having an affair with an older woman. Shes’ a lady of some sophistication, and makes a refreshing change from the teen agers I know (like Alektra, for example, or Chanel). The sex is fantastic and I think I’m in love. But ther’es one very serious complication and i’ts this; shes’ my Gran! […]

Paul’s DVD Reviews

“No one is going to call you Mayhem if you keep acting like such a pussy! “—Sammy Williams as Probs in Attack the Block Perfect Sense (2011, UK) What an interesting movie: a romance tucked inside an end-of-life-as-we-know-it sci-fi apocalyptic thriller. And thoughtfully done, too, with IMHO just the right amount of chaos in the […]

Another Bag o’ Friday Happiness

Hey, I may not drink any more, but I still know what TGIF means to most Americans! And I can still dream (sob). I feel like frying some fish filets tonight: catfish, red snapper, tilapia, whatever catches my eye. Good bread and a green vegetable to serve on the side, maybe Swiss chard … something […]

You Can’t Read That! Banned Book Review: Forever

You Can’t Read That! is a periodic post featuring banned book reviews and news roundups. Arizona Banned Chicano writers respond to the Tucson Unified School District book banning by publishing an anthology titled “Ban This!” What do you suppose the odds are it’ll be adopted by TUSD? The only thing better than having a locally […]

Paul’s Book Reviews: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Science Fiction, One I Didn’t Finish Reading

“In Paris, the evenings of September are sometimes warm, excessively gentle, and, in the magic particular to that city, irresistibly seductive. The autumn of the year 1938 began in just such weather and on the terraces of the best cafes, in the famous restaurants, at the dinner parties one wished to attend, the conversation was, […]

Paul’s DVD Reviews

“They went up there alive and came back down dead! Did you notice that? The difference, I mean: alive, dead, dead, alive, that sort of thing? It wasn’t difficult to spot. He killed them both.”—Ewan McGregor as Alex Law in Shallow Grave God Bless America (2012, USA) God Bless America nails everything that is debased […]

You Can’t Read That! Banned Book Review: Robopocalypse

You Can’t Read That! is a periodic post featuring banned book reviews and news roundups. The 30th annual Banned Books Week (September 30-October 6) dominates the news this month. In the leadup to BBW, the American Library Association offers an interactive timeline covering 30 years of book banning attempts in the United States. Nice Banned […]

Paul’s DVD Reviews

“You’re a dinosaur, Date Rape. You’re a classic racist, a bigot, a sexist, a womanizer, a chauvinist, a misanthrope, homophobic clearly, or maybe you don’t like yourself.” — Brie Larsen as Helen in Rampart Young Adult (2011, USA) That Charlize Theron, what an actor. Her character here, a writer of young adult fiction named Mavis, […]