March Quick Reviews

The story was gorgeous and the prose was just so perfect. Because the characters are immortals there is a science fiction feel and a touch of magical realism. Don't expect escapism here. There is a lot of well placed social commentary. My guess is that the whole point of the immortals jumping around in the timeline is to say that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Which is utterly profound.

Michelle Zauner's memoir about growing up Asian American in Oregon and her pain over her mother's death. Their relationship was fraught especially when Zauner felt that her mom's expectations were too high. It almost seemed as though the book was a love letter to her mother that wasn't meant to be published for the world to read. It talks about ugly grief, and finding oneself crying in HMart while shopping for the comfort foods that mom used to make. I found it difficult to read at times but I'm not sorry I made it through.

Surprisingly I enjoyed it more than the first story which is unusual, usually the sequel is worse.

Henry Silver/The Green Man of Greenhollow Wood is sulking. Things aren't going his way and he is ever so spoiled. So he sulks. And then a vampire, a fairy, and a young woman in an interesting set of circumstances manage to get him out of his sulk.

This was the March selection for the Let's Get Lit Book Club. Belonging to a book club often makes me read books that I wouldn't otherwise choose for myself. This is one of them. It was difficult because of all the abuse that is heaped on Leni and her mother, Cora. Sure father, Ernt, is suffering because of PTSD from serving in Vietnam but he needed help that he wasn't going to get in the back country of Alaska. Super emotionally compelling and very well written it was just hard to keep the pages turning while being afraid of what would happen next. 

An Audible Original with special effects. A fun, horror, short about a pair of dog catchers sent to investigate some livestock deaths. Plenty of Gen Z vs. Boomer jokes. It was worth the two hours or so.