Garrett

A Twist on a Classic

Revisado: 11-01-24

What Wicked does for the infamous green skinned minor antagonist in Baum’s original, this does for Dorothy Gale.

Upon Dorothy’s unexpected survival four days after the faithful storm, her tale is largely considered a delusion, until the body of the town’s spinster is discovered, melted by lye and with the 11 year old the presumptive killer.

Told alternately by an unnamed townsperson and Dr. Evelyn Wilford, who doesn’t believe Dorothy is the true killer, Alpine’s story unfolds and juxtaposes the logic and psychology and rational thinking against the dangers of small town religiosity and irrationality. While it plays out in the tradition of Doyle and Christie, it retains its own voice and echos sentiments that are still playing out today.

Highly recommend this if you’re a fan of Oz, mysteries, and/or revisionist looks at classic literature.

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Everything Was Beautiful at the Ballet

Revisado: 09-29-24

Kelly Bishop has long been an actress I’ve loved and admired since discovering the original cast album of A Chorus Line in high school. In fact, that’s what prompted me to give Gilmore Girls a try, which I also love.

Her memoir is a refreshing read. Despite setbacks, Bishop tells it not with a caustic bitterness that Sheila or Emily would, but with a nonchalance, one of someone who recognizes that you have to take the good with the bad and it’s better to find the good and the hope in all scenarios and that manifesting that is frequently the way to go.

While I do wish she would have spoken a little more about her chorus days between childhood and A Chorus Line, it’s a tremendously wonderful read.

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A brilliant satire of fan fiction

Revisado: 09-05-24

So this is either a really brilliant bit of satire of Fan Fic as a genre OR a book that really needed a better editor, but I lean towards the former.

Spiner weaves a tale of a crazed stalker obsessed with him to the point of murder. The plot itself is old as the hills, and truthfully is still pretty enjoyable. What makes the book, particularly if it is intended as a satire, is the sheer weirdness of it.

Set during the fourth season of The Next Generation, which is 1990-1991, there are subtle anachronisms like the deaths of Gene Roddenberry (late 1991) and Trey Wilson (early 1989), the use of computers and online courses, etc. Tidbits that a good editor would have caught…unless it’s meant to satirize the various anachronisms found in fanfic.

Then there are the female characters who are seemingly in love with Brent, including the twins: Cindy Lou and Candy Lou. And of course there’s the strange obsession with bodily fluids and functions. All of which just add a weird color to this creation.

I do think the book is fun, the audiobook especially with the use of the majority of the TNG cast, so it’s definitely worth checking out.

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And almost perfect murder mystery

Revisado: 07-26-24

Overall this was a very fun, engaging and wonderful read. Pip is a terrific main character that feels believable and relatable. My only complaint, which is a spoiler alert, is that the author has a dog murdered. Skip chapter 35 is this an issue for you.

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A fun, if a bit predictable read

Revisado: 07-22-24

The book is very much like Terry Pratchett wrote an episode of Parks and Rec, if April was the main character instead of Leslie and through a Lovecraftian lens. The plot is somewhat predictable and at times the author feels to think she is more clever than she really is, but the characters are fun and the story is engaging enough that it more than makes up for it.

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A Nostalgic Trip to Adventures Series Past

Revisado: 06-19-24

The Wishing Game, which has less game than the title implies, is a solid journey to recapturing the joy of the adventure book series many of us read as kids.

Is it a bit literal in its use of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Yes. Does the main character’s backstory make Jane Eyre seem upbeat? Yes. Does it capture the magic of loving and wanting to live a series and what it would be like to have a chance to visit the place in reality now? Oh yes.

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Solid but rushed

Revisado: 03-22-24

Overall this was a lot of fun. Great story, wonderful performances…but it felt rushed and a bit hard to follow who was being interviewed at times. I also kinda felt like the end was rushed and didn’t make a lot of logical sense. But overall 4/5

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Underwhelming

Revisado: 03-11-24

So I grew up reading the Pooh books and watching the Disney media, and have been in a big Pooh mood of late. And perhaps some of my disappointment was with the fact that I am so used to both an American accent and the Disney voices that hearing something else was never going to work…but I just could not warm up to Peter Dennis, to the point that I ultimately quit listening. His Pooh sounds more like he’s mentally handicapped and the weird snort he uses with Piglet was cloying.

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A mostly delightful mixed bag

Revisado: 02-16-16

Overall, I really enjoyed the story. It's a solid mixture of adventure and a love for reading. However, I wasn't always impressed with the quality of writing. Grabenstein doesn't seem to trust his readers to figure out things on their own at times. From redundant character descriptions to literally making a comparison to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, it got old. He is also a fan of name dropping books and repeating things that don't necessarily need repeating.

Similarly I felt the narrator was a bit cloying at first because of his propensity for stereotypical accent work. But the story is solid enough to get passed those issues.

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