Nov 12, 2025
Love hearing that a book or movie has mixed reviews because I know that regardless of how I end up feeling about it, it'll probably end up generating more interesting conversations than something that's universally loved or hated.
seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from Pakistan
seen from United States
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seen from United States
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seen from China
seen from United States
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seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Australia
seen from Australia
seen from Pakistan
seen from Philippines
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from Morocco
Love hearing that a book or movie has mixed reviews because I know that regardless of how I end up feeling about it, it'll probably end up generating more interesting conversations than something that's universally loved or hated.
My main takeaway after finally watching Sinners is that when Hollywood decides to adapt P. Djèlí Clark's Ring Shout, Ryan Coogler better be the first choice for director.
The most irritating bait-and-switch for me is when I hear the opening notes of a song and think I'm about to hear Warren Zevon sing about British werewolves getting Chinese takeout, only to realize that I'm actually about to listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd getting all butthurt towards Neil Young for daring to point out the racism embedded in the history of the Southern states.
"luc besson's dracula" "netflix's dorian gray" "emerald fennell's wuthering heights" guillermo del toro is RIGHT THERE!!!!
I don't believe that House of Leaves could ever be properly translated to film, but if Jane Schoenbrun ever wanted to attempt it, I'd be interested in seeing their results.
These are all the books that I read to completion this past year. How many have you read before, and are there any that you have been
All right, folks! Here are all the books I read to completion last year. How many have you read? (And are there any on your TBR lists?)
Okay okay so, I understand that "William of Baskerville" is a blatant Sherlock Holmes reference and that the blind librarian "Jorge of Burgos" is a shout out to Jorge Luis Borges, author of "The Library of Babel," but what I'm wondering is if "Adelmo of Otranto" is supposed to be a Horace Walpole reference?
All I know about Adelmo at this point in the novel is the following:
He was a young monk who died unexpectedly.
His death occurred before William and Adso arrive at the monastery, and is only the start of a chain of deaths that will occur.
His body was found shattered at the base of the library tower.
Walpole's novel The Castle of Otranto opens with the castle's lord, Manfred, discovering that his 15-year-old son, Conrad, has been crushed to death by a giant helmet. And this death is only the start of the noble family's destruction.
Not exactly a perfect comparison, so it's possible I'm just grasping at straws, but the literary nerd in me is just itching to spot as many references in this book as possible.
So the oldest member of my queer book club is this tiny elderly lesbian, Marcie, who was one of the women running an AIDS hospice in her home during the 80s and 90s.
Last night, we discussed our most recent read (a book that I had chosen), Giovanni's Room. I'm always worried that I talk too much at meetings, and I was especially worried this was the case last night because I'm a huge James Baldwin fan and I ended up just expelling everything I knew and liked about him over the course of the meeting.
But after the session was over, Marcie approached me and said that she was really happy that I talked so passionately about Baldwin. That despite the fact that she and him had been alive at the same time, his work had always been a blindspot for her. And while she wasn't necessary a fan of the novel's plot, she had adored the prose in Giovanni's Room, and thanks to my suggestions was interested in looking up more of his writing.
I dunno. Just something about my infodumping encouraging a queer elder to expand her literary horizons makes me feel weirdly proud.