Welcome to Pinky Promise-Land: Beware of creeping

tids & bits & cuts & ouches: pieces of my poems & stories

[tiffanypromise]

This book is a super honest, non-exploitative, eye-opening journey into the darkness of mental illness. It is also simply a fantastic read! For more about my experience of reading this book (and other books!) check out my blog: www.tiffanypromise.com/blog #readmore #bookworm #bookgrrrl #shirleyjackson #thebirdsnest #suicideprevention #blog #tiniestbookreview #sometimesghost #did #mpd #dissociativeidentitydisorder #multiplepersonalitydisorder #fictionmimicslife #thelottery #booksbooksbooks #mentalillness (at Beachwood Drive)

[tiffanypromise]

You totally want to go on this journey with Theo--the down-on-her-luck, addiction-riddled, lovelorn, weary, dog-rescuing, super 90's, blackjack-playing, heart-of-gold butch--as she struggles to make a place for herself in the tumult of adulthood. Liebegott's prose is always like music; heartfelt, honest, sad, and funny as fuck. #tiniestbookreview #bookworm #bookgrrrl #aliliebegott #chaching #readmore (at the hellmouth)

[tiffanypromise]

If you've read my past book reviews, you know how much I love Lindsey Hunter. So, obviously, I was super excited to read her first novel. Here, she does a phenomenal job of weaving a web of Southern Gothic desperation and despair. She is like a female Harry Crews--digging down deep in the miasma of the grotesque and spit-shining whatever she pulls out--just to give you a closer (grosser) look. In "Ugly Girls," Hunter deftly moves between five characters--she uses a close-third perspective to really get at the gristled meat of these people's yearnings. These characters are the family members that you moved across the country to get away from--the trailer parks, the alcoholism, the girls that don't wear actual lipstick, but keep their lips lined in brown liner. This book is hauntingly real and totally captivating. Keeping with her flash fiction rhythm, Hunter chops the chapters up into palatable, albeit nasty, chunks--which gives the whole book a fierce, quick pulse. A Bildungsroman at it's core, Hunter allows you to follow Baby Girl and Perry through this shitty, shit-stained world, where being teenagers only adds to the boredom and loneliness of small-town shittiness. #lindsayhunter #uglygirls #readmore #bookgirl #booknerd #bookworm #bookgrrrl #igbookclub #tiniestbookreview (at Bookworm's Cave)

[tiffanypromise]

Hannah Tinti knows how to write a hella good story--she is a master at craft--and this collection is sharp, strange, witty, and slightly heartbreaking. It's like a punch in the gut--if a punch in the gut wasn't actually painful--maybe a Vicodin-laced gut-punch? Though all these stories are tied together by an animal theme, reading them one after another felt like cross-continent time-traveling, like I was a winged peeping Tom, looking through random windows and witnessing horrific, surprising, and vulnerable life moments. Tinti refuses pigeon-holing: these stories are all different and exciting in their own ways. There are licks of murder mystery, snatches of magical realism, nibbles of southern gothic--her range is enviable. I, myself, feel like I have been writing the same story over and over for the last 15 years. Reading this book gave me a lot to think about and inspired me to really break out of my writerly self-confinement. Now I'm itching to read her novel, The Good Thief! #hannahtinti #bookworm #booknerd #bookgirl #bookgrrrl #readmore #tiniestbookreview #animalcrackers #bookspiration #igbookclub (at Bookworm's Cave)

[tiffanypromise]

Last night: Amelia Gray in conversation with Colin Winnette at Green Apple Books (on the park). Super fun time; she's an awesomely entertaining reader. See my #tiniestbookreview about Gutshot from a few weeks ago. #ameliagray #gutshot #shortstories colinwinnette #greenapplebooks #SF #sanfran #writerslife (at Green Apple Books)

[tiffanypromise]

Gray's new collection is pretty impossible to put down. Even when I came across a story that didn't quite rivet me like others (there were only a few) I still wanted to keep reading. Gray inhabits these tiny stories and snatches of characters in a very visceral way. Reading this book is like a totally wonky bout of déjà vu: you've come across these people and places and moments--but you can't quite recall when or where and if it were up to you, you'd have them all scrubbed from your consciousness. Her language and images pulse with grotesque beauty. Imagine putting all of the offal of everyday life in a blender, setting it on high, then eating it with a silver spoon. It tastes interesting and awful and you can't get enough. This book was not only a great read, but it inspired me to think a lot about form and the impact of brevity. #ameliagray #gutshot #fiction #shortstories #flashfiction #bookgrrrl #bookworm #booknerd #tiniestbookreview #igbookclub #readmore #catswithbooks #stacksofbooks #shelfie #blackcats (at Bookworm's Cave)

[tiffanypromise]

At work. #writerslife #writewritewrite #fiction #shortstory #slipstream #wip #whatisaweekend (at Bookworm’s Cave)

[theolivemoth-blog]

tiffanypromise - love the candle! and where can i find the sip thingy you’ve attached to your mason jar?

[tiffanypromise]

it’s called a Cuppow. i bought it at a fancy organic grocery store--but you should be able to find them online. :)

[tiffanypromise]

At work. #writerslife #writewritewrite #fiction #shortstory #slipstream #wip #whatisaweekend (at Bookworm's Cave)

[tiffanypromise]

This is one of those books that takes hold of your heart on the very first page and holds tight with its little papery fingers. Sometimes it squeezes too hard and makes your eyes leak; sometimes it caresses gently, quietly; and sometimes sometimes it sprinkles 80's new wave love glitter magic onto it. I'm so happy I found this YA book--Rowell connected me swiftly and sweetly to the tiny lovelorn teenager inside myself. This book is full of all the good stuff: mix tapes, first kisses, guyliner, The Smiths. And all the bad stuff too: gym class, bullies, abusive step-parents, miscommunication, heartbreak. If you've ever fallen in love, if you've ever felt like a weirdo, if you've ever heard a song or read a book that felt like it defined your entire existence--read this book now! #eleanor&park #rainbowrowell #misfitlove #readmore #tiniestbookreview #books #booknerd #bookworm #bookgrrrl #ya #igbookclub (at Bookworm's Cave)

[tiffanypromise]

This book was a wild and exciting romp through time. Using an omniscient narrator that jumps from character to character, we get to inhabit the minds and hearts of a bunch of different people all entwined in this monstrous mess. This book is about family, (dis)connection, monsters (both inside us and not), and obsession. Shields deftly creates an everyday world where magic works at metaphor and metaphor establishes meaning. This book is mesmerizing and strange--you really won't want to put it down--it somehow makes you feel like it is your job to keep flipping pages, that through the act of reading you are allowing these heartbroken/stifled/deranged/lovable characters to find some kind of closure and peace. #sharmashields #thesasquatchhuntersalmanac #tiniestbookreview #readmore #bookgrrrl #booknerd #bookworm #slipstream #books #novelnovel #monsters (at Bookworm's Cave)

[tiffanypromise]

This book is so weirdly delightful. When I heard that Miranda July had written a novel, I was curious to see how her snarky wit would sustain for almost-300 pages--and alas, here is a book that moves way past quirky and witty and funny and down deep into the pit of human experience. It is captivating in its honesty, uncomfortable in its sexuality, and groundbreaking in its evasiveness. Here, July leaves room for everything to exist at once--there is no good or bad, no right or wrong; this book acts as a guidebook for openness and honesty. We all have a little bit of Cheryl Glickman in us--whether we are brave enough to admit it or not. #mirandajuly #thefirstbadman #booknerd #bookworm #bookgrrrl #igbookclub #tiniestbookreview #readmore #catscatscats #booksbooksbooks #catsandbooks #signedbooks (at Bookworm's Cave)

[tiffanypromise]

This book is both terrifyingly noisy and completely silent at the same time. It is filled with wonder, delight, despair, filth, and elegance. Doerr very carefully articulated this book--mimicking the same care and diligence in which Marie Laure's father built his miniature worlds. The tension is palpable and builds with each page, erupting in one single moment of glory and connection and humanity and love. This dude's writing is spell-binding and world-altering. Besides being totally enthralled in the language, I also got to learn really interesting stuff about sea creatures and the radio and WWII and small European villages that I may never have the opportunity to see. I feel thankful for every word that Doerr writes that I get to read. #anthonydoerr #allthelightwecannotsee #bookworm #bookgrrrl #booknerd #tiniestbookreview #igbookclub #readmore #nationalbookawardfinalist (at Bookworm's Cave)

[tiffanypromise]

When in Paris...buy books! #Ariel #sylviaplath #38hoursin #edgarallenpoe #lechatnoir #rosiegarland #vixen #hanseletgretel #popupbook #daphnedumaurier #thebirds (at WHSmith Paris)

[tiffanypromise]

The Last Bookstore; Los Angeles, CA. #bookstorelove #readmore #booksasart #booksbooksbooks #booknerd #bookworm #bookgrrrl (at The Last Bookstore Los Angeles)

[tiffanypromise]

There really are monsters in my closets. #closetmonster #booberrycereal #thesemonstersarereal #chupacabra #sphynx #catscatscats (at Bookworm's Cave)

[tiffanypromise]

I saw Kelly Link read from her newest collection, "Get in Trouble," at Booksmith on Haight Street a couple of nights ago. It was the first time I've ever seen her read and my little #fangirl heart was all a'flutter. Upon signing this awesome short story collection, Link told me to read the last story ("Mothers, Lock Up Your Daughters Because They Are Terrifying" by Alice Sola Kim) very late at night. So that is what I will be doing very very late tonight. Stay tuned for an update. I hope to be scared out of my wits. 💀👻👽😱 #kellylink #monstrousaffections #beastlytales #sanfrancisco #booksmith #haightstreet #readmore #slipstream

[tiffanypromise]

This is a really great collection of essays contemplating the art and business of writing. It explores writing through an MFA lens--pre, during, and post program; the pros and cons of academia; the reign that NYC publishing has interminably held in the writing world; and how MFAs are interacting with and possibly changing the way writing in America works. These essays are written by writers, agents, editors, professors, etc. and share personal experiences that help to demystify, debunk, and even further muddy the confusing waters of writerly life. #tiniestbookreview #mfa #nyc #mfavsnyc #readmore #booknerd #bookworm #bookgrrrl #mfagrrrl (at Bookworm's Cave)