![]() ![]() ![]() Ripley, The Price of Salt (filmed as Carol), and others have appealed not just to fans of crime fiction, but to filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock, Wim Wenders, and Claude Chabrol. Her novels Strangers on a Train, The Talented Mr. Highsmith is less interested in the whodunnit than in the howdunnit. Ostensibly her books are mysteries, but more accurately, they are thrillers. ![]() She reigns (even in death) as the unequivocal queen of her genre. Gone Girl was a better movie, to be sure, but there's enough in Deep Water to admire. ![]() Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Gone Girlthe last time we've seen Ben Affleck so emasculated (or “remasculate,” in the words of one of Melinda's dumber lovers, Joel, played by Brendan Miller). It's difficult to decipher who of the two leads in the film is the most maddening: Melinda for being cruel or Vic for being tolerant. And Melinda sees Vic as weak, and so profoundly in love with her that divorce is never a threat. It appears that Vic is an uber feminist husband who wouldn’t think of setting hard-line rules dictating her desires. Neighbours and friends sympathize as Vic is openly humiliated by a drunk and flirtatious Melinda. Even their six-year-old daughter, Trixie ( Grace Jenkins), questions mommy's wild behaviour. Vic is married to Melinda, ( Ana de Armas), who openly flaunts her indiscretions in front of her husband, their friends, and family. ![]()
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![]() ![]() With an explicit emphasis on the ethical dimensions of bodily vulnerability, Szp takes her place at the forefront of scholars examining comics as embodied experiences, pushing this line of inquiry. She thus extends comics theory into ethical and psychological territory that finds powerful intersections and resonances with the studies of affect, trauma, gender, and reader response. Eszter Szp's Comics and the Body is the first book to examine the roles of the body in both drawing and reading comics within a single framework. Szép considers visceral representations of bulimia, pregnancy, the effects of STIs, the catastrophic injuries of war, and more in the works of Lynda Barry, Ken Dahl, Katie Green, Miriam Katin, and Joe Sacco. ![]() Focusing on graphic autobiography and reportage, she argues that the bodily performances of creators and readers produce a dialogue that requires both parties to experience and engage with vulnerability, thus presenting a crucial opportunity for ethical encounters between artist and reader. With an explicit emphasis on the ethical dimensions of bodily vulnerability, Szép takes her place at the forefront of scholars examining comics as embodied experiences, pushing this line of inquiry into bold new territory. ![]() Eszter Szép’s Comics and the Body is the first book to examine the roles of the body in both drawing and reading comics within a single framework. ![]() ![]() ![]() **ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review** I am not the heroine of this story. And Laney is going to show them just how true. ![]() And Armin and Blythe are going to help.īecause the rumors are true. When a ghost from her past resurfaces-the bully who broke her down completely-she decides it's time to live up to her own legend. She's not looking for new friends, but they find her: charming, handsome Armin, the only guy patient enough to work through her thorny defenses-and fiery, filterless Blythe, the bad girl and partner in crime who has thorns of her own.īut Laney knows nothing good ever lasts. College is her chance to start with a clean slate. ![]() If Laney could erase that whole year, she would. Mentally ill, messed up, so messed up even her own mother decided she wasn't worth sticking around for. It only took one moment of weakness for Laney Keating’s world to fall apart. The next dark and sexy romantic suspense novel from the USA Todaybestselling author of Unteachable. ![]() ![]() ![]() This is a story about love, but it is also about selfishness. When she learns that Iran recognizes being transgender as a “medical condition” and will pay for the surgeries involved in medical transition, Sahar thinks she has hit upon the solution: she can’t be with Nasrin as a woman, but what if she were instead a man? As Sahar becomes more and more obsessed with enacting this plan, she gets involved both with trans Iranians as well as the seedy underworld her cousin, Ali, is wrapped up in. She is determined to find a way that she can be with Nasrin. Nasrin’s parents arrange her betrothal to a doctor doing his residency, starting a ticking clock for Sahar. They also might be gay-that is, they love each other and are attracted to one another, but in Iran this is illegal. Sahar and Nasrin are 17-year-old Iranian girls on the cusp of womanhood. ![]() Finally, it is a story about the outsize importance we place upon gender. It is a reminder that, in the face of incredible oppression, people always find a way to strive to be together, to hope, to have enough. ![]() Ultimately a tragedy of sorts, If You Could Be Mine is nevertheless filled with promises of new beginnings. Sara Farizan poses a thorny problem here and asks very real questions about the lengths to which one might go to be with one’s forbidden love. Do not let the slim form factor and thinness of this book fool you. ![]() ![]() However, if I’m honest, there was probably a slight reluctance at play, too, knowing what Ibuse’s story was about and not really looking forward to diving into it.Īnd let’s be frank here – if you’re looking for a pleasant, light read, this isn’t it. Masuji Ibuse’s Black Rain (translated by John Bester, published by Kodansha International) is a book that’s been on my radar ever since I started reviewing online, but for a number of reasons (including the novel being temporarily out of print at times), I never quite managed to get to it. Let’s head off, then, on another journey, one where we need to watch out for both fire and rain… While it doesn’t make for the happiest of stops for our January In Japan travels, today’s choice takes us back to the days after the dropping of the first atomic bomb, providing an eye-witness account of the horrors of the explosion, and the aftermath. ![]() Earlier this week, before our adventures in and around Tokyo, we spent some time in Nagasaki, a city inextricably linked with today’s destination, Hiroshima, for obvious and melancholy reasons. ![]() ![]() ![]() Book Factsįormat: e-ARC I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review Either way, her life is forfeit-it always has been, as she has been forever touched by Life and Death. And his seductive touch ignites a passion she’s never allowed herself to feel and cannot feel for him. Until him. Until the Primal of Death’s unexpected words and deeds chase away the darkness gathering inside her. A specter never fully formed yet drenched in blood. If she fails, she dooms her kingdom to a slow demise at the hands of the Rot. Make the Primal of Death fall in love, become his weakness, and then…end him. However, Sera’s real destiny is the most closely guarded secret in all of Lasania-she’s not the well protected Maiden but an assassin with one mission-one target. Chosen before birth to uphold the desperate deal her ancestor struck to save his people, Sera must leave behind her life and offer herself to the Primal of Death as his Consort. ![]() Born shrouded in the veil of the Primals, a Maiden as the Fates promised, Seraphena Mierel’s future has never been hers. ![]() ![]() ![]() The Garretts seem to have become fragmented over the years, going for long stretches of time without meeting or checking in on each other.įlip back to 1959 and the Garretts – Robin, Mercy and co. ![]() Have a look at the opening scene of The Accidental Tourist for the way Tyler shows a marriage in trouble. How can you not know your own cousin? What kind of family is this? It’s a simple snapshot from ordinary life that displays something deeper, something Tyler does brilliantly. She won’t even go up to Nicholas to see if it’s him, which James finds perplexing. Serena thinks she’s spotted her cousin, but isn’t sure. But then that might be because the scenes are mostly in homes, often around a meal table.įrench Braid begins with the next generation when Serena and her boyfriend James are waiting for a train to take them from Philadelphia to Baltimore. Again we’re in Baltimore which in Tyler’s world always comes across as a sensible, solid kind of city, oozing with good old-fashioned American values. This time we’ve got the Garretts: Mercy and Robin, parents to Alice, Lily and David. A new Anne Tyler novel means a new family. ![]() ![]() To find out about the story behind the image you will have to wait for the post next Monday when I will feature this painting and a full analysis. The woman is slender and appears young and gives the impression of elegant beauty. What is the woman doing? She appears to be rising on her arms to peer up the hill towards the somewhat eerie house on the hill. ![]() The composition prompts questions and no answers. Take for example, this painting Christina's World painted in 1948. You can see I am a fan.īut there is much more to Wyeth's paintings far beyond the artistic impact. This man could draw, create perfect compositions, and execute them in subtle colours that harmonise to form a perfect image. ![]() When you look at an Andrew Wyeth painting his artistic skill is awe-inspiring. I have always found the Wyeth paintings and his view of his world, multi-dimensional or layered. ![]() When I think of Andrew Wyeth's view of the world I see windows with lace curtains blowing softly in the breeze. Today we are going to start examing the wonderful paintings of Andrew Newell Wyeth (1917-2009), son of N. Two weeks ago I introduced you the American Wyeth family of artists and I showcased for you some of the wonderful illustrations created by Newell Convers Wyeth. ![]() ![]() ![]() Readers excited to pre-order The Forbidden Door can do so here, or anywhere else books are sold. Jane Hawk is a great new character with a dedicated fanbase that’ll no doubt read these books as fast as Koontz can write them. ![]() ![]() I read and reviewed The Crooked Staircase, and it’s phenomenal. While I’m not sure what the reason behind the short five-month gap between books three and four is, it’s a total win-win for readers. Jane’s courage, wits, discipline, and skill will be tested as never before, as she searches for a way through an ever-contracting labyrinth of terror. But the malice and resources of her powerful adversaries are boundless and their hunters are circling ever closer to the boy, hoping to draw his mother into their trap. Jane Hawk thinks her precious five-year-old son is hidden safely away, with vigilant, indomitable friends. ![]() Jane Hawk–rogue FBI agent and the country’s #1 fugitive–confronts her worst nightmare when her enemies strike shockingly close to home in the explosive new thriller from Dean Koontz, bestselling author of The Silent Corner. you won’t have to wait long for the fourth installment of Dean Koontz’s bestselling franchise because the fourth book, titled The Forbidden Door, is scheduled to come out on October 9th. For readers gearing up to grab Dean Koontz’ third Jane Hawk thriller, The Crooked Staircase, when it comes out on May 8th, good news. ![]() ![]() ![]() After a few ill-written words, she came to me in a dream with grave misgivings. ![]() Nitzy, my nickname for her, proved to be a hard taskmaster. I somehow felt a powerful connection with David’s mother, Nitzevet. I was adopted after being in an orphanage and did not know my mother’s name. Who was he as a young child? As a young man? How did his home life shape his character? The slingshot years were the ones I wanted to bring to life, not the overblown clichés.ĭavid’s name is mentioned 1,000 times in the Old Testament and not a breath about his mother. However, it wasn't the mighty King David I sought but rather the outcast, the troubled one, the desperate David who filled me with wonder. I was entranced with the story of David and imagined myself one of his outlaws, traveling with him on his journeys through Judah and Israel, gathering food, wine, and adventure like so many leaves on a fig tree.Īdventure came quickly-a scorpion bite in the Negev desert, arm- wrestling a Bedouin tribesmen for my camel-haired robe, and running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. ![]() “Oh, how have the mighty fallen,” David lamented. ![]() In the evening by candlelight, I read about Mount Gilboa, where King Saul and His son Jonathan were killed. It was 1979, and I was 21 and driving a tractor that gathered cotton in the great fields surrounding Kibbutz Sede Nahum, Israel, and I wondered about the craggy mountain that rose above the valley. ![]() |