Any nerd will tell you that niche humor is hard to come by. Thankfully, Kate Beaton has come to the aid of literature and history buffs with Hark! A Vagrant. This comic strip collection will have you rolling with laughter --- provided you enjoy academic humor. Admittedly, while Hark! A Vagrant hit all the right … Continue reading Hark! A Vagrant: A Review
Hidden away for decades, Rosemary Kennedy has become a symbol for WASP-y secrets, inspiration porn, gender equity, and disability studies. In Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter, Kate Clifford Larson lays out the series of events that led up to her fateful operation and later death, set against the backdrop of American politics and Camelot's myriad … Continue reading Rosemary: A Review
North Korea has built a nigh-impenetrable facade. Those who manage to gain access tell the same tale, in which they are escorted around Pyongyang to churches, stores, restaurants, and landmarks populated with state-employed actors. If you were ever curious about what goes on behind these scenes, look no further than Barbara Demick's Nothing to Envy: … Continue reading Nothing to Envy: A Review
Well, I'm happy to announce that we've finally reached the point when books for juvenile readers set in magical schools don't feel like cheap, Harry Potter knockoffs. Frank Beddor's Hatter Madigan: Ghost in the Hatbox provides middle grades readers with a balance between J.K. Rowling's fantasy and Beddor's own take on Lewis Carroll's Wonderland. The … Continue reading Ghost in the Hatbox: A Review
+Video game tie-in novels aren't known for being big-L Literature, and you won't spot B.K. Evenson's Dead Space, Martyr on any awards lists. That's a shame, too, because Evenson's novel is a unicorn --- a visceral, horrific unicorn. Dead Space, Martyr is a damn good work of fiction that transcends franchise appeal. All too often, … Continue reading Dead Space, Martyr: A Review