Saga Trilogy

I’ve been kind of resisting the Saga trilogy for a while. Even though BookTubers and bloggers have been all over it, I was skeptical. I’ve tried comics and graphic novels in the past and just never really connected with them.

A few weeks ago I wandered into Vault of Midnight on a whim and finally cracked. I bought the first, and was soon back in for the second and rounded out the trilogy at my library.

First of all, I’d like to shout out to Vault of Midnight because I am a total comic newb and they were so nice, and the store is just so cool! Upstairs are comics, both single issue and trade, and downstairs they have all kinds of table top games like Settlers of Catan.

But now to Saga. I absolutely loved it, and have now added a few comic series to my to-read list as a result. The story follows a couple from warring civilizations who are on the run after having a baby, Hazel. The story is narrated by an older Hazel. The world building is fantastic. Even with the limited space comics allow for, I have an understanding of the war, the different alien races participating, and what the rules of this universe are. There is a robot aristocracy, “moonies” who can do magic, and a cat that can tell if you’re lying.

The story is exciting and tense and funny. The artwork adds a whole new dimension to the story. I was skeptical of the comic aspect, and ended up really enjoying all the artwork. It is a great intro to the world of comics and one I’m interested in exploring more!

We Were Liars

I’ve been seeing We Were Liars all over Booktube and Twitter for months. I was hesitant to buy the hardcover, since I am cheap and $18 for 200 pages seemed steep. So I waited on the library waiting list, dropping from patron 345/345 to having it downloaded on my Kindle.

This book was addicting. I’m a fast reader, so I knew it wasn’t going to take me long, but I wasn’t fully prepared to read it in one sitting. I loved the writing style, and I always love an unreliable narrator.

It’s difficult to give a synopsis without giving anything away. The bare-bones of the story is that the book centers around an extremely wealthy WASP family who owns an island in New England. They are typical WASPs – never show weakness, don’t discuss feelings, wear pastels and cardigans, etc.Cady, the narrator, had a brain injury two summers ago and can’t remember anything that happened. This summer, she’s back with her cousins and aunts trying to piece together what happened that summer.

This story is about primarily about privilege. You see throughout the book how the immense privilege the Sinclair’s have has essentially crippled them. As Cady says about her mother and aunts “They had the best educations, a thousand chances, a thousand connections, and still they’d ended up unable to support themselves.” They fight over their father’s trust fund, pitting the cousins against each other in efforts to secure their futures. They are unable to relate to each other, or to any one else. The story isn’t “poor little rich girls,” though. It is critiquing the very existence of this privilege – though sometimes trying to hit you over the head with it.

There were a lot of things I loved about this book, but subtlety was not one of them. The theme was made clear, both in Cady’s criticism of her mother and Gat’s criticism of the whole family. It was made clear to a point that I wanted to say “We get it – privilege is bad, can we find out more about the story please?” The characters were also not that well developed. I had a hard time distinguishing between the aunt’s, becuase there weren’t really any distinguishing characteristics. This may have been intentional – to showcase Cady’s inner-focus or to showcase how ridiculous they are – but it didn’t really work for me. Similarly with the cousins, they’re supposed to be Cady’s partner’s in crime, but they don’t really do that much in the story.

The twist was something I saw coming, but that didn’t make it any less horrible when I got to it. In the end, it’s like Cady has put on glasses. The whole time, she’s been seeing the fuzzy outline of what happened that summer, and now it is all clear.

Packing

Packing and moving and finishing my job all at once really puts a damper on reading and blogging. Posts to resume soon! Thank you for bearing with me.

Top Four Email Newsletters

Newsletters are very trendy right now. I first got hooked on them through one of my favorite writers/tweeters/persons Ann Friedman and now I can’t get enough. Since then, I have found a whole slew of newsletters ranging from daily to biweekly that clog delight my inbox. They keep my Pocket perpetually full and provide me with a diverse media diet.

Ann Friedman Weekly

The one that started it all. Every Friday afternoon, the newsletter shows what she wrote that week and what she’s been reading, with wit and humor (seeing a pattern?). She also includes something she’s been watching, things she endorses, and other miscellania. Every week her newsletter fills my Pocket with enough fascinating pieces to keep me satiated until next week. Recent picks have included a critique of poverty tourism/narcissistic do-gooders, an interview with Jill Abramson, and why Neil DeGrasse Tyson sounds better when you’re high.

The Skimm

The Skimm lives up to its name. It was started by two women who worked in news organizations, and wished they had someone to skim news stories for them every day and keep them informed. So they made their dream come true for the rest of us. It goes out between five and seven (eastern time) every morning and it’s usually the first thing I read every day. It gives an aggregate view of the previous day‘s news in a casual tone. If it weren’t for The Skimm, I would not have been able to keep on top of all the breaking news in Ukraine, Syria, or with this summer’s SCOTUS decisions.

Links I would Gchat you if we were friends

This is another daily newsletter. Every day, the Washington Post’s Caitlin Dewey includes three main stories, a couple longer piece she called “Pocketables,” and a collection of pieces ranging from humorous to news to round out the email. Her tone is casual and funny and her gif game is on point. I especially like that she includes how long it should take you to read the Pocketable piece of the day.

Brain Pickings

As a liberal arts evangelist, this weekly newsletter is one of my favorite things. Unlike my other favorites, this newsletter is serious and contemplative with little news. Maria Popova is, among many things, an MIT fellow and contributing writer at publications like The New York Times and The Atlantic. Her newsletter is much longer than the others I read, and instead of being a collection of many things to read, this one focuses in closely on a few articles or books. She pulls quotes and discusses the work. A recent newsletter profiled Leonard Cohen, talks about “finding yourself,” and the real-life whale that inspired Moby Dick. The topics are ones I would never pick, and yet I always find myself engrossed.