Speculative Feministas

In recent years I've been loving the feminist turn to YA and adult paranormal series. Especially books that turn the doomed heroine Twilightesque theme its head.

Note: The photo above is the opposite of what I'm talking about. I recently saw this cover in a used DVD store near me. Some merchandising exec decided it would be a good idea to take Katherine Bigelow's masterful and bloody vampire slasher, and market it as a Twilight watch-alike. Anyone who has ever seen Near Dark knows two things about it. 1) It contains one of B-Pax's finest performances as the sadistic Severin. 2) It is most decidedly not a Twilight watch-alike.

But I digress.

In the past few years, The Hunger Games, Divergent, and the whole dystopian genre have had their up and down swing. Now, we are seeing more kick-ass female heroes and feminist male protagonists throughout speculative fiction. Here are a few that I recently discovered or am currently reading.

The Awesome by Eva Darrows. Maggie Cunningham is a 17 year old apprentice monster hunter. Think Dean Winchester, if he were a teenage girl. All she wants is to get her Journeyman's license so she can go on more lucrative jobs with her endearingly foul-mouthed mother. The catch is that she needs to lose her virginity to do so. That whole vampire's frenzying for virgin blood thing. This is written from Maggie's first person POV and I heart her so much!

The Awesome reads like the plot of an 80s coming-of-age sex comedy, with Supernatural and True Blood thrown in for good measure. It was marketed as YA, but any paranormal fan with the slightest love of horror pop-culture will probably enjoy this.

Half-Resurrection Blues (A Bone Street Rumba Novel Book 1) by Daniel José Older. I've written about my love for this author before. But I just recently got to finish my audiobook of this novel, which I've been listening to in fits and spurts for the last year. It is fantastic! Read by the author, the narrative is intricate and heartfelt. Humorous in places and heartbreaking in others. And oh, the swagger!

Older writes protagonist Carlos Delacruz as a much put upon half-dead ghost hunter at the mercy of the bureaucratic Council of the Dead. The action is on point, but the most compelling part of the story is when Carlos falls for the mysterious Sasha. A swashbuckling female "halfie" that kicks as much if not more ass, than Carlos himself. It is a complicated and painful relationship that is at times cringe-worthy or heartwarming, but never boring. I cannot wait to continue the series!

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee. For all you mythology remix fans out there, I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

While there is a distinct presense of mythology based fiction out there right now between authors like Rick Riordan, Patricia Briggs, and Neil Gaiman, you don't often see Chinese mythology in the mix. This book is the perfect mix of a Buffy style superpowered high school student with traditional Chinese characters like The Monkey King, the Goddess of Mercy, and the Jade emperor.

Eugenia Lo is mostly concerned with getting into an Ivy League school until demons start showing up to tear apart her school. With the help of the arrogantly enticing new student Quentin, Genie must discover powers that she forgot she had. Then the battle for the fate of the world really begins!

The Zanna Function by Daniel Wheatley. I had the privilege of reading and reviewing this in advance of publication and it was another one that I started and finished in a day.

Zanna Mayfield is accepted to the prestigious St. Pommeroy's School for Gifted Children to become a Scientist. A human who can manipulate matter and space by altering the mathematical equations of everyday objects. On her first day, Zanna narrowly escapes a kidnapping attempt by a shady woman known as the Variable. Zanna must solve the hardest equation she knows in order to stay safe, her own.

This book is very much in the vein of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, in the idea that a tween character discovers amazing here-to-for hidden powers. It incorporates science as a form of magic, which works surprisingly well. My favorite part though, is that while her relationships with others are important to the plot, it is Zanna's relationship to herself that is paramount.

Friday by Robert Heinlein. While this is by no means new (it was initially published in 1982), Friday is easily my favorite of the author's novels that I have read.

Friday Jones is a pansexual covert courier operating in a futuristic multi-global economy. She is plain speaking, open minded, brash, and deadly when needed. She is also an "artificial person". This book examines prejudice and the nature of humanity from so many perspectives. All while being poignant, sexy, and extremely funny.

Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha) by Tomi Adeyemi. I'm currently reading this, so the verdict is out at the moment. But the concept is right up my alley. Magic, old gods, rebellion. 

I enjoy Adeyemi's voice so far. And this book is blowing up the boards on social media. So I have high hopes. Updates to come. 

More of life being Weird

So again, I haven't blogged in forever. My reasons are legit. I had another unexpected death of a family member. A death of a dear friend. And then I was diagnosed with a congenital heart condition. You know, fun stuff.

In my defense, I have been reading. And I have been writing (fiction). More on those topics later. But first, you guys, I got a dog!

Here is my newest fur baby. Meet D

She is an American Bulldog mix. Very sweet and jowley and slobbery.

I got her to motivate me to get my fat butt off the couch, so I can keep my ticker a'tickin. Also because J has all his life wanted a bulldog. Our local pound was overcrowded and having $1 adoptions, and D was the pooch we fell in love with.

The cats were not amused. Z fled to the basement and S full on trolls the dog when she is in her crate.

I've never owned a dog before, though J has. So I've been reading and listening to a lot of dog care and dog training books. Full disclosure, I'm a little iffy about Cesar Milan guys. His techniques sound good in theory, but they have no effect on D's leash pulling and fervor for small animals.

This book has been a balm to my new dog mommy nerves though.

All Dogs go to Kevin by Dr. Jessica Vogelsang. This is funny and heartwarming and soothes the occassional impulse to murder my new canine companion when she tries to murder my feline companions.



Also due to the heart condition and nasty things that showed up during one very fun ER heart cath test, my doctor has recommended I go on the Mediterranean Diet. And while I do enjoy olive oil, hummus, and the occasional glass of red wine, this is a diet in the traditional sense of the word. Not a fad, a lifestyle.

Naturally I went into Research Girl mode. Here are some of the books that have been helping me.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mediterranean Diet by Kimberley Tessmer R.D L.D.  Such a good primer! Because, let's be honest, I can be as much of an idiot as the next girl.

The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Amy Riolo. This has been a wonderful starter cookbook for me, especially in learning to use fresh ingredients in new ways.

Aromas of Aleppo: The Legendary Cuisine of Syrian Jews by Poopa Dweck. This is now strictly a Mediterranean Diet Cookbook, but it does expand on the flavors. I've just had to be careful about portion size and to steer clear of the "things stuffed with meat" category. Still, very tasty stuff!

To take my mind and heart off of all the badness going on lately, I've been doing a lot of writing. Here are a few books that have aided me on my journey.

500 Ways To Tell A Better Story by Chuck Wendig. This dude is seriously funny. I sometimes delve a little too far into the dark recesses of my brain while writing, and Chuck's humor is my antidote.

The Transitive Vampire by Karen Elizabeth Gordon. I didn't know that grammar books could be anything but dry before I read this. Goth for writers, man! Totally ghoul.

On Becoming a Novelist by John Gardner. I'll just say it, because there is no way around it. And I may have made this point before. John Garner was a genre snob pure and simple. But he also knew his stuff. The combination of those two traits in this book are hilarious. Because I think, had I met him when he was alive, I may have seriously disliked the man. But his thoughts and advice on developing as a writer are beautiful.



That's all I've got for now. Next time, an update on my Writer's of Color reading list and some gems that I've read and reviewed. Hopefully it will not be years before I post again....

Reading Within Grief

I've taken a five month break from writing this blog, and I know it's very possible that any reader's I had at first have gone by the wayside. This is understandable. Why read what is essentially a serial publication if the publication quits having entries?

But for anyone still listening out there, I believe I owe you an explanation. Five months ago, at the beginning of November, my little sister took her own life.

I won't go into too much detail, but suffice it to say, as in the case of many suicides, there was no note. No explanation. One day she was there and one day she was gone. So, after many months of grief counseling, spending time with family, and just trying to keep breathing, I'm finally back up to writing.

But although writing hasn't been my constant companion of late, reading has been a long time friend. It's what I go back to during the sharp and hard parts of life. It helps me make sense of things.

So here are a few books I read during my hiatus.

Healing your holiday grief : 100 practical ideas for blending mourning and celebration during the holiday season by Alan D. Wolfelt PhD

Okay, I'll be honest, this is not a riveting work of literature. It's set out bullet point style and has a lot of suggestions that would seem basic common sense. "Remember to Keep Eating" or "Take time for yourself alone." But the simplicity of the layout allows deeper things to get through like the idea that some guilt is going to seep through as part of the normal grieving process, and it is okay to set boundaries to holiday interactions-up to and including not attending. Since the holidays happened directly after my sister's passing, this book recommendation from a colleague was a life saver.

You can't touch my hair : and other things I still have to explain by Phoebe Robinson

I don't think I have to explain how essential humor is during times of grief. We've all had those really bad days that can too soon turn into really bad weeks. I listened to this book, read by the author, in Overdrive. The smart, on the nose, and often geeky humor of Miss Robinson's memoir got me through some really dark days.


Hell House by Richard Matheson

I think when we hurt as humans, it's natural to go back to the things that make us feel safe. Weird as it may sound, for me that is the horror genre. I grew up with parents who worked late hours, and some of the only times I got to spend with my mom at points were cuddled up on the couch watching Alfred Hitchcock Presents. I love Stephen King and have been making an effort to branch out. But recently, I was in the mood for a good old fashioned ghost story.

Call it a seeking of the unknown or a re-examining of my Agnostic spiritual beliefs, I wanted to read something that examined different aspects of the paranormal. This story is about an expedition to a notorious haunted house by a somewhat skeptical paranormal physicist accompanied by spiritualists and psychics. It's a classic, with good reason. Come prepared for crude language, sexual content, and plenty of jump scares.


The Bell Jar by Silvia Plath

I'll be honest, this is another one I didn't make it all the way through. I thought that it would be a timely classic read, but it turned out to be too sad. Still, I may try again someday down the road. Plath is a beautiful writer.


Going forward, I will try to update more frequently now that I've got my writing groove back. I still need to finish Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel José Older and report back. In the meantime, I urge anyone dealing with depression or suicidal thoughts, or with family members dealing with these feelings to visit website for Project Semicolon.

And for anyone who needs it.

The Last Final Girl: A Book Break-Up story

I would like to strongly preface this review by saying that the issues that I have had with this book are completely my own, and that they do not, in any way reflect my opinions of the author's works in general. That said, I have to regretfully break up with this book. It is making my left eye twitch.

I started reading The Last Final Girl for my October horror marathon. I tracked down Stephen Graham Jones on Goodreads while trying to find horror writers who are not old white dudes. I looked through his list of works, and fell in love with his bibliography. Dude totally gives good Title! And the author photo is quite dishy. (Hello Book FanGrRLs!)

I was immediately drawn to this book's concept! For those of you unaware of what a Final Girl is, it has to do with the incredibly formulaic nature of B-Horror movies, specifically slashers. The Final Girl is so called because she is the only one standing at the end.

Sidney Prescott, Nancy Thompson, Ellen Ripley. These are Final Girls. For me it will always be Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode.

I wanted to love this book, I really did! And for the most part, it was very book crush worthy! The concept is awesome. The plot's great. In the opening pages, Jones's Final Girl (seemingly) defeats a killer by using her D cup bikini top as a slingshot. The characters are appropriately campy. (A slasher villain named Billie Jean because he wears a Michael Jackson mask) I even loved the dialogue!

Completely badass!

My problem was very specifically the Point of View of the book. It is written as an amalgamation of a prose narrative and a screenplay. It's written in first person present tense, and it is actually a pretty nifty idea. I loved the concept when I read about it in the book blurb. The Goodreads reviews bear out its unique nature of writing style. The book is basically told in present tense stage direction with dialogue peppered-in. The paragraphs transition between scenes in a whip-pan style like a camera would, which is very cool.

Do I have 'but'face?

My problem (and I emphasize the 'my' here) is my meandering career path. My Bachelor's degree is in Telecommunications and Film Making, so I was trained to read and write stage direction in a specific style. Shot description: Shot Action. My Library School training taught me to analyze prose in a narrative sense. All of this sounds, and is perhaps, a bit pretentious.

Basically, in reading this book, my brain is unable to follow the narrative of the prose, for the whip-pan style of paragraph transition. I tried to power through, but the transitions became painful. I gave it twenty pages before I finally had to call it quits.

I read an article recently on Book Riot about when it's time to break up with a book. For me it was the eye twitch. This book just wasn't for me. But I still recommend The Last Final Girl as a book date for all you horror junkies out there. You may well be able to weather the transitions better than I. Your brain may not be as stringent about the writing style. And if you do, please please, tell me how it ends? I'd be ever so grateful!

I have not given up on Stephen Graham Jones, though! Upon returning The Last Final Girl to my InterLibrary Loan clerk, I put Mongrels on hold. Cause mama lurvs her some werewolves!  So we'll see how that goes. In the meantime, rock on Billie Jean!

Book-to-Movie Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

SPOILER ALERT! If you have not seen the movie and/or read Ransom Riggs's awesome book series, turn back now 'for the path you will take will lead to certain destruction'! You've been warned!

Okay just so you guys know, I am a total Miss Peregrine's fangirl! I went as Emma Bloom for Halloween two years ago, before the movie was announced. I say that with more of a geek "come to the dark side, we've got cookies' slant than a hipster "I did it before it was cool' slant. But still...

If you are unfamiliar with the plot of Miss Peregrine's, the title tells you most of the plot of the first book. After the death of his eccentric, possibly demented, definitely badass grandfather, young Jacob Portman seeks out the children's home that his Grandpa grew up in. The problem is, Jake is convinced the crazy stories that Gramps used to tell him about the children living in the home, and especially its headmistress, are the insane ramblings of an old man. Turns out...not so much.

The original novel, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children was written by Ransom Riggs and published by Quirk Books in 2011. The name of the publisher says it all. If you enjoy off-beat books and have not checked out their catalog of titles, do so now. Seriously, go. You won't be sorry. These are the same people who brought us the William Shakespeare's Star Wars books.

Also their book trailers are EPIC!

Anyhoo, Riggs followed up Miss Peregrine's with Hollow City. This book sees Jake and the children racing against time to save their headmistress and all of Peculiardom from the evil plot of the Wights and Hollowgasts.

I'm not gonna lie, the plot in the middle of Hollow City felt a little like the plot of Lord of the Rings for a while; epic journey, battles, lots of walking. It got a bit cumbersome. But it had its moments. Like when Hugh goes from Jubilee to Storm level X-Men powers to save his crew. The peculiar animals were a fun touch. Shame about the menagerie. The ending certainly picked up. Jake nearly went from Jean Grey to Dark Phoenix. Cause guys, he can see the monsters, but there's more!

Finally, we got Library of Souls, which I purchased if nothing less, for the title. Librarian, hello!

I have mixed feelings about Library of Souls. Let me put it to you this way, if Miss Peregrine's is being directed by Tim Burton, Library of Souls would best be directed by Stanley Kubrick. You know, if he weren't dead. Or considering the punishment loops, perhaps even if he remained dead.

The book is dark, surreal, and at times darkly comedic. But I was never really sure if I was supposed to laugh at the funny bits. However, I am now and have always been a sucker for a good Ellen Ripley moment, and the ending of Library of Souls delivered in spades!

That brings me to the movie.

I was able to make the matinee on opening day, and considering recent book-to-movie adaptations, I was left chanting "please don't suck" at the screen as the lights went down. And I will say this, it did not suck!

Eva Green was perfectly cast as Miss Peregrine! She was able to pull off Miss P.'s warm strictness to a T. And queen is fierce!

Asa Butterfield gave a great performance as Jake. 

He was vulnerable, and he was able to portray the character arc of a wallflower being forced to take charge without becoming whiny or overwrought. Samuel L. Jackson as Barron was, well Samuel L. Jackson. I honestly think the man is incapable of not kicking ass. 

The other standout performances for me, were little Pixie Davies as Bronwyn, and Chris O'Dowd as Franklin Portman. O'Dowd played the ineffectual father figure with a John Hughes level of parental impotence, which is exactly how Franklin Portman read on the page.

The rest of the children are, for the most part, very good representations of their characters from the book. The twins mix characters from the first and second books. Horace is properly snazzy. Millard could've used more screen time, but what can you do in a short timespan with an invisible boy? Fiona can talk, but that's a small change. Excellent performances all around!

Okay now I have to address the elephant in the room. She's blonde, wears a blue dress and fricking floats! Ella Purnell gives a lovely performance as Emma Bloom, don't get me wrong! She's subtle, romantic, and a wonderful guiding force for Jake and the other children. But here's the thing, that's not Emma Bloom! Emma is the fighter, the life hardened, overly suspicious watchdog of the group. Also, she's the Firestarter.

I love Tim Burton, I do! I grew up with Batman and Batman Returns. Edward Scissorhands was a favorite at Halloween and Christmas at my house. And I will have selections from A Nightmare Before Christmas running through my head until the day I shuffle off this mortal coil. But I don't think I can ever forgive him for what he did to Emma Bloom!

Burton released initial cast photos last spring and we were warned in advance that he had switched Emma and Olive's powers. Fans were assured by Ransom Riggs that it was for a good reason and that he had faith in Burton's vision for the character. But I don't think he had a good reason! I think he did it for the sole reason of redeeming Enoch O'Connor.

Now, here is where the majority of my Spoilers come into play. Remember I warned you! 

Burton switched Emma's firestarter powers with Olive's power of being lighter than air. To his credit, Burton expanded the air powers to include some pretty cool stuff. Now she has endless breath which she uses to raise a sunken ship, fight Barron, and a number of other cool scenes that allow for some decent (though largely unnecessary) CGI. Again, Ella Purnell portrays this new Emma beautifully.

Olive Elephanta, for the movie, is transformed from a passive somewhat petulant eight year old into Lauren McCrostie's lovelorn teenager. Olive is lovelorn because she is holding a torch for Enoch, the creepy Necromancer, who has been jealously in love with Emma for years. On it's surface, this isn't really a problem. There are a lot of unrequited love themes in the novels, and we are talking about teenagers. The problem is, I feel, that Olive is made overly passive both in her physical abilities and in her personality to try and make Enoch more palatable.

If Burton was going to switch Olive and Emma's powers, he could have at least preserved the spicy personality and reckless overuse of pyrokinesis! Firestarters in fiction are by their nature tormented, strong personalities. The most badass thing that Olive does with her powers is set fire to a part of The Priest Hole during Jacob's rescue. In the book, Emma burns the place to the ground, complete with Molotov cocktails! Olive can't even melt herself when she gets encased in ice. She needs Enoch's kiss for that! 

The relationship between Enoch and Olive is simpering and dysfunctional and nowhere near as interesting as it could have been. And I feel that it is largely unnecessary. Enoch is an asshole. That is pretty much his charm! He's the everlasting dissenter of the group, and he is meant to be that. The boy puts the hearts of dead things into grotesque simulacrum in order to bring them to life! Enoch is not meant to be a contender for The Bachelor. He is meant to keep Jacob on his toes and honest. Enoch is the Severus Snape of this story. 

The only guess I can hazard for Burton's treatment of Olive/Emma/Enoch was that he wanted another love interest. Maybe the studio pushed for more love triangles, or maybe the producers thought that a twelve year old (Enoch in the books) lusting after a sixteen year old (Emma) was just a bit too creepy for the silver screen. And well...yeah.

So I guess what I'm taking an inordinately long time to say is this... The movie did not suck! It was not as good as the books, and I have some serious issues with the character changes. But Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children was entertaining, and it will probably make an appearance on my DVD shelf when it is released. Just not as high on the DVD shelf as it is on my bookshelf. However, I do have a special features request for Mr. Burton. If only in the Blooper Reel, show me Olive like this....