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essjay's Reviews (635)
I haven't read the first book in this series, but probably will read the others eventually. Needed something silly and sweet to stave off the impending slump (I have, like, 15 other books started rn and have no interest in any of them) and that's exactly what this was.
Still navigating my way through Romance, trying to find what works for me. And it might just be bc I recently rewatched When Harry Met Sally with my 18y/o (he asked me for a list of "chick flicks" everyone should see) so the quippy New Yorkness was in my brain, but this worked for me.
I read this collection for the first time when I was probably far too young to actually be reading it (Stephen King Before the Age of 10 Xennial Gang rise up?) and spent the last...long while reading it aloud to my 14y/o before bed. The kid thinks maybe Night Shift was a stronger collection overall, but this one had their favourite stories.
Which were:
"The Jaunt' - did something I've never done before and gave myself goosebumps while reading aloud.
"Paranoid: a Chant" - the kid got v excited at Stephen King writing poetry, but then was super disappointed by "For Owen" later in the book.
"Word Processor of the Gods" - they hated the selfishness of the narrator and the way he talked about his family, and hope that maybe he didn't get his HEA after all.
"Nona" - we finished this one with them pacing back and forth in the living room, wringing their hands and saying "what. was. that." over and over.
"Survivor Type" - had to pause while reading this one bc the description of a healing itch was so visceral it made them light-headed; offered to skip, they said no. 10000% my child.
"Gramma" - read this one over a few nights, and they almost had me skip it bc they weren't super into it at the beginning, but sat there shaking their head saying "WOW" repeatedly at the end.
Which were:
"The Jaunt' - did something I've never done before and gave myself goosebumps while reading aloud.
"Paranoid: a Chant" - the kid got v excited at Stephen King writing poetry, but then was super disappointed by "For Owen" later in the book.
"Word Processor of the Gods" - they hated the selfishness of the narrator and the way he talked about his family, and hope that maybe he didn't get his HEA after all.
"Nona" - we finished this one with them pacing back and forth in the living room, wringing their hands and saying "what. was. that." over and over.
"Survivor Type" - had to pause while reading this one bc the description of a healing itch was so visceral it made them light-headed; offered to skip, they said no. 10000% my child.
"Gramma" - read this one over a few nights, and they almost had me skip it bc they weren't super into it at the beginning, but sat there shaking their head saying "WOW" repeatedly at the end.
Fuck, I wanted to like this so much more than I actually did. It felt like so many things were of big importance that ended up not mattering at all? Idk.
How present can you be with what is?
I read fast. My best friend also reads fast, it is not unusual for us to Buddy Read a book in a day. I am only mentioning this so that when I tell you that we were both unable to zip through Ancestors, it actually means something.
This book is achingly gorgeous. It was a struggle not to highlight the entire godsdamned thing. There was at least one sentence on each page that made me say "whoa damn" while I sat and stared at a wall in contemplation, frequently with tears streaming down my face.
The future I hear has the rhythms of a past I recall in my cells, but I never saw it, never smelled it, and so every day I watch us make a memory that is only right because we all feel the rightness. Let the crowd say axé and woahmeeeen.
It's like going to church, if the church fucks (both literally and metaphorically).
Wanted to read this as soon as I learned it existed, so jumped all over the ARC when it became Read Now.
Idk that I'm the hugest fan of the provenance of the zombies in this series, and there were times that the worldbuilding was a little heavy-handed, but for the most part it was a lot of fun. Definitely interested in continuing the series, whether it's more Edie and Max or a different couple.
Idk that I'm the hugest fan of the provenance of the zombies in this series, and there were times that the worldbuilding was a little heavy-handed, but for the most part it was a lot of fun. Definitely interested in continuing the series, whether it's more Edie and Max or a different couple.
I read the whole thing with one hand covering my eyes from embarrassment.
