A fun trip even if you don't know all the players/bands. It's structured as an oral history with an extensive list of people interviewed; it works well but there were points where I was too lazy to flip back to the cast list to understand who the person 'speaking' was and other points where I wish I had known the setting of their discussion. There's a lot to unpack and Goodman does a good job of getting many perspectives on New York during that time. I was especially excited to read it since I moved to New York in 2006 and some friends were included. It was nice to remember New York when it felt like that; at the same time, it also served to remind that a photo of me was once featured on Gawker's Blue States Lose. I may have audibly groaned when I got to that part.

Bonus: really easy to make a playlist while reading, and I listened to a bunch of old Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, White Stripes, etc. in the last few weeks that took me back. (Real talk: I never got LCD Soundsystem, still don't, and this book does not paint a pretty portrait of James Murphy... I was most bored by his history as the book moved through the years.)

Saunders is clearly a master with words, and his stories are razor-sharp. I'm sure I'll remember some of the more startling images from this collection - a young boy tied to a tree like a dog, a prisoner deciding to torture himself to save another, immigrant girls strung together in gardens - and the way Saunders paints these scenes so plainly that just makes their horror even more powerful. I'd read his short story "Jon" (not included in this collection) over a decade ago and loved it, so I'm not sure why it took this long to read some more of his work. Looking forward to reading "Lincoln in the Bardo" at some point, too.

Just not as enthralling as the first book in the series. Perhaps due to the completely different prose/POV from the first book. It gains momentum in the last 50 pages, but before that it is truly difficult to care about Control (John Rodriguez). There were elements I found intriguing, but they were more vaguely mentioned rather than explored and instead the focus was on the bureaucracy of the Southern Reach. I'm glad I read it, and I'm eager to read the final book, but was disappointed after loving Annihilation so much.

As someone who loves to notice the coincidences in life (thanks, Kundera) that led me to big moments, I really loved this love story about teenagers from immigrant families. It's fast-paced with short interludes that enhance the main storyline. I related quite a lot to Daniel; I won't lie, I also cried a bit when I finished this novel on a plane.

And the books love of coincidences makes me note this: reading the book set in New York City while commuting in every day really enhanced the experience. From midtown scenes, which is where I work, to a scene on a subway platform that I read while on a subway platform, to one of the ending scenes takes place on a plane...which I read on a plane. A lovely read.

A wonderful collection of harrowing stories told beautifully. Found myself on the subway a few times trying not to let a tear escape my eye. I can't wait to read more Danticat.

Beautiful, full of sorrow, and a book I can see myself returning to read again. There was so much in these pages. The novel is told from the perspective of six women in the same Mexican family. The prose is lyrical and the pieces of the story come together slowly (both these are reasons I can see myself re-reading; I know there is much I probably missed in this first read). Her command of language reminds me of Didion. I hope to find more writing by Pena, she's wonderful.

(Side note: while I was reading I felt that this book might appeal to people who enjoyed the Amazon tv series I LOVE DICK due to how there are photos of art and commentary by one of the characters, as well as the female-centric POVs. I just went to Pena's official website and realized her book has the same publisher as I Love Dick, and that author Chris Krause and her ex-husband Sylvere are featured in a couple of Pena's films.)