My HEART! How much do I love Reggie Watts. I was in it to hear fun stories about growing up a classic weirdo, but I got so much more. I feel like he was apart of my same crew of high school friends. The final quarter of the book was so incredibly touching— so much sentiment packed in with brevity and comedy— I read the final ten pages before work at 7 am and cried. Bravo, Reggie!

I want to know more about the French/Algerian conflict and while I enjoyed this book, I probably should’ve started elsewhere. Camus is a joy to read in that he was masterful at getting a point across. The abundant nuance he gives for a situation that could be very dichotomous makes for an interesting read. But as another reviewer said, if this book where interspersed which much more contextual detail, between essays or chapters, it would be even better.

A lil book that filled me with pure, unadulterated nerd excitement. I also felt like I should have been taking notes, in a good way.

Not totally top tier Miriam Toews for me, but always entertained by the depth of her characters’ thoughts, every time. She pinpoints teenage wisecrackery with such skill that it’s hard to remember a 40ish year old woman was writing it.

Is there anything Brontez Purnell can’t do?

Reading too many pages of this at once is like staring directly at the sun. I do appreciate Vidal (not dogmatically, with criticism) but man this made me mad and he was mad too and it’s just me and Gore Vidal bein mad together.

This book is miracle. To think James Agee died when he did, what more what have come from him. I have to insist on this edition of this book published after his death because the editors took care to include many drafted sections that Agee may or my not have intended, but they make the picture whole. This is the most painfully articulated novel about grief, full of truthful nuance, I have ever read. The aforementioned included sections are truly the best. He captures that heartbreak and confusion of a young child’s mind with such delicacy, I had to put the book down over and over because it was too much. Bravo.

So many bookmarked pages. Great as a fourth quarter read, when you want to think ahead to a new year. The kind of book that restores joy and hope in teaching.

Actually talking about this book to absolutely anyone who will listen. The writing itself is a masterclass in evocative mood and character study. For the reviewers saying “there’s no emotional core”— ????? I guess we didn’t read the same book. I would give this 4.5 stars, only because I’m still mulling over the ending and feeling a bit conflicted. But, I will eat up anything else from this debut novelist.

Totally average in every way for the 33 1/3 series. Would be more interesting if it were not 17 years old and had an updated retrospective over the impact of MBV’s album.