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          <updates type="array">
      <update type="review">
    <action_text><![CDATA[added: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38990.Fun_Home_A_Family_Tragicomic">Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic (Hardcover)</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21982.Alison_Bechdel">Alison Bechdel</a>]]></action_text>
    <link>http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80938865</link>
    <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1169226694s/38990.jpg</image_url>
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  <id type="integer">1386591</id>
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    <updated_at>Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:32:58 -0800</updated_at>
        
      
          <body><![CDATA[I read through Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel in one sitting, steamrolling through it like it was my job. In fact, I had this distinct image of myself, eating a salad and reading this book at the dinner table, like a teacher burning the midnight oil to finish grading some papers. Th...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/I%20read%20through%20Fun%20Home:%20A%20Family%20Tragicomic%20by%20Alison%20Bechdel%20in%20one%20sitting,%20steamrolling%20through%20it%20like%20it%20was%20my%20job.%20In%20fact,%20I%20had%20this%20distinct%20image%20of%20myself,%20eating%20a%20salad%20and%20reading%20this%20book%20at%20the%20dinner%20table,%20like%20a%20teacher%20burning%20the%20midnight%20oil%20to%20finish%20grading%20some%20papers.%20This%20image%20came%20to%20mind%20probably%20because%20I%20see%20Lan%20like%20that%20all%20the%20time,%20sitting%20Indian-style%20on%20a%20dining%20room%20chair%20with%20her%20thick%20glasses--she%20wears%20contacts%20during%20the%20day--poring%20over%20her%20students'%20work%20with%20a%20massive%20mug%20of%20coffee%20standing%20by.%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0AThis%20book%20is%20probably%20categorized%20as%20a%20graphic%20novel,%20and%20I%20see%20it%20completely%20that%20way.%20It's%20very%20wordy,%20and%20Bechdel's%20style%20is%20spare,%20though%20there%20are%20thoughtful%20details%20that%20stick%20out:%20wrinkles%20on%20her%20parents'%20faces;%20exact%20passages%20from%20books%20and%20plays;%20the%20awnings%20of%20her%20childhood%20home.%20She%20kept%20a%20journal%20since%20she%20was%20ten,%20and%20this%20book%20seems%20almost%20more%20like%20a%20review%20of%20that%20journal,%20fleshing%20the%20words%20out%20with%20remembered%20images%20and%20feelings.%20%0D%0A%0D%0AHer%20use%20of%20text%20as%20an%20image%20is%20interesting,%20and%20though%20it's%20a%20true%20reflection%20of%20her%20past,%20I%20felt%20it%20a%20little%20overused.%20Her%20journal%20entries,%20illustrated,%20are%20an%20example,%20her%20childish%20scrawls%20being%20overcome%20by%20OCD%20symbols%20and%20slashes%20being%20important%20but%20not%20so%20much%20so%20that%20every%20little%20bit%20had%20to%20be%20illustrated.%20Her%20father%20and%20she%20had%20their%20best%20correspondences%20through%20letters,%20and%20she%20illustrates%20both%20his%20profuse%20knowledge%20about%20the%20books%20she%20was%20reading%20and%20also%20some%20of%20his%20old%20love%20letters%20to%20her%20mother%20when%20he%20was%20in%20the%20army.%20So%20much%20illutrated%20text--I%20tended%20to%20simply%20skim%20over%20the%20and%20not%20read%20their%20handwritten%20messages.%0D%0A%0D%0AI%20liked%20the%20photographs%20that%20she%20drew%20in,%20however.%20The%20style%20of%20drawing%20changes%20in%20these%20photographs,%20looking%20more%20realistic,%20as%20if%20trying%20to%20say%20something%20about%20the%20difference%20between%20truth%20and%20illusion%20when%20these%20pictures%20were%20taken,%20and%20are%20interestingly%20juxtaposed%20with%20her%20comical%20hand%20holding%20them.%20%0D%0A%0D%0AAll%20right,%20enough%20essay-writing.%20I%20thought%20that%20the%20characterizations%20of%20her%20mother%20and%20father%20were%20brilliant,%20though%20at%20the%20expense%20of%20the%20rest%20of%20her%20family%20and%20ultimately%20of%20the%20author%2Fnarrator%20herself.%20You%20get%20the%20sense%20that%20she's%20somewhat%20of%20an%20aloof%20personality,%20but%20how%20much%20of%20that%20carries%20over%20after%20the%20funeral%20and%20into%20the%20rest%20of%20her%20life%20is%20unknown.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe%20book%20is%20less%20of%20a%20catharsis%20and%20more%20of%20a%20realization%20of%20how%20she%20was%20a%20mirror%20image%20of%20her%20father,%20a%20theme%20that%20resonates%20with%20me%20quite%20strongly.%20%0D%0A%0D%0AWhether%20or%20not%20you%20are%20a%20comic%20lover,%20you%20can%20enjoy%20this%20novel.%20There%20aren't%20any%20of%20those%20comical%20tropes%20of%20'bam!'%20or%20'single%20bound!',%20or%20even%20much%20digression%20from%20standard,%20square%20panels.%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0AOn%20the%20other%20hand,%20if%20you%20love%20action-packed%20stuff,%20then%20this%20might%20not%20be%20for%20you.%20Though%20there%20are%20a%20few%20pages%20that%20would%20push%20a%20movie%20into%20R-rated%20territory,%20there%20isn't%20any%20violence%20or%20much%20foul%20language--systemic%20of%20a%20world%20where%20Bechdel%20grew%20up,%20not%20knowing%20the%20'seedy'%20things%20that%20her%20father%20did%20yet%20knowing%20that%20there%20was%20some%20sort%20of%20undercurrent.">more...</a>]]></body>
        
    
  </update>  
      <update type="review">
    <action_text><![CDATA[is currently reading: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156930.Always">Always (Hardcover)</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/90780.Nicola_Griffith">Nicola Griffith</a>]]></action_text>
    <link>http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80239916</link>
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    <actor>
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</actor>

    <updated_at>Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:09:23 -0800</updated_at>
        
      
        
    
  </update>  
      <update type="review">
    <action_text><![CDATA[gave 2 stars to: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49041.New_Moon">New Moon (Twilight, #2)</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/941441.Stephenie_Meyer">Stephenie Meyer</a>]]></action_text>
    <link>http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80237131</link>
    <image_url>http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/414jgcy2FAL._SL75_.jpg</image_url>
    <actor>
  <id type="integer">1386591</id>
  <name>Vickie</name>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1386591-vickie</link>
</actor>

    <updated_at>Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:59:10 -0800</updated_at>
        
      
          <body><![CDATA[I admit that I kind of suffered through this book. My best friend is a huge fan of the series, so I borrowed her set. The first book was an enjoyable enough read. New Moon, however, was a special kind of torture.<br/><br/>I admit, I read books fro a feminist standpoint. And Bella bothers me. I und...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/I%20admit%20that%20I%20kind%20of%20suffered%20through%20this%20book.%20My%20best%20friend%20is%20a%20huge%20fan%20of%20the%20series,%20so%20I%20borrowed%20her%20set.%20The%20first%20book%20was%20an%20enjoyable%20enough%20read.%20New%20Moon,%20however,%20was%20a%20special%20kind%20of%20torture.%0D%0A%0D%0AI%20admit,%20I%20read%20books%20fro%20a%20feminist%20standpoint.%20And%20Bella%20bothers%20me.%20I%20understand%20being%20miserable,%20and%20how,%20as%20a%20teenager,%20everything%20is%20such%20a%20Big%20Deal.%20Bella%20is,%20overall,%20a%20pretty%20self-sufficient%20and%20independent%20person,%20other%20than%20this%20teeny%20tiny%20completely%20overwhelming%20love%20affair%20she%20has.%20%0D%0A%0D%0AHmm,%20I%20guess%20I'm%20belittling%20the%20%22epic%22%20quality%20of%20the%20book.%20Having%20supernatural%20elements%20and%20long-lived%20characters%20does%20not%20make%20a%20book%20epic,%20nor%20does%20this%20all-consuming%20love%20story.%20What%20is%20truly%20%22epic%22%20is%20Bella's%20fanatical%20devotion%20to%20Edward%20that%20reminds%20me%20to%20not%20drink%20the%20kool-aid.%20Edward%20doesn't%20permeate%20her%20being,%20but%20rather%20her%20%20life,%20and%20she%20chooses%20to%20put%20her%20body%20and%20soul%20in%20danger%20for%20a%20bare%20hint%20of%20his%20essence%20or%20voice,%20like%20a%20desperate%20disciple%20hungry%20for%20a%20smidgeon%20of%20proof%20that%20their%20faith%20is%20justified.%0D%0A%0D%0AAnywho,%20my%20best%20friend%20dragged%20me%20to%20the%20movie,%20so%20I%20was%20able%20to%20finish%20the%20book%20by%20skipping%20sheafs%20of%20passages%20that%20bored%20me%20and%20were%20covered%20adequately%20in%20the%20movie.%0D%0A%0D%0AAlthough,%20I%20do%20admit%20to%20one%20fannish%20obsession:%20I'm%20all%20for%20Team%20Alice!%20%5E_%5E%20">more...</a>]]></body>
        
    
  </update>  
        <update type="review">
    <action_text><![CDATA[is currently reading: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32226.Horse_Heaven">Horse Heaven (Mass Market Paperback)</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1339.Jane_Smiley">Jane Smiley</a>]]></action_text>
    <link>http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76389907</link>
    <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168378222s/32226.jpg</image_url>
    <actor>
  <id type="integer">1386591</id>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1386591-vickie</link>
</actor>

    <updated_at>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:22:27 -0800</updated_at>
        
      
        
    
  </update>  
      <update type="review">
    <action_text><![CDATA[marked as to-read: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6260423.Reasons_for_and_Advantages_of_Breathing_Stories">Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing: Stories (P.S.)</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2847244.Lydia_Peelle">Lydia Peelle</a>]]></action_text>
    <link>http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76389462</link>
    <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255630365s/6260423.jpg</image_url>
    <actor>
  <id type="integer">1386591</id>
  <name>Vickie</name>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1386591-vickie</link>
</actor>

    <updated_at>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:15:00 -0800</updated_at>
        
      
        
    
  </update>  
      <update type="review">
    <action_text><![CDATA[marked as to-read: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6327848.The_Natural_Laws_of_Good_Luck_A_Memoir_of_an_Unlikely_Marriage">The Natural Laws of Good Luck: A Memoir of an Unlikely Marriage (Hardcover)</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2872689.Ellen_Graf">Ellen Graf</a>]]></action_text>
    <link>http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76389395</link>
    <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255748034s/6327848.jpg</image_url>
    <actor>
  <id type="integer">1386591</id>
  <name>Vickie</name>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1239518624p2/1386591.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1386591-vickie</link>
</actor>

    <updated_at>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:14:22 -0800</updated_at>
        
      
        
    
  </update>  
      <update type="review">
    <action_text><![CDATA[gave 4 stars to: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5060378.The_Girl_Who_Played_with_Fire">The Girl Who Played with Fire (Millennium, #2)</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/706255.Stieg_Larsson">Stieg Larsson</a>]]></action_text>
    <link>http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76355015</link>
    <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255570680s/5060378.jpg</image_url>
    <actor>
  <id type="integer">1386591</id>
  <name>Vickie</name>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1239518624p2/1386591.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1386591-vickie</link>
</actor>

    <updated_at>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 02:51:49 -0800</updated_at>
        
      
        
    
  </update>  
      <update type="review">
    <action_text><![CDATA[gave 5 stars to: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195806.Fray">Fray (Paperback)</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18015.Joss_Whedon">Joss Whedon</a>]]></action_text>
    <link>http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76353917</link>
    <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172596401s/195806.jpg</image_url>
    <actor>
  <id type="integer">1386591</id>
  <name>Vickie</name>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1239518624p2/1386591.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1386591-vickie</link>
</actor>

    <updated_at>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 02:40:11 -0800</updated_at>
        
      
          <body><![CDATA[There's nothing I can say about this that hasn't been said before. I am also a confessed Whedonite, and I would marry him if not for the fact that he works too much and would never be home in time for dinner and I totally wasted this roast that took all day to cook!<br/><br/>Ahem. 50's housewife f...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/There's%20nothing%20I%20can%20say%20about%20this%20that%20hasn't%20been%20said%20before.%20I%20am%20also%20a%20confessed%20Whedonite,%20and%20I%20would%20marry%20him%20if%20not%20for%20the%20fact%20that%20he%20works%20too%20much%20and%20would%20never%20be%20home%20in%20time%20for%20dinner%20and%20I%20totally%20wasted%20this%20roast%20that%20took%20all%20day%20to%20cook!%0D%0A%0D%0AAhem.%2050's%20housewife%20flashback%20aside,%20this%20is%20an%20excellent,%20stand-alone%20comic.%20It's%20like%20the%20%3Ci%3EBuffy%3C%2Fi%3E%20movie%20that%20never%20was.%20While%20the%20setting%20with%20its%20tired%20trope%20of%20flying%20cars%20and%20post-apocalyptic%20ghettos%20underneath%20floating%20cities%20needs%20a%20little%20forgiving,%20the%20rest%20of%20the%20comic%20is%20pure%20Whedon%20magic.%20His%20trademark%20dry%20wit%20finds%20a%20perfect%20match%20with%20Melaka%20Fray,%20who%20is%20more%20jaded%20than%20the%20%22sensible%20yet%20stylish%20shoes%22%20Buffy%20but%20less%20isolated%20than%20the%20%227th%20season%20General%22%20Buffy.%0D%0A%0D%0AThis%20comic%20also%20answers%20the%20question%20of%20what%20makes%20a%20Slayer.%20Is%20she%20a%20Slayer%20because%20she%20is%20Chosen%3F%20Or%20has%20a%20Watcher%3F%20Or%20has%20prophetic%20dreams%20or%20enhanced%20physical%20abilities%3F%20One%20commonality%20between%20past%20and%20present%20Slayers%20is%20a%20strong%20sense%20of%20justice,%20and%20the%20power%20to%20wield%20it.%20Much%20as%20Whedon's%20%3Ci%3EBuffy%3C%2Fi%3E-Slayer%20acted%20as%20a%20rallying%20cry%20for%20all%20those%20blonde%20bimbos%20in%20horror%20movies%20that%20are%20powerless%20against%20the%20monster,%20or%20who%20always%20must%20open%20the%20wrong%20door%20or%20trip%20on%20something,%20%3Ci%3EFray%3C%2Fi%3E-Slayer%20is%20a%20symbol%20of%20believing%20in%20something%20larger%20than%20yourself,%20your%20life%20of%20crime,%20and%20even%20this%20particular%20plane%20of%20existence.%0D%0A%0D%0AAnd%20much%20as%20I%20hate%20to%20use%20the%20word%20%22empowerment%22,%20its%20presence%20pervades%20the%20comic%20and%20the%20%3Ci%3EBuffy%3C%2Fi%3E-verse.%20Though%20she%20might%20not%20have%20elected%20to%20be%20put%20in%20this%20position,%20Mel%20chooses%20to%20take%20on%20the%20responsibility%20of%20protecting%20those%20around%20her,%20despite%20not%20having%20any%20guidance.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe%20art%20of%20this%20novel%20is%20also%20amazing.%20The%20lines%20are%20almost%20strong%20enough%20to%20carry%20the%20action%20by%20themselves,%20but%20the%20intense%20colors%20only%20add%20to%20the%20life%20of%20the%20story.%20The%20reds%20in%20particular%20are%20intense,%20cherry%20tomato%20reds,%20that%20make%20the%20blood%20and%20other%20visceral%20things%20pop%20out%20intensely.%20%0D%0A%0D%0AI%20guess%20my%20critique%20is,%20though%20there%20is%20a%20twist%20ending,%20much%20of%20the%20themes%20in%20the%20story%20has%20already%20been%20done%20in%20the%20%3Ci%3EBuffy%3C%2Fi%3E-verse%20before.%20There%20are%20qualities%20of%20the%20epic%20story%20that%20are%20fulfilled%20to%20the%20letter,%20and%20you%20can%20imagine%20what%20would%20happen%20if%20the%20story%20were%20to%20continue:%20Mel%20would%20gain%20allies,%20leveling%20up%20before%20facing%20the%20next%20boss.%20She%20will%20meet%20a%20sage%20who%20will%20guide%20her,%20have%20a%20moment%20when%20she%20questions%20herself%20but%20returns%20stronger,%20etc.%20Urkonn%20subverts%20some%20of%20these%20old%20standbys,%20but%20a%20continuation%20of%20the%20story%20would%20seem%20to%20have%20no%20choice%20but%20to%20rehash%20some%20old%20%3Ci%3EBuffy%3C%2Fi%3E%20themes.%20Then%20again,%20I'm%20not%20Joss%20Whedon,%20and%20he%20could%20probably%20pull%20a%20big%20technicolor%20rabbit%20out%20of%20that%20hat.%0D%0A%0D%0ASo.%20Final%20answer%3F%20Get%20your%20hands%20on%20it.%20You'll%20lurve%20it.">more...</a>]]></body>
        
    
  </update>  
      <update type="review">
    <action_text><![CDATA[gave 4 stars to: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6363322-ash">Ash (Paperback)</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2884780.Malinda_Lo">Malinda Lo</a>]]></action_text>
    <link>http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76352855</link>
    <image_url>http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51fF8RVYV%2BL._SL75_.jpg</image_url>
    <actor>
  <id type="integer">1386591</id>
  <name>Vickie</name>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1239518624p2/1386591.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1386591-vickie</link>
</actor>

    <updated_at>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:43:44 -0800</updated_at>
        
      
          <body><![CDATA[<div style="font-style: italic">This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76352855">click here.</a></div>]]></body>
        
    
  </update>  
  </updates>
      
</user>

</GoodreadsResponse>