Go Ask Jordan, I Think She'll Know > Recent Status Updates

❤️

BAD.

Wow that went downhill quickly. I will finish it because I've kinda been doing a Columbine true crime deep dive but this is horrible!

My sympathy for Sue Klebold has a limit.

Many praise this as "brave". Some say it's insulting.

From 40%-60% and beyond this takes a nosedive so badly.

This is such a complex and controversial topic so I won't get into my full opinion until I review this....if I even choose to.

All said this is compelling and enjoyable.

On the other hand: Sue Klebold leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. She genuinely seems incredibly self-absorbed almost to the point of narcissism.

Not my favorite poet. I got this very cheap though so I'm not complaining, per se.

There was some Dylan Thomas poems we read in school. They're the worst ones!

A good casual read.

Nabokov writes a suspense novel similar to pulp fiction/hardboiled writers like Chandler, Hammett, Woolrich, Thompson, Hughes, etc.

Thus a favorite writer is dabbling in a favorite genre. He's winning at it too. This guy writes

Nabokov=opium of the literary masses sounds dumb. Yet Nabokov fans are a bit like junkies. Not just me either! I didn't get the hype until I explored him deeply. Superb!

As luck would have it the person at my local library who had a hold on this forfeited the hold so it's mine for 3 weeks.

Want a very brief review?

This should be taught in junior/senior levels of high school (particularly for gifted students in honors or AP lit classes) and on that note definitely in college.

I will retract that opinion if this suddenly becomes grossly vulgar or violent in the 36% I have left.

I recently finished the great Pop. 1280 from this author. Review in progress!

The Alcoholics my 4th Jim Thompson read. So far each book has been 5 stars.

Pop 1280 is especially unique and so I thought this would suck comparatively. 25 pages in and I'm hooked. Can't wait to keep reading!!!

Jim Thompson is quickly becoming my go-to thriller writer especially when my post-TBI issues are flaring. He's so memorable.

Unfortunately I can't renew my library e-book loan so I'll have to wait a couple weeks to re-rent! (How are there not unlimited copies of EBOOKS!?)

Shockingly modern. Surprisingly emotional. Interesting characters.

For all of Tolstoy's (slightly) disappointing moments Turgenev, Chekhov, Gogol, and of course Dostoevsky have more than compensated for OG Russian Lit.

I might buy some Turgenev books for Christmas!

Chekhov meets Kafka

THIS is peak classical Russian literature. Better than Tolstoy so far in fact it's 5 stars so far... just an incredibly compelling book.

Shari is brave! This story needs to be told.

I'm not in a huge rush to finish this as it's audiobook. (Yep- Jordan is listening to an audiobook. Still would rather be reading it instead!) Regardless I want to update this account as much as I can for my personal enjoyment and I'm truly hoping to grow my audience a bit.

As far as mystery/suspense goes this is one of the finest short story collections I've ever read

Each story is sublime on its own. I can now say with reasonable certainty that Cornell Woolrich never wrote the same mystery twice.

Yet there are almost always two twists in all his stories- bare minimum- and a surprising amount of character development.

These tales feel fresh 80 years later. Don't let age deter!

I'm hooked! Maybe a bit hypersexualized for me but not that OTT.

The key here is this author CAN WRITE at an adult level. Something I can't say for many of her peers.

Also why is the writer so obsessed with the reader properly characterizing both
... well the characters AND significant moments?(at least in the first story). I'm guessing it's a plot device.

I'm reading the latest version of this- apparently the 25th anniversary thus a 2024 edit.

For those who don't know: this book has become controversial after having been hailed as "the actual truth" for a long time. In fact I might've read it before.

I'm glad Cullen removed Brenda Parker but "dying a virgin" seems like an absolutely stupid concept to raise in a story like this. What does it MATTER?

I've read two or three Woolrich full novels before. Each story is like 40 pages so not super short but gripping

What's amazing is we have a crossroads of crime/noir, mystery, and a bit of horror. 'Murder, Obliquely' has a brilliant psychological edge. Hitchcock should've adapted 'All at Once, No Alice' as he did with Woolrich's 'Rear Window'.

(Yep- this guy wrote Rear Window and he remains underrated!)

Chuck Palahniuk is one of a small handful of writers who takes utterly filthy subjects and creates some awesome literature as a result.

This guy can write. The obscenity of this is absurd though so be warned. One of my favorite more contemporary authors.

Well it's Nabokov mixed with F. Scott Fitzgerald's forays into sci-fi/dystopia mixed with Vonnegut.

An ex of mine thought he was "well read" for knowing the impact of Animal Farm which is kinda a joke by comparison to this- Bend Sinister is far more potent.

Don't write Nabokov off because of Lolita.

Do not let Lolita deter you! Nabokov is genius!

I haven't updated this page much due to multiple personal crises (medical and housing situation).

I have many many books to add as well as archived thoughts to compile into reviews (using AI without using AI).

Nabokov is at his most lyrical here- nearly to a Capote or Fitzgerald level. Yet it's dystopian. Vonnegut/Burgess/Ballard come to mind. A heady blend indeed.

The social themes sadly remain fresh. Hoping to finish this today. It was a library rental thus I had to return/re-borrow, but it's actually a very quick read.

Chester Himes is a cool writer! This will appeal to 1920s-1950s crime/noir fans, but Himes really has his own thing going. His prose is more minimalist than Hemingway, but it's effective for the subject at hand so to speak!

The 1000+ pages of War and Peace are... hard despite being an enjoyable read overall.

Then I found this which isn't even 100 pages but it packs a punch so far. I'm deeply enjoying my voyage into Russian literature!

It's >1000 pages. Don't expect me to finish it anytime soon. I am familiar with some of Ginsberg's poetry already so this isn't entirely new.


83 pages of poetry deeply enjoyed already is a magnificent sign, I must say. Many of the poems I read multiple times too.

Also I like that this collection shows the breadth of his work. He's a classic beatnik yet gifted with the ability to write lyrical and romantic poetry.

Nope I've never read this to my recollection.

Yes it's completely whacky for a kids' novel. Feed your head!

Ok now I know what "Orwellian" means.

Everyone knows this novel. Definitely wears its themes boldly.

Yep this is my first time reading Animal Farm. I'm not a big fan of Orwell's prose- it seems overly-simplified. Maybe that's the point. I have 1 day to finish this... I hope I do. Then onto 1984 which people have told me is far more profound.

Not sure this is going to be a favorite.

I practically had a mini manifesto written about Yeats.

Then my phone restarted (using the GR App).

If anything 2024 marks the year I've found more joy in the poetic work than any time prior in my life.

It's liberating. My interpretation is mine. No teachers nor textbooks tying me down to one thought.

28 and liberated.

So I'm reading for the beauty, pleasure, and simple treasures.

Yeats is unparalleled.

Pretty compulsive. I take it with a grain of salt but it's interesting and the "soap opera" feel is fun.

I have seen the author's research as being called questionable: again- take it with a grain of salt. This is some good entertainment though... my mom has enjoyed my verbal updates lol.

Diet and easy to read.

So this 15% completion rate is going pretty fast. 11/10/2024 is the start date.

Nabokov wins at writing. If I could enjoy reading Lolita and it's filth/abuse: great writer.

This is a simple, possibly early example of "metafiction". It captures me so much that I'm absorbed by the characters and the central poem that I forget this is Nabokov writing and not... literally two characters. He was given a rare gift.

Well this took such a nosedive it's almost sad.

I don't even know what's going on any longer. Seems the author tries to integrate both personal and sociopolitical topics. The thing is I don't care about topics as it's not compelling. Not at all.

This kinda sucks. It's shaping up to be a premium example of why a lot of modern lit is unattractive to me.

It's too simple. It evokes little emotion. It's boring. Lame.