September, 2013
September 4th, 2013, 12:14 - A little like A Prayer for Owen Meany, if Owen had been an overweight Dominican nerd. Okay, not really that much like A Prayer for Owen Meany
40. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Junot Diaz)
Up next: The Fortress of Solitude (Jonathan Lethem)
September 7th, 2013, 12:26 p.m. - Cue "nailed it" and "send in the clowns" jokes
So You Think You Can Dance - Top four perform: Cat's the reason Jasmine's in the top 20? That's crazy. Who were they going to put there instead?? Though it would be funny if Jasmine and Aaron both won, if they were both afterthoughts. And, of course, that's what I'm hoping for. Rating: 4 bikes
America's Next Top Model - "The Girl Who's Scared of Clowns": Noooo, not Kanani! She was awesome! Stupid clowns! And by clowns, I mean the boys! Rating: 3 broken fences
September 14th, 2013, 1:48 p.m. - Hey, Marvin, while you're crying over Jeremy, the girls are kicking your butt
So You Think You Can Dance - Finale: Nigel said people would be happy no matter who won, so I guess I have to be happy. I'd just be happier about Jasmine and Aaron winning. Rating: 4 times I said, "Paul Anka did a version of 'Wonderwall'?"
America's Next Top Model - "The Guy Who Cries": Marvin is...kidding, right? He started crying five minutes after Jeremy left. Maybe they should cut him so he can go reunite with Jeremy. Rating: 4 buckets of paint
September 17th, 2013, 10:27 - "A mighty but flawed dirge"
41. The Fortress of Solitude (Jonathan Lethem)
Up next: Kiss Me First (Lottie Moggach)
September 21st, 2013, 3:04 p.m. - You'd think that Gervase would have learned to swim sometime in the past 13 years
Survivor - "Blood Is Thicker Than Anything": I skipped the last couple of seasons, but figured I'd give this one a shot. Unless everyone's going to be as strategically dumb as they were in this episode. Then I'll be out of there faster than Colton's supposed attitude adjustment. Rating: 4 fictional fires
America's Next Top Model - "The Girl Whose Walk is TOO Good": Jourdan's right – Renee's getting cocky. And she still reminds me of someone but I can't quite figure it out. In other news, I was very surprised to see that Alex was the girl brought back. I also felt she was cut too soon, so good for her (though I really wanted Kanani back). Rating: 3 random mirrors I still can't see the point of being in the photo shoots
September 22nd, 2013, 12:49 - Wait, what does "kiss me first" mean?
42. Kiss Me First (Lottie Moggach)
Up next: Far from the Tree (Andrew Solomon)
September 29th, 2013, 1:12 p.m. - "Daddy's office... YOU sound like a little girl"
How I Met Your Mother - "The Locket"/"Coming Back": I had low expectations for this season, but I think it's going to be okay. I liked both of these episodes. The casting and writing for the mother fit the show perfectly. Nice guest stars, too – Roger Bart is always good, and this might have been the funniest I've ever found Sherri Shepherd. Rating: 4 drinks from Linus ("thanks, Linus")
Survivor - "Rule in Chaos": Poor Rachel. She probably won't survive long; she hasn't had enough screen time for me to think she'll win much, if anything. In other news, shut up, Colton. Shut up a lot. Rating: 3 variations on Skee Ball
Modern Family - "Suddenly, Last Summer"/"First Days": The first episode was so sweet. I think it was partly a response to all the people who complain that Cam and Mitch aren't that romantic. At least they didn't spend the whole episode trying to get rid of their children. The second episode was a little weird, and I wish Alex would get more character development than "the studious one." By the way, since when is she a junior? Rating: 4 rocking chairs
The Big Bang Theory - "The Hofstadter Insufficiency"/"The Deception Verification": I liked seeing Amy and Bernadette get their own little plot. Bernadette's my favorite. Rating: 4 Krakens /3 telltale food containers in the trash
Grey's Anatomy - "Seal Our Fate"/"I Want You With Me": Tina Majorino booked another series, and I hope it does well, because she certainly can't come back to Grey's (unfortunately). Also, apparently her exit was announced a couple months ago and I didn't hear about it, which is why her death was a surprise to me. But it's Grey's, so of course she's dead. No one ever just moves away (except Izzie). Rating: 4 Sharpies
I love the way Diaz uses language. He makes me want to write something...wondrous.
It starts out good, then goes in one too many directions and nothing happens. I really liked Lethem's writing at the beginning, but it really falls off later on. An Amazon reviewer called The Fortress of Solitude "a mighty but flawed dirge," which is perfect. I wanted to like it, but it didn't work for me.
I don't usually think sequels are necessary, but in this case, I think one would be a good idea. There are so many questions left unanswered: What really happened to Tess? What about Adrian? Why did Connor lie so much? What was up with the inconsistencies in Tess' stories? Does Leila have Asperger's? (Think about it.) Can you really be arrested in Spain for a crime you may or may not have committed in England? And again, where does "kiss me first" come from?