Shrewsie Shrew

It flows!

Revisado: 01-15-25

I wouldn't say this book is ABOUT basketball. It's more of a memoir that flows through ideas and stories about neighborhoods, home, the love of place, basketball, family, and friends. I had to look at the hard copy to see if the book is written in verse, and was surprised that it's not! The author's reading is poetic. I am like, marginally interested in basketball and not at all interested in poetry, but I loved this book.

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The flattening

Revisado: 02-24-24

I picked this up after hearing Ezra Klein's interview with Chayka. There are some brilliant ideas in this book and a lot to ponder. In fact it may have motivated me to finally figure out how to use Audible's clip feature. I found it inspiring rather than depressing, Chayka's love of culture really comes through, as well as his love of the Internet as a way to find culture. I'm so glad that he discussed how fun the internet used to be, like the blog era and early social media. This is not an anti-technology book. Worth a read.

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Thought-provoking, fun read

Revisado: 04-18-23

I loved the mix of noir detective story with supernatural. As always CL Polk gives us a lot to think about but the story is the focus. I loved the main character, Helen, and her relationships with her girlfriend and brother. Excellent audio narration by January LaVoy.

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Amazing, touching, funny deep dive

Revisado: 03-29-23

I had to order the hard copy to pore over details, but I really enjoyed listening to this book. New discoveries await in every chapter. Fantastic book.

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Brilliant historical fiction

Revisado: 01-15-23

A fictionalized account of the publication of a book on homosexuality (sexual inversion) in men in Victorian England at the time of Oscar Wilde's libel trial, but really so much more.

This is definitely going to be one of my favorite books of 2023. I highly recommend the audio, Freddie Fox does an amazing job bringing it to life and has a great interview with the author at the end of the book.

Tom Crewe does an amazing job making Victorian England feel simultaneously itself and now, the characters are real and to be honest, society has changed a lot less than most of us would like to believe. Oscar Wilde is living like it's 2023 and gets busted for it, which impacts the writers and thinkers trying to bring England's policies into 2023. It's a pickle. People who want change have to time their moves just right, have to mind the company they keep and their personal lives, and a lot of the book you feel like you're on the edge of a knife. Ellis and Addington are both married to women (Ellis is married to but living separately from his wife Edith in an attempt to model "The New Life," a more liberal approach at relationships, and Addington's marriage to Catherine is falling apart as their youngest child leaves the house and he can't contain his urge to express his love with a man), and the way Crewe explores their lives so well. Addington is gay and married to a woman and they are both so lonely and feel so wronged, it is palpable and wrings your heart out. Addington is so frustrated with the stupid laws, being trapped in his life, and his friends telling him to chill out and not be so obvious. He is bursting at the seams to live freely, at almost 50 years old he's so tired of hiding. He is constantly chafing against this leash everyone is putting on him. His wife is lonely, isolated, and worried about the effect of his lifestyle on their daughters. Ellis is so shy it's painful, and his wife Edith is living her best lesbian life because she's protected in a way by that marriage, and because there are no laws against "sexual inversion" in women.

No spoilers but one of the issues that arises is a free speech issue around banning books, which of course is a current issue. And while on the subject of current issues, I do think that Crewe wrote this book as a mirror for our current era but it does not feel anachronistic. The language and characters feel accurate to the time.

Crewe did choose to leave out some details about the historical figures who he modeled these characters on, which I agree was wise but elides some of the COMPLETE WEIRDNESS of Victorian times (though John's friend Mark is into contacting spirits, one of my fave Victorian hobbies). Addington advocated for pederasty and Ellis for eugenics, in fact his feminist ideas were based in eugenics. Yikes! If those had been left in, the book would have felt way less modern, which would have been to its detriment. But he did leave in Ellis's fetish which provided such a wonderful dimension to his character and really emphasized how absurd it is to punish people for sodomy (not that the fetish is bad, but that singling out one consensual act for punishment is so stupid). And yes, Crewe includes some sex, which is great because some of it is just fun to read but also it does so much to show the feelings of the characters. Ellis's inexperience and John's yearning are both such big parts of their personalities.

I just loved the book so much and I highly recommend it. A fave.

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5,000 stars

Revisado: 07-06-22

I just want to listen to it over and over. I can't get enough. I love Murderbot so much, and Kevin R Free is perfect. The way he says UGH! I love it.

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Prophetic

Revisado: 04-28-22

Wonderful listen, I do need to go back over the hard copy with a highlighter. I would like for kids to read this in school, it's challenging but relatable.

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Short and powerful

Revisado: 02-26-22

This was an incredible listen. I highly recommend it. I was intrigued because of the fantasy/magic element, and I would definitely recommend it to fantasy readers.

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Wild!

Revisado: 11-30-21

A classic! Such a wild ride. Coffin Ed and Gravedigger Jones aren't in this one much, but Jackson is such a great protagonist. I can't believe so much happens in this short book! CW for gore, n-word, gendered violence, murder, attempted rape.

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Protect Adam Binder at all costs

Revisado: 11-23-21

I love the good-hearted hero so much! And his sweet ride, the 1977 Cutlass. The small town and rural Oklahoma setting is unique for urban fantasy, and the author does a great job with the ambiance. Sheriff Early, rattlesnakes, sweet tea, the clown band 🤣, and even the phone service gaps. Vic has adventures with elves in this book and his character arc is very focused on coming to terms with his bisexual identity. I can't wait for the next book. I really love the reader's voices for the characters.

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