Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Dr. Who, the Enterprise Crew, and the cast of A Wrinkle in Time?
In Books:
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), by Mindy Kaling: I enjoyed this volume of chatty, breezy essays, although I would love to just cut out the chapter about dieting completely. If you skip that (which is easy, since it's the first one), the rest of this book is a rewarding, effortless read that sounds as if Mindy Kaling is your best friend and just happened to run into you at Starbucks and sure, she can hang out for a few minutes. The best material concerns her improbable rise to semi-, writerly- fame (including a section about the terrible apartment she and her friends lived in together in NYC) and her thoughts about why comedy is important. In particular, I loved this line from her afterward, which is written in a question and answer format:
"Q: Why didn't you talk about whether women are funny or not?
A: I just felt that by commenting on that in any real way, it would be a tacit approval of it as a legitimate debate, which it isn't. It would be the same as addressing the issue of, "Should dogs and cats be able to take care of our children? They're in the home anyway." I try not to make it a habit to seriously discuss nonsensical hot-button issues."
I wish more people in media thought along these lines and resolved simply to line up more female comedic talent, not have pointless arguments about why can't ladies tell jokes. In any case, if you enjoy The Office (American version), celebrity gossip from a unique perspective, or just want a fun book to pass the time, this is the one.
A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel, originally by Madeleine L'Engle, adapted and illustrated by Hope Larson: There are books that read like dreams you had in the past, that feel utterly new and comfortingly familiar at the same time. I am pleased to report that Larson's able and loving adaptation of L'Engle's work fits firmly into the deja vu, "oh I have read this before, how wonderful it is" category. The landscapes/dreamscapes/trans-dimensional spaces in this book are rendered in perfect detail, particularly the horrifying moment when Meg and her friends try to tesser away from Camaztoz, and the Black Shadow nearly takes control of her mind. Her body falls to pieces and the only thing holding her on the page is her father's hand, reaching around from the previous page. It's visceral and creepy, and it makes Meg's later actions all the more heroic: to do what she does, when she knows the exact price of failure, is a courageous and beautiful thing. Larson's illustrations of the characters are very faithful to the descriptions in the book, especially Calvin, who is not particularly handsome. Larson leaves him as an awkward 14-year-old, tall and lanky, with a weird-shaped nose, and this makes him very human, very relatable. I also loved the way Meg and her Mother looked, juxtaposed on the page, present and future in one space. I think fans of this book will be very pleased; in fact, I'm already planning to give it to several people for the holidays. But, please, stymie my gift-giving efforts if reading this will make you happy! (Which it will.)
In Comics:
IDW's Doctor Who/Star Trek: The Next Generation Crossover, Issue 5: I had hoped that the weird art style would grow on me, or at least cease to look odd, but I am sad to report this is not the case. Currently, the plot advances in incremental and painfully slow steps; this work reminds me of someone who writes fabulous fanfic, but rarely updates. I'm beginning to suspect this would be a much more fulfilling and compelling story if it were presented in trade paperback format, instead of parceled out in bits and pieces. This issue contains a lovely, well-observed dialogue between Amy Pond and Captain Picard, which reads like, well, for lack of a better term, the reason that fanfic was invented (sadly truncated: a conversation that Rory and Dr. Crusher have about the importance of needing real people in the medical field, even with the advancements in technology.) Unfortunately, the rest of the story is bogged down explaining why Captain Picard hates the Borg, and with the plot's insistence that he get over this problem. I want to enjoy this story and recommend it to others, but at present, it's stalled between "wait, what?" and "jebus, people, just get on with it!"
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), by Mindy Kaling: I enjoyed this volume of chatty, breezy essays, although I would love to just cut out the chapter about dieting completely. If you skip that (which is easy, since it's the first one), the rest of this book is a rewarding, effortless read that sounds as if Mindy Kaling is your best friend and just happened to run into you at Starbucks and sure, she can hang out for a few minutes. The best material concerns her improbable rise to semi-, writerly- fame (including a section about the terrible apartment she and her friends lived in together in NYC) and her thoughts about why comedy is important. In particular, I loved this line from her afterward, which is written in a question and answer format:
"Q: Why didn't you talk about whether women are funny or not?
A: I just felt that by commenting on that in any real way, it would be a tacit approval of it as a legitimate debate, which it isn't. It would be the same as addressing the issue of, "Should dogs and cats be able to take care of our children? They're in the home anyway." I try not to make it a habit to seriously discuss nonsensical hot-button issues."
I wish more people in media thought along these lines and resolved simply to line up more female comedic talent, not have pointless arguments about why can't ladies tell jokes. In any case, if you enjoy The Office (American version), celebrity gossip from a unique perspective, or just want a fun book to pass the time, this is the one.
A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel, originally by Madeleine L'Engle, adapted and illustrated by Hope Larson: There are books that read like dreams you had in the past, that feel utterly new and comfortingly familiar at the same time. I am pleased to report that Larson's able and loving adaptation of L'Engle's work fits firmly into the deja vu, "oh I have read this before, how wonderful it is" category. The landscapes/dreamscapes/trans-dimensional spaces in this book are rendered in perfect detail, particularly the horrifying moment when Meg and her friends try to tesser away from Camaztoz, and the Black Shadow nearly takes control of her mind. Her body falls to pieces and the only thing holding her on the page is her father's hand, reaching around from the previous page. It's visceral and creepy, and it makes Meg's later actions all the more heroic: to do what she does, when she knows the exact price of failure, is a courageous and beautiful thing. Larson's illustrations of the characters are very faithful to the descriptions in the book, especially Calvin, who is not particularly handsome. Larson leaves him as an awkward 14-year-old, tall and lanky, with a weird-shaped nose, and this makes him very human, very relatable. I also loved the way Meg and her Mother looked, juxtaposed on the page, present and future in one space. I think fans of this book will be very pleased; in fact, I'm already planning to give it to several people for the holidays. But, please, stymie my gift-giving efforts if reading this will make you happy! (Which it will.)
In Comics:
IDW's Doctor Who/Star Trek: The Next Generation Crossover, Issue 5: I had hoped that the weird art style would grow on me, or at least cease to look odd, but I am sad to report this is not the case. Currently, the plot advances in incremental and painfully slow steps; this work reminds me of someone who writes fabulous fanfic, but rarely updates. I'm beginning to suspect this would be a much more fulfilling and compelling story if it were presented in trade paperback format, instead of parceled out in bits and pieces. This issue contains a lovely, well-observed dialogue between Amy Pond and Captain Picard, which reads like, well, for lack of a better term, the reason that fanfic was invented (sadly truncated: a conversation that Rory and Dr. Crusher have about the importance of needing real people in the medical field, even with the advancements in technology.) Unfortunately, the rest of the story is bogged down explaining why Captain Picard hates the Borg, and with the plot's insistence that he get over this problem. I want to enjoy this story and recommend it to others, but at present, it's stalled between "wait, what?" and "jebus, people, just get on with it!"