Some Annotated Reading October 10

Books (From my Kindle app) 

System Collapse by Martha Wells. The seventh in the Murderbot series. I love Murderbot. I must say it was off its game in this book. By that I do not mean there was something wrong with the writing. No, I mean Murderbot was struggling. If I had read this closer to the sixth book that probably would have been more meaningful for me. But Murderbot is Murderbot. It is meaningful just as it is. 

Skinny by Donna Cooner. This is very much a YA Cinderella tale about Ever (happily ever after) Davis, a high school sophomore who weighs 302 pounds at the beginning of our story. Her father is alive, unlike Cinderella's, her stepmother is a lovely person, she has a stepsister who wants to be her friend, a male friend named Rat (don't mice figure into the Cinderella story?), and a couple of fairy godmother figures. One of them is a very disturbing inner voice Ever has named Skinny. I wonder if Skinny was unhealthily disturbing. I found this book far more readable than some other books about teens with weight issues. The fairy tale connection made it less of a traditional problem story. Things turn out very well for Ever, as they should, since this is a fairy tale. However, they turn out very well for her because she loses weight, gets a makeover, and buys expensive clothes. When she conforms to society's teen girl norm, all good things come her way. Also, I question whether she could have dealt with Skinny on her own, without professional help. Nonetheless, this was an engaging read that didn't drag. 

Short Form

The Art of Taking It Slow by Anna Wiener in The New Yorker. Sadly these slow biking people are nowhere near slow enough for me.

The Unrivaled Omnipresence of Queen Elizabeth II by Rebecca Mead in The New Yorker. I enjoy reading about royal families, because their lives are like living novels. Maybe they are reality shows. I don't know, because I don't watch those. Rebecca Mead wrote My Life in Middlemarch, which is on my iPad. I have some interest in Middlemarch.

Humor (Yes, I did read a lot of humor this week)

My Cold is Worse Than Yours, I Can Tell by Sarah James at Slackjaw. This is fantastic. Why isn't it getting thousands of claps? 

Just Because I'm A Death Doula, Doesn't Mean I... by Catherine Durkin Robinson at The Haven. For a humor list to work, it needs a really distinctive hook. Which this humor list has.

I Tried Turning Thirty So You Don't Have To (Honest Review) by Meghana Indurti at The New Yorker. Haven't you seen these titles? "I Did _________ So You Don't Have To?" "My Honest Review?" Sure, it is.  

I Only Offered To Do The Dishes At This Dinner Party So I Could Keep Eating by Chason Gordon at McSweeney's Internet Tendency  Nobody offers to do dishes at a dinner party. Nobody.

My Friend Can Be A Bit Much But He's A Good Guy If You Give Him A Chance by Ashton Winters at McSweeney's Internet Tendency  No, he's not. And that's what makes this funny. Incongruity.

It's Crazy To Think Everyone (Except Me) Is Going To Die Someday by Graeme Carey at Slackjaw Again, why isn't this thing getting thousands of claps at Slackjaw? Is it the word "death" in the title? Because the "death" doula humor piece should get more attention, too. I once used the word "die" in a title on the Medium platform, and, no, that didn't go over well at all. We need to all work on this.

I Am A Lady, And Donald Trump Is My Protector by Devorah Blachor at McSweeney's Internet Tendency. More incongruity humor.