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Less
Less
Andrew Sean Greer | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Less is a good name for this book, because that's how I found it. Less than the love story it is purported to be. Less interesting than people say it is. Less funny than reviews would have me believe. Less than I was expecting. It's a Pulitzer Prize winner, apparently? Maybe I just don't "get" contemporary fiction. Because unless it's YA, I very, VERY rarely like it. I didn't like Arthur Less. None of his misadventures were that funny.

The book was a little meta; Arthur is told that the book he's writing isn't that interesting because his protagonist, a middle aged gay white man, isn't interesting and no one cares about him. Which is exactly how I feel about Arthur Less. He's a middle aged gay white man with the means to travel the world, and a boyfriend who would have married him if he'd only, I don't know, asked. But he just floats through his life a little melancholy and woe is me. And not in the like actually depressed kind of way. Just - meh.

Arthur is BORING. Arthur is privileged, and boring, and annoying as all hell. This book just makes me want to avoid Pulitzer Prize winners. Who awards these prizes, and WHY? Also why does everybody rave about books like this?

Blargh. Don't bother with this book. People who say it made them laugh out loud don't know what they're talking about, or perhaps haven't read actually funny books. They should read something by Ellen, or Trevor Noah, or Tiffany Haddish. THEY'RE ACTUALLY FUNNY.

You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
  
Show all 3 comments.
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Dracoria Malfoy (690 KP) Jul 29, 2018

Oh wow. I've actually been planning on reading this book ever since I found out about the Pulitzer winners. I'm still going to read it, but I'll be a little more cautious about it now.

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ClareR (6106 KP) Aug 2, 2018

Oh dear - I’m glad I only bought it as the Kindle daily deal!! I won’t feel so bad if I have to ditch it (like I’d ever do that ?).

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Rache (174 KP) rated Arcs in Podcasts

Feb 6, 2019 (Updated Feb 6, 2019)  
Arcs
Arcs
Comedy, Games & Hobbies, Sports & Recreation
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Podcast Rating
Great voice actors (2 more)
Brilliant dungeon master
Hysterically innovative problem solving
I can't move to LA and join the party! ? (0 more)
Dungeons, Dragons, Drama, Hysteria, and Mischievous Gay Energy
New and experienced Dungeons and Dragons players will find plenty here to keep them in fits of laughter. For anyone who thinks that D&D is just for nerds - prepare to be schooled.
Brilliant characters, with some of the oddest accents you've ever heard;an awesome (and handsome) dungeon master, who occasionally sounds strangely like Richard Ayoade; hopefully a great many story arcs to come; and drama and hilarity running as amok as the cast will have you binging the first episodes and then wondering what in Baphomet's name you can do for the week until the next installment of this wonder of podcastery drops into your list!
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Theatre of Blood (1973) in Movies

Feb 14, 2018 (Updated Feb 14, 2018)  
Theatre of Blood (1973)
Theatre of Blood (1973)
1973 | Comedy, Horror
The Play's the Thing
Indisputably the best of the Vincent Price 'madman on a vengeful killing spree' movies from the early 70s, allowing Price to give full reign to his remarkable talents. Ham actor Edward Lionheart gets his own back on pretentious critics by performing various gory Shakespearean scenes for real; this gives him the opportunity to disguise himself as such diverse characters as a chef, a policeman, Butch the gay hairdresser, and many more; Price is having a whale of a time throughout, as you'd expect.

Notable also for an astonishingly good cast of British character actors, most of whom are only in a couple of scenes before they get murdered. Consistently witty and inventive, even a little moving in parts as well. Point knocked off for not letting Price get away with it!
  
Love, Simon (2018)
Love, Simon (2018)
2018 | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A teen angst rom-com for the modern age. It follows formula plot points well trodden except that Simon (played charmingly by Nick Robinson) is gay. This was a big step forward for a major studio such as 20th Century Fox to give it the mainstream film treatment it deserves.
There's some great music and a likeable cast, and plenty of humour.
On first watch you're kept guessing on who the mystery love interest Blue is and end up just as relieved/pleased as Simon when the truth is revealed.
Jennifer Garner as Simon's Mum gives a perfect speech at one point that makes me well up each time I see it. It stands up well to repeat viewings. A recommendation for anyone to watch, not just for teens.

Thanks to Smashbomb for the dvd!
  
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Erika (17789 KP) rated Voyeur (2017) in Movies

Dec 22, 2019  
Voyeur (2017)
Voyeur (2017)
2017 | Documentary
It seems as though the only thing that Netflix does well is true crime documentaries and series.
This was an interesting one, it was about this dude who bought a hotel in the 1960s to spy on guests and satisfy his voyeuristic tendencies. Interpret that as you see fit. The dude's a creepy dirt bag and it made me feel slightly sick to my stomach hearing about his adventures.
This documentary follows the journalist who is writing the story, Gay, and features interviews with the creep. It's very interesting to see the process that this old-school journalist takes, and his wariness about the whole thing.
Is the voyeur telling the truth? Or just making this stuff up?
If you can stomach the disgusting dude's exploits, it's an interesting watch.