Words For Worms

Sep 26

Bite Size Reviews September 2016

Howdy Bookworms!

I have a massive backlog of books to tell y’all about so I’m going to put some little bite size reviews together for you today. Maybe someday I’ll catch up. Stranger things have happened. (Also, STRANGER THINGS did happen. Did you watch it yet?! Did you love it?!) Here we gooooooo!

ONE: Girl Underwater by Claire Kells– I got this book through Netgalley (which means I got a free book, full disclosure.) It was a quick read, but MAN I have GOT to stop reading books about plane crashes if I ever plan to fly anywhere again. Engrossing, reminded me of Before the Fall by Noah Hawley (review) though that’s probably moooostly because of the plane crash survivor swimming and rescuing children thing. I did get a little bit frustrated by the protagonist sometimes, though. Her hangups and secret keeping seemed unnecessary and weird, especially the way she acted around Colin even prior to the crash.

TWO: Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter- Hamiltome. It was everything I wanted it to be. Plus pictures! I now know a whole lot more than I ever did before about what goes into making a Broadway show, and I got all sorts of delightful little backstage snippets. Lin-Manuel’s commentary is priceless. I love his glorious nerdery. I stand by my statement that LMM could convince aliens that humanity has something to offer the universe and that we shouldn’t be exterminated. (Please don’t have a scandal, please don’t have a scandal, please don’t have a scandal…)

THREE: Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler- Girl runs away to NYC and gets a job working in a high end fine dining restaurant. Plus sex and drugs. Anyone who has ever waited tables should read this. Even if you waited tables at a super lame chain restaurant and wouldn’t know red wine from white with a blindfold on, you’ll still relate on some level. Fun fact! I waited tables for a few months in college. I was terrible at it. I’m an excellent tipper as a direct result of this experience.

FOUR: We Are Unprepared by Meg Little Reilly- I snagged a copy of this book at BEA and was super excited to read it. Hipsters move to Vermont to homestead, world weather patterns go wonky and apocalyptic storms are forecasted. I liked the whole concept, I mean, I love a good apocalypse story. It also seemed especially fitting because I was reading this during the Baton Rouge floods. BUT. I did not love the relationship between our hipster couple Pia and Ash. I don’t want to get super spoilery, but fetishizing mental illness is nooooooooooot cool, and I think this book went there. Proceed with caution.

What have you been reading, Bookworms?

*If you make a purchase through a link on this site, I will receive a small commission.*

Sep 21

Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik

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Good Day, Bookworms!

I’m going to give you a tip. If you’re looking to diversify your bookish repertoire, you can’t beat lurking on Twitter. The #diversebookbloggers hashtag is simply a wealth of information on phenomenal books written by and/or starring folks of diverse backgrounds. That is how I came to discover the gem that is Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik (thank you to Amal and Nuzaifa for inadvertently bringing it to my attention!)

sofiakhan Finding love in London has never been the simplest endeavor, but dating while also being an observant Muslim adds a certain level of complexity. At 30, Sofia Khan has been hearing the old “hurry up and get married” line from her family for years. But Sofia is not one to settle. Just ask her recently jilted for being too close to his parents boyfriend. (And really. Can you blame her? I have a fabulous relationship with my in-laws, but I still wouldn’t want to move in with them indefinitely.) During a bout of dating frustration, Sofia finds herself roped into, of all things, writing a book on Muslim dating.

Following Sofia on her journey through dating and compiling stories for her book is seriously freaking charming. The book is a little Bridget Jones’s Diary, a little My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and a lot of wonderful. If you’ve got a soft spot for romantic comedies, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Fans of Sophie Kinsella, TAKE NOTE!

I haven’t been super vocal about the fact that I’m trying to read diversely, because I’m not an expert on diverse literature and I’m still exploring and learning. Buuuuuuut, I’m totally into trying to read diversely. Yay diverse books! It can be a little overwhelming though, because a lot of the diverse books I’ve read feature really intense, heavy themes. They’re often incredibly powerful and important stories that need to be told, but emotionally wrenching literary fiction isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I know that I, at least, need the occasional palate cleanser, and that’s why Sofia Khan is Not Obliged was such a breath of fresh air! Diverse books of ALL genres are out there, it just takes a little digging to find them sometimes… Or Twitter lurking. Whatever. GO READ THIS BOOK, FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE!

Talk to me, Bookworms! If your partner wanted to share a dwelling with his extended family, would you be cool with it, or would you run for the hills like Sofia?

*If you make a purchase through a link on this site, I will receive a small commission.*

Sep 19

So You Want Me To Speak at Your Wedding…

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Long Time No See, Bookworms!

Sorry for falling off the planet on you, but last week was a few different kinds of crazy. One of the reasons being that I was busy bridesmaiding. One of my closest friends (she writes a blog! go visit! Quirky Chrissy) got married on Friday and I was proud to stand up in her wedding as Matron of Honor. (We had the maid vs. matron discussion and I decided I preferred “matron” not only because I am, in fact, a married woman, but because it sounded like I had more authority. Which seemed fitting.) Anyway. I gave a speech, and because I believe it to be of superior quality, I’m going to share it with you. Without further ado, a toast to the groom (to the groom! to the groom! to the groom!) to the bride (to the bride! to the briiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide):

Bridal selfie on the left, bustle repair on the right. I’m the MacGyver of weddings.

Welcome everyone, my name is Katie and I’ll be your friendly neighborhood Matron of Honor this evening. My dear friend Chrissy has authorized me to give a speech, probably against her better judgement, so I’m going to do my best to only embarrass her a little.

I first met Chrissy at Freshman orientation for Bradley University. I was an 18-year-old malcontent wearing the world’s baggiest pants and hoping the teen angst thing I’d been cultivating for years would translate to my new environment. Because I didn’t know anyone and I enjoy junk food, I decided to tag along with a group of people going to Steak N Shake. That is where I first laid eyes on the pink-est person I’d ever met. That’s right. Pink top, pink sneakers, pink scrunchie (yeah, those were still in fashion… sort of), and the girl even ordered a pink milkshake. Frankly, I’m still not convinced she actually likes strawberry, I think she just wanted to color coordinate. She took one look at me in my black t-shirt and comically large pants and decided to be my friend. “I’m going to make sure you have fun” she told me. And she’s been doing that ever since.

Fast forward through many adventures, shenanigans, and hairbrush singalongs, Chrissy met a new fellow. I knew it was getting pretty serious when she asked me to meet him. I rarely got to meet Chrissy’s dates- I’m pretty protective of my girl and I don’t have much of a filter when it comes to those I deem unworthy of her. I was SO THRILLED when I finally met Brian. He was such a nice, smart, interesting guy. I mean, he can have conversations on psychological studies and books and science and still totally geek out on pop culture. Quite the catch.

Chrissy is nothing if not exuberant about life. She’s got one of the kindest hearts of anyone I’ve ever known, and Brian’s more sedate temperament compliments my friend perfectly. I hope that today lives up to each and every one of your expectations, and that your future adventures are bright and sparkly. My love for the two of you goes through walls. Thick ones. Cinderblocks. To Chrissy and Brian!

D’awwww

I know, I know. You desperately want me to stand up in YOUR wedding now. I’m afraid that ship has sailed, folks. Six dresses I didn’t choose are hanging in the closet and four speeches have been given to riotous applause. Best to retire while you’re on top, right? (HJM, if you’re reading this, I WILL come out of retirement if you decide to marry Meatasaurus. But I’m only doing it for the ouzo.) What did YOU do last week, Bookworms?

Sep 08

Pancakes in Paris by Craig Carlson

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Bonjour, Bookworms!

When I was at BEA back in May, I was pitched a book that sounded ridiculously charming. It was called Pancakes in Paris: Living the American Dream in France and it was the memoir of a dude named Craig Carlson who started an American style diner in Paris. Because e’rybody needs bacon. I wasn’t able to get a copy of the book at the convention, but I was able to get it digitally through NetGalley after the fact, which actually worked out better for me. Kindle = convenience = reading in bed. So. Full disclosure. *I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration. They didn’t even offer me pancakes to sweeten the deal, so you know all opinions expressed will be honest. I make no such promises if bacon is offered along with books.*

pancakes in paris You know that thing where despite a total lack of experience in an industry, you decide to dive in, head first? In an international market? With no idea what you’re doing? Craig Carlson does! He was the product of humble beginnings in working class Connecticut and went on to acquire the American dream: a college education and a boatload of debt. A study abroad program had caused Carlson to fall in love with Paris and all things French, and during a transitional period in his career, he realized the one thing he’d REALLY missed in his adopted homeland was… Pancakes. More specifically, an American style diner experience. So he decided to start a diner. In Paris. With no money and no clue. The book chronicles Carlson’s struggles from idea inception to completion, with all the road bumps in between. Here are some things that I learned from this book:

ONE: French people refer to American style coffee as “sock water” and think it’s totally lame.

TWO: It is really, really difficult to get fired from your job in France. Which is great, I guess, if you’re an employee. Terrible if you’re a business owner and you happen to have hired poorly.

THREE: All those awesome old European buildings I find so romantic probably also have highly unromantic plumbing problems. Old pipes are just no fun, y’all.

If you’re into fun memoirs, culture clashes, or breakfast food, check out Pancakes in Paris. There’s a chance you’ll really want to run out to your local diner afterward though. Fair warning.

*If you make a purchase through a link on this site, I will receive a small commission.*

Sep 06

Disjointed SPOILERY Thoughts on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

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Hi Bookworms,

I’ve had some time to ruminate on this, and I think I’m finally ready to discuss Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. In case you couldn’t tell by the title, this is the SPOILERIEST POST OF ALL TIME when it comes to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER if you have not read the script, okay? Assuming you actually care about spoilers. If you don’t care, proceed. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

In case you are living under a rock, a play was written as a sequel to the much loved and adored Harry Potter series. Because the play was only being put on in London and the fandom is absolutely rabid, the script of the two part play was released to the public. The script was “based on an original new story” by JK Rowling but written by John Tiffany and Jack Thorne. I’ll start by saying I didn’t HATE this. I mean, I certainly wasn’t thrilled by it, but I think it would be really cool to see in the theater. It was wonderful to step back into this world, and there were a few things that made me really happy. Mostly though? It wasn’t great. Rants and raves commencing in 3…2…1….

HPCursedchild FIRST: The time turner was always SUCH a problematic element of the original story. I think Rowling realized that by book 5 when she smashed them all. I get that the crux of this play tried to address some of those problems by screaming BUTTERFLY EFFECT into the ether, but it was kind of like trying to touch up an imperfect paint line by blobbing paint all over the wall. The time turners also seemed like a ploy to bring back dead characters. If I were a dead character, this would annoy me. I can only imagine the epic eye roll Snape would produce. Though I did sort of appreciate the look at Voldemort’s hellscape. The fact that THIS was the gimmick used to center this whole story just irked me.

SECOND: Has wizard kind not figured out a way to make sugary treats somehow devoid of calories? Why is everyone off sugar? This is a level of adulting I never wanted to see in the wizarding world. What’s next, kale smoothies?

THIRD: Alternate timeline Hermione was so bitter. I mean, girl is a catch, you think she wouldn’t have found somebody else if the Ron thing hadn’t panned out? Though, she was pretty badass in the Voldemort hellscape timeline, so I guess it wasn’t all bad.

FOURTH: Scorpius and Albus. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb here when I say these fellas were more than platonically in love. I like to think they’ll figure this out eventually.

FIFTH: Ron + Padma = Panju? I’m no expert on Indian names, but I’ve heard from several reliable sources that “Panju” isn’t an Indian name at all. It’s not even a word. Like… Couldn’t that have been googled? (Apparently Cho Chang’s name is also pretty awful because it’s basically two last names which is not a thing that happens in Chinese. Unless, of course, Cho’s parents were heavily influenced by the whole last-name-as-first-name trend that was happening in the English speaking muggle world? Yeah, I know. It’s a stretch.)

SIXTH: Okay, you guys. I think the sorting hat is smarter than we give it credit for. It KNEW that Albus had trouble making friends and had already bonded with Scorpius. Since Scorpius was sorted before Albus, don’t you think a little part of him was thinking “I want to hang out with my friend and be my own wizard.” Personally, I think that’s part of how Harry landed in Gryffindor, a knowledge that it was probably where his new BFF Ron was headed…

SEVENTH: The lack of internal monologue makes this play super frustrating. I was discussing this with a friend, and we decided that if we just SAW book 5 Harry out of context he’d come across as suuuuuuuuuuch a whiny pain in the ass (which, even with the benefit of being inside his head, he still comes across as whiny pain in the ass). Maybe missing out on being inside the characters’ heads made the whole thing harder to swallow.

EIGHTH: At one point in the original series, McGonagall takes several stunning spells to the chest which is rough, especially “at her age.” And now she’s headmistress of Hogwarts. 20+ years later. Can the woman not retire? She must be EXHAUSTED. (Right now in some alternate universe, Minerva McGonagall is giving me a NASTY look.)

NINTH: Ron in the play was way more of a buffoon than book Ron. He seemed… Stoned.

TENTH: That damn baby blanket. Does nobody do laundry?! A good washing would have destroyed that secret message. And since a blanket is NOT clothing, it doesn’t even feed into my AS YET UNANSWERED query about House Elves and laundry. If this play could have cleared up ONE SINGLE THING, I’d have liked that to be it.

Alright Bookworms, SOUND OFF! What did y’all think of the play?

*If you make a purchase through a link on this site, I will receive a small commission.*

Aug 24

Bite Size Reviews: August 2016

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Greetings Bookworms!

I am ridiculously behind on writing reviews. And writing anything, really. I’m hoping this slump abates soon, it’s kind of bumming me out that I’ve lost my blogging mojo. Until the glorious muse of inspiration strikes, I’m going to keep on trucking and bring you some tasty bite size reviews.

ONE: A Memory of Violets: A Novel of London’s Flower Sellers by Hazel Gaynor– My MIL turned me on to this book, and as usual, she was right on the money in knowing what I’d like. A Memory of Violets centers on the plight of London’s flower sellers back in the day. You know. Like Eliza Doolittle, but with more heartbreak and fewer musical interludes. The book begins with Tilly Harper taking up a post at a home for London’s disabled flower sellers where the former destitute flower sellers now work to manufacture artificial flowers. Once Tilly arrives, she finds a diary and we’re submerged into the world of one of those very destitute flower sellers, and the heartbreaking loss of her sister. I know dual narratives aren’t for everyone, but I don’t mind them. I really enjoyed the book overall, even if I found it kind of predictable. Flower nerds who love period pieces, take note!

TWO. Like Water for Chocolate: A Novel in Monthly Installments with Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies by Laura Esquivel: This book has been on my TBR list for AGES. One of the girls who lived on my floor in college recommended it to me (if you’re reading this blog, HOLA LESLIE!) In case you’re bad at math that makes it eleventy billion years from recommendation to reading. The novel is set in turn of the century Mexico (that’s kind of a terrible phrase, since the century turned again… It’s set in the late 1800s- early 1900s) and features the all female De La Garza family. Magical realism is all up in this book. It’s kind of impossible not to draw comparisons to Gabriel García Márquez because of the magical realism and overall tone. Still, I found it to be a bit more quirky and humorous than Márquez, even at its saddest moments. If you dig the Latin American magical realism scene, this book is NOT to be missed.

THREE. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart: Wow today is just full of recommendations, isn’t it? I read THIS book because my friend Megan (Hi Megan!) posted that it was $1.99 on Kindle (I’m a sucker for a daily deal) and that she loved it. I didn’t realize until I’d purchased the book that I’d read E. Lockhart before, in the form of We Were Liars (discussion). I actually liked The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks much better than the over hyped We Were Liars. Frankie was such a great narrator. Not content to be relegated to the sidelines as eye candy, she sets out to discover the secrets of her new boyfriend’s secret society. Shenanigans ensue at swanky boarding school. I’ll admit that I’ve got a limited tolerance for books about outrageously wealthy prep school kids, but Frankie was a gal after my feminist heart.

FOUR. The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty: You know how everyone secretly wishes they had a fabulously wealthy long lost aunt or uncle who, unbeknownst to them, leaves you a large bequest in their will? That actually happened to our protagonist Sophie Honeywell. Only the aunt in question wasn’t hers- it was her ex-boyfriend’s. AWKWARD. Sophie is given her ex’s aunt’s house, which is located on quaint Scribbly Gum Island, home of the Munro Baby mystery. The only other residents are her ex’s family. Because of course. This early Liane Moriarty had a bit of a Sophie Kinsella flair to it, and I found it charming, if a little off the wall.

I offer this post as definitive proof that I do take the reading recommendations I receive from other people. No Bookworm is an island, my friends. So tell me. What have YOU been reading? Anything I might like?

*If you make a purchase through a link on this site, I will receive a small commission.*

Aug 22

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

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How Goes It, Bookworms?

I’m doing well, you know. Reading and thinking and whatnot. I’ve also been bridesmaiding. Since the bride in question lives a couple of hours from me, I’ve had lots of time to check out audiobooks and podcasts whilst road tripping to various pre-wedding events. Thank heaven for that because holy heck, I just finished Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, and frankly, I’m surprised my head did not explode from the awesomeness.

Homegoing centers on two branches of the same family beginning in 18th Century Ghana. Two half sisters born in different villages face shockingly different fates. One sister marries a British officer and lives a fairly luxurious life in Cape Coast Castle. The other sister is captured by a neighboring tribe and kept in the dungeon of the very same castle until she is transported and sold into slavery. (They’re unaware of the other’s existences, of course.) What follows is a story following each branch of the family generation by generation, one in the US and one in Ghana.

Y’all, this book is POWERFUL. It covers all sorts of gritty bits of history, both in the US and in Africa, that have been swept under the proverbial rug. I was at least semi-familiar with most of the things in this book, but knowing a thing is different from FEELING a thing… Like, in college I took a class on the history of criminal justice in the US, so we read non fiction on the subject of chain gangs and the hideous post slavery incarceration practices in the American South. I’m not sure if it’s just that it was required reading or that I’m typically a thousand times more engaged by fiction, but this book hit me like my school books never did. I think the generation by generation approach Gyasi took was freaking brilliant, because it smacks you upside the head with a dose of THIS WAS NOT THAT LONG AGO. Because it wasn’t. Slavery was not THAT long ago. Chain gangs were not THAT long ago. Segregation was not THAT long ago. There is still so much work to be done.

I highly recommend this book to every human on planet earth, obviously, but if you’re not the fence about your medium, the audio book is PHENOMENAL. The narrator Dominic Hoffman is sooooooooo good at setting the scenes with his use of accents and inflection. I know that audio book narration is a completely different art form than acting in a movie, but when you can’t rely on an anguished twisted facial expression to get your point across and manage to portray that simply with your vocal cords? I’m in awe. If you are interested in additional background information on the book, I must also recommend the Beaks and Geeks podcast where Gyasi was interviewed. I am kicking myself SO HARD right now for deciding not to wait in the long signing line at BEA for this book. Although, maybe it’s for the best. I probably would just have embarrassed myself, as per usual.

Talk to me Bookworms! Have you read Homegoing? Were you similarly gobsmacked?

*If you make a purchase through a link on this site, I will receive a small commission.*

Aug 17

The Hopefuls by Jennifer Close

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Greetings Bookworms!

Prior to BEA I’d only been to two author events, but I must admit that having interacted with an author especially in person makes for a different reading experience. Fun fact: I am fond of people who are nice to me. Granted, when authors are trying to promote their books, they tend to be nice to those who might purchase and/or talk other folks into purchasing their books. Just because being nice is also in an author’s best interest doesn’t make me enjoy it any less when they compliment my penguin cardigan. All this is to say that Jennifer Close complimented my (admittedly adorable) penguin cardigan when I got my book signed at BEA. And now we have a special bond. Obviously.

Her latest offering, The Hopefuls, is super timely considering that we’re in the midst of a (seemingly endless) election year. Beth knew going into her relationship with Matt that his eventual goal was to work in politics and eventually run for office, but that all seemed far away when they were living in New York and he was working as a lawyer. When they uproot their lives in New York to move to DC and follow Matt’s career, Beth has a hard time adjusting to her new reality. She hates everything about the city from the traffic circles to the casual discussions of government security clearances. Things begin to turn around when Matt and Beth meet charismatic White House staffer Jimmy and his wife Ashleigh. The two couples strike up a fast and intense friendship, but things soon get complicated. Politics, jealousy, and rumors threaten to tear apart the fragile sense of normalcy Beth has only recently attained.

This book was very cheeky and a lot more fun than I expected it would be. The whole political sphere isn’t something that’s ever been a huge interest of mine. I mean, DUH, I have opinions and I CARE, but I have no interest in engaging in debates or anything. Which is why I find the desire to work in politics so baffling. (For the record, I’m super grateful that there are people who DO want to run things, but campaigning sounds like the ninth circle of Hell to me.) Thanks to the Beaks and Geeks Podcast (which is great fun if you have the time to give it a listen) I learned that author Jennifer Close had the same reaction to DC that Beth did upon moving there. The Hopefuls isn’t autobiographical or anything, but Beth’s DC rants came straight from Close’s initial reactions. No WONDER it felt so authentic!

Is this glowing review the result of the author’s complimenting my ensemble? Not really. At least not intentionally. I really did like the book. But, you know how it is. Unconscious bias and all that. Why don’t you give The Hopefuls a read yourself and form your own opinion?

Talk to me Bookworms! Would you ever consider running for office or does it sound as awful to you as it does to me?

*If you make a purchase through a link on this site, I will receive a small commission. I’ll probably use it to buy more penguin things. Because PENGUINS.*

Aug 15

Fledgling by Octavia Butler

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Greetings Bookworms!

I know I whine from time to time about how often I get bitten by mosquitoes because it is very unpleasant to be itchy. It’s not just mosquitoes, though. I’m really, really delicious to all blood-sucking insects (they ALL make me itch, the jerks.) This has led to my hard and fast belief that vampires cannot possibly exist because I would have perished long, long ago. Until, that is, someone comes along and turns vampire lore upside down. That’s right, kids. We’re talking about the incomparable Octavia Butler today. I decided to pick up Fledgling after some twitter discussions reminded me how freaking amazing Kindred (review) was. I wasn’t in the mood to pick up a series at the time (though I’ve heard some fabulous things about her series which are obviously on the endless TBR pile), so I went for Fledgling, a standalone novel. It was an excellent decision, if I do say so myself.

Fledgling kicks off with a little girl who seems to have lost her memory. Though she remembers nothing about her life prior to waking up in a cave, she displays some startlingly inhuman abilities. This, eventually, leads to her discovery that she is, in fact, a 53-year-old genetically modified vampire. I’ll let that last sentence sink in for a second. I’ve found that the story lines that sound the most ludicrous out of context tend to fuel the best books when in the right hands, and Butler is a master craftswoman. Because seriously. 53-year-old genetically modified vampire? That’s quite an ambitious starting point!

I absolutely LOVED Butler’s take on vampire lore. Most vampire stories feature vampires laughing off at least a couple of vampiric stereotypes, but Butler’s take was easily the most creative I’ve ever read. Where other authors will dismiss one or two tropes, Butler just SMASHED the dominant narrative. I want to give you all the details but that would be super spoilery and that’s not a nice thing to do. I will tell you that although the main character was significantly older than she appeared, I did get pretty weirded out by her, um, extremely mature behavior. Largely because for a decent section of the book neither she nor her companions were aware that she was, in fact, 53 years old. But you know how it is when you’re reading awesome science fiction/fantasy. You fully commit to the characters and the narrative and it’s not too hard to let your pesky real world hangups slide away.

If you have ever enjoyed a vampire novel, you need to pick up Fledgling post haste. Trust me on this one, okay?

Talk to me, Bookworms! What’s your favorite vampire superstition? I find the garlic thing fascinating myself. But, fun fact? Taking garlic pills does jack to keep mosquitoes from biting. Just an FYI right there.

*If you make a purchase through a link on this site, I will receive a small commission.*

Aug 12

4 Year Blogiversary?!

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Holy Smokes, Bookworms!

I have been writing this blog for FOUR YEARS. Like, an entirely different Summer Olympics was happening when this all began. I am more than halfway through an entirely new set of skin! (I think that’s how skin works, right? It cycles every 7 years? At least that’s what I remember from a Murphy Brown episode where she was dating a younger man…)

So hey. Thanks. Thank you for being my internet friends for 4 years. Thanks for reading the things I have to say and leaving comments and expanding my reading world. Y’all are the best. The traditional 4 year anniversary gifts are fruit, flowers, or appliances, and since all of those seem weird and inappropriate, I’m just going to give you all a big fat internet hug and a penguin gif full of love.