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socialfauxpa · 1 month ago

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2024 Book Wrap Up

Managed to read through 69 books* this year. My average rating for the year was 4.47 haha I'm not the biggest critic of anything. I rated 9 books 5 stars and have included some specific thoughts about them all under the cut.

Feel free to follow me on The Storygraph if you'd like real time updates on what I'm reading through out the year.

*Including comics and text based RPG novels.

5 Star Reads Reviews Under the Cut:

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan

My first read this year and probably one of my favourites. Part of The Radiant Emperor Duology following Zhu Yuanzhang and her rise to power following She who became the sun.

I LOVE this series and recommend it to everyone, I will be re-reading them in the future, Zhu is maybe one of my favourite characters ever. How can you support women's rights if you don't support women's wrongs.

Loved everything about this book the characters the pacing the way it ties up some of the dangling threads from She who became the sun.

One of the things that I LOVE about this series is Shelley Parker-Chan's exploration of gender, societal roles and the gender dynamics in their historical fantasy. It is SO delicious. The idea of like recognizing like and being able to find happiness in it or exploiting it for personal gain makes me CRAZY

Who doesn't love reluctant allies due to the babygirlification beam of the first novels central antagonist.

Both She Who Became the Sun and He Who Drowned the world are fantastic audio books Natalie Naudus is fantastic and I loved the vocal tones she would use for each characters in their various gender expressions.

Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie

The thrilling conclusion to the Imperial Radch trilogy. Breq was a space ship, due to circumstances outside her control, she isn't any longer and its everyone else's problem.

I really loved this series, there's really something so lovely about the concept of a machine that cares so deeply about its humans that it is willing to tear every ounce of itself out to help them. Especially when its humans wont let them.

I really loved this book and the way it concluded the Radch trilogy. Something something finding community and helping what you can and protecting each other from what you can not.

The Unbroken and The Faithless by C.L. Clark

Books 1 and 2 of the Magic of the Lost trilogy.

These books consumed me. I LOVE them.

I read the unbroken in 2022 and re-read in 2024 when The Faithless came out, and its SUCH a banger will be re reading again.

Characters and world building is INSANE. Very high fantasy politics and drama with a back bone in French colonialism of Northern Africa. I really loved this setting as its super different from a lot of the other high fantasy series I've read in the past.

Touraine and Luca's relationship and dynamics make me insane. What if we each others only salvation and path forward but continuing to use and be used by one another is flaying an exposed nerve that may cause not only our destruction, but will break the peace we have managed to broker between our two nations at great personal expense.

I LOVE the magic system C.L. Clark has created in this universe its so meaty (pun intended) and I am desperate to know how this series ends.

Highly recommend the Audio book of these as well. Rasha Zamamiri's performance is INCREDIBLE. The way she plays not only Touraine and Luca, but all the characters like Jaghotai and Djasha adds so much depth and richness to the story.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

LOVE LOVE LOVE this book, I've been working my way though the Wayfarers series whenever I need a book I know I will love.

I re-read LWTSAP before reading A Closed and Common Orbit this year. CCO is a fantastic heartbreaking read I would absolutely recommend as well but it didn't quite hit the same as the first.

Can't recommend this novel enough I once described it to a friend as "what you remember liking the most about Firefly, with the lived in grungy alien world building and crew dynamics of mass effect 2" and I stand by that haha.

The Prospects by KT Hoffman

Loved this gay a hell baseball romance.

It really hit when I needed something lovely and happy with good romance and tension not about being gay in sports but about being good enough at the sport you love to continue to do it after the summer I had (woof).

You go funky little trans baseball man and you climb that tall man like a tree good for you gene.

We love a teammates, to rivals, to teammates (again), to reluctant friends, to lovers story line.

I loved this book enough I actually thought about watching baseball but I did manage to repress that urge and funneled the energy into watching the PWHL.

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner

Loved this gay as hell soccer romance.

The third? sports romance and second Meryl Wilsner I read this year and 100% my favourite.

I really thought the pacing of this was really well done and the romance between Grace and Phoebe was so lovely. I really loved the exploration of fame and how it impedes someones ability to truly be themselves. I'm also a sucker for a "wait this person is just willingly giving out their love no strings attached??? That cant be right, they must want something from me" trope.

Who doesn't love a golden retriever newbie helping the black cat veteran finding the joy in the game again, they also fuck nasty about their problems.

Boy howdy Meryl Wilsner can write sex scenes too, the locker room scene was both unexpected and gorgeous.

Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner

The third Meryl Wilsner I read this year. LOVED.

I'm so hype for her Meryl Wilsner's new book coming out in April 2025.

I read this one on my phone on a plane to LA this Halloween and loved every second of it.

The concept of Cassie meeting her freshman best friend's recently divorced mom in bar before she knew who she was, then continuing to "date" her hooked me and I had such a fun time reading this.

I loved that the narrative tension didn't come from the illicit nature of the romance causing issues. But was really just a straight forward romance novel about two people falling in love without realizing it, and the miscommunication that follows when you love someone you "aren't actually dating". Incredible.

Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher

Probably one of my favourites of the year. I LOVED THIS BOOK

The second novel in the The Saint of Steel series. I loved all the saint of steel novels in this series but Paladin's Strength REALLY HIT.

I though the fantastical world building, the mystery and magic from the first novel really got turned up to eleven in this one. For my money this novel was perfectly paced and balanced with the romance between Clara and Istvhan.

The idea of a paladin whose god has died and now they need to find something new to devote themselves too is DELICIOUS.

I'm a sucker for a lover and a beloved narrative especially where neither one thinks they are worthy of the other's love (they are).

Another fantastic audio book. I listened to it twice before it went back to the library. Joel Richards' narration of these books really adds a fantastic richness to each of the Paladins and I really really loved his performance of Istvhan.

#Long post #My posts #book review #the radiant emperor #book wrap up #He Who Drowned the World #saint of steel #Paladin's Strength #Mistakes Were Made #Cleat Cute #The Prospects #The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet #Wayfarers #The Unbroken #The Faithless #Magic of the Lost #Ancillary Mercy #Imperial Radch Trilogy #books

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larryland · 5 years ago

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by Barbara Waldinger

In a Study Guide for Barrington Stage Company’s production of American Underground, the playwright, Brent Askari, asserts that he likes telling “genre stories”—in this case, thrillers. Publicity for this World Premiere, winner of a Bonnie and Terry Burman New Play Award, asks: “How do you put a thriller on the stage and make it topical, political and scary?” Inherently tense and surprising, the thriller format lends itself to the “kind of fever dream” that haunts Askari as the son of a Shiite Muslim father living in a culture of “anti-Middle Eastern and Islamophobic sentiment.”

American Underground takes place in a “not-so-distant” future, which imagines a sort of Underground Railroad for persecuted Muslims who seek safe houses in an attempt to leave this country before being captured and killed by government officials. Anyone who is caught helping or harboring Muslims will suffer the same fate. Rasha Zamamiri plays Sherri, who appears at the home of Rog (Alan H. Green) and Anna (Natascia Diaz), an interracial couple who run a safe house, while their son Jeff (Justin Withers), unaware of his parents’ activities, is visiting during a college break. Kourtney (Kathleen McNenny) is the government official who suspects the family of treason.

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Theatre, a mirror of society, can be a powerful tool to expose injustice and advocate for action, despite the risks. Witness Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (beginning as a novel and subsequently performed on radio, stage, screen and television), a political thriller that envisions a world in which women are subjugated by a patriarchal, fanatically religious society. In June Barrington Stage Company produced America v. 2.1: The Sad Demise & Eventual Extinction of the American Negro by Stacey Rose. Atwood, Rose and Askari have all created futuristic dystopias, each targeting a particular group.

One way in which American Underground differs from the others is that Askari’s characters periodically interrupt the action by stepping forward, one at a time, to talk to the audience, each speaker highlighted by a spotlight, while the rest of the stage dims (Lighting design by Matthew Richards). Preceding and following these interruptions is ominous music (Sound design by Fabian Obispo). This sequence of events can become tiresome and heavy-handed to a sophisticated adult audience but doubtless works well in Barrington’s student matinees. (Young people are probably delighted to be addressed directly, especially by young actors [Withers and Zamamiri]). Their explanations may prove helpful to those students who are not newspaper readers or news junkies. At a recent talkback several senior members of the audience justifiably praised Barrington Stage Company for introducing this prophetic and frightening play to 2000 students in our community.

After a reading in April, American Underground, one of three winners out of 427 submissions to Barrington’s 2019 play contest, was cut and tightened in preparation for this full production. McNenny and Zamamiri, who participated in the reading, consequently had additional time researching and acquainting themselves with their characters. McNenny’s government official, smartly dressed in a pants suit (Costume design by Elivia Bovenzi) that belies her purpose, is terrific as she evolves from a curious and friendly questioner (a la television’s Detective Columbo) into a life-threatening force. For her part, Zamamiri transforms from a desperate victim into someone hardened by the horror and misery she has had to endure. Justin Withers is effective as he wavers between childhood and adulthood, struggling to master his fear and appear independent and brave. In the talkback, actress Natascia Diaz describes the interaction among the actors as a “five way ping pong match” or “an eighty-five minute marathon.” This cast is certainly up to the challenge. However, although Diaz and Green are accomplished actors, it is hard to imagine them as a couple, partly because of the disparity in their ages (Diaz appears much younger) and partly because of the different styles implicit in their roles: Green’s Rog is a lovable, energetic cut-up and sports fan, while Diaz’s Anna is a worried, overprotective mother, desperate to save her son from himself and the world around him. They are also unfairly burdened by having to serve as mouthpieces for the playwright, often engaging in political tracts rather than human interaction.

Mariana Sanchez has designed the family home with care, concentrating on two playing areas—the living and dining rooms. But it is the sliding glass doors leading out to a leafy patio that catches the eye—it is there that Rog proudly photographs his barbecued salmon and from which an unknown character makes an appearance. Cell phones play a prominent part in the action, furthering the suspense of each scene. Director Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director of Barrington Stage Company, keeps up the tension, especially as the chilling conclusion approaches. But the question remains as to whether Askari’s “fever dream” can satisfy the playwright’s multiple intentions.

American Underground runs from October 2-20 on the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage. Tickets may be purchased online at barringtonstageco.org or call 413-236-8888.

Barrington Stage Company and Carla and Ed Slomin present American Underground by Brent Askari. Directed by Julianne Boyd. Cast: Justin Withers (Jeff), Alan H. Green (Rog), Natascia Diaz (Anna), Kathleen McNenny (Kourtney), Rasha Zamamiri (Sherri). Scenic Designer: Mariana Sanchez; Costume Designer: Elivia Bovenzi; Lighting Designer: Matthew Richards; Sound Designer: Fabian Obispo; Production Stage Manager: David D’Agostino.

Running Time: 85 minutes, no intermission. Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield, MA., from October 2; closing October 20.

REVIEW: “American Underground” at Barrington Stage Company by Barbara Waldinger In a Study Guide for Barrington Stage Company’s production of American Underground, the playwright, Brent Askari, asserts that he likes telling “genre stories”—in this case, thrillers.

#Alan H. Green #American Underground #Barbara Waldinger #Barrington Stage Company #Boyd-Quinson MainStage #Brent Askari #BSC #David D’Agostino #Ed Slomin #Elivia Bovenzi #Fabian Obispo #Julianne Boyd #Justin Withers #Kathleen McNenny #Mariana Sanchez #Matthew Richards #Natascia Diaz #Pittsfield MA #Rasha Zamamiri

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