This collection of stories about dysfunction, obsession and loneliness blew me away. This book reminds me of Miranda July’s movie “Me and You And Everyone We Know,” in that it has the power to make the reader(/audience) profoundly moved and profoundly uncomfortable at the same time. Highly recommended.

I am really enjoying this book. Like most short story collections, it’s a bit hit and miss, but the introduction by Lemony Snicket is very funny, and the stories by Neil Gaiman and Clement Freud are real stand-outs. Like most McSweeney’s books it is also physically very beautiful, with great illustrations.

Amazon has it classified as a children’s book, and it had literally never occurred to me that it was—but now that I think about it, I guess that makes sense. It says a lot about the book that I didn’t identify it as a children’s book until now. Highly recommended.

I felt guilty for disliking the book, but I really disliked it. What I loved about the movie was how intricate it was—complex, and yet all the elements fit together in this extremely concise, intentional way. Nothing was extraneous or misplaced. The book was completely lacking in that kind of concision: clumsy, sprawling, vague. Obviously the movie could not have happened without the ideas set forth in the book, but in terms of the kind of experience the viewer/reader has of the story, I liked the movie so much more. And I would like to think that it would be the same, even if I had read the book first (although I never would have even finished the book if it weren’t for my admiration for the film).

This movie was not nearly as obnoxious as I expected it to be. I think Lili Taylor is great. The best scene in the movie is when she carries on a single-handed, freaking out debate with herself over her relationship with her boyfriend (Vincent D’Onofrio!!!!!) while her co-workers stare at her, dumbfounded. Annabeth Gish is good too. And Matt Damon is in it, and he is about 14 years old!

If loving Center Stage is wrong, I don’t want it to be right.

This movie was horrifying and upsetting, to the extent that I wish I had never watched it. That doesn’t mean I didn’t think it was good, because I did, sort of. Perhaps I think movies like this should exist but I shouldn’t watch them.

I had intended to read the source novel but now I’m not going to.

“Now I sense that you have further questions… you are reasonable to ponder, who is this John Hodgman, and how did he come to know so many invented facts?”

Cookies are a sometimes food.

I think this show should be called “Space Emergency!” Every episode has a fairly predictable trajectory and outcome: something terrible and space-related happens! the main characters’ abilities and/or the ship are compromised by space demons/viruses/evil wizards! Everything is fine! Yet every time it happens, they seem surprised, as if they have no long-term memory.

This is not to say that it is not fun to watch.

I liked this book somewhat less than the previous ones, but still more than your average book. What I like about these young women is that they have real-ish lives and INNER LIVES even, not the stereotypical “Shoes! Boys! School is hard!” mentality of so much fiction aimed at young women. They deal with the kinds of problems that real people deal with. They have boy problems, yes, but also intellectual and creative aspirations, troubled families, and recurring personality flaws or weaknesses. They travel and learn things and get depressed. Also, in the most recent one, they have sex, and sometimes it is a good thing, and sometimes not; also they sometimes don’t have sex, and that is sometimes a good thing too.

The books don’t talk down to their characters, or to their readers. For writing relatively non-patronizing and sophisticated young adult fiction, Ann Brashares, I salute you.