I Feel Pithy Book Blog

Well, the students are gone. The town is so quiet. It reminds me of why I moved here in the first place. Athens is a great town. True, it is a college town and it caters to the college aged students throughout most of the year. However, it is also a great town to be an adult in. These are things that I tend to forget throughout the year when I am so worn out from helping students and faculty, or when I learn that my insurance and parking are going up yet again with no raise to offset it. And it's sad that the town has to be so completely dead for me remember what it is I love about the place.

Spring break always puts me in the mood for summer. It makes me long for the days when locals will dare to venture out with their kids so that they can enjoy the sunshine. It makes me remember that in just a couple of short months, I will be able to drive to work without traffic. Or, that I can take a little bit of an extended lunch and walk downtown rather than drive. It makes me want to walk around town with a camera so that I can really record the architecture and history of the place. Soon, soon summer will be here and the solitude that has come over the town will seem permanent. It's almost like I still get to have a summer vacation even though I am working.

I first came to Athens in 1999. I was living in Atlanta and hating every single second of it. I came up to visit a college friend and decided that I would move here. I learned the hard way that you should always have a plan when making a decision like that. Because, once I got here, things started going wrong. My car died, I couldn't find work, and I was mooching off of my friends. It was only the fact that I was in Athens, breathing it in everyday that I was able to stay sane and I slowly made a life here. It started with the job at the University, then I was able to get my own place. It would be another 2 years or so before I could afford a car, but all that walking kept me in great shape.

I could go on or into more detail about my move to this great city. But, I won't because I suspect that everyone (unless they were born here) has some story of how they got to Athens. It's something you can sense about the people who walk past you on the street. You know if they live here or if they are simply going to school here. And, once you know that, you can sense the story behind their Athens citizenship.

I'm not sure that this is the type of post that I had in mind for my professional site, but I couldn't enjoy the beauty of this day and city without some form of written praise. Anyway, stay tuned as I hope to bring you more "writerly" type posts in the not too distant future.

Hey, did you know that next week is national Library Week? Check it out.

Well, it has been quite a while hasn't it? Spring is definitely here. For some reason it always catches me by surprise. I mean, I noticed a couple of flowers blooming here and there, I noticed the weather getting warmer and brighter, but we were still having cold snaps. So, imagine my surprise when I walked out to my car earlier this week at 7am to find the trees a NEON green.

And I am not kidding when I talk about just how green everything was. It was like the leaves glowed. Then I noticed the pollen. Such a yellow-green ugly mess sticking to everything and everyone. Luckily, we are in the rainy part of spring. So for a week or so, the rain will wash away most of the pollen. Which will give a nice little reprieve to my poor sinuses.

Oh, here is something interesting. I have been having these really weird heart palpitations lately. My doctor thinks it's related to the medication I take to stop smoking. So, I had to go to the Hospital today to get an EKG and get fitted with a portable monitor. Do you know how weird it is to be a 30 year old in the cardiology unit? I had little old ladies offering me candy out of their purse like we were in church or something. There was this one older gentleman in a wheel chair and he spent most of the time that I saw trying to flirt with the candy lady. I think the elderly are cute. But, I think saying that makes me sound really condescending.

So, I get called in and the woman that gets me set up is really nice. She sticks these little pieces of tape all over my chest, wrists, and stomach. Then she attaches little wires to each piece of tape. The EKG only took about 15 seconds. It took longer for her to get me connected to the equipment than it did to do the reading. So, then she takes the tape off and rubs my chest area with alcohol. This time it's so that she can attach the little portable monitor to me.

I felt like a snitch preparing to rat out Tony Soprano. Well, at first I felt that way. Mainly, because I expected the monitor to be more discreet. The monitor is a small black box about the size of one of those old-school graphing calculators, only heavier. And the wires are so long I have to push the excess into my pocket. It almost looks like I am carrying a very small purse if you ignore the rainbow assortment of wires that coil from it and disappear somewhere up my shirt. I get to take it off sometime around 10:30 tomorrow. But, in the meantime, I can't shower or take a bath. So, of course that means no work out tonight.

I still have to schedule the blood work. It's one of the things I hate about insurance. They are covering these tests without even a co-pay on my part, but I have to go to opposite ends of town to get them done.

Let's see. I have a few new recipes that I plan to post at the Southern Epicure. So, check that out when you get a chance. I'm sure there is plenty I could actually say here. Like I got locked out of my car last week- but that is way too embarrassing to talk about. We saw Sin City last Friday, but I want to do a full review of that after I've seen it again- yes I would definitely see it again-even though seeing Bruce Willis kiss a young hot girl totally gives me the willies. You know, because he is so old and gross looking.

>Also, the Athens Public Library has a Frankenstein Exhibit this Friday (April 29th). If you are interested in Shelley's Classic, or in the themes it invoked, you may want to check it out.

I looked at the calendar and realized that next week is final exams for UGA. After that, there is just the blissful slide into summer. Speaking of which, I met with my boss last week about Summer project plans. I have quite a list. The wonderful thing is that I have time to accomplish most of them this summer.

For the first time in five years, I won't be working with the Culinary Institute. And, while it is a little sad, I honestly can't say that I will miss it. It took up the entire month of June leaving me with July and August to try and get not just a couple of projects done, but to also prepare for the upcoming Fall semester.

Now, I will have that month back to get some things done. The most important for me is updating the documentation on most of our equipment. We have upgraded most of our computers, scanners, and software so a lot of the instructions I have are obsolete. I have already identified when documents need to be updated and noted most of the changes that need to be made in each, but I haven't had the chance to begin my re-writes. I can't wait to have that uninterrupted time to write.

As you can see, I am working on a new design for this web site. Since it is all done with style sheets there is always some tinkering that needs to be done. If you notice any weirdness (especially with placement and spacing), please feel free to let me know by leaving a comment, or sending me an email.

I have been somewhat busy lately. Not really busy, only somewhat. I say somewhat because while I am doing stuff, there are plenty of other things that I also need to do that I am simply letting slide. I have finished Shel Silverstein's books of nonsensical poetry; A Light in the Attic and Where the Side Walk Ends, respectively. And I will be posting them to the Banned books list as soon as I do a bit more research on why they were challenged.

It seems there were a couple of poems in each work that got some hackles up. But, none of the information is very specific as to why. So, I am going to be checking back with the library at some point this week to see if I can find more info. In the meantime, I have totally been procrastinating. I am reading Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray. You may have heard of it or you may have heard of the movie version starring Reese Witherspoon (which I haven't seen yet).

Reading this, I am very surprised that I hadn't read any Thackeray before. The English professors at Wesleyan were so well known for their love of Victorian writers, that it seems odd that I was never assigned this one in all 4 years I was there. I guess they preferred Dickens. Which is funny because Thackeray takes all kinds of pot shots at Dickens (in the most literary and esoteric manner of course).

What I like so far about the book is that there is no hero. There are just people who do things. And, I absolutely love Rebecca Sharp's character. She is so heartless and conniving that it is down right awesome. It's like watching the first Batman movie. You can't help but root for the Joker. I actually feel disappointed when one of her schemes doesn't play out the way it is supposed to. I am about half way through it, but I really hope that she comes out on top.

I just think it would be a lot more realistic if she did. In real life, the bad guy tends to win more than the good one.

There are some other things in the works for me. I am trying to launch another website. This is different because it is going to be much more collaborative than anything I have ever done. I am generally much better at working on my own, but I feel like I need to force myself to work with others if I am going to learn anything new or push my boundaries.

So far, I have found 4 other writers to contribute. The problem is logistics. We are all located in the Southern states, but our only real means of communication is email and Instant Messenger. I always did do much better talking to people on the phone or in person.

I am also putting together a listing of websites and blogs that belong to my fellow Wesleyan Alum. So, far I have found quite a few and am hoping to have more. Depending on how much time they have, I may even be able to add them as contributors to the The Velvet Wrecking Ball (the name of the collaborative site I am working on).

Then, there is the big move. Hubby and I spent all of last weekend painting the master bedroom and getting it ready for us to move into. Our current bedroom is going to become our home gym. So, this weekend we will actually be moving into the Master Bedroom and hopefully setting up the gym.

The part that I am dreading is going through our stuff and getting rid of what we don't use or need. It's mostly clothes, and I know that I should make the effort to donate them somewhere, but I already know they are going to end up in the trash. As long as they aren't taking up the precious little space we have, it shouldn't matter. Of course, there is always E-bay.

Anyway, there are plenty of things keeping me busy although I am doing my best to procrastinate. But, I promise to post on Shel Silverstein this weekend.

Introduction

A commenter by the name of Daedalus sparked a discussion based on my last post. As I was responding to his last comment, I realized my comment was becoming very long. So, I decided to make a post out of it rather than rambling on and on in the comments section. Thanks for this post Daedalus.

Daedalus’s last comment

“Your point is taken, but you are forgeting the most important element in literature: language. Your typical Potter book is just basic English. There is nothing poetic or prose about it. It simply tells a story. Of course, the story is good, but it doesn't hit on the themes of human existence. It doesn't make you contemplate life and death. It doesn't give you a dose of reality.

You want real writing, try Joyce. He's widely considered the best writer in the history of the English language.”

My Response

I think you are missing my point. I am not discussing what makes great literature or what makes one a "literary genius". I said that JK Rowling is a good writer and that good writing is not dependent upon the audience. I stand by that.

Would I compare her to Fitzgerald? No. One wouldn't compare JK Rowling to Fitzgerald because there is no common basis for comparison there. If you were to compare Rowling to other writers, you would have to compare her to writers within her genre. Frank L. Baum and JRR Tolkien come to mind as good comparisons.

As for Hemingway, re-reading him for a 5th time is not going to make me change my opinion that both his writing and literary style are overrated. I happen to love Shakespeare but there are plenty of people who would disagree with me as to whether or not he was a great writer/poet or, simply a hack. But, that doesn't change my opinion of his works. Just like asking them to revisit him would probably not change their opinion.

Correct me if I am wrong, but you seem to be suggesting that one cannot enjoy Joyce, Fitzgerald, or Hemingway and also enjoy Rowling. I believe we can in much the same way that I enjoy Chaucer, Milton, and Shakespeare, but still love Shel Silverstein and the Brothers Grimm.

This goes back to my original stance that good writing is not dependent upon the audience. For instance, I despise TS Eliot, and adore Edgar Allen Poe and Silvia Plath. My hatred or enjoyment level does not change the status of any of these poets. However, my enjoyment level can place them in my own personal literary canon. And that is really all it can do. Because, I would hope that my opinion on any writer would not affect his or her ability or volume of work. If it did, the writer would not be true to the work itself. And in the end, the writing is the thing, not the audience’s perception of it.

For the record, I do love the works of James Joyce. I would also agree with those that believe him to be one of the best writers in the English language.

I do want to reply to this specific part of your comment:

“There is nothing poetic or prose about it. It simply tells a story. Of course, the story is good, but it doesn't hit on the themes of human existence. It doesn't make you contemplate life and death. It doesn't give you a dose of reality.”

This is precisely why I had a difficult time reviewing the book and chose to re-read it before doing so. The prose does have an unexpected poetic style. And the very plot of the book itself contemplates life and death. It was the surprise of these elements that struck me. I, like you, never expected to find these things in a work of children’s literature. But, there they are. Would I compare the Harry Potter Series to Paradise Lost? Of course not, but I can say without question that it is good writing.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your comments. I do not get the chance to discuss literature in any capacity in my every day life. And, writing about it here always makes me feel as though I am writing in a vacuum. So, I welcome intelligent discourse even if I don’t always agree with it. I would also like to thank you for giving me a different perspective from which to write my Harry Potter review.

I look forward to more comments from you in the future.

Never again. I am never lending anyone a book ever again. I think every bibliophile comes to a place where they have to make that pact with themselves. I wasn't always so stingy with the written word.

There was a time when you couldn't walk into my dorm room, apartment, and finally house without having a book foisted upon you. I was the original library girl. I was the one that people came to when they needed something to read but weren't sure what they wanted. I was the one offering books to people just because I was sure they would like it. But, I've changed. The change has been a long time coming.

I can't say exactly when the change began. But, I know exactly where I drew the line. It was the Complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Has it really been 3 years since I last touched the engraved hard cover? That book was a college graduation present. It contained every book in the Hitchhiker series. I loaned it out. I know exactly who I loaned it to. So, at least it wasn’t as bad as the Color Purple debacle of ’99, or, the Ya-Ya Sisterhood/Little Altars Everywhere combo loss of 2001. But, those books were easily replaceable.

I’m sure many of you are thinking that I just need to take a quick trip to Amazon. I just need to order the book and stop obsessing over it. Well, ordering it from Amazon will not replace the inscription from the person who gave it to me. It won’t give me the satisfaction of it automatically falling open to my favorite part (So, Long and Thanks for all the Fish). It won’t give me the satisfaction of telling off the person who walked away with it. But, more importantly, the version I owned is out of print.

It’s the book that no matter how much I want to, I am unable to replace. It’s also the book that I find myself constantly looking for on my shelves. I reach for it expecting to be there. It’s like those stories you hear about amputees who still feel their missing limb. I know the book is gone, but I keep expecting to just lay my hand on it.

I loaned it to someone that I thought was trustworthy. He was a student worker who was very responsible- at first. I even paid him and a friend of his to do odd jobs around my house. And for a while, he was wonderful. I loaned him the book and things went haywire. He stopped showing up for work. He didn’t quit or ask for time off. He just stopped coming in. I couldn’t reach him to find out if he was coming back. His friend that helped him do odd jobs completely wrote him off. He just fell off the face of the earth. Of course, the coincidence of him falling off the face of the earth after borrowing the Hitchhiker’s Guide wasn’t lost to me. But, I still want my book back.

Since then, I have not loaned another book to anyone except family and my absolute closest friends. At least I know where they live. You are probably wondering why I am writing about this 3 years later. Well, this is typically the time of year when I re-read that particular tome. And, every year since it’s disappearance, I have missed it a little bit more.

Which leads me to the actual purpose of this post. Listed below are the top 5 books that I wish I had never loaned to anyone.

• The Color Purple: Written by Alice Walker, and is also on the banned/challenged book list. So, I may be checking it out of the library soon.



• Little Altars Everywhere: A Novel: Written by Rebecca Wells.



• Anna Karenina: Written by Leo Tolstoy. Luckily, I have a great friend who owns a copy and hasn't realized she shouldn't loan it out. So, I have borrowed (and returned) it several times from her.



• Frankenstein: Or the Modern Prometheus: Written by Mary Shelley. It was a hardcover. I have it in paperback, but it just isn't the same.



• The More than Complete Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Complete and Unabridged (Since the one I owned is out of print, this actually links to the Ultimate Hithchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Mine had a gorgeous cushioned leather cover, and the pages were edged in gold).
  
  

Here's hoping that you haven't forgotten that there are still people out there whose very lives are changed forever by Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. I know it has fallen out of media focus but there are still people struggling to recover. Just as importantly, there are libraries struggling to replace their books and rebuild. There are still children who will never get to know the joy of getting lost in a book. If the idea of this is as disturbing to you as it is to me, then maybe you will consider a small donation. You don't have to send money if that is a problem, but there are bound to be books you have lying around that you will never read again. Come on dig into those bookshelves or donate some money. No one ever says no to money. But lets give something back. Even if all you can do is spread the word, DO IT. Or, DEW IT!

I am proud to be a supporter of the Dewey Donation System. It was set up by one of my absolutely favorite websites (Television without Pity). You can even bid on one of their Ebay auctions and get them to recap something you like. Come on people, lets get some books on some shelves.

When I was 4 I was attacked by a German shepherd that almost killed me. 26 years later I still carry the scars physically and mentally. I was looking for the ice cream truck and to this day couldn't tell you where the dog came from. Its not something I like to talk about. You know how in that movie The Italian Job, Mos Def says that he doesn't do dogs because he had a bad experience? Yeah. I totally felt that.

When I was in college, I tried to tell a very close friend of mine about the experience. He said that maybe it was something about my scent that caused the dog to attack. Well, 2 years later my younger brother was attacked and killed by a doberman. My brother never had a fear of animals and was simply walking to work as he had always done since he got the job. A part of me always wondered if there was some latent racism instilled in the animal by its owner or if my college friend was right and my family had a scent.

To this day I still have no idea. All I can say is that I've never had a dog try to attack me since, even with all my fear of them. I've had family members who have owned several types of dogs and other animals without them ever attacking me or my immediate family. So, maybe it was some tick of the owner or maybe it was some scent I had without knowing. What I do know is I do love animals. I may not want to be around them, but I cannot stand the idea of one being mistreated.

I tell you this because the death of Steve Irwin rings more true with me than it will with any of my PETA loveing friends. They don't understand what its like to be afraid of an everyday animal that most people own. I have a friend who has a fear of frogs. She could never explain why she was so afraid of them, she just was. She once told me that she was luckier than I was because she would never come across a person walking a frog on or off a lease, whereas I would have to deal with the fear of dogs forever.

I've gotten better around dogs. I am good about staying calm. I try not to make random movements. I try to talk to them to show that I am not afraid. But, the fear stays the same way some trauma that happens to any four year old stays.

You want to know why I am sharing this. Well, its difficult. Steve Irwin died on September 4, 2006, and it fucks with me. I started watching the Crocodile Hunter years ago- sometime after college. Steve showed really scary animals. He showed the kind of animals that I would call someone to kill for me. And he would get up close and pet them.

I never got the feeling he was trying to show there was no reason to be afraid. It would be dumb to not fear a gila monster or rattlesnake or crocodile. He was afraid, but it wasn't the type of fear an animal would think was dangerous or attack worthy. It was the kind of fear you had from watching Wild Kingdom and I hope some of my audience remembers Wild Kingdom.

Steve showed me that it was OK to be afraid of an animal as long as it didn't lead to a mistreatment of said animal. I know there was that whole controversy about him feeding the croc while holding his baby. But, he only did what his father did and his father before him. If he didn't know what would happen, he would not have done it. I know that about how he operates because of how open he has been about his family and the animals.

I will miss Steve. I don't know if they should show the last bit of film footage before he died. I don't know if its something I or anyone else could handle. This isn't about how he died.

This is about a man who made me face my own fear and still love the object of said fear.

I hope that wherever he is, he is still doing all he can to save the animals- especially the ugly and dangerous ones.

I'm not sure how back I actually am. I am pretty tied up here lately but am hoping to post some new stuff soon. The Book Drive is still in full swing. Keep the donations coming. Click the logo on the right to purchase from the wishlist.

There is a particular reason I wanted to post today. Its very circuitous so stay with me.

So, I've told you guys about my love of libraries and all things literary. But, I've never told you about my fascination with Louisa May Alcott. I was 9 when I first read Little Women. I went on to read such classics as Little Men, Jo's Boys, Eight Cousins and so on. I had this habit of discovering an author and then going out of my way to read everything that author has written. Louisa May Alcott was no exception.

When I was 11 I discovered a book that I had never heard of before. It was my first foray into what I always called the "grown up" section of the library. It was a compilation called Behind A Mask: The Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott. It seemed impossible that there were works out there belonging to Louisa that I had never read. So, I immediately checked it out.

It was unlike anything that I'd ever read in my life. It seemed impossible that these dark and violent gothic stories were written by the same woman that wrote Little Women. It was AWESOME. Suddenly, I understood. Jo's "blood and thunder" stories were actually LMA's uncredited thrillers. It made perfect sense.

OK. So, I've established how much I loved LMA and how much her thrillers really entertained me. Now to the actual point. Obviously, I'm not the only person to have read and taken something from these thrillers.

Does anyone remember a little Aaron Spelling show called Melrose Place? Its OK if you don't admit it out loud. But, you know the show. OK there is this scene that even people who have never watched show will remember. The scene where Kimberly Shaw rips off her wig and reveals a hideous scar on her head? Total rip off of LMA.

The first story in LMA's Behind A Mask compilation is titled fittingly enough, Behind A Mask [The full title is Behind a Mask: The Unknown Thrillers Of Louisa May Alcott]. The story focuses on a prim little governess named Jean Muir. But, she is neither prim or a governess. Jean Muir is actually an actress bent on winning the hand of a rich titled gentleman. She is given a position in the Coventry family. They immediately feel sorry for her pitiful circumstances and take her in.

Her first night in the house, after putting a fine performance in which she convinces the family that she hasn't a friend in the world and had to leave her last employer because their son had formed an inappropriate attachment to her, she goes up to her room and shows the readers exactly who she is.

Check this out:

"Still sitting on the floor she unbound and removed the long abundant braids from her head, wiped the pink from her face, took out several pearly teeth, and slipping off her dress appeared herself indeed, a haggard worn, and moody woman of thirty at least [to an 11 year old 30 does seem really old-so I didn't mind the description so much then- now that I'm 32, not so much]. The metamorphosis was wonderful, but the disguise was more in the expression she assumed than in any art of costume or false adornment. Now she was alone, and her mobile features settled into their natural expression, weary, hard, bitter. She had been lovely once, happy innocent, and tender; but nothing of all this remained to the gloomy woman who leaned there brooding over some wrong, or loss, or disappointment which had darkened all her life. For an hour she sat so, sometimes playing absently with the scanty locks that hung about her face, sometimes lifting the glass to her lips as if the fiery draught warmed her cold blood; and once she half uncovered her breast to eye with a terrible glance the scar of a newly healed wound. At last she rose and crept to bed, like one worn out with weariness and mental pain."

OK so the scar was on her breast and not on her head, but Melrose Place totally took the wig thing from LMA. And let me tell you something, no matter how awesomely evil Kimberly Shaw was, she couldn't hold a candle Miss Muir. She captivate both sons (the elder of the two is already engaged to his cousin) and the kindly old uncle. She has her pick of the men in that family. She convinces the entire family that she is 19 year old whose mother was a highborn lady who ran away to marry a Scottish minister and had been disowned by her highborn family.

She positively captivates everyone in her quest to have a title and fortune and be taken care of for the rest of her life. I won't tell you how, but trust me she does everything she sets out to do. She is triumphant as only a true conniver can be. And the family has to accept their behavior and her permanance.

If you have ever thought that LMA was a writer of sweet sentimental children's stories, I recommend you take another look.

I know this whole post was totally random, but I just reread the compilation and happened to remember Melrose Place when I came to part I quoted above.

Another part of my childhood got chipped away this week. Mr. Wizard, also known as Don Herbert, passed away on Tuesday. He was 89 years old. I always felt smart after watching Mr. Wizard's World on Nickelodeon. That my parents had grown up watching his show off and on didn't really mean anything to me at that point in my life. I was still selfish enough to think that I had discovered things like this (I was a teenager before I finally acknowledged that the Monkees had been on television before I was even born).

Mr. Wizard would take these seemingly complicated experiments and break them down so that anyone could understand the science behind them. I tried many of them myself. My parents liked this show much better than the green slime drenched You Can't do that on Television so they encouraged it. Even when I was in middle school and (in my mind at least) too old to watch Mr. Wizard, I still did. There were so few things to make an adolescent girl feel smart in the late 80's so I clung to what I could find.

I don't claim to have any overt love for science. Literature is and always was my thing. But, Mr. Wizard helped me understand the physical world around me and for that I will always be grateful.

So, I was going to post this ultra long review of the very last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7). I was mentally taking notes on the points I felt most mentioning while reading it. I was working out exactly how to describe how awesome the book is without revealing anything. And then, wouldn't you know it? I found a review that was so much better than any I could have written.

I may have mentioned this website before. If not, I have definitely meant to. Its mainly a movie review site. At least that is how it started, but it has branched out. It now provides book reviews. I have to say that if I didn't love this site so much I would hate it. The site is called Pajiba. And you can find one of the best reviews of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) here. A word of warning about the review: If you don't want to be spoiled, don't read the comments.

Now, that I no longer have that review to write, I want to point you in the direction of something super cool. The nerd in me absolutely loves the idea of legal scholarship as applied to Harry Potter. Read some of the papers linked in the article. You will be shocked at how much study has gone into the Harry Potter series from a strictly legal standpoint.

One last thing. We are in year 2 of the Oasis Youth Shelter Book Drive. We did OK last year. But I am really wanting to go above and beyond. And I need your help with that. I feel that the simple act of giving may be its own reward, but its always cool to get something in return. To that end, I am asking you guys to tell me what my next incentive program should be.

I have a few ideas:

• Another matching program



• A prize giveaway to the person who donates the most.



• A hall of fame for our most prolific donors.



• A chance to see me humiliate myself in some way as a thank you to meeting a certain donation goal.

A while back, I'm not sure how long ago, I found the movie review site Pajiba. I immediately bookmarked them because I loved their their snarky and erudite take on movie reviews. While I have disagreed with their reviews in the past, I've never felt the need say anything here about one of their opinion pieces. But there is one that I feel a need to respond to.




One of their more recent writers, Agent Bedhead, wrote a guide titled Ass-Kicking Heroines as part of what they call Pajiba's Guide to What's Good for You. The guides generally get their detractors. Obviously, the writers can't please everyone since they are working from a personal bias. But this particular guide seemed to be really reaching hard for women to write about. And that made me sad. So, this is just a little addendum to her post. Obviously, I can't please everyone either, so feel free to let me know who you think should be on the list.




CAVEAT: I am going to do my best to follow her guidelines (Horror/SciFi/Fantasy/Comics)so that will leave out a few that I really like (Geena Davis as Charlie Baltimore in The Long Kiss Goodnight, Pam Greer in various roles, Gena Rowlands in Gloria, Meryl Streep in the The River Wild, and Bette Davis in almost everything- just to name a few personal favorites). Also, for the sake of brevity I am only focusing on movie characters. It sucks I know, TV and the printed word are rife with kick ass heroines (luckily for you fellow Buffy fans out there, Agent Bedhead included television and print). So, feel free to list your favorites from any genre in the comments. One more thing, this addendum makes no sense without reading the the original post

OK. Enough stalling. In no particular order, I present: