Thoughts on AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW (Mild Spoilers!)

It's that glorious time of year again. As you can probably tell from the title of this post, the time has once again come when Ryan Murphy and Co. has blessed us with another season of AMERICAN HORROR STORY. After months of anticipation (at least for me), the series' 4th incarnation, FREAK SHOW, premiered two weeks ago, and I am pleased to report that this freak show is well worth attending. Come for the conjoined twins and killer clowns; stay for Jessica Lange's flawless acting (and singing!).

FREAK SHOW centers on one of the last freak shows in America, located in the town of Jupiter, Florida. The ringleader of the show is Elsa Mars (Lange), who sees herself as the circus' star, despite her firm convictions she herself is not a freak. This is an interesting contradiction to see play out, and in Lange's extremely capable hands, Elsa becomes a beautiful mess of lost dreams and futile optimism. Plus, she puts on a damn good show (we'll get to that later), and has already had her share of memorable one-liners.

So basically, Jessica Lange is Queen of Everything. But we all knew that. Let's get to some of the season's other shining stars...

After a relatively quiet role in COVEN, Sarah Paulson, another AHS mainstay, has been thrust into the forefront with her dual roles as conjoined twins Bette and Dot. For some this may seem like a gimmick, or the visual effects may prove too distracting, but Paulson is so damn good I forget she's just one person. She plays sweet, naive Bette and the darker yet relatable Dot with ease, and her performance brings to light the fascinating, complex relationship between Siamese twins on a physical and mental level. We see in the first few episodes that Bette and Dot's talents are a threat to reigning queen Elsa's role as the star of the freak show, and I think Paulson has the potential to steal the spotlight this season if she keeps turning in spectacular performances (which of course she will). Part of me is also still pissed that she didn't win the Emmy for ASYLUM, so I'm hoping justice will be served this time around.

FREAK SHOW has gone for the slow-burn approach in terms of character introduction; we didn't meet the three-breasted hermaphrodite Desiree Dupree (Angela Bassett) and her strongman husband Del (AHS newcomer Michael Chiklis) until Episode 2, and this past Wednesday's episode introduced us to Emma Roberts and Denis O'Hare's con artists Esmerelda and Stanley, respectively. I appreciate this tactic as opposed to having the full ensemble introduced in the first episode, as we have been able to get to know these characters individually and not just as one "big group of freaks," so to speak. Elsa, Bette and Dot aside, Kathy Bates is endearing as bearded lady Ethel Darling, and I'm intrigued to learn more about Desiree and Del's past before coming to Elsa's freak show (and because I just love Angela Bassett). Then there's Dandy Mott, played by another AHS newcomer, Finn Wittrock. Of course, I knew Mr. Wittrock way back when he was Marnie Piper's boy-toy in the third Halloweentown movie.

(Not the best picture, but it was the best one I could find on Tumblr!)

But Wittrock has left Cody behind and has completely transformed into Dandy, a sweet boy who drinks alcohol from a baby bottle and is buddies with a killer clown.

Teetering on the brink of homicide, combined with the Norman Bates-on-crack relationship he has with his mother Gloria (played with twisted delight by the great Frances Conroy), Dandy is proving to be one of the most interesting characters this season, and Wittrock seems totally game to go there with his character. I can't wait to see where he ends up by time FREAK SHOW closes up shop.

Unlike last season, COVEN, which I loved but wasn't in love with, FREAK SHOW seems to be fully embracing the wide scope of its premise in a way that is entertaining and scary. COVEN was definitely light on the horror, but FREAK SHOW, just three episodes in, is bringing the terror to the forefront, thanks largely in part to this guy:

This is Twisty.

Not only is he a terrifying, murderous clown, but he has no qualms about being terrifying and murderous in broad daylight.

Don't let his charming gesture fool you; things don't end well for homegirl and her boo.

I've never been one that's had an extreme clown phobia--I've only seen bits and pieces of It, and my circus experience is limited--but I don't think a pre-phobia is necessary to confirm that Twisty is one scary dude. He may be the scariest icon in the AHS canon, right there with Bloody Face from ASYLUM. Not only does he do his bidding in broad daylight, but he also doesn't speak. This may have something to do with what's lurking behind that mask of his, which we got a glimpse of in Episode 2 (it wasn't pretty, folks), but I'm looking forward to learning more about Twisty. We're apparently getting treated to his backstory next week, and I can't wait to report my views on that little development next week!

I mentioned earlier that there were quite a few musical performances, and with this season being subtitled FREAK SHOW, a musical diddy or two is a give-in. But what is unique about these performances, besides their show-stopping delivery thanks to Lange and Paulson being amazing divas, they also take advantage of an under-utilized literary device called anachronism: Each performance features a song that was released way after the events of FREAK SHOW, which takes place in 1952. In the first three episodes, we've seen covers of David Bowie, Fiona Apple, and my personal favorite of the three, Lana Del Rey. Elsa/Jessica blessed the world with this diva-tastic rendition of "Gods and Monsters" on this past Wednesday's episode:



Only Jessica Lange could summon a murderous spirit with such class. And while these performances are not as #iconic as ASYLUM's "Name Game" performance, they are all fantastic.

As you can see, I've been making a lot of comparisons with ASYLUM when it comes to FREAK SHOW. ASYLUM remains my favorite season, but FREAK SHOW's tone very nearly dovetails ASYLUM's, and if it continues to be this consistently scary and entertaining, FREAK SHOW could very well snag the top spot in my heart. It's a huge feat to accomplish, but something tells me FREAK SHOW is up to the challenge of trying to steal my heart. Or have Twisty carve it out of me himself.

Before I stop my rambling, let me just say that I am making it my mission to remain consistent with this blog, and to do that, I will be back every week for the entirety of FREAK SHOW's run, writing and GIF-ing my thoughts on each episode. I hope you all come back, too, but until then, remember: #WirSindeAlleFreaks!

-- Dustin
@DustinVann

On Re-Reading HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN

Last month I had the amazing opportunity to visit some family down in Florida, and among one of the many adventures we had was visiting Universal Orlando. This was especially exciting for me since, being a Potterhead, Universal Orlando = The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! I'd dreamed of visiting the theme park since it opened a few years ago, and even now, when I look at pictures and the memorabilia I collected while there, I still can't believe I was able to see it all in the flesh.

I mean, I got to see Hogwarts Castle:

Walk through its halls and see the Sorting Hat...

I went to Honeydukes and bought a Chocolate Frog, had fish and chips at The Three Broomsticks...

...And of course, what's a trip to Hogsmeade without some delicious Butterbeer!

I also got quite a few souvenirs, including this bad-ass Ravenclaw cup that I am IN LOVE with.

#CoffeeForDays #RavenclawForLife

It was all in all an amazing day, and even though I only visited the Hogsmeade branch of the park (Diagon Alley hadn't opened yet), I found myself craving to be in that world again, with those characters, even after I'd left the park. So, once I got back to Kansas and began suffering not only post-vacation withdrawals but post-Potter withdrawals, I decided to pick up one of the books and start reading. Since I had Hogsmeade on the brain after visiting the park, I felt that Harry's thrid adventure, PRISONER OF AZKABAN, made the most sense.

First of all, let me just say how much I love this cover. All of the new covers are just so fresh and beautiful (not throwing any shade to the classic covers, still love those!). I actually received the box set of the entire series with these new covers for Christmas last year--just another reason to get back into the series.

It's been a LONG time since I read POA for the first time. Like, third-grade-long-time. I distinctly remember sitting in Ms. Rust's classroom--Ms. Rust and Mrs. Thacker had decided to switch classes that day, for whatever reason--reading the part where Hermione has Harry's new Firebolt broomstick confiscated because she thinks it was sent to him by mass murderer Sirius Black. I remembered how much I enjoyed it then, and POA has always been one of my favorite of the movie adaptations, so I was very excited to dive back into Harry's third year of maps, boggarts, and dementors.

Like pretty much everyone who loves this series can tell you, time away from it or "growing up" doesn't cause one to grow out of this series. Despite the decade-gap in reading it the first time and re-reading it now, I had a blast re-reading POA; since it had been so long since reading it before, it almost felt like I was experiencing the book for the first time. I've seen the movie so many times over the years (POA came out 10 YEARS AGO this summer. 10 years!), so of course I knew how and when things were going to happen, but it didn't take away from the thrill of going through it again thanks to J.K. Rowling's wonderful storytelling skills.

Re-reading POA demonstrated to me once again how much better books are compared to their movie counterparts. While I adore each and every HP film in its own way and have a specific soft spot for POA, revisiting the story via book form showed me some key things the movie left out or switched around. They aren't huge omissions, but I felt they would've been nice to see on the big screen:

1. The Firebolt subplot: In the film, we don't see the Firebolt until the very end, when Harry receives it from Sirius at the end of the year. In the book, Harry receives the Firebolt in the middle of the book, soon after his Nimbus Two-Thousand is destroyed by the Whomping Willow. Then comes the whole confiscating situation that I mentioned above; Hermione turning in Harry's gift to McGonagall to check for jinxes puts a rift between the three friends that I found to be interesting to read. I understand it was probably cut out to tighten the main plot for moviegoers, but it would've been fun to see nonetheless. It widens the gap of friendship more so to Ron and Hermione, who have already been at odds over Hermione's new cat, Crookshanks, trying to kill Ron's rat, Scabbers. Which brings me to the second point...

2. Crookshanks: Hermione's cat is, well, just a cat in the movie, but in the book he proves to be so much more. In the book's climax Crookshanks proves to be just as important as any human character, a smart animal who has been working with Sirius Black to try and capture Scabbers the rat, a.k.a Peter Pettigrew the Traitor. He wasn't trying to kill Scabbers simply due to animal instinct; he was fighting for the Greater Good. It may have been stretching it to cast Crookshanks in this light for the film, especially with Potterheads who haven't read the books, but as I like to say...READ THE BOOK FIRST!

3. The Whomping Willow and its ties to Lupin: Much like the Crookshanks situation above, this is another point of the book I had forgotten. Once Harry and the gang are confronted by Black and Lupin in the Shrieking Shack, Lupin lays in on a story that connects him to the lethal tree's origins: As a werewolf in hiding, Lupin needed an isolated place to stay when he transformed as not to hurt anyone while in wolf form, so Dumbledore planted the Willow to prevent anyone from taking the tunnel to the Shack where Lupin stayed during the transformations. I found this to be so fascinating, and when I re-read it, wished this tidbit had made it into the movie. Once again, I'm sure time constraints had a lot to do with it, but I think any fan of HP wouldn't have objected to a few extra minutes for this explanation. I feel bad for all those who are just movie fans, who only see the Whomping Willow as an annoying tree that gets in the way. It has feelings, and its own backstory, to boot.

4. Sirius's Hogwarts Break-ins: In the film we are treated to the Fat Lady scene, which plays out in the book pretty much like it does on screen. However, Black makes a second, more successful attempt at breaking into Gryfinndor Tower about midway in the novel, stealing the password and sneaking up to the boys' dormitory, where he is seen standing over Ron's bed before escaping once more to avoid capture. As a reader this definitely added another layer of suspense to the "Black is a dangerous murderer" subplot, and a scene like this would've worked pretty damn well in the film, I think.

There are other things they twisted around in the film, but this isn't meant to be a critique of the film. Like I said, I enjoyed POA the movie very much and think it's a visually stunning piece of work on its own. Reading the book, though, you find yourself getting to know more about these characters than you ever could with the film, namely Black and Lupin. Their friendship, as well as their past friendship with Harry's late father, is more explained and three-dimensional on page, specifically the whole Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs aspect. This past friendship proves to be more important in later books than later movies, and it was great to get that refresher as a reader and that added depth to these characters.

A few other quick bullet points worth sharing with you all...

*Does anyone else imagine the Dumbledore from the first 2 films, played by the late Richard Harris, when reading the books? I enjoyed Michael Gambon's Dumbledore and the youthful energy he brings to the character in the later films, but I can't get that image of Dumbledore being extremely old out of my head. Maybe it's because Gambon looks younger compared to Harris, and book-Dumbledore may-or-may-not-be over 100 years old.

*I'd forgotten that Snape's "insufferable know-it-all" line to Hermione was in the book too; it being one of my favorite lines from the movie, I was happy to see it originate on the page. Hermione, I love ya, girl, but no one can deny the snark in Snape's comeback. Also, I liked that Ron defended Hermione in the book at this part as opposed to just agreeing with Snape like he does in the film. It makes their future union more believable.

*McGonagall throws some major shade at Professor Trelawney in this book and her psychic abilities. "But surely you already knew that, Sybil?" LOL.

*Hermione's boggart is McGonagall telling her she's failed at her classes. Again, LOL.

Before I sign off, here's another HP-related gem via Buzzfeed. This guy is watching the films for the first time, and he just published his POA play-by-play, which is appropriate to post here, obviously. It's LOL-worthy and worth the read/viewing:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/danieldalton/why-so-sirius

As you can probably tell, I loved re-reading POA. I hadn't intended to do so this summer, but my heart led me one way, and I don't regret for a second that I put quite a few books I intended to read aside in order to tag along with Harry and Co. once more. I took longer reading this book than I should have, but I just couldn't bring myself to end it so quickly. The act of reading this book in this series that I have loved almost my whole life simply solidified my love for all things Harry. And whether it be through the page, the screen, or the park, it won't be the last time I revisit this world.

--Dustin
@DustinVann

Why I Love Writing in the Summertime

There are many things to love about the summer. There's the shorts-all-the-time weather, barbecues, the possibility of a cross-country vacation. No matter how you choose to spend the 2 1/2 to 3 months of school-free bliss, the point is is that there's time. 2 1/2 to 3 months of time to do just about anything you please. It's a pretty special gift, especially if you're a writer like me.

I write all-year round, obviously. Days, nights, in between classes or shifts at work, I do my best to write whenever I can. There are some weeks, particularly during the school year, where I may get only an hour total of productive writing time. There have even been entire weeks that have gone by where I've barely written a word.

That all changes during the summer, though.

During the summer, I'm free. Well, free-er. I still have work, make time for family and friends and binge-watching TV shows (I just got into True Blood and am loving it!), and yet I still have time. So much of it. And with that time, I write.

So far this summer, I've been working on(and reworking) my latest manuscript, a YA novel that takes place in Hollywood. I started on the very same project last summer, finishing most of the first draft before the fall semester began. It's been great to focus my time and energy on this story and these characters I have spent the past year knowing and loving, but like I said, with it being summer, I have so. Much. Time. I can work on my novel AND have time to work on a short story set on the last day of summer in 1986 that I put aside ages ago. I've brainstormed other short story ideas, also, and there's a great possibility that I'll work on some of those before summer is over. Then there are stories I've completed drafts of that I'm now revisiting, revising them in the hopes of maybe sharing them with a wider audience in the neat future.

As a writer in the summertime, the possibilities are nearly endless. My mind is free to wander, no longer tied down and dedicated to cranking out essays for school or answering weekly message board posts. I'm able to do what I love more often: write, and read the work of others. I'm not the fastest reader, but it is a glorious freedom to be able to read what I want and on my own schedule, devouring books I have put off reading for months because I simply didn't have the time to do so before.

Don't get me wrong; I make the time to read and write regardless of the season and how much I have on my plate. I'd probably go insane if I didn't. But it's the seemingly unlimited space of these 3 months that excites me. For these 3 months, I almost feel like I get to do what I hope to do for the rest of my life: reading the words of others for pleasure, while creating my own words that will hopefully be shared with all of you in the future.

Happy reading and writing,

Dustin (@DustinVann)

Book Review: PANIC by Lauren Oliver

Yesterday I finished reading the second novel on my Summer Reading List, PANIC by Lauren Oliver.

(I'll say what we're all thinking: #FIERCE! Generally I don't like to judge books by their covers, but, WHOA.)

This was one of those books that had me at its premise, months before it came out. Every year, the graduating seniors in the town of Carp compete in Panic, designed to test their fears in a series of highly competitive games. What are these "games", you ask? Well, without being too spoilery, let's say they range from walking across a rotten wood plank high above ground to confronting a few hungry (or are they?) tigers. Now, why, you ask, would anyone in their right mind do anything like this? That has a lot to do with the prize: a pot over $50,000 to start a new life for themselves.

One could call this book HUNGER GAMES-lite; the setting is not in a dystopian future, and the players aren't killing one another for the prize, though the threat of death looms throughout the competition. Still, even without that the stakes were high throughout, and I enjoyed the twists and turns that some of the players took to ensure their victory.

The novel is told from two points of view: There's Heather, who comes from a broken family and serves as the unofficial guardian to younger sister, Lily; and then there's Dodge, a reserved, rough-around-the-edges sort of guy with revenge on the brain. I have to say, I enjoyed the parts of the story told from Dodge's POV better, and was kind of dismayed that we didn't get to be inside his head more often. While I liked Heather just fine, there were moments in the story (particularly in the middle and near the end) where I found myself wishing we could switch back to Dodge's POV just to get a break. The will-they/won't-they relationship she had going on with Bishop, her best friend since childhood, was a little aggravating at times. As you're reading, you'll definitely be thinking, Just get it over with already!

Side-note: You may or may not like the character of Natalie, Heather's other best friend. Fair warning. I myself didn't really care for her, but if you find yourself siding with her as you're reading, please let me know and we can happily discuss the polarizing girl that is Natalie Velez. :)

I have mixed feelings about the ending. When I first read it, I felt it was too abrupt and not what I imagined, and then minutes after I'd closed the book, I changed my mind and thought it was a nice, albeit too tidy ending. Now, after a day to reflect on it, I find myself going back to the former opinion. The novel's climax was pretty exciting, and I really thought Oliver was going to throw one of her characters through the ringer in the final paragraphs. But then--BAM--things went in a kinda bad-ass but overall abrupt direction. The "abrupt" part more so reflects the flash-forward we get in the final pages; it ties up most of the loose ends rapidly. While I respect Oliver and her approach to resolving the story--it is her story, after all--I found myself wanting a little bit more.

My favorite part of this novel had to be the writing. I've been familiar with Oliver's past work (BEFORE I FALL, The DELIRIUM trilogy) for quite some time, but this was the first novel of hers I read. Her writing is very smooth and figurative, and even if there was a lull in the story itself, the way she spun her words saved it for me. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future; her upcoming adult novel, ROOMS, sounds fantastic.

Despite my issue with the ending and a few of the supporting characters, PANIC is a quick and fun summer read--a good book to read during this time of year, since the story takes place over the summer--and I would definitely recommend it! B+

Why I'm Quitting Grey's Anatomy *SPOILERS*

This past Thursday was the 10th season finale of Grey's Anatomy. Yes, you did indeed read that right: The show wrapped its 10th season and will indeed be back for an 11th in the fall.

Great news, right? A show that millions love will continue to live on.

Only once the show comes back this fall, it will be missing one of its key players. If any of you, like me, have followed the show all these years, you know that Sandra Oh, who for 10 years has played hardcore and massively lovable Dr. Cristina Yang, hung up her stethoscope for good.

Okay, all together now...

For a show that is known for writing out characters and adding new ones, this shouldn't be much of a surprise. But this one hurts. Not only me as a fan but, and I hate to say it, will probably hurt the entire show.

See, I've kind of grown up with this show. I started watching weekly at the start of Season 4, which aired when I was in 8th grade. I continued to watch, bought the first 3 seasons on DVD to catch up on what I'd missed (this was before the age of Netflix), and stuck with the show through thick and thin. I watched in awe and bowed down to the writers with the "007" twist at the end of Season 5, at the jaw-dropping shooting spree that rocked Seattle Grace Mercy West in the Season 6 finale. I sat through the cringe-worthy musical episode in Season 7 and rolled my eyes when characters like April Kepner and Teddy Altman came in and annoyed the living crap out of me (April is still there, guys. Still. There). The point is, here I am having just completed my sophomore year of college. I've grown, and so has Grey's. But I think where that growing differs is that Grey's has outgrown its purpose, and I think I have grown out of it.

The two biggest reasons I have for feeling this way are the characters and the story. When the show first started it was the story of five surgical interns--Meredith, Cristina, Izzie, George, and Alex. Now, only Meredith and Alex remain, with only one of them having any more story to tell--and his name isn't in the show's title. Meredith Grey, our protagonist and narrator of (almost) every episode in the series, has gone from dark-and-twisty intern to a successful general surgeon with a husband and two children. It's a pretty fulfilling story, one that feels finished. And yet the show lives on, continuing to put this character (and with her, everyone else) on a journey that felt finished years ago. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like if your protagonist has evolved as much as she can, then the story is complete. And that's okay, because we as the audience got to witness some wonderful character development and the writers have that to be proud of. Unfortunately, a complete story doesn't seem to cut it, hence the impending 11th season.

This same complaint goes for many other original characters. Dr. Bailey, who once was such a compelling character, is now stuck peddling through storylines that do nothing to develop her character. I feel the same about Dr. Weber. And Dr. Shepard. Even Dr. Torres and Dr. Robbins, who aren't even original characters but have been on the show long enough to show just how tired these characters are. These once beloved characters have run out of juice, and as upset as I was about Sandra Oh's departure at first, I can understand her reasoning behind it and am actually glad she left before Cristina could meet the same fate.

The show has lost its share of great characters before--George, Izzie, Lexie, Mark, to name a few of my favorites who left too soon. With these losses, the show has added new characters. A natural next step, but when these characters are not as compelling as the ones we left behind, that becomes a problem. Take the new batch of interns we got at the beginning of Season 9. We as the audience had just lost Lexie Grey and were in the midst of losing Mark Sloan after Season 8's horrific plane crash, two amazing, beloved characters who were being traded for five unfortunately annoying characters that tried and failed to fill the void. This may sound harsh, but as hard as I tried to like these new interns, I couldn't. It didn't help that their characters felt like carbon copies of previous characters (Is it just me, or is Jo, Alex Karev's new soulmate, a little too much like his former soulmate Izzie Stevens?) whose sole purpose is to steal surgeries and sleep with their superiors. These are all things the show has done before, and done better with Meredith and Co. in earlier years. I get that Grey's was trying to make things interesting again with these new interns, but it was a move that made its increasing age even more apparent to the audience.

Some people may disagree with me, and that's fine. But, much like Sandra Oh just did, I am going to have to leave this show behind. For me, a story should only go on until it's complete, and I feel like Grey's story has been complete for some time now. Last week's finale would've been a perfect time to close the doors permanently--all the characters we've known and loved for 10 years going their separate ways after doing all they could do in Seattle. Yet the show will go on. I know I'm not a writer on the show; who am I to say that the story is complete? I put my faith in the people behind the words for so long, when a lot of other people had already abandoned ship. Of course I will be back for the series finale, whenever that may be. For now, though, I have signed my discharge papers and have said my goodbyes to Grey Sloan Memorial.

If any of you are fans of the show, do you feel the same? Or do you believe Grey's should continue on? Feel free to comment below, or let me know your thoughts on Twitter, @DustinVann.

Until next time,

Dustin

Reviews of FANGIRL and EVERY DAY

Hey, readers! It's been a bit--almost 2 months since my last post!--but I promise I wasn't neglecting this blog on purpose. And in my absence I got quite a few blog-related things done: I've read not one, but TWO awesome books that I'm recommending and reviewing here in this post!

First up is FANGIRL, by Rainbow Rowell.

This book came out last fall, but I didn't get my hands on it until this past January, and finished it mid-February. Since I'd loved ELEANOR & PARK, I felt like I would love this book. Hell, even if I hadn't liked E & P, I'm sure I would've loved this book anyway from its premise alone. FANGIRL follows Cath Avery, who is beginning her freshman year of college. Cath is an English major, wanting to be a writer, a career she's gotten a head start on thanks to her popular fan-fiction Carry On, Simon, based off the hugely popular Simon Snow series, which in FANGIRL's universe is the equivalent to Harry Potter. Cath also has a twin sister, Wren, who wishes to distance herself from Cath now that they're in college. The novel takes us through Cath's first year as she navigates the first stages of growing up, tackling everything from a snarky roommate, severe homesickness, and of course, first love.

I was barely twenty pages into the book when I knew that it would become one of my new favorites. I instantly related to Cath; her struggle with the transition from high school to college, her dreams of becoming a writer...I clicked with it all. This particular passage really struck me:

"Cath couldn't imagine having any sort of job or career. She'd majored in English, hoping that meant she could spend the next four years reading and writing. And maybe the next four years after that." (Words by Rainbow Rowell)

In three little sentences, Cath (and Rowell through Cath) accurately articulated my entire thought process when it comes to college. As an English major myself, and aspiring writer, I just totally connected with these words and Cath's state of mind. I've never quite clicked with a protagonist like I did with Cath, and for that to happen so early on in the novel is a testament to Rowell's talent for bringing truly relatable characters to the page.

There were just so many things I loved about this book: The realistic dialogue; Reagan, Cath's crass yet awesome roommate; Cath and Wren's loving but scatter-brained father. As I neared the end, I found myself slowing down just so I could stay with these characters for a bit longer. I'm a sucker for one-and-done novels, but then you read something like FANGIRL and selfishly want the story to continue. But I take comfort in knowing that I can always go back to Page 1 and enjoy this pretty-much-perfect book over and over again. I'm giving this one a solid A.

The next and most recent book I've completed reading is EVERY DAY by David Levithan.

First off, the book has a great premise: It follows A, who is neither boy nor girl but an essence--a soul, you could say--who every day inhabits the body of someone different. A lives this life passively until inhabiting the body of a boy named Justin. Justin has a girlfriend, Rhiannon, whom A falls irresistably in love with. The rest of the novel details A's determination to make love with Rhiannon a possibility, despite the fact that he/she's a different person every day.

But is he/she really? This is the idea the book explores, whether love for another person depends solely on the body they live in, or if it is really about the soul that inhabits the body. I really loved this complexity and how Levithan showed it through A's thoughts, feelings, and actions as he/she struggles to answer that very question.

Levithan more than lives up to his premise; the people that A inhabits each day are vastly different from whoever he/she inhabited the day before. One day, A is living the life of a popular black girl; the next day, an underage illegal immigrant; the next day, a teen going through drug withdrawals. Since we are in A's head but he/she is in a different body, we get an achingly real description of what it is like for A to intrude on these people's lives and try not to leave too much of his/her own mark, while he/she also struggles to maintain his/her own identity and his budding relationship with Rhiannon. I enjoyed experiencing A's journey through the diverse bodies he/she inhabited, and appreciated that each new life A took over had an already existing problem that further upped the stakes for A and Rhiannon's own relationship.

I had one minor issue with the novel, near the end. There was a twist or two involving a recurrent subplot in the book that I found to be very interesting, but it wasn't expanded on. Of course I understand why; this novel is first and foremost the love story between A and Rhiannon, and to not bring that to a proper resolution would've made a lot of readers (myself included) pretty upset. But the possibilities that come with the aforementioned twist had me hoping we'd see at least a preview of what's to come for A, as I don't believe Levithan is writing a sequel. If he chooses to do so, I would definitely give it a read. But on its own, EVERY DAY feels for the most part complete and satisfying. B+

Well, I hope enjoyed my mini-reviews! Hopefully they've interested you somewhat in picking up these two books, because they are both totally worth reading. I'll be back soon(ish) with another book review, but once school starts to settle down, I will definitely update more frequently!

Happy reading,

Dustin

My Final Thoughts on AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN (Mild Spoilers!)

Well, the inevitable has happened.

After 3 glorious months and 13 captivating hours of television, this season of AMERICAN HORROR STORY has come to an end. This year's incarnation, COVEN, was one that excited me from the get-go (see previous posts). I love the whole concept of witches, the South has always fascinated me, and of course the cast this year was stellar. As it was the previous two seasons, it's going to be a struggle to let go of this world and these characters--well, most of them--for good. But now that the doors to Miss Robichaux's School for Exceptional Young Ladies has closed for good, it's a great time for me as an avid fan to reflect on the season as a whole and share them with you.

As noted in the title, there are some mild spoilers, so if you haven't watched all of this season or plan to in the future, proceed with caution!!

Let me start off with "the bad". I put quotes around this subject because even what I thought was bad wasn't terrible. There were simply a few things I feel could've been handled better, or plot lines that I expected to go in different directions. First, the overarching plot as a whole. When the season first started, I got the impression that the main focus would be the Salem witches (Jessica Lange and her crew of misfits) versus the Voodoo witches (Queen Angela Bassett and Co.). After the first few episodes this proved not to be the case; without going into too much detail, the main storyline became the fight for the next Supreme in the coven. The Supreme, for those who don't know, is basically the HBIC of the entire coven, the most powerful witch and overall badass. When COVEN begins, Fiona (Jessica Lange) is the Supreme, and a nasty one at that. Most of the season focuses on her pursuit to weed out and kill her successor, so she can remain youthful and powerful. While I found this storyline interesting and Lange did an amazing job of portraying Fiona's desperation to remain Supreme, it wasn't the element I was expecting the show to most focus on. This may have made it not as appealing to watch unfold; while I was curious to see where the story would go and I thought the new Supreme was fitting from a character-development standpoint, it wasn't what I would've chosen to focus mainly on.

My other oppositions are pretty benign. I really wish we could've seen more magic! I get we don't need to see someone close a door with their mind or read someone's mind every two minutes, but I felt the magical element of the show was used a little too sparingly at times. These women are witches for crying out loud! Don't be afraid to show us!

There were also a few characters I didn't care for too much, mainly: Zoe and Kyle. I assumed Zoe (Taissa Farmiga) would be an important character when the season first started, since she was heavily featured in the commercials leading up to the premiere. I was even betting on her being one of my favorite characters. Nope! As the season progressed, so did Zoe's relevance (at least to me), and I soon became annoyed with her. The same goes for her "true love", Kyle (Evan Peters). I was initially excited for his Frankenstein storyline, but with the exception of the first few episodes, his character came to a complete creative standstill. I loved Evan and Taissa in the first season, back when we knew them as Tate and Violet, but this dynamic duo didn't do it for me this year. I wanted more from them, but I think the abundance of characters this year and lack of sufficient space to showcase them all equally was partly to blame for this creative hiccup.

Finally, I wish there had been more horror this year. The tone of COVEN was vastly different from the previous two years in that it was darkly comic. That isn't a bad thing, but when it gets too much in the way of the horror aspect one comes to expect of this show, it can be slightly frustrating. While there were some disturbing/gross/gory moments this year, I was never genuinely spooked like I've been before.

Okay, so now that I'm done griping....the good stuff!!

The characters and dialogue this year were on ANOTHER LEVEL. We got some amazing, rich characters such as Lange's Fiona and Kathy Bates' evil Madame LaLaurie, and some colorful surprises such as Madison (Emma Roberts), Queenie (the amazing Gabourey Sidibe), and Myrtle Snow (Frances Conroy).

OH. MY. GOD. MYRTLE. FREAKIN'. SNOW.

Guys, this character was amazing, and in a year of amazing characters and amazing one-liners, Myrtle might perhaps take the cake.

WE NOW INTERRUPT THIS POST FOR A VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM MYRTLE SNOW:

This woman is a trip, guys. Seriously. You may not know what she's talking about 95% of the time, but it's always gold.

Like I said before, COVEN was definitely more lighter in tone than years prior, and that showed through its illuminating characters and their snappy dialogue. I laughed and fell in love with these women more and more every week, thanks in part to the following (dare I say it?) iconic quotes from this year:

There are way more where those came from. In fact, go check out this link if sassy witches is your thing: http://www.buzzfeed.com/ariellecalderon/25-reasons-to-love-the-women-of-american-horror-story-coven

Overall, I did genuinely love COVEN. I have to say that ASYLUM still remains my ultimate favorite, but that's only by a slight margin and that's only if I had to choose one season to love more in some weird life-or-death situations. That's the beauty of this show: We get a new slate every year, a new story to follow, new characters to connect with, and more amazing moments to freak out/obsess over.

Okay, so maybe that last one only applies to me. But this show, particularly COVEN, was wicked fun and dammit, I'm going to miss these witches!

What did you all think of COVEN? Good? Bad? Any guesses for what's to come next year?

Until next time,

Dustin