Looking back at my most recent reviews, it appears as though I’ve been giving the Extra Credit grade far more often than I’d have you all believe. I keep bragging about how it’s a “rare grade” and I thought to myself…maybe it shouldn’t be. Maybe I shouldn’t be so picky when it comes to grading things I love. From this day going forward, the terminology I use for each individual grade (Extra Credit, Pass, Mixed, Fail, and Zero Credit) will be replaced with letter grades instead (A, B, C, D, and F). The word “pass” doesn’t have the same definition for every reviewer. I used to use it to mean “you passed the class” whereas others use it to mean “I’m passing on your project”. Also, two stars doesn’t really come off as true failure. That’s all I have to say for now: five-star reviews will come more often and letter grades will replace outdated terminology.
Showing posts with label Mixed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mixed. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Sunday, June 28, 2020
"Gary the Four-Eyed Fairy and Other Stories" by Frank Mundo
BOOK TITLE: Gary the Four-Eyed Fairy and Other Stories
AUTHOR: Frank Mundo
YEAR: 2011
GENRE: Fictional Short Stories
SUBGENRE: Contemporary
GRADE: Mixed
Let’s talk for a minute about the writing style of this book. It is easy to digest, which means reading sessions will generally last longer for audience members who tire too quickly. However, there are times when the style is a little TOO easy to digest. If we’re talking actual digestion, I was hoping for the middle ground between tough dry meat and a breath strip. Unfortunately, I got the breath strip end of the spectrum. There are times where he tells instead of shows (especially in the opening story). There are fight scenes and other dramatic moments that go by too soon. Some of the language sounds like it’s objectifying women. And then we have the repetition. In case you didn’t know it, the little girl in the first story smells like bologna. Don’t believe me? The author will tell you a gazillion times. This could be a literary technique I’m not privy to, but Frank Mundo does this throughout the entire book and it’s more noticeable than Gary’s bruises in one of the later stories. Because of these elements in the writing style, stories that were supposed to be emotionally impactful came across dryly.
Awkward writing style aside, that doesn’t mean I couldn’t pick out favorites when it comes to entries in this collection. The second story, Remorse, has two different narratives going on at the same time and they’re both tragic in the way they end. One narrative is about a college student falsely accused of rape and the other is about a sickly grandmother who wants JT (the main character) to kill her and put her out of her misery. Remorse was painful to read about and I mean that in the good way. I consider it one of the best stories in this entire collection. But it’s not without its glaring problems, namely the way Frank Mundo handles the subject of rape accusations and the intricacies of consent. In his mind, if someone gets drunk on beer and has sex afterwards, all bets are off and there is no case. Not the most sensitive way to handle such a topic. While false rape accusations do happen (albeit rarely), it does make me wonder how Frank Mundo views women and it worries me. He even refers to the accuser by a particular below the belt body part. The story still hit me where it hurts given how both narrative threads ended, but still, it can also rub people the wrong way in a negative light.
A Friend in Need, on the other hand, was appropriately handled. It’s a story about a college kid trying to write a letter to the parents of his deceased roommate. What’s the catch? The deceased roommate, Walter Garcia, has a drawer full of child pornography. The main character has to carefully word his letter so that he doesn’t offend the parents while also not masking his own disgust with Walter. And because he’s writing the letter on an old-fashioned typewriter, he keeps throwing away the pages whenever he makes a mistake or hates his writing in general. This story is one example where the simplistic writing style doesn’t hamper the emotional impact of it all. Frank Mundo can get away with it this time around. Not all the time, but this time around. The simplistic style allows for a speedy narrative and that’s the kind of pace you want when talking about a guy who’s struggling with his racing thoughts. This story is another one of my favorites from the collection.
There are times when it’s hard to enjoy this book, but enjoy it I did. Throughout my reading journey, I kept asking myself what kind of grade I would give it. Would I fail it because of the haphazard writing style? Would I pass it based on the content alone? After wrestling with myself in a mat classic, I settled on three stars out of five. Not the worst, not the best. It’s simply just there. Having given this book a mixed grade, would I recommend it to other readers? I guess it depends on the reader in question. In general, though? That’s going to require some more self-wrestling.
AUTHOR: Frank Mundo
YEAR: 2011
GENRE: Fictional Short Stories
SUBGENRE: Contemporary
GRADE: Mixed
Let’s talk for a minute about the writing style of this book. It is easy to digest, which means reading sessions will generally last longer for audience members who tire too quickly. However, there are times when the style is a little TOO easy to digest. If we’re talking actual digestion, I was hoping for the middle ground between tough dry meat and a breath strip. Unfortunately, I got the breath strip end of the spectrum. There are times where he tells instead of shows (especially in the opening story). There are fight scenes and other dramatic moments that go by too soon. Some of the language sounds like it’s objectifying women. And then we have the repetition. In case you didn’t know it, the little girl in the first story smells like bologna. Don’t believe me? The author will tell you a gazillion times. This could be a literary technique I’m not privy to, but Frank Mundo does this throughout the entire book and it’s more noticeable than Gary’s bruises in one of the later stories. Because of these elements in the writing style, stories that were supposed to be emotionally impactful came across dryly.
Awkward writing style aside, that doesn’t mean I couldn’t pick out favorites when it comes to entries in this collection. The second story, Remorse, has two different narratives going on at the same time and they’re both tragic in the way they end. One narrative is about a college student falsely accused of rape and the other is about a sickly grandmother who wants JT (the main character) to kill her and put her out of her misery. Remorse was painful to read about and I mean that in the good way. I consider it one of the best stories in this entire collection. But it’s not without its glaring problems, namely the way Frank Mundo handles the subject of rape accusations and the intricacies of consent. In his mind, if someone gets drunk on beer and has sex afterwards, all bets are off and there is no case. Not the most sensitive way to handle such a topic. While false rape accusations do happen (albeit rarely), it does make me wonder how Frank Mundo views women and it worries me. He even refers to the accuser by a particular below the belt body part. The story still hit me where it hurts given how both narrative threads ended, but still, it can also rub people the wrong way in a negative light.
A Friend in Need, on the other hand, was appropriately handled. It’s a story about a college kid trying to write a letter to the parents of his deceased roommate. What’s the catch? The deceased roommate, Walter Garcia, has a drawer full of child pornography. The main character has to carefully word his letter so that he doesn’t offend the parents while also not masking his own disgust with Walter. And because he’s writing the letter on an old-fashioned typewriter, he keeps throwing away the pages whenever he makes a mistake or hates his writing in general. This story is one example where the simplistic writing style doesn’t hamper the emotional impact of it all. Frank Mundo can get away with it this time around. Not all the time, but this time around. The simplistic style allows for a speedy narrative and that’s the kind of pace you want when talking about a guy who’s struggling with his racing thoughts. This story is another one of my favorites from the collection.
There are times when it’s hard to enjoy this book, but enjoy it I did. Throughout my reading journey, I kept asking myself what kind of grade I would give it. Would I fail it because of the haphazard writing style? Would I pass it based on the content alone? After wrestling with myself in a mat classic, I settled on three stars out of five. Not the worst, not the best. It’s simply just there. Having given this book a mixed grade, would I recommend it to other readers? I guess it depends on the reader in question. In general, though? That’s going to require some more self-wrestling.
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
"This Is Me" by C.E. Wilson
BOOK TITLE: This Is Me
AUTHOR: C.E. Wilson
YEAR: 2016
GENRE: Fiction
SUBGENRE: Sci-Fi Romance
GRADE: Mixed
With all of the technological advances in this world, the
Asist robot is second to none when it comes to companionship and servitude.
Private school substitute teacher Chloe received one named Rogan for her
graduation present. The two are inseparable best friends and sometimes lovers,
which angers many of Chloe’s friends to the point of bigotry against these
robots. Chloe’s human boyfriend Niven is especially enraged and makes any
attempt he can to drive a wedge between her and the “fake” Rogan. Sooner or
later, Chloe will have to make a decision between her perfect robot and the
“real” Niven.
The major themes in this book are humankind’s relationship
with technology and ignorant bigotry against anything they don’t understand.
These themes are so perfectly interwoven that the novel could spark a debate in
today’s real world, especially with such a divided racial structure as we have
now. Asists are considered second class citizens because of their technological
makeup, but others, like Chloe, argue that they have feelings too. Over a
hundred years ago, white slave owners saw black people as less than dirt while
abolitionists argued that the slaves were just as real as any other human
being. There are also themes of ageism when it comes to young people being so
obsessed with technology that they’ll limit human contact on purpose. There are
all sorts of civil rights issues being dealt with in this novel. Maybe Chloe
should have double majored in music AND political science.
But never forget that this is a romance novel above all
else. In the case of Chloe, one of her main love interests is Niven Adams, a
rival substitute teacher who wants the same job she’s applying for. If Ms.
Wilson wanted to create a hate-worthy villain, she did an A+ job of it with
Niven. He’s bigoted against Asists, he’s arrogant, he’s obnoxious, his friends
are even more annoying, but his only redeeming quality seems to be that he’s a
good singer. Ted Nugent is probably a good singer too, but that doesn’t mean I
want to hang around him 24/7, especially after Mr. Nugent told Barack Obama to
“suck on [his] machinegun”. With all of these things working against Niven, it
makes me wonder why Chloe would ever be attracted to him in the first place. I
cringe every time she pushes Rogan away in favor of Niven. Rogan may be a
robot, but at least he’s sweeter than a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, which is
more than I’ll ever say about Niven. This is comparable to the movie Clerks
where Dante chooses the smoking hot cheater Caitlin over the loyal and
low-maintenance Veronica.
The final thing I want to touch on is the argument structure
between these characters. It seems to me that every time two characters want to
go back and forth with each other, they’re hesitant to get to the point and
they kill time with negative answers. Rogan is especially guilty of doing this
when he argues with Chloe. He’s overly apologetic and always at war with
himself, which I guess is appropriate for a robot whose sole purpose is to make
Chloe happy, but after a while, it wears on the reader. While Rogan is the
worst offender when it comes to filler dialogue, he’s hardly the only one who
does this. Niven, Monica, and Fitz also tiptoe around their respective
subjects.
The senseless arguments and Niven’s disgusting behavior both
make me want to give this book a mixed grade. But C.E. Wilson shouldn’t feel
too badly about it, because for every fault, there is a redeeming quality that
will convince you to buy this book. The romance is hot, Chloe is likeable, the
interactions between Fitz and his mini-Asist Bree are cute and cuddly, and of
course, my favorite part of the book has to be the civics debate going on as it
relates to racism and technophobia. Ms. Wilson has every right in the world to
be proud of her work. If she spends more time crafting her dialogue and sorting
out her characters’ priorities, then she can do great things in her next few
novels. A mixed grade is nothing to sneeze at.
Friday, December 19, 2014
Grading System
You all have probably noticed when I review something I give it a generic grade of either pass or fail. Over the time I’ve been giving reviews, things have gotten more complicated than that. It’s suddenly not as simple as a P or an F anymore. In fact, here’s my grading system in a nutshell:
1. Extra Credit: This is an extremely rare grade that I give to a medium that I not only liked, but thought it exceeded expectations. Whenever I watch something, I usually expect that it will be likeable. When I give something an EC grade, it really blew me away and changed me forever. The only movie to get this grade so far is The Lego Movie, because it gave me the creative fuel I needed to get out of a slump of depression.
2. Pass: This is the most common grade I’ve given any movie, TV show, match, or book. When I watch something, I want to enjoy it, so I don’t intentionally pick out flaws or even dig very deep to find them. An example of a UFC match with a passing grade is the 2013 Fight of the Year, Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez. It was exciting, just like a UFC match should be.
3. Mixed: This is exactly how it sounds. I liked whatever I was watching or reading, but not enough to give it a passing grade. I liked it despite the overwhelming number of flaws in the medium, and these are things that are obvious enough to even the most brain-dead viewers. The only movie to receive this grade so far is Dead Man Down, where the lack of screen time for Bad News Barrett and the unresolved and overwhelming bullying storyline prevent it from being a favorite.
4. Fail: I’ve watched the show or read the book all the way through and I hated it. Very rarely will I finish a book or show that I hate, but it does happen, more often with TV and movies than with books. The last time I gave a failing grade was when I was reviewing a UFC lightweight bout between Clay Guida and Gray Maynard. While Gray was swinging away, Clay was evasive and timid, which made a brutal brawl an impossibility between these two. Clay Guida almost got points taken away by referee Dan Miragliotta for being a cowardly fighter. Almost is not enough.
5. Did Not Finish: In other words, the medium was so bad that I couldn’t stand to see it all the way through without having my brain explode. Normally when I can’t finish a book, I put it down and that’s the last you’ll ever hear from me. No reviews, just a brief show of frustration in a few characters or less. An example of a book I would give a DNF grade to is “Fifty Shades Darker” by EL James. Christian Grey is an unbearable asshole who doesn’t deserve to have a girlfriend in the first place, and yet, Anastasia Steele is so love sick that she’ll shack up with anybody at this point whether they’re nice or mean.
Five different grades for my reviews. Good Reads ranks books on a five star system. Coincidence? Probably not.
1. Extra Credit: This is an extremely rare grade that I give to a medium that I not only liked, but thought it exceeded expectations. Whenever I watch something, I usually expect that it will be likeable. When I give something an EC grade, it really blew me away and changed me forever. The only movie to get this grade so far is The Lego Movie, because it gave me the creative fuel I needed to get out of a slump of depression.
2. Pass: This is the most common grade I’ve given any movie, TV show, match, or book. When I watch something, I want to enjoy it, so I don’t intentionally pick out flaws or even dig very deep to find them. An example of a UFC match with a passing grade is the 2013 Fight of the Year, Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez. It was exciting, just like a UFC match should be.
3. Mixed: This is exactly how it sounds. I liked whatever I was watching or reading, but not enough to give it a passing grade. I liked it despite the overwhelming number of flaws in the medium, and these are things that are obvious enough to even the most brain-dead viewers. The only movie to receive this grade so far is Dead Man Down, where the lack of screen time for Bad News Barrett and the unresolved and overwhelming bullying storyline prevent it from being a favorite.
4. Fail: I’ve watched the show or read the book all the way through and I hated it. Very rarely will I finish a book or show that I hate, but it does happen, more often with TV and movies than with books. The last time I gave a failing grade was when I was reviewing a UFC lightweight bout between Clay Guida and Gray Maynard. While Gray was swinging away, Clay was evasive and timid, which made a brutal brawl an impossibility between these two. Clay Guida almost got points taken away by referee Dan Miragliotta for being a cowardly fighter. Almost is not enough.
5. Did Not Finish: In other words, the medium was so bad that I couldn’t stand to see it all the way through without having my brain explode. Normally when I can’t finish a book, I put it down and that’s the last you’ll ever hear from me. No reviews, just a brief show of frustration in a few characters or less. An example of a book I would give a DNF grade to is “Fifty Shades Darker” by EL James. Christian Grey is an unbearable asshole who doesn’t deserve to have a girlfriend in the first place, and yet, Anastasia Steele is so love sick that she’ll shack up with anybody at this point whether they’re nice or mean.
Five different grades for my reviews. Good Reads ranks books on a five star system. Coincidence? Probably not.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)