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jgarrigan

jgarrigan

Joined April 2016

Teen Librarian
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The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
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Jerusalem by Alan Moore
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jgarrigan
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Listened to the excellent audiobook of this collection. Four different readers tell Shirley Jackson's almost mundane horror stories.

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jgarrigan
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Georgia Peaches can be frustrating, as the main character makes unnecessary bad choice after unnecessary bad choice. But that's a fairly honest portrayal of teen behavior. It also feels like the type of book that could mean everything to the right reader picking it up at the right time. The subject of queerness and faith isn't one tackled that often, at least in a positive light, so the somewhat fluffy story feels revelatory rather than trite.

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jgarrigan
Big Kids | Michael DeForge
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Just as weird, if not even more so, as Michael DeForge's previous work (as Lego Wall-E here is proudly displaying). But also a very poignant story about growing up, losing and regaining your sense of identity, and how hurt can turn into a weapon.

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jgarrigan
Experimental Film | Gemma Files
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A slow burner for sure, but always with a hint (or more) of menace in the background. And with a great ending the pays off all the waiting.

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jgarrigan
Dare Me: A Novel | Megan Abbott
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Literary trash at its finest (and that's about the best complement possible from me, as I'm a connoisseur of good trash).

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jgarrigan
Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel | Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor
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Perhaps a bit weird for the sake of being weird at times, but that's kind of the point, so it's not a negative. And the book does turn that weirdness into a very entertaining metaphor for growing up and accepting change (without getting too obvious or preachy).

And always remember, talking to angels is illegal. Also, angels do not exist. DO NO TALK WITH THEM!

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jgarrigan
Geek Love | Katherine Dunn
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One of the greatest books I have ever read. More twisted than you could believe, but with more heart than you could imagine. The Binewskis will stay with me for a good long time.

4 likes1 stack add
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jgarrigan
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(Listened to audiobook) Fantastic narration in this golden age superhero creation story. The think I like the most about Chabon is that even though he's an "important" and "literary" author, he truly values pulp and trash as well, and that love shines through.

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jgarrigan
Limbo | Dan Watters
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Dayglo noir featuring an interesting mix of 80s technology, neon, voodoo, and Lovecraft.

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jgarrigan
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Poignant and funny stories from a great storyteller, with engrossing narration by the author. (Listened to audiobook)

4 likes1 stack add
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jgarrigan
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A fun memoir made better due to the great narration by the author. (Listened to audiobook)

4 likes1 stack add
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jgarrigan
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A heartbreaking book (that I realize I'm years late to the party on) about one autistic boy's quest to identify a dog murderer, regain his ideal home life, and get an A grade on his A-Level maths exam.

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jgarrigan
Going Bovine | Libba Bray
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Definitely Libba Bray's strangest book (which is saying something), but also her most heartfelt.

BekahB Libba Bray's books have been on my mind recently. I've only read Beauty Queens and I've been meaning to start The Diviners, but this one has always interested me. I may have to find a copy. 8y
1 like1 stack add1 comment
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jgarrigan
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Interesting memoir from NYTimes/Salon/etc. columnist D. Watkins about his time getting into and out of the drug game in East Baltimore. It ends too soon (I'd love more on his time at U of Baltimore), but what's here is fascinating.

1 stack add
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jgarrigan
The Girls: A Novel | Emma Cline
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Gave in and read The Girls because I knew everyone else was going to this summer, and I'm glad I did. It's a beautifully bittersweet story of longing, loss, and awakening.

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jgarrigan
Broken Monsters | Lauren Beukes
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A fascinating horror/crime mashup that juggles seemingly disparate plots (very well), before bashing them together in a very creepy way.

3 likes3 stack adds
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jgarrigan
Slayground | Donald E. Westlake
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One of the great crime stories, whether in book or graphic adaptation.

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jgarrigan
The Fireman | Joe Hill
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A very different book than Joe Hill's previous works, (in a genre I was initially unsure of after liking his more "magical" horror so much in the past), but with the same great character work that made NOS4A2, Locke and Key, and the rest the so enjoyable.

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jgarrigan
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Some of the best cartooning ever drawn.

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jgarrigan
Slayground: A Graphic Novel | Richard Stark, Darwyn Cooke
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Skipping number three for the time being.

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Parker: The Outfit | Donald E. Westlake, Darwyn Cooke
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Book number two!

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Parker: The Hunter | Donald E. Westlake, Darwyn Cooke
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The Darwyn Cooke reread has begun!

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jgarrigan
Camp Midnight | Jason Adam Katzenstein, Steven T Seagle
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Steven T. Seagle's return to comics is a great mix of his more adult comic work, with his kids TV stuff.

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Still the best.

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jgarrigan
Mr. Splitfoot | Samantha Hunt
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In the past, two adoptive siblings learn to channel the dead, and fall under the sway of a strange man. In the present, one of them reappears to take her niece on a cross state trek. How one story leads to the other is sad, dark, and unexpected.

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jgarrigan
Where the Bird Sings Best | Alejandro Jodorowsky
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Definitely a bit odd for the sake of being odd at points, but Jodorowsky's story of sex, family, and magical realism sucks you in.

1 like1 stack add
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jgarrigan
Stand-Off | Andrew Smith, Smith Andrew
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A sequel that doesn't need to exist, but that justifies it's existence by offering a moving view on depression and anxiety in the aftermath of the first book's tragedy.

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jgarrigan
Winger | Andrew Smith
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Heartbreaking coming of age story by one of the best YA authors working.

3 likes2 stack adds
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jgarrigan
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A huge improvement over the first Diviners book (which was already pretty good, if a bit of a let down after Beauty Queens). Creepy, fun, and full of Libba Bray's great dialogue.

1 like1 stack add
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jgarrigan
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Phenomenal genre allegory, using eldritch horror to examine America's history of racism.

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jgarrigan
Deadeye Dick: A Novel | Kurt Vonnegut
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Perhaps not Vonnegut's greatest (which would be Sirens of Titan), but even his "lesser" books are better than anything else.

Sweettartlaura Sirens of Titan is my favorite❤️ 7y
1 like1 comment
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jgarrigan
House of Leaves | Mark Z. Danielewski, Zampan
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One of the rare books I've read multiple times while attempting to decipher it's depths.

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jgarrigan
Dark Matter | Blake Crouch
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Super interesting follow up to the Wayward Pines trilogy. He takes a very similar plot synopsis, and spins it in a completely different direction.

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jgarrigan
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Realistic portrayal of a family coping with grief, crossed with hints of dark fantasy. A great follow up to last year's (also great) Head Full of Ghosts.

BekahB I really liked A Head Full of Ghosts. I'm looking forward to the release of this book! 8y
1 like2 stack adds1 comment