Logan > Recent Status Updates

The Angel Seems - 4.5 stars
A supposed angel promises to protect a village while simultaneously ruining their lives by taking human servants from the village. There were allusions to other mythology and folktales. Wrapped up well. Really enjoyed it.

Mount Chary Galore - 4 stars
An old woman makes magic liniment and three children are sent to spy on her. I enjoyed the story a lot but some of the details were icky.

The Blameless - 3.5 stars
A husband and wife witness the exorcism of a teenage girl. Creative and interesting, with an anticlimactic ending.

Word Doll - 5 stars
Oh I LOVED this. The author/narrator visits a barn that he’s passed every day for ages and learns about a local folk tradition that died in the early 20th century. Creepy, compelling, and had me on the edge of my seat.

The Wolf and the Wild - 4 stars
An ex-con is assigned to help give children tutoring. Heartwarming even though Wade isn’t the best person.

Wheelbarrow Kings - 2.5
Two addicts bring a huge tv to a pawn shop. The voices and characters were clear and the story was fine. Again, some aspects felt overdone and forced by the author.

My final update will be my full review of the collection!

The New Frontier - 3.5 stars
A man and his friend look for the friend’s step-sister. Another story of a woman used as a plot device unfortunately. But I enjoyed the story overall, although it was a bit predictable.

The Brakes - 2.5 stars
A continuation of Please. It was okay. The racism of the old racist lady was excessive to the point that it felt forced by the author.

Please - 2.5
A continuation of one of the characters in Can a Corn, but not the one I found interesting. Conveyed a decent amount through dialogue but I didn’t find it interesting

Don’t Eat Cat - 4 stars
Definitely one of the better ones. Solid world-building, the beginnings of a commentary on the rise of tech and society’s view on ill people and addicts. Kinda tired of Walter using women as plot devices tho

Virgo - 4.5 stars
Favorite so far. Loved the main character’s delusion and how the story was told. Voice felt strong; differed from the other stories’ characters in a way that made this one stand out.

Helpless Little Things - 2.75 stars
Story about a drug dealer. Found it tedious and boring in the beginning but interesting by the end. Characterization of the speaker felt inconsistent but I liked Julie a lot.

Thief - 2.5 stars
Wayne is an asshole and I know that’s the point, but the story just wasn’t interesting to me. Wayne’s motivations felt hollow. I liked the glimpses of his children being humanized for the reader.

Can a Corn - 3 stars
I’m noticing that Jess Walter reuses names. This was a short one that conveyed characterizations and character motivations well. It was fine

We Live in Water - 4 stars
Told from the two perspectives of a father in 1958 and his adult son in 1992. Compelling and atmospheric, though misogynistic (though I think that was the point? We’ll see if misogyny is a theme in his work or not). A case of a child reflecting the decisions of their parents.

Anything Helps - 2.5 stars
A homeless man tries to make enough money to prove himself by buying a Harry Potter book for his son. It was fine. I didn’t dislike it really but it was nothing spectacular.

Anything Helps - 2.5 stars

We Live in Water - 4 stars

Thief - 2.5 stars

Can a Corn - 3 stars

Comical from the beginning

reread because I can

I love Jay and Ellie’s friendship

One of my favorite books in middle school. I’m having fun heavily criticizing it as I read it now

Restarting this bc it’s been so long since I picked it up and I don’t really remember much of what happened

I by no means expected to hate this book, but I’m enjoying it a lot more than I expected. There’s still more than half the book left to change my mind but I actually really enjoy Ishmael. He really amuses me. There are definitely times when his narration is just excessive (ex: a whole chapter on the color white) but so far I find him endearing.