burning like matchsticks in the face of the darkness

The title story didn't do much for me, but the collection does improve.

The inside jacket flap quotes "What shall we do, all of us?  All of us passionate girls who fear crushing the boys we love with our mouths like caverns of teeth, our mushrooming brains, our watermelon hearts?"  This is from the story "Giant" (the second story in the collection), and that line really resonated with me -- made the eponymous transformation in that tale really connect with actual life.

The inside jacket flap proclaims, "What's real is what's imagined in nine tales of transformation by Francesca Lia Block," and I think the different tales have varying degrees of success in pulling off that idea.  I think "Body Art" is the best of the nine, both as a story on its own and as an example of that statement.

The first book FLB has written in a while with the characters she created in Dangerous Angels. And MML shelves it with the grownup books rather than YA.

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FLB has a new Weetzie Bat book out. I’ve been meaning to reread Dangerous Angels, so i added my name to the waitlist for Necklace of Kisses and will read them all in a chunk.

Danke to hedy for reminding me about Queer Soup.

Date: July 20th, 2005 (Wednesday)
Time: 7:30 PM
Event: Summer Simmer: Queer Soup's cooking up this latest endeavor "HOME" delves into a world of drag kings, transgenderism and religion (a world not unlike Boston). Lulu's ready to graduate from seminary following in her grandfather's footsteps when her world is shaken up by a death-bed revelation. Join us for a journey into four lives never allowed to leave the stage. Discussion and cookies to follow the reading.
Location: Boston Playwrights' Theater, 949 Commonwealth Ave, Boston
Price: Free

Gee, i guess i don’t need to ask my dad to tape The Inside since FOX is showing the 2-hour premiere of So You Think You Can Dance instead. Boo. [Edit: TVGuide has an episode listed for next Wednesday, though, which comforts me.]

The new Serenity trailer? Far too spoilery for my taste. Yeah i know i refused to see the first trailer, and i am still glad that i saw the images for the first time in the movie, but this trailer feels like it gives away too much, too many plot points, while the first one mostly just gave you a feel for what the movie would be like. Admittedly, i was absolutely gonna see the movie without need of any prompting from a trailer whereas people who aren't already Firefly fans would need additional prompting. Though i'm not sure how well either trailer works for selling the movie to people who don't already know the show. (And of course i think everyone should watch the series first and then watch the movie.) [Edit: Love this article pimping Firefly. link via justhuman]

Edit the umpteenth: *is jealous* (via wisdomeagle)

Joe’s reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and is so far away from the culture as to not know of the Americanisation brouhaha, though to my delight he said he actually consciously wondered whether the book had been Americanized.

He is also a darling and knows me so well. Excerpt from our AIM conversation last night:
[Joe]: btw -- do you like Gertrude Stein?
[Joe]: I know that's a loaded question
[Joe]: I probably should ask is there any GS that you like and if so, what is it