Entertainment

Posts about entertainment. Reviews and other fun stuff.

Book Review: Big Baby by Kevin James Thornton

/ Devon L. Miller / Leave a comment

Big Baby: On Endings, Beginnings, and an Interdimensional Cat

by Kevin James Thornton

Cover of Big Baby: On Endings, Beginnings, and an Interdimensional Cat by Kevin James Thornton

The algorithm introduced me to Kevin James Thornton when I started learning watercolor. His Create with Kevin videos brought me so much joy and confidence in a space that’s usually a cesspool (Facebook), that when I learned that he was also a comedian and had a book coming out, I had to click and see just what Big Baby: On Endings, Beginnings, and an Interdimensional Cat was all about. When I read the book description, I pre-ordered it. When it arrived, I bumped it up on my To Be Read list. I wondered how much my experience as a mixed-race Black girl trapped in white evangelicalism might have in common with experience of this gay, white man.

While some of the nuances of our situations are different (for example: he actively chose evangelicalism, whereas I was indoctrinated), I could easily identify with his experience.

I laughed out loud at the scene in the Photography section in Barnes & Noble and how I, too, would have felt scandalous looking at a book of Mapplethorpe’s photography, and the lengths I might have gone to hide it from a youth pastor.

I wondered if all of us who don’t fit in and feel a little different find the theatre? (Though I didn’t quite find my place in performance the way I’d once hoped, this book sparked memories of what the theatre once was to me.) And didn’t all of us from small towns and sheltered lives feel somewhat lost with the more sophisticated kids whose knowledge hadn’t been shaped by the Christian bookstore (and certainly not the Photography section at Barnes & Noble)? I recognized so many similar loves and hobbies, that I had the beautiful thought that maybe creativity is the thing that all of us misfits have in common. And as long as we’re creating, maybe we’ll all be okay.

And do we all have fabulous, interdimensional black cats?

This book is a light and easy read, deeply enjoyable and told with humor. I described it to a friend as: “Brain candy, but like, an organic ginger chew kind of candy. It’s tasty and spicy and fun but then your tummy actually feels better, and your tongue isn’t covered in some weird, corn syrupy paste, and you’re like, Oh snap! Is this candy good for me?” And I would say yes. Yes, it is, especially if you’re deconstructing.

And now, I’m back to the Create with Kevin videos. I can’t wait to see what Kevin creates next, and I’ll definitely have to catch one of his comedy shows the next time he’s in town.

Get a copy of Big Baby: On Endings, Beginnings, and an Interdimensional Cat by Kevin James Thornton (or request it at your local library).
Note: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase through this link.

I’m a Bookshop.org Affiliate

/ Devon L. Miller / Leave a comment

Technical Writer by day, Fiction Writer by night, Reader by any light

Image of a bookshelf
Technical Writer by day, Fiction Writer by night, Reader by any light.

Well, look at me, not disappearing for months!

I’m even here with an announcement: I am now a Bookshop.org Affiliate.

What does that mean? Simply put, any time someone buys a book from my storefront or using one of my affiliate links, I will make a commission. Learn more about the Bookshop.org Affiliate Program.

My storefront is still very much in work (although, given the nature of it, I’m sure it will always be under some kind of construction). I’m still not entirely sure what kinds of lists I want to curate or how to best use the platform, but I generally learn best by doing. So, here I am, doing the damn thing.

What that means for this space is more posts about books!

But first, a few notes (which apply only to this site):

  • I’m only interested in writing positive reviews. If I didn’t enjoy a book, then I won’t give it the energy of a review. If you’re reading about a book here, it’s because I got a lot from it and wanted to write about it.
  • As I’ve already promised elsewhere, absolutely no AI. I won’t review an AI “authored” book, nor will I use AI to help me write my post or review.
  • All posts including an affiliate link will include the affiliate program suggested disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

And with that out of the way, there’s nothing left to do except tell you to check out my Bookshop.org affiliate storefront while I go and read some books and write some reviews.

Maybe a Little Relaxation

/ Devon L. Miller / Leave a comment
Photo of a lit candle against a dark background.

Look, we’re living in stressful times. It doesn’t matter who you are. With issues like the economy, inflation, mass layoffs, mass shootings, political tensions, threats of war, and natural disasters linked to climate change (just to name a few), there’s a scary headline suited to your specific anxieties.

So, maybe a little relaxation?

I often have a hard time quieting my brain at night. When my daily work and fun is done and I’m supposed to be winding down, I’m just…not. Instead, I’m turning all of those worries and anxieties over and over in my brain. “Nothing to lose sleep over.” Oh, my friend! I can lose sleep over what I’m having for breakfast. And if it’s too late, I generally don’t take sleep medications because I don’t want to feel groggy from them in the morning.

I was discussing this with a friend who told me that she usually falls asleep to ASMR videos on YouTube, and I admit that I had to covertly Google “ASMR”. Wikipedia to the rescue:

“Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a tingling sensation that usually begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine. A pleasant form of paresthesia, it has been compared with auditory-tactile synesthesia and may overlap with frisson.”

Oh! Yeah! I know what that is! What I didn’t know until I went to YouTube and searched “ASMR videos” was that there are tons of content creators who specialize in making videos to tingle you into relaxation and help you fall asleep fast. I’ve got a few favorites that trigger tingles and relaxation, but I’ve found that when it comes to sleeping, videos mimicking the spa environment work best for me. My current go to is: The Healing Room ASMR. My eyelids usually get pretty heavy about 15 minutes into one of these videos.

In exploring ASMR for sleep, I stumbled into the world of sleep stories and guided meditations. I’ve also tried sleep hypnosis to try and maintain a sense of calm in the waking hours. I’m not always as successful with sleep stories and guided meditations because my mind is sometimes like a really loud beehive and it’s difficult to focus on the story/meditation. (When that’s the case, I relax with a quick ASMR first, and then move to stories/meditation.)  For sleep stories, I’m trying out MindRest. For guided meditations and sleep hypnosis, I like Michael Sealy.

Now that I’ve explored this stuff on YouTube and found that it actually helps and isn’t just techno snake oil, it may be time to try out the sleep apps.

If you have a favorite sleep app, feel free to drop it in the comments.

Book Review: The Werewolf’s Guide to Life: A Manual for the Newly Bitten

/ Devon L. Miller / 2 Comments

The Werewolf’s Guide to Life: A Manual for the Newly Bitten by Ritch Duncan and Bob Powers, with illustrations by Emily Flake, is easily the most fun book I’ve read in quite some time.  Written in the same spirit as The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead (by Max Brooks), The Werewolf’s Guide to Life is a tongue in cheek manual to help new lycanthropes (werewolves) survive their first few moons (transformations).

Not lacking in dark humor, the book addresses topics such as how lycanthropes should lock themselves away during their moons, what they should do if they get loose and turn or kill someone (because, let’s face it, it’s going to happen), and why lycanthrope suicide is not an option.

If you’ve ever sat and wondered, “Well what if…” when it comes to the life of a werewolf, this book will answer every question you’ve ever had and a few you probably didn’t in a way that will make you howl with laughter.

Yes, I know that last line was cheesy.  Feel free to have some wine with it.

While thoughtfully and thoroughly written, The Werewolf’s Guide to Life is a quick and easy read, perfect for your daily lunch breaks or a road trip (as the passenger, of course!).  I even enjoyed a few chapters before bed!

If you’ve read or are reading this book, feel free to add to this review in the comments.

Happy reading!