This is how busy Andrea Rodgers is: Not only do I review the newish books that publishers send to us occasionally, but I also review the books she has had on her shelves and hasn’t managed to get to yet. Which is how I came to be reviewing Candace Bushnell’s novel, Lipstick Jungle, a year [...]

If you want a good basic understanding of the economic collapse, skip Wikipedia and read Tatiana Boncompagni’s  Hedge Fund Wives, where the novel is weak on emotional heft, it’s strong on research.
Boncompagni has worked as a journalist, and it shows. Hedge Fund Wives, her second published novel, is at times heavy on the “telling” and [...]

FTC note: Atria Books, a Simon & Schuster imprint, sent a copy of this book to AskMissA.com for review back in the spring.
Much to Your Chagrin: A Memoir of Embarrassment by Suzanne Guillette might be cursed. I found myself doing many embarrassing things while reading it; mostly embarrassments of agility, occasional embarrassments of judgment, and [...]

In celebration of Halloween, on Saturday evening I did the following: I settled into my lawn chair in front of my apartment building; flipped on the porch light; played Harry and the Potters through my iPod speakers; put a basket of Butterfingers by my feet; drank several glasses of apple cider; passed out candy to adorable toddlers in [...]

I’ve been reading a lot about experimental digital fiction in the past few years, and I have dug in my heels, and refused to consider the form. Fiction belongs in books, with paper pages and corners for dog-earring, and broken spines and the capactiy for being thrown across the room in disgust. I didn’t want to read [...]

 
 
An old friend and movie addict has just moved in to town. We both love Vince Vaughn, and I wanted some laughs, so we saw Couples Retreat.

It was very predictable, and the laughs were cheap. A lot of the jokes dragged on for way too long. (I had to wonder if an SNL writer were [...]

 
If September has you feeling nostalgic for college, or you’re just in the mood for great vocals, head to The Birchmere on Friday, September 25 at 7:30. The Harmony Invitational is hosting Boston’s Ball in the House, NYC’s Blue Jupiter, DC’s Cartoon Johnny, and Pittsburgh’s DoubleShot! for a night of award-winning a cappella. Each of [...]

 
The economy stinks, and conspicuous consumption is out. While the stock market has done very little to affect me personally, a girl has to make cuts where she can, and I have reduced my cinema attendance drastically. Thank god for Netflix. $10 a month gets me one DVD at a time, and unlimited access to [...]

If I’m going to ask you to read my column, I should probably tell you where I’m coming from. The following music strongly influenced me as a music fan. It is not universal–I know, it’s criminal that I don’t listen to more Dylan. I’d love to hear about your music; bands you first loved, solo artists that you pretended [...]

With all due respect and affection to my esteemed colleague and dear friend Guy Friday, he’s out of his head! I take serious issue with his claim that people who don’t like Lady Gaga don’t know enough about her. I read her Wikipedia page months ago.I still don’t like her. Do I find her music [...]