The lumping together of Franzen and Smith makes a certain amount of sense when you consider when they became popular. The Corrections and White Teeth were published and hailed as literary achievements within about a year of each other. Franzen had been around for a while, but he truly arrived with The Corrections. …

Flynn is fantastic at that. She does it even better in Sharp Objects.

I totally agree with your assessment of Case Histories. I read it a while back expecting to love it, since I do enjoy reading mysteries. But I was ultimately disappointed, feeling no real investment in anything that went on in it. I read Life After Life not expecting much, given my previous disappointment, and…

I just finished Orange is the New Black. I went into it with low expectations after reading reviews from folks disappointed that it wasn't like the series. I wasn't disappointed.
I'm in the middle of Life After Life and really enjoying it so far. I'm making my way through the ToB shortlist, so I'll be moving onto…

I agree with all of this. I hope that the writers leave Ted and Barney where they are now, especially since it would overshadow the conflict between Ted and Robin that is to come. Robin doesn't know about Ted's move to Chicago and it's doubtful that she's going to take it well given her feelings about Lily's…

Hayden Panettiere is pretty much carrying Nashville on her tiny shoulders. I doubt she'll win, but she definitely earned her nomination. And this is coming from someone who thought she was terrible during the one season of Heroes I bothered to watch.