Woo Woo by Ella Baxter

Monday, Jan. 20, 2025--San Antonio

I did not find Woo Woo by Ella Baxter to be an enjoyable novel to read.  It took me 2 weeks to get through about 225 pages!  Some aspects of it were interesting to consider.  Some were very confusing.  The central character is a performance artist.  She creates life-size puppet characters using silicone, fur, bones, fabric, etc., which she wears for live performances, for taking photographs, etc.  She also specializes in nude performances which are presented live in person or online and from which photographs are made to sell in the gallery that represents her art.  She has followers who wait for her next broadcast and comment online as the performance is occurring.  She suffers greatly from anxiety as scheduled shows at galleries approach.  The book covers a few weeks before her biggest gallery opening so far.  The stress and worry of this approaching event is depicted.  She "sees and communicates" with a fellow artist who is deceased.  She procrastinates as the gallery owner asks her to write the blurb to be put into the program describing her works to be exhibited.  There is a stalker outside the house--standing in the garden, passing notes under the door, etc.  But is he real or imaginary?  She expects more attention from her unbelievably tolerant husband, a chef working long hours in his highly rated restaurant, than he can possibly provide.  She worries constantly that the show will not be a success.  She enters periods of excessively wild online performances creating havoc and messes.  She needs constant assurance from others that she is a good artist.  And when the owner of the gallery that represents her gives her the big show she needs and wants, she wants to make the decisions about how to present the show rather than leaving them to the owner.  I am sure there are artists like this woman.  How people in her life put up with her for very long, I don't understand.  I would be running away from any kind of relationship with her.  She is too needy, too self-centered, too anxious, etc.  I gave the book 3 stars out of 5 because I am sure it is a fairly well written description of what some artists are like.

There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven by Ruben Reyes, Jr.

Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025--San Antonio

There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven by Ruben Reyes, Jr., is a collection of short stories.  The stories are related to the experiences of Central American immigrants who came to the United States.  Some are science fiction set in the future (involving Central American immigrants).  Some have a gay male Central American immigrant as the protagonist.  The final story is written in a style of giving the reader options of what he wants to happen from one stage of the story to the next and provides the opportunity for going back and making different decisions at different points.  (This choice technique worked particularly well when reading on a Kindle.)  The stories were interesting, but I did not find myself dwelling on them after they were read.  In fact, as I progressed through the book, I had difficulty remembering stories I had already finished.  I can recommend the book for being interesting, but not for being great.  I gave the book 3 1/2 stars out of 5.