Just Words

Moving!

2010-01-05T07:11:00.000-08:00

I've moved! I had too many blogs going. I now blog about all types of media in one place:

Mediaphile

Come say hi!

Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion

2009-10-19T19:49:00.000-07:00

Joan Didion's Slouching Towards Bethlehem is a masterful collection of articles and essays. This slim volume is essential reading for anyone that wants a better understanding of late-60s America.

The book starts with magazine articles ranging in topic from a murder case to Joan Baez's school for teaching nonviolence. The events and settings are all there, but so is a human element. Baez is not just a naive hippie, she is a victim of her ability to see the world like a child.

Personal essays follow the articles, and surpass them in quality. Didion explores the attitude of exclusion prevelant in the Sacremento Valley of the 1960s. She also writes beautifully about her eight years in New York.

My favorite essay is entitled "On Self-Respect." The piece is short, but powerful.

The book's centerpiece is the title article. "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" is easily the best article about the hippie movement I have ever read. The hippie lifestyle is not demonized, but it's not glorified, either. Through interviews, Didion shows that many hippies were just lost kids, and had no idea that they had started something that had political undertones.

Didion's attitude towards her subjects is one of respect, which ends up getting her more access. She says a little about this access in the preface: "My only advantage as a reporter is that I am so physically small, so temperamentally unobtrusive, and so neurotically inarticulate that people tend to forget that my presence runs counter to their best interests."

Christine Falls by Benjamin Black

2009-09-17T12:06:00.000-07:00

Crime noir is a genre I'm not too familiar with. But when I heard that John Banville, an author whose work I admire, had written a noir novel under the name Benjamin Black, I knew I had to read it.

Christine Falls opens with Quirke, a pathologist, noticing that his brother-in-law, Mal, a doctor at the same hospital, has been altering the records of one of the dead. The corpse in question? Christine Falls, of course.

Quirke feels the need to investigate. This leads to murder, family drama, and a conspiracy far bigger than either doctor. So, it's your average detective story.

While I found the plot intriguing, I did have one major complaint about the novel: Either Banville was trying too hard to make the work "literary," or his habits from his "important" works seeped into Christine Falls. There is plenty of suspense in the novel, but when the reader has to stop and look up a word, it really slows things down. I had to do this on a few occasions, and I'd like to think I'm no slouch in the vocabulary department.

I didn't love this book, but I like it enough that I will probably read its sequel, which has already been released. Give it a shot if you enjoy reading crime stories.

Everything Matters! by Ron Currie, Jr.

2009-06-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

Junior knows that the world is going to end. Not only that. He knows exactly when and how. The voices in his head told him before he was born.

This is the premise of Mr. Currie's novel. With the knowledge he has, how will Junior live his life?

Currie does a masterful job in making the voices in Junior's head a character in themselves. They want to see him do the right things, but they refuse to intervene when he makes poor decisions.

Junior is an Everyman character with knowledge that no one should have to bear. Currie's writing makes the novel a joy to read, through all his good(and not-so-good) decisions.

The Better of McSweeney's Volume One

2009-06-13T17:21:00.000-07:00

McSweeney's began my interest in literary journals about five years ago. Even though I'd never read an issue, the fact that Dave Eggers' name was attached caught my attention.

And now, five years later, I still hadn't read an issue. Not for lack of interest, but because, as I've mentioned before, literary journals have a tendency to be expensive.

That's what makes The Better of McSweeney's great and horrible. I get to read some great stories from the first ten issues of McSweeney's, which is awesome. But I really want to subscribe now, and I can't afford to.

The stories were worth a little lamenting about being poor. From the opener, "The Ceiling," by Kevin Brockmeier, a Twilight Zone-like story about love and the sky falling, to "Tedford and the Megalodon," by Jim Shepard, the story of a man seeking the unknown, these stories are consistently fantastic.

Other highlights include "The Bees" by Dan Chaon, one of the most frightening stories I've ever read, and "Three Meditations on Death" by William T. Vollmann.

Before the stories start, there are letters to the editor from the first ten issues. They are a fun read, even if I did find myself getting impatient for the stories to start.

Ideas of Heaven by Joan Silber

2009-06-06T18:35:00.000-07:00

This book is dubbed a "ring of stories." On one level, characters and places link the stories to each other. But more importantly, the themes of love and faith run throughout the book.

All of the stories are told in the first person, and the narrators tell stories of love they have found and lost. Faith, religious and otherwise, go right along with these loves.

The stories range from one about a woman that wants to dance on Broadway to a family of missionaries in China being threatened by local politics.

This is a quick read. It's well-written. Don't find myself wanting to heap praise upon it, but Silber is a good writer.

The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard

2009-05-31T19:16:00.000-07:00

If I could rate this book based solely on Hazzard's gift for description, it would be among my favorite books.

But there is a story, too. A really boring story.

Leith, travelling Asia after a stint in the Second World War, falls in love with Helen, a seventeen-year-old. They are separated when he has to go back to England and she is taken by her parents to New Zealand. They write letters to each other.

Hazzard does write beautiful descriptions of the world just after the war. Shell-shocked, licking its wounds. I often forgot about the story entirely and revelled in the beautiful sentences.

But the story is boring. We find out little about Helen except that she is "the girl." I didn't really care throughout whether or not they were reunited.

My last complaint: Everyone talks like an academic trying to show off. Not sure one piece of dialogue rang true.

I think Hazzard should take up travel writing, if she hasn't already.

Varieties of Disturbance by Lydia Davis

2009-05-25T09:15:00.000-07:00

You know when a band releases an album of "b-sides and rarities?" And all but maybe one or two tracks feel like they just weren't good enough to make the cut? That's what this book felt like to me.

This is the first of Davis' work I've read. I don't know if these stories reflect her normal writing style or not. But to be honest, most of these stories felt like blog entries to me. A quick laugh with my morning coffee, sure, but nothing I want to read 40 of in a row.

The stories that didn't feel like blogs felt like writing exercises. Written by someone with talent, sure. But exercises all the same.

The one time Davis breaks through to something meaningful is when she writes about death. The death of both a mother and a father are written about very effectively.

Like a b-sides album, there are a couple of things in this book I'd put on a "mix tape." But for the most part, it left me cold.

Animal's People by Indra Sinha

2009-05-21T17:33:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I read a book that catches me off guard. Plot devices don't do it for me anymore. Neither does an interesting writing style.

Animal's People is one of the most crushing tales of human despair that I have ever read, both on an individual and a larger scale.

Animal was once a normal boy. But after being exposed to poisons on "that night," along with many others in his town of Khaufpur, his body revolts. His spine twists, and now, at nineteen, he walks on all fours.

Animal is hilarious. The giant asshole that is just too funny to ignore. As the book progresses, more facets of his personality come to the forefront.

It has been 20 years, and the company that caused "that night" has still not been punished. Zafar, the town's loudest activist, won't rest until they have. He and Animal become friends, and rivals for love(in Animal's eyes).

There is so much suffering here. But hope, too. Luckily, Sinha doesn't make any of it feel forced.

This is a great book.

The Best of Tin House:Stories

2009-05-13T18:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a confession I'm not proud of: I rarely read literary journals. I know, I know, that's the place to find new talents, as well as see established ones flex their muscles.

It's just, I already read so much. And those journals have a tendency to be expensive.

Lucky for me, Tin House collected some of the best stories from its pages. Really lucky for me. These stories range from good to fantastic. It'd be hard to pick a favorite, but one of the last ones in the book really got me. "The Way the Sky Changed" by Amanda Eyre Ward is a heartbreaking story of being widowed by 9/11.

Don't worry. They aren't all politically themed. Far from it. There's love as thesis defense, taking bong hits in sheds, and having a tiny man as a pet.

If these stories really are a slice of what's happening in literature today, I'm pretty optimistic about what's happening.

Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski

2009-04-28T19:10:00.000-07:00

How do anthropologists deal with spending years immersing themselves in another culture?

This question lies at the heart of Fieldwork, an intriguing mystery set in northern Thailand.

When Mischa Berlinski(yes, he inserts himself in the story for no apparent reason, my only complaint) hears about an anthropologist that is in prison for killing a missionary, he is interested. And the fact that she recently killed herself in prison, after being there 15 years, makes him want to know her story.

Berlinski sets out to find out what happened. In looking for answers, he finds more questions, from the Walkers, a missionary family, from correspondence the missionary had, and from the Dyalo people themselves, who the anthropologist was studying.

This is a fast-paced brain teaser of a book. Berlinski weaves the plot beautifully. The humor throughout doesn't let on that the book will end with the emotional heft that it does. I enjoyed this book thoroughly.

The Best American Short Stories 1984 ed. John Updike

2009-04-21T19:23:00.000-07:00

For the life of me, I cannot find a picture of this book online. Doesn't the internet know that I need a picture for my blog?

Anyway. We all know the series, and I decided to get the oldest edition my library had. Turns out they were even writing good stories twenty-five years ago!

I was concerned at first. The first few stories didn't do much for me. Had I stumbled into a time period when stories were boring?

It was a silly fear. "Gent" by Rick DeMarinis renewed my faith. It is the story of a woman settling with a man for financial reasons, but not dead to the rest of the world's men.

From there, we move on to my favorite, "A Father's Story" by Andre Dubus. Wow, can that guy write. I know that's old news, but I was floored.

Not every story was great, but all were good. My other favorite was "Rosa" by Cynthia Ozick. Best Holocaust-related story I've read in years.

And we end with "Caddie's Day" by Jeanne Schinto, easily the scariest story about caddies that I've ever read.

All in all, another solid entry in the series. It's nice to know that it's always been this good.

On a side note: I love reading the introductions to anthologies. Like faith, it is something I can't explain. Thing is, I couldn't finish Updike's in this book. Bored me to tears. My faith is rattled, but not broken.

Founding Brothers by Joseph J. Ellis

2009-03-21T09:50:00.000-07:00

Founding Brothers starts out with the duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. What is focused on is the abundance of ways of looking at that day: Burr showing himself a bad person, Hamilton not making his intentions to not hurt Burr known, a shot by Burr meant to wound being slightly off and killing Hamilton.

Ellis' book is about the personalities of the men that shaped the United States during and directly after the American Revolution.

They disagree. They stab each other in the back. They reconcile. They do act more like brothers than they do the demigods we are taught to believe they are.

Washington gets called senile for taking strategic risks. Jefferson is so caught up in his ideals that he will lie to himself to uphold them. John Adams takes years to reconcile the fact that Jefferson's version of history is more suited to the history books than his own.

Founding Brothers is an illuminating book that should be on all U.S. History class reading lists.

The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier

2009-03-12T21:49:00.000-07:00

What happens to us after we die? Brockmeier's novel supposes that we are transported to a city much like the ones we live in on Earth. When no one left on Earth remembers you, you disappear. Its inhabitants' lives make up much of the book.

Meanwhile, on Earth, a plague has hit, killing millions. As a result, Laura Byrd is trapped in Antarctica. Her research trip for Coca-Cola is lengthened indefinitely when the plague gets to her companions.

The Brief History of the Dead is a fast, entertaining read. There were a few things that bothered me(the plague's source, for one), but overall, I enjoyed it. 3.5 of 5 stars.

War Trash by Ha Jin

2009-02-28T18:47:00.000-08:00

It's always a disappointment to be more interested in a book's subject matter than its story.

War Trash is about a Chinese soldier that is captured by the Americans during the Korean War. Written as a fictional memoir, it chronicles his time in the POW camps.

I liked the book when it touched on the protagonist's disagreeing with Communist doctrine, but pretending to be on board with it so he could get home to see his family. Problem is, that doesn't make up a lot of the book.

War Trash reads like it is more about getting from A to B than what was going on in between. Many, many events at the camps are touched on, but nothing more is being said than "this is what happened."

I'll go ahead and say this was a good read. Jin kept me reading until the end. But that's about it.

The Safety of Objects by A.M. Homes

2009-02-18T17:48:00.000-08:00

Suburban life can get pretty stifling at times. This book of short stories examines what can happen when that stifled feeling pushes people to the breaking point.

While the stories at times veer off into shock for its own sake, Homes lends enough humor and emotion to them to keep things interesting.

If I have one complaint, it's that I've read so many "suburban life makes people crazy" stories that they don't seem as fresh as they used to. The book was written in the mid-90s, so Homes can't be faulted.

A note: the Barbie story is really disturbing.

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

2009-02-17T18:07:00.000-08:00

So, the devil takes on human form. And an author loses his true love. And Jesus and Pontius Pilate meet for the first time.

Sounds like a lot for one book, doesn't it? It is. But Bulgakov tells all three stories in The Master and Margarita. On top of all that, the book is a satire of Russian life in the 1930s.

Woland the magician books a show at a theatre, where he and his cronies(one a human-sized talking cat), give away money and clothes, which end up being worthless. Turns out Woland is Satan.

You know, the plot of this novel alone could take up another page. Let's talk about the bottom line:

Bulgakov wrote a hell of a satire(no pun intended). It was a thoroughly enjoyable read. The only points I deduct are not the book's fault. Since I'm not living in 1930s Russia, a lot went over my head. References I didn't understand and the like. But it was written well enough to make me want to learn about these things.

The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan

2009-02-14T17:58:00.000-08:00

In the late 1920s, millions of acres of land in the Great Plains were torn up to plant wheat. The problem was, the land was not made for that kind of planting. As a result, the 1930s became a nightmare of dust storms that would bury cars and created enough static electricity to make human contact painful.

The Worst Hard Time is Egan's account of the the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. With all of the plains' grass plowed up, there was nothing to hold the land down. So when the winds came up, they took the land with them.

Using interviews with and documentation written by the people that stayed on the plains through the '30s, Egan is able to show readers the disaster as a whole and the toll it took on individuals.

This is a fantastic book. It is hard to read at times, but it sheds light on a part of American history that is often forgotten.

An American Requiem:God, My Father, and the War That Came Between Us by James Carroll

2009-02-09T19:26:00.000-08:00

James Carroll has had a life worthy of an autobiography. His father was in the upper echelons of American intelligence during the Vietnam War. James protested that war.

Then we bring in their Catholicism. James became a priest. He preached peace, and organized protests through his congregation. After the war, he left the church.

At the heart of Carroll's story is his relationship with his father. As a child, he idolized the three-star general. But as he learned about the government's practices during the war, and his father's part in them, the relationship soured.

What makes this book worth reading is Carroll's honesty:about his faults, his youthful misconceptions, and his desires. Readers can tell that he went as far as he had to in order to tell the story, regardless of how painful it might be.

Final Salute by Jim Sheeler

2009-02-07T13:46:00.000-08:00

I pick what books to read at random from a list I made(really random; I use a random number generator). When I got this book, another one dealing with the Iraq War, I was worried that it would leave me feeling fatigued by rhetoric.

It did leave me fatigued, but by the amount of emotion present. There is virtually no rhetoric to be found. Sheeler was allowed to follow Major Steve Beck as he informed families of their loved ones' deaths in the war. Afterward, he followed Beck and the families for two years, documenting their grieving process and how they were helped through it by the Marines.

"Document" is the operative word. Sheeler writes what he sees. There is enough weight there. He doesn't have to proselytize or explain. Although the controversy over the war comes up, it is always secondary to the fallen soldiers and their families.

This was a good, quick read. However, I don't recommend it to those who have loved ones fighting overseas. For me, it was moving, but for them, I think it would be too much.

The Best American Magazine Writing of 2008

2009-02-05T17:20:00.000-08:00

After having read two years of this anthology, I have resolved that it will be something I pick up every year. I don't read many magazines, so I miss the good articles that get lumped in with the celebrity gossip.

This year starts off with Vanessa Grigoriadis' article "Everybody Sucks," a hilarious and dead-on examination of Gawker and snark culture.

From there, the articles, while still very well written, often share a common theme:the war in Iraq. Is it unpatriotic to say that I'm tired of hearing about it? I don't think so. It's similar to the feeling that comes after hearing a coworker talk incessantly about a relative's cancer. These articles are important. I'm glad I read them. I just wish they didn't have to be written.

Of the Iraq articles, I think I like "Casualties of War" by Steve Oney the most. It's the profile of a boy that had a rough adolescence, got his act together, and was killed by a sniper. A downer, but Oney paints a vivid picture of the young man's turnaround.

My overall favorite was Jeanne Marie Laskas' "Underworld," in which she goes to work with a group of coalminers. It is a fantastic look at the environment and what it does to the people working in it.

Like all anthologies, this book has its ups and downs. But it's worth a read.

2666 by Roberto Bolano

2009-01-29T16:40:00.000-08:00

First thing's first: I apologize for not having the proper accents in this post.

2666 is a huge novel in every respect. It's almost 900 pages, but that's not what makes it so big. Bolano's ambition takes care of that. He takes on love, sex, violence, being a writer, war and academia in the book.

Bolano knew he was close to death when he started 2666, and he set out to write his masterpiece. I'd have to say that he came pretty close.

The story gravitates on Santa Teresa, Mexico, a fictitious town that Bolano based on Juarez. In Santa Teresa, as in Juarez, women have been showing up raped and murdered since 1993.

Although much of the story revolves around Santa Teresa, I hesitate to say that the murder's are what the story is about. There is so much here. Yet it never seems forced.

This is a novel of ideas. No one could accuse Bolano of taking it easy on his readers. But reading it is never a chore.

If anything, I feel a bit unqualified to review this after only one reading. I kind of want to start a second reading right now.

The Little Girl and the Cigarette by Benoit Duteurtre

2009-01-15T16:16:00.000-08:00

A man condemned to die is guaranteed one last cigarette by law, but the law also states that there is no smoking in prison.

A man smoking in the bathroom stall at work is barged in on by a little girl. She later accuses him of touching her inappropriately.

A group of terrorists forces their hostages to compete in Martyr Idol to see who will die.

These are the threads of The Little Girl and the Cigarette.

At first, it seems to be lightly poking fun at stupidity in modern life. Half of the city's administration building has been turned into a daycare center. And Martyr Idol, if written with kid gloves, would just be a silly idea.

But Duteutre wants shudders just as much(if not more) than laughs. The first indication is the charge of sexual molestation. And things only get uglier from there.

The Little Girl and the Cigarette is often funny and sometimes brutal. It's pretty good, but the balance isn't quite right for it to be a great novel.

A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs

2009-01-14T07:43:00.000-08:00

If there's one thing I've always liked about Augusten Burroughs' books, it was how funny they were. Running With Scissors is a hilarious account of his living with the family psychiatrist. Dry, while a bit more serious, is still a very funny book. And his last two books of essays were a riot.

Imagine my surprise reading A Wolf at the Table. Far from humorous, this book is terrifying.

Burroughs' father, as told by this memoir, was a sociopath. No emotion. Everything he did was to get what he wanted, or to play sick mind games with his family.

At first, he just seems distant. But as the story progresses, his motives get darker.

Sitting in the dark, laughing at nothing. Burroughs' mother confesses that he said he'd kill himself if she didn't marry him, and she believed him, so she did.

Because so much of this book relies on the narrative, I won't give anything else away.

I listened to the audiobook. The sound effects and music are a bit distracting at first, but as I got used to them, they gave the story the feel of a campfire ghost story.

A Wolf at the Table is truly scary. Burroughs' humor is nowhere to be found. But it is well worth a read, especially if you're interested in the effects of childhood on our lives.

Maximum City:Bombay Lost and Found by Suketu Mehta

2009-01-11T14:33:00.000-08:00

Suketu Mehta lived in Bombay for about a decade as a child. In the late nineties, he returned to Bombay(now Mumbai) to show his child Indian culture. While he was there, he did some reporting on the city.

This is the basic premise of Maximum City, but it doesn't do the book justice. Mehta explores the criminal underworld, the bar girls(strippers that don't strip) and Bollywood trying to mimic the city he remembers from his childhood. It is a book of gutsy journalism. Mehta goes where he needs to go to get the story. He interviews hitmen, cops, bar girls with multiple suicide attempts and gang leaders.

If you're thinking about traveling to India, hold off on this one. This is no travel book.

On the other hand, if you want a picture of what makes things tick in one of the world's most populous cities, this is a must. I had trouble putting it down, and scenes stayed with me for days.

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

2009-01-06T11:32:00.000-08:00

The Year of Magical Thinking is Joan Didion's attempt to look at her mourning through a journalist's eyes. She wrote it about a year after her husband died of a massive heart attack. At the same time, her daughter was in the hospital with a life-threatening case of pneumonia.

Didion does her best not to fall in to schlock, and, for the most part, she succeeds. She treats the psychosis that comes along with mourning as a subject for a piece. When one memory turns into a string of memories about her dead husband, she follows it. These memories make up a large portion of the book.

Another phenomenon she focuses on is the replaying of memories to come up with a better result. While she can't help herself, she recognizes this as the very definition of insanity.

When Didion was a child, her parents told her that when she had a problem, to "go to the literature," and she does. From Sir Gawain to medical journals, she studies death and mourning.

I made the mistake of listening to the audio version of this book. A mistake because the narrator sighs and sounds choked up when the reader should be inferring these things from the facts presented. It was like hearing a muted trumpet solo on a kazoo. I would have enjoyed this book more had I read the text.

The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and The Rise of Modern Finance by Ron Chernow

2009-01-02T13:45:00.000-08:00

One of my goals for 2009 is to learn more history. It's a part of my learning that feels too blank for my comfort. High finance was definitely something I didn't know much about, so I picked up this behemoth at the library.

I was worried. Could I make it through 700 pages of financial history?

Luckily, Chernow often focuses on the characters in the House of Morgan, especially in the first half of the book. There's Pierpont Morgan, one of the most powerful men on Earth in his day. But he suffered from depression, and only stayed in banking because he felt he owed it to his clients. And Tom Lamont, who, after having given loans to Italy, tried to make Mousellini look better in the U.S.

In the second half of the book, as anonymity becomes a big part of banking, the characters disappear, and the book gets less interesting. To be honest, I skimmed the last 20 or so pages.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in history. The Morgan banks propped up companies and countries in their times of need. Without them, the world's history would have been much different.

It goes without saying that if you're into financial history, this recommendation is doubled.

The House of Morgan is a well-written document of the Morgan institutions going from their clients' best friends to a new age in banking, when they would pit one client againt another in hostile takeovers.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

2009-01-01T09:51:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what possessed me to read this. Maybe it was that end of the year "I need direction in my life" feeling. It may be the first time I've ever read a book that shows up on the self-help bestseller list.

More likely, it's the back story. Pausch, a long-time professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon, had been given 3-6 months to live due to terminal cancer, when he gave one last lecture. This book is about that lecture, and his life. I figured it might be interesting.

What to say? The book is a list of bullet points with life lessons. "Be good to people." "Follow your dreams." "Don't let failure stop you." Good advice, but nothing I didn't already know. The Last Lecture is a perfectly nice book. And while "nice" is something I look for in flight attendants, it makes for a rather boring book.

The twist is, he seems to be writing to his young children, who he won't be able to teach these lessons. And I can't help but wonder if he published it to help his family with money after he was gone. I think his intentions were perfectly noble.

The Last Lecture reads like a way for Pausch to help his family. But it's a little bit boring for the rest of us.

When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris

2008-12-28T12:05:00.000-08:00

Sedaris has mortality on his mind. From a foul-mouthed neighbor that passed away, to the skeleton he bought his boyfriend, to quitting smoking, death comes up a lot in When You Are Engulfed in Flames.

Luckily, Sedaris writes well enough that the topic rarely gets boring. I found myself laughing like an idiot on more than one occasion.

Each of the essays in this book, whether about his family or living in Japan for three months, is funny enough and smart enough to make for great reading.

If you didn't like his previous books, you won't like this one. But if you find his neuroses hilarious, and his observations right on target, you'll love it.

Most important lesson I learned: Don't take a test in a foreign language less than aweek after you've quit smoking.

Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield

2008-12-22T11:50:00.000-08:00

This one was "baby's first audiobook." Like so many literature snobs before me, I always whined that audiobooks took something away from the reading experience. Pretty stupid, I know.

Love is a Mix Tape is Sheffield's story of finding his perfect girl, only to become a young widower. He breaks it up into sections based on mix tapes he found in boxes.

The idea of breaking parts of one's life into the music you were listening to seems perfect to me. We all do it, don't we?

At times, this book is devastating. When Rob talks of how much he misses Renee, it just hurts. Especially after he tells us about all the little quirks that made him love her.

This is not to say that it doesn't have its funny parts to break the tension. Apparently, every girl he's ever loved has been part of a fantasy where the two of them are a synth-pop duo.

Occasionally, Sheffield's tangents and hyperbole regarding music are a little annoying. But they're authentic. Who hasn't thought of their favorite bands as gods at one time or another.

Grief can be really boring. For the most part, the author keeps things from sliding into a "woe-is-me" bitchfest, but occasionally it gets a little wearing. But, like the hyperbole, it's authentic.

Overall, this is a memoir that rings true, even when it gets a little bit monotonous.

Early Short Stories:1883-1888 by Anton Chekhov

2008-12-16T18:50:00.000-08:00

The first few stories of this collection, the earliest written, left me wanting more. This Chekhov guy obviously had some talent, and he described life in late-1800s Russia very well. But they didn't really feel like stories, as much as sketches.

Turns out, that's pretty much what they were. He was just getting warmed up. By the time I got to "The Steppe," a story released in 1888, I was in awe of Chekhov's ability to write short stories.

In "The Steppe," he is able to tackle life and death, love and hate, and other unavoidable parts of the human condition. And the story's just about a boy moving to a new town for school.

Chekhov's fantastic attention to detail is present throughout the collection, and as his skill increases, that detail becomes his method of attack. The stories aren't epic in plot. Far from it. It's the little details that show more human expression than words that Chekhov uses to make them epic.

If you like short stories, or are just interested in the history of literature, you need to read these stories.

Daily Dose December 18th, 2008

2008-12-15T19:24:00.000-08:00

Baby Got Books has been posting their best of 2008 lists. Here's the most recent one.

I'm not going to make a list this year. I can't remember when I read what. But next year, I'll have it documented, and be able to make one.

Daily Dose December 12th, 2008

2008-12-12T07:29:00.000-08:00

A quickie for Friday: Here's another of my favorite blogs.

Have a good weekend!

Viva Loss by Sarah Fran Wisby

2008-12-10T18:18:00.000-08:00

I won this book of poems from Small Press Distribution. I want to thank them again for giving me the opportunity to read something new.

The bad news? I really didn't like it all that much. Wisby's prose poems flow well. I laughed a few times at her dry humor. But the poems didn't leave much of an impression on me.

As I've said before, I'm no great poetry critic. I'm working on it, but it's going to take a while.

Like so many poems, I would like to hear the poet read them. Interpreted correctly, these poems might blow me away. But, as it is, with my rudimentary poetry-reading skills, this book didn't do much for me.

Daily Dose December 10th, 2008

2008-12-09T18:31:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting blog about what's going on in Chicago.

Daily Dose December 9th, 2008

2008-12-08T18:57:00.000-08:00

For the past week or so, The Millions has been posting end-of-year favorites from different writers, editors and teachers. They're good reading themselves.

Newjack:Guarding Sing Sing by Ted Conover

2008-12-07T17:39:00.000-08:00

Ted Conover wanted to write a profile on a cadet training to be a New York Corrections Officer. Unfortunately, no one would let him have access to the Academy or any cadets. It just wasn't done.

Rather than give up on the idea, Conover went another route. He applied for the job. Newjack is a chronicle of his experiences as a cadet and the year he spent as a CO at New York's Sing Sing prison, one of the oldest and most chaotic in the country.

He doesn't shy away from the frustrations the job brings(at one point, he starts daydreaming that the prison will burn down). A different kind of frustration comes from the unspoken code of silence between COs about shady practices, such as spitting on inmates.

While he doesn't delve too far into it, it becomes apparent that the job is following him home.

Still, through all this, Conover is able to keep some of his compassion. Some of the most poignant scenes are those when Conover sneaks conversations with inmates. About their crimes, their lives and their(sometimes nonexistent) hope for the future.

Amidst all this, Conover gives the reader a fantastic history of Sing Sing. From a hell where the cat o' nine tails is used on inmates, to a progressive prison where reforming inmates is a priority, to a business that barely has enough staff to keep inmates from killing each other, let alone reform them.

Newjack:Guarding Sing Sing is a brave and enlightening piece of journalism. Highly recommended.

Daily Dose December 5th, 2008

2008-12-05T07:20:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, December 3rd has been dubbed Black Wednesday for the publishing industry. Find out why.

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn

2008-12-03T15:31:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what I expected with this one. Leftist politics, sure, but not a full-scale indictment of the American political system.

From Columbus to Clinton, Zinn explores the connection between American politics and the suffering of its peoples. No one is spared, Republican or Democrat. His thesis boils down to the idea that American politics are run to protect the super-rich. The middle class, Zinn says, was created as a buffer between those rich and the poor.

He wrote the book as a reaction to school textbooks that conveniently forgot to mention Columbus' murder of Native Americans and the horrors of slavery.

I don't know yet how much I agree with Zinn's wholesale disgust with the U.S. government. It was pretty heavy-handed. But it made me want to read more about U.S. History, so in that regard it was a success.

Daily Dose December 3rd, 2008

2008-12-02T19:21:00.000-08:00

Listen to this great interview with David Foster Wallace. Then subscribe to the Bookworm podcast. It is consistently great.

Daily Dose December 2nd, 2008

2008-12-02T10:37:00.000-08:00

They don't update all that often, but I really like this blog.

P.S. I should have a new review up this week.

Daily Dose December 1st, 2008

2008-11-30T15:47:00.000-08:00

I recently updated my GoodReads account to make it a reflection of the blog. If you're on there, add me as a frend. If not, you should be. Who doesn't like getting all obsessive about their books?

Daily Dose November 28th, 2008

2008-11-28T11:44:00.000-08:00

The New York Times has just posted its list of notable books of 2008. Enjoy your long weekend!(If you get one).

Daily Dose November 27th, 2008

2008-11-26T12:07:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. I just realized that the default setting for comments blocks a whole bunch of people. I fixed it. All better.

Daily Dose November 26th, 2008

2008-11-25T18:53:00.000-08:00

Iowa City has been designated a City of Literature.

The U.S. Constitution

2008-11-24T10:39:00.000-08:00

I took a little bit of time out to read the Constitution today. I was thinking about how many books there are about what's wrong with the U.S., or what's right, but I've never read many of the documents its based on.

No big surprises here. But it was nice to read it as one document. Usually only get snippets. I'm glad I read it. It's something to think about when reading the opinionated books.

Here is Where We Meet by John Berger

2008-11-23T16:40:00.000-08:00

Here is Where We Meet is closer to being a travel memoir than a novel, but it is, without a doubt, fiction. As Berger travels throughout Europe, he meets up with relatives, lovers and friends. What makes this undeniably fictional is that some of them are long dead.

In each city he visits, Berger gives us description that not only paints a beautiful picture of how things are, but also how they were. In the city, and also in his life.

Berger is scared of writing crap at his advanced age. His mother, long dead but his companion in Lisboa, tells him he must write down what he finds. Berger has found wisdom about life, death and love, among other things. He parcels out this wisdom to his readers almost as though it is his gift to them, should he not end up writing more.

At first I was a little bit worried that the concept could easily go off its rails and become what Berger was scared of writing. But he never drops the ball. Here is Where We Meet is a short read that packs in more impressive ideas than most epic novels.

Daily Dose November 21st, 2008

2008-11-20T17:18:00.000-08:00

Over at Baby Got Books, they've posted some of their favorite children's books of the year. Take a look. I'm still stuck on Goodnight, Moon. Here are some new books for y'all kids out there.

Daily Dose November 20th, 2008

2008-11-19T17:12:00.000-08:00

" I know a guy fifty-seven years old. Know what he tells me? 'Mike, I'm old and tired all the time.' The first thing happens at work: When the arms start moving, the brain stops. I punch in about ten minutes to seven in the morning. I say hello to a couple of guys I like, I kid around with them. One guy says good morning to you and you say good morning. To another guy you say fuck you. The guy you say fuck you to is your friend."
-from Working by Studs Terkel

Daily Dose November 19th, 2008

2008-11-18T15:47:00.000-08:00

Most of you have already seen this. But I know I have a few readers who don't obsessively troll the web looking for book stuff, so here you go. I get some of my reading selections from here.

Daily Dose November 18th, 2008

2008-11-17T18:01:00.000-08:00

This article has been linked to in a lot of literature blogs recently, but just in case you missed it. Essential reading about the financial crisis.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

2008-11-15T14:35:00.000-08:00

Miss Brodie, a teacher in 1930s Scotland, has become particularly attached to six of her students. They come to be known as "The Brodie set" around the school. She has the girls over for tea, and to tell them stories of her love life, and how Mussolini's fascisti are dealing with poverty far better than the Scottish.

As the story goes on, the creepiness of these stories grows, as Miss Brodie falls in love, and she starts seeing her "set" as more pawns than children as they grow.

The novella is a mere 136 pages, so not much more can be said without ruining things. It's a quick read, sometimes hilarious, sometimes creepy as hell. I recommend it for a rainy afternoon. You'll have it done by dusk.

Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens

2008-11-13T17:23:00.000-08:00

John Harmon is on his way home to marry Bella Wilfer. Once this happens, he will inherit his father's fortune. Unfortunately, he just turned up dead in the river.

This event is the opening for a sprawling story about money, love and obsession.

Mr. and Mrs. Boffin, John's loyal servants, inherit the money. How will they react, going from poor to rich in a matter of days.

What will happen to Bella? She was going to be rich when John married her.

Lizzie Hexam, daughter of the man who found the body, ends up alone when she sends her brother off to school and her father dies. She has a secret love for a man well above her station. And another man is obsessed with her.

These are just a few of the story lines in this 800-page novel. What it boils down to is what money does to people. When they get it, and when they lose it.

Dickens' prose is beautiful. I have to admit, though, sometimes his characters' eloquence was too much for me. I found myself thinking, "Did she just tell him she knows his secret, or that she wants to birth his baby?" and "I know this father/daughter relationship isn't supposed to seem incestuous..."

Originally, this story was serialized in monthly segments. I think that accounts for the insane amount of plot twists.

I really enjoyed this. And now I've finally finished a Dickens novel! The only reason it's not a "Must Read" is its length. If I had a job right now, I would've given up on it long ago.

P.S. Sorry for two posts today. I have an interview first thing tomorrow, wanted to get this done.

Daily Dose November 13th, 2008

2008-11-12T18:28:00.000-08:00

Here's another literary journal I want to subscribe to soon. They usually have pretty good stuff, and it's printed by my alma mater, so I'm definitely on board.

Real book review tomorrow, y'all. Promise. The book I'm reading is pretty long, but I think I'll be able to finish it today.

Words and Pictures November 12th, 2008

2008-11-11T18:32:00.000-08:00

Comic books are what really fueled my love of reading when I was a kid. Every weekend, I'd walk down to 7-11 with my allowance and buy a Slurpee and a comic book. Spider-Man, X-Men, The Fantastic Four, all the big Marvel books.

While my love of comics isn't what it once was(I think I was up to 400 at one point), two or three times a year I go to my local comic shop and look for something to read. I needed something to break up the really long novel I'm reading, so last week I took one of those trips.

DMZ:Volume 3: Public Works by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli

DMZ is the story of Matt, a photographer who is stranded on Manhattan Island during the second American Civil War. In this volume, he has left his press pass(what keeps him safe) behind, and has gone undercover to find out more about Trustwell, and independent security firm that has been hired to patrol the island.

Luckily, because of good writing and art that mirrors the confusion of a war zone, the story never comes off as silly, even when questions arise into the formation of insurgent groups and their relation to Trustwell.

This is a fast-paced read that feels like war-reporting. I recommend the series, but start with Volume 1.

Fables Volume 1: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham and Lan Medina

An evil force(not really explained in this volume) has taken over the lands where all the fairy tale and fantasy story characters lived, forcing them to live in a New York high rise. Snow White has a high rank in their government. The Big Bad Wolf(who can turn human) is a detective. One of the three little pigs crashes at his place from time to time.

Rose Red has turned up missing, and her apartment is a bloody mess. Snow White hasn't talked to her lately, as she was the cause of her divorce from Prince Charming.

It's a detective story with fantasy elements. I'll probably read more, but from this first volume, which really just sets up the premise, I can't quite decide how much I like it.

Daily Dose November 11th, 2008

2008-11-10T18:34:00.000-08:00

For, well, for everyone, but especially those in the Phoenix area:

A new literary journal has sprouted up locally, and it's worth a look. If you're in Tempe, you may have seen it around. It's The Maple/Ash Review. Check it out. Buy a copy, or better yet, buy both of the first two issues. They're just starting out, so I'm sure the support would be appreciated.

Daily Dose November 10th, 2008

2008-11-09T19:26:00.000-08:00

Mr. Podsnap was well to do, and stood very high in life in Mr. Podsnap's opinion. Beginning with a good inheritance, he had married a good inheritance, and had thriven exceedingly in the Marine Insurance way, and was quite satisfied. He never could make out why everybody was not quite satisfied, and he felt conscious that he sent a brilliant social example in being particularly well satisfied with most things, and, above all other things, with himself.

From Our Mutual Friend, by Charles Dickens.

This paragraph reminds me of American Psycho for some reason.

Daily Dose November 7th, 2008

2008-11-06T17:43:00.000-08:00

I will be subscribing to this as soon as I can.

The Paris Review Interviews, Vol. 1

2008-11-05T19:21:00.000-08:00

The Paris Review, a literary journal that has been around since the 1950s, combed through their hundreds of interviews with authors, poets, screenwriters and editors for this, the first volume in what I must call a book nerd's wet dream.

To start, the big names: Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote, T.S. Eliot. All three give incisive interviews about what writing means to them, how they go about their writing day, and what got them started. That takes up about ten of every 25 page interview.

We get more from Dorothy Parker, Kurt Vonnegut, Elizabeth Bishop, Billy Wilder and others.

If you love to read, you need to read this. If you write, you really need to read it.

These are some of the best interviews I've ever read, literary or otherwise.

Score: 9.2/10

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night -Time by Mark Haddon

2008-11-04T17:59:00.000-08:00

This is one we read for the book club I'm in. I wanted to wait until after we had our meeting about it to post, so I got some other perspectives.I'm glad I did. If you are not in a book club, start one.

The Curious Incident... is about Christopher, a 15-year-old boy with autism. He finds a dog that has been killed, and he wants to find out who did it. His teacher recommends that he writes about the situation. The book he writes is what we read.

Haddon does an admirable job of writing from Christopher's perspective. Whether or not it is accurate is hard to say, but it's obvious that Haddon has done his best to get it right.

As the novel progresses, Christopher learns about a lot more than the dog's fate. He takes a trip to London, which is written moment-to-moment, as it is very difficult for him.

I felt that the last 100 pages of the book were unnecessary, but it is a story written by an autistic child, so, they do make sense, even if they do feel like a bit too much in terms of the novel.

I came away from this feeling I'd read a decent novel, but more importantly, I want to learn more about autism. I got a bit more than a quick, fun read.

Daily Dose November 4th, 2008

2008-11-04T08:30:00.000-08:00

It's election day! Go vote!

If on a winter's night a traveler by Italo Calvino

2008-11-02T16:16:00.000-08:00

You are reading If on a winter's night a traveler by Italo Calvino. About 30 pages in, just as things are starting to get good, the pages start repeating themselves. Greatly annoyed you take the book back to the bookstore, where you meet the Second Reader, a lovely young woman who has had the same problem. You are given new copies, which turn out to be a different book altogether.

This is the setup for the novel. It is a hall of mirrors, where nothing is what it seems. To give away more of the plot would just be a dick move on my part.

Published in 1979, the literary devices used were probably new and refreshing at the time.

These days, with the lid blown off every literary trick possible, they are well-done, but not as fresh.

I feel bad reviewing this after one read. It deserves three or four readings. On this first read, it was just a fun ride. But there's a lot more going on that I probably missed.

For now: 7.4/10

The Best American Short Stories 2008(Salman Rushdie, ed.)

2008-10-30T19:38:00.000-07:00

I think I will come to see the release of this anthology every year as something worthy of modest celebration. Like The Super Bowl, but for nerds.

I really enjoyed this year's stories. The only other one I've read was from 2005, and, while the stories were good, they were a bit same-ey(words that aren't words can be words, too).

Not so this year. Rushdie picks a wide array, from one about a Pakistani electrician to the love between two vampires. And they were all very good. Not a single dud this year.

Highlights:

"Galatea," by Karen Brown

"The King of Sentences," by Jonathan Lethem

"Child's Play," by Alice Munro

"Vampires in the Lemon Grove," by Karen Russell

Score: 7.9/10

Daily Dose October 30th 2008

2008-10-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

An excerpt from what I'm reading:

When the nine-fingered violinist finally began playing, Aaron hid high up on the wooden staircase, as far above the party as the ghosts. The exact, oak-floored center of the universe. He was a spider reigning high above the web of oriental rug, that bursting star of red and black and gold, and from his limbs stretched forty-three invisible fibers, winding light and sticky around the forty guests, his parents, around Radelescu the violinist. There were thinner strands, too, between people who had a history of love or hate, and all three ghosts were tied to Radelescu, to his arcing bow. But Aaron held the thickest strings, and when he thought, Breathe, all the people breathed.

from "The Worst You Ever Feel," by Rebecca Makkai
available in The Best American Short Stories 2008(Salman Rushdie, ed.)

Daily Dose-October 29th, 2008

2008-10-28T19:17:00.000-07:00

Small Press Distribution is a good place to look for books that might be a bit off the beaten path. Less hype, less advertising, more fun to find something new. Take a look and see what might tickle your fancy.

Home Land by Sam Lipsyte

2008-10-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

Home Land is the story of Lewis"Teabag"Miner, an under-employed thirty-something that spends more time masturbating than working towards his goals.

This is a slacker novel. And it does hit the usual topics(music these days, to Hell with the successful, etc). But it does so in such a way that I couldn't put the damn thing down.

Comprised of Lewis' updates to his high school alumni newsletter, Home Land is a screwball story about drugs, sex, violence and unfulfilled expectations. Lypsyte's writing makes it one of the most hilarious books of its type I've ever read.

At its heart, though, it is a story about how scary it is to just not know. What to do, where to go, who to be. Again, usual slacker fare. But the poignant moments sneak up on the reader. As they do in life.

Home Land is an often hilarious, occasionally devastating novel that is great reading, despite its cliched topics.

Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe

2008-10-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

I'm exhausted.

Look Homeward, Angel is a coming of age novel that follows Eugene Grant, a small-town boy, from his parents' meeting to the age of 19. Over 508 pages.

It's said that the novel is very much autobiographical, and Eugene is a stand-in for the author.

I think he started journaling obsessively at a young age, and just spruced his entries up for the novel.

From age 2, Eugene is thinking about the reasons for human existence like a drunk grad student.

It's a shame, really. When Wolfe sticks to what's happening(what people are doing and saying) the book comes off very well. When Eugene's brother Ben has is ill, the scenes are particularly moving.

The dialogue is well done throughout. Unfortunately, when the family is having the same fight for the eighth time, no dialogue will save the reader from boredom.

What really hurts this novel is how much time Wolfe spends inside Eugene's head. He thinks in some kind of weird proae poem, dropping the names of gods and classic authors left and right.

And he does it a lot.

Some have noted that there are a lot of racist and sexist elements to the novel. There are. But it takes place in the early-1900s South. It would be unrealistic to leave them out.

All in all, this book makes me sad. There's a fantastic 200-page novel in there. But the other 300 pages of Eugene's thoughts and repetitive arguments make this a book I could not in good conscience recommend to anyone.

Score: 5.5/10

Friday Feature:How Holden Caufield Ruined my Bookstore

2008-10-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

I first read Catcher in the Rye when I was 17. I loved it. Every word. Friends of mine started called me Holden(at the time, I thought that was a compliment). It was the perfect book for me in my "Fuck the world, I'm smarter than all of you anyway" teens.

When I was 23, I tried to read it again. Something had changed. I think I'd(gasp) grown up a little bit. I no longer found Holden a charming comrade. I couldn't even finish the book. I tossed it aside thinking "God, this guy is an asshole."

So, now we get to my bookstore. My local bookstore, not one I own. Yet.

Most books have blurbs on the back these days, touting the exuberance/gravity/virtuosity of its contents.

And one out of every four is bound to have a reference to Catcher in the Rye.

It's either "____ is a kind of 21st century Holden Caufield" or "A Catcher in the Rye for the _____ Generation."

Why all the snotty coming-of-age novels? There's more to life, you know.

I read recently that when Michael Chabon entered his MFA program, he had no intention of writing a coming-of-age novel. But his peers and teachers gave him dirty looks about it, so he wrote The Mysteries of Pittsburgh(a pretty good one, as far as these things go).

I guess my question is: Are our MFA programs churning out Rye clones? And if so, why? The window for that fiction being riveting is pretty small. Let's say between 16 and 25.

What about the students that want to write literary science fiction? Or hard-boiled crime novels? Do they have to wait until they've graduated and published a novel first?

Daily Dose October 23rd, 2008

2008-10-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

I think I made it fairly obvious that I thoughtWhite Teeth by Zadie Smith was a fantastic novel(again-she was only 23 when she wrote it! Jesus).

Here's an interview she did when it came out.

Best American Nonrequired Reading 2008(Dave Eggers, ed.)

2008-10-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

Ever had a long flight you had to go on? And you didn't want to read some crazy War and Peace type book, it'd be too taxing. But you didn't want to have to pick up a Dean Koontz novel at the airport, either?

This is the book for you. Relatively light reading, with a few really good pieces mixed in.

The BANR anthologies look at everything. Fiction, essays, journalism, memoir, comics, you name it. And their board(made up up high-school kids in Eggers' writing programs across the country) pick what they feel is best.

My big complaint this year? The fiction. It's not bad, really, but it just isn't that good.

The nonfiction pieces fare much better. Emily Raboteau contributes a fantastic essay, titled "Searching for Zion," about black Jews trying to make a place for themselves in Israel.

From the New Yorker, the best kind of profile:don't know the subject, don't care about what he's doing, but it was written well enough to keep me riveted. That one was "Neptune's Navy," by Raffi Khatchadourian.

Overall, this year was a disappointment. However, I will keep buying this anthology every year, because part of the profits go to writing programs for teenagers.

Score: 6.8/10

Daily Dose October 21st, 2008

2008-10-20T18:24:00.000-07:00

An excerpt from what I'm reading:

There was in him a savage honesty, which exercised an uncontrollable domination over him when his heart or head were deeply involved. Thus, at the funeral of some remote kinsman, for whom he had never acquired any considerable affection, he would grow bitterly shamefast if, while listening to the solemn drone of the minister, or the sorrowful chanting of the singers, he felt his face had assumed an expression of unfelt and counterfeited grief; as a consequence he would shift about matter-of-factly, cross his legs, gaze indifferently at the ceiling, or look out of the window with a smile, until he was conscious his conduct had attracted the attention of people, and that they were looking on him with disfavor. Then, he felt a certain grim satisfaction as if, although having lost esteem, he had recorded his life.
-from Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe

White Teeth by Zadie Smith

2008-10-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

Generally, when I hear the term "multi-generational epic," I have visions of putting on my nightcap and little cartoon "z"s coming out of my forehead.

While White Teeth could be described as such, it is by no means a snoozer.

Archie wants to die. His wife has left him. Through a stroke of luck, he meets Clara, a Jamaican woman, and they fall in love.

Samad, Archie's old war buddy, moves to town with his wife, too.

Children are born. Those children grow up, and deal with the pressures of being second generation immigrants in North London.

All the while, Samad won't let anyone forget that his great-great grandfather was a war hero.

So, we go from 1979,to 1945, to 1992, to 1907, and so on.

Smith tackles, war, marriage, infidelity, class, religion, middle-class snobbery, and just about anything else you can think of.

All without missing a step.

Her characters are believable, and their dialogue is sharp.

I am amazed that White Teeth was Smith's first novel. She put all the first-timers with their coming-of-age novels to shame.

Score: 8.9/10

Daily Dose October 17th, 2008

2008-10-17T08:12:00.000-07:00

Should have a new review up Monday. Until then, here's a passage from what I'm reading:

Our children will be born of our actions. Our accidents will become their destinies. Oh, the actions will remain. It is a simple matter of what you will do when the chips are down, my friend. When the fat lady is singing. When the walls are falling in, and the sky is dark, and the ground is rumbling. In that moment our actions will define us. And it makes no difference whether you are being watched by Allah, Jesus, Buddah, or whether you are not. On a cold day a man can see his breath, on a hot day he can't. On both occasions, the man breathes.
-from White Teeth, by Zadie Smith

On that note, have a good weekend!

Daily Dose-October 16th, 2008

2008-10-16T09:03:00.000-07:00

On days when I don't have a book to review yet, I'll try to at least post something of interest.

So, here's a poem I like:

"Of Love and Other Disasters" by Philip Levine

The punch-press operator from Flint
met the assembler from West Virginia
in a bar near the stadium. Neither
had anything in mind, so they conversed
about the upcoming baseball season
about which neither cared. We could
be a couple, he thought, but she was
all wrong, way too skinny. For years
he'd had an image of the way a woman
should look, and it wasn't her, it wasn't
anyone he'd ever known, certainly not
his ex-wife, who'd moved back south
to live with her high-school sweetheart.
About killed him. I don't need that shit,
he almost said aloud, and then realized
she'd been talking to someone, maybe
to him, about how she couldn't get
her hands right, how the grease ate
so deeply into her skin it became
a part of her, and she put her hand,
palm up, on the bar and pointed
with her cigarette at the deep lines
the work had carved. "The life line,"
he said, "which one is that?" "None,"
she said, and he noticed that her eyes
were hazel flecked with tiny spots
of gold, and then-embarrassed-looked
back at her hand, which seemed tiny
and delicate, the fingers yellowed
with calluses but slender and fine.
She took a paper napkin off the bar,
spit on it and told him to hold still
while she carefully lifted his glasses
up on his forehead, leaving him half
blind, and wiped something off
above his left cheekbone. "There,"
she said, lowering his glasses. "I
got it," and even with his glasses on
what she showed him was nothing
he could see. He thought, better
get out of here before it's too late, but
knew too late was what he wanted.

available in Best American Poetry 2008

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

2008-10-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

Monsters aren't real. Vampires, werewolves, ghost kids with floppy sack masks, all the figment of our imaginations. While I might jump a little in a movie about these, my being a bit of a pussy, there's no real fear there. How can there be? It's all fake.

Terror, on the other hand, is very real. The kind of terror that can break you apart.

In The Haunting of Hill House, Dr. Montague, a self-proclaimed scholar of the supernatural, hears about a haunted house and decides to conduct an experiment. He will spend a summer there with some volunteers.

Two actually show.

At first, nothing big. Doors close, there's a cold spot in the nursery. Easily explainable.

Things get less so as the story progresses. And the house takes a particular interest in Eleanor, a timid young woman that knows little of life beyond caring for her dying mother.

To say much more would be to spoil things. But let it be known: this is one the most frightening explorations of psychological terror that I've ever read.

Score: 8.2/10

The Best American Poetry 2008(Charles Wright, ed)

2008-10-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

I'm a little bit sad that I'm up-to-date on these anthologies now. I've been enjoying taking an evening a week to sit around and read poetry.

I know, I can get books by single poets, but I like the variety.

I enjoyed this one most of the ones I've read. Partially because I own it, so I can go back to it whenever I want.

I expect I'll be doing so pretty often. There's some good stuff in here.

Highlights:

"If See No End In Is" by Frank Bidart

"Homage to Calvin Spotswood" by Kate Daniels

"Rock Polisher" by Chris Forhan

"Girl Without Her Nightgown" by James Galvin

"Muchness" by Tony Hoagland

"Of Love and Other Disasters" by Philip Levine

The Braindead Megaphone by George Saunders

2008-10-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

I am a dirty hippie.

Translation:I'm a pretty liberal guy, which, to some, gives me the title above.

Despite my tree-hugging habit, I'm just tired of hearing my fellow hippies tell me what I already know. I believe the term for it is "liberal fatigue."

Saunders has a few essays in The Braindead Megaphone that bore me a little. Not that they aren't well-written, or valid, I've just heard them before.

Saunders does his best when he gets away from these topics. The title essay, a rip on all media, is hilarious, and, sadly, pretty accurate.

The author is obviously well-read, and loves the language. This is best shown in "The United States of Huck," his introduction to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Far from a diatribe about how good the book is, Saunders loves the book enough to look at it from all angles, good and bad.

Saunders is at his best when he's reporting from the field. He takes a trip to Dubai, rides along with the Minutemen, and spends a Nepalese winter night with a boy who has been meditating for seven months. It seems that when he's away from home, Saunders uses the opportunity to try and learn as much as he can. About himself and others.

Overall, not perfect, but there are a few great essays in here.

Score: 7.3/10

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

2008-10-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

William Faulkner is a really, really good writer. That's all I can really think right now.

Such is the problem with writing about the classics. What is there I can say that hasn't been said a million times?

A synopsis:Addie has died. Her husband and children want to take her to the town where she asked to be buried. Unfortunately, a huge storm has just come through, making their passage much more difficult than expected.

With 250 pages and this seemingly simple plot, Faulkner touches on love, the lack of it, grief and its consequences, mental illness, pride, giving up on one's self, and many other topics. And he does it seamlessly, jumping from one person's perspective to another's in the matter of a few pages.

"Genius" is the only word I can think of at the moment.

Score:9.7/10

The Best American Poetry 2005(Paul Muldoon, ed.)

2008-10-10T12:09:00.000-07:00

Having recently read the 2003 edition of this series, I can't help but feel a little let down.

But really, whose fault is that?

In the 2003 edition, the poets were no doubt still reeling from the impact of 9/11, and the weightiness and depth of the subject matter reflected this.

In this, the 2005 edition, things are a lot more playful, and, at times, funny.

The collegiate English literature program doesn't prepare one for this.

It seems that, by 2005, things had settled down some, and poets felt safer letting their hair down and having fun.

Nothing wrong with that. It's just not what I'm used to.

Or, it could just be the editor. Like the Best American Short Stories series, this one has a new guest editor every year. Perhaps Paul Muldoon is just a fan of humor mixed into poetry.

In my voicing these reservations, I m by no means saying that this volume wasn't worth reading. There are some great poems here.

Highlights:

"In View of the Fact" by A.R. Ammons(a devastating opener about the realities of aging)

"I Want to be Your Shoebox," by Catherine Bowman(I just want some girl to recite this to me)

"The Beats," by Charles Bukowski(without vulgarity or gimmick, he takes on the big boys)

"Five Roses in the Morning," by Stephen Dunn(what can any of us do to change things, really?)

"19-: An Elegy" byAndrew Feld(a list poem. Nostalgia)

"Burlap Sack," by Jane Hirshfield(a reminder anyone that deals with depression needs from time to time)

"Shelley," by Galway Kinnell(idols fall. That's what they do)

"Hell," by Sarah Manguso(I never would've expected to love a poem titled "Hell")

"A Big Ball of Foil in a Small New York Apartment" by Matthew Yeager(How in God's name did he make that premise moving?)

All in all:Worth the read to get to the really good poems.

The Granta Book of the American Short Story(Richard Ford, ed.)

2008-10-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

The first time I read "Sonny's Blues," by James Baldwin, it was for class. My goal was to get from the first word to the last, and little more.

What I missed was a heartbreaking story about poverty and addiction.

This anthology has a few more stories like that. Ones I've "read," but not really paid attention to.

What it has that's even more of a revelation are all the stories I hadn't read. This book is a behemoth. 50 stories, 700 pages.

Every page is worth it.

The best in American short fiction is on display here, in chronological order. If you want to see post-war trends in fiction, look no further. It goes from 1945-1990.

Pound for pound, this is one of the most rewarding books I've ever read.

I recommend it to anyone that has any interest in American fiction.

Score:10/10

p.s. A new edition was just released. Some authors make a second appearance, but none of the same stories. And it goes into some stuff from the 2000s, I believe.

Plainsong by Kent Haruf

2008-10-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

Plainsong is built on a premise we all know. It's set in a small town. The different characters live their own lives, but, as we zoom in, we find that those lives are more connected then we once thought.

Anyone that has seen an independent film made between 1995 and 2003 is familiar with this conceit.

What sets Plainsong apart is the delicacy with which the story is told. It never seems forced. Haruf, without the use of literary gimmickry, has done what every author wants to do: He tells a really good story.

The story focuses on Tom Guthrie and his two boys, who are dealing with Mrs. Guthrie moving to Denver to start a new life, Victoria Roubideax, a 17-year-old expectant mother getting no help from the father or her family, and the McPheron brothers, two men that know how to work the farm, and not much else about the world.

As I've said, these lives do cross paths. But to say how would ruin things.

Plainsong is one of those rare novels that I would recommend to all my friends and my mother.

Score: 8.0/10

The Best American Poetry 2003(Yusef Komunyakaa ed.)

2008-10-03T17:26:00.000-07:00

First, let's get one thing straight:this is not a review.

I'm in no position to be reviewing poetry. Sure, I read some for school. But I just picked up the symbolism and such from listening in class. I never really read any with real attention.

I decided that poetry is another thing I'll give a shot now that I have a library card.

Last night, I sat here and read the book. Out loud, as poetry is meant to be read(I'm told).

I know the idea of me reading poetry to myself in my apartment is very disturbing.

There were some lines I found to be incredibly well-done.

On the other hand, I kind of got the feeling I got when I first started reading Stephen King novels. I was 10 or 11, and when I first started reading them, a good deal went over my head. I totally didn't catch it. But I knew that if I kept reading, I would understand more each time.

I felt my brain was being exercised. It's a rare feeling, and I plan to pursue it with poetry.

Highlights:

from "1000 Lines" by Catherine Bowman
"Litany" by Billy Collins
"Open Door Blues" by Stephen Dunn
"Ponderosa" by James Galvin
"An Offer Received in This Morning's Mail" by Amy Gerstler
"Poem for the Novelist Whom I Forced to Write a Poem" by Daniel Nester

The Best American Short Stories 2006(Ann Patchett, ed.)

2008-10-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

So, after living in this town for a year and a half, I finally got a library card.

I always bought my books because, well, I hate giving them back.

Anyway, since I'm now able to borrow books free of charge, I decided to get some stuff I probably wouldn't buy.

First up:short fiction

This was the newest edition of the Best American Short Stories series, they had, so I figured I'd give it a go.

As far as anthologies go, it was pretty damn solid. Only one story, "Mr. Nobody At All," left me cold. Quite a disappointment, as it was the last story. The collection had me pretty excited until then.

Highlights: "The Ambush" by Donna Tartt, "Refresh, Refresh," by Benjamin Percy, "The Conductor" by Aleksandar Hemon.

One of the coolest things about this series is that there's a new guest editor each year, so a new person decided what deserves the title "Best" each time.

I will be hunting down the other editions.

Score: 7.0/10

The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall

2008-09-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

The blurbs on this book annoyed me. "Pynchon meets Douglas Adams." "The Matrix crossed with Jaws." At first, I thought the reviewers were being lazy.

Having ripped through the novel, I now realize that it's just really fucking hard to describe.

It starts out with standard thriller fare: man wakes up in a place he doesn't recognize, with no idea who he is.

Yawn, right?

Where it goes from there is not like anything I've ever read.

Imagine that a meme(a concept, for those, like me, who are dumb) evolved, to the point it wanted to feed on other memes. And it's decided your head is a good hunting ground.

The "villian" of this novel is not a Russian spy, I promise.

It has been years since I read a novel that kept me up late, thinking "what's gonna happen next? Huh? Huh?"

And unlike many thrillers, it's not "Who's gonna shoot who?" or "Where's the microfilm?" It's "I have zero idea what could be around the corner. But I know it will be fun to read."

There are elements of Jaws and The Matrix. But they make sense in the story's context. Nothing was planted here to create book sales.

This is a thriller that will keep the most jaded reader excited.

Score:8.5/10