give our regards to the atom-smashers (edited by sean howe)
this essay collection starts out less-than-promisingly, with a piece by jonathan lethem retreading the same old stuff about jack kirby and stan lee. actually, a surprisingly large number of these essays discuss the early marvel years--you'd think the editor could have chosen either more women, or more people from a wider age range. weirdly, two authors also mention rick moody's the ice storm, but geoff dyer's discussion is a lot more relevant than lethem's. still, most of the stories were well worth reading--i chuckled by way through the one about tintin, greatly appreciated the one about renee french, and adored the one on terra from the teen titans. this is definitely a must-read for comic book nerds, but probably not worth buying in hardback, so borrow it from me if you're dying to read it now. :)
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Friday, August 13, 2004
book 69
only read one book on the way here--the plane ride was pretty bumpy, which is not conducive to a good reading experience.
jhumpa lahiri's the namesake
a chapter of this appeared in the new yorker a year or so ago, and since i've had good experiences w/ novels that have appeared in the new yorker before, i picked this up for the airport. i was not disappointed in the least--lahiri really seems to capture the identity struggles of a first-generation american, and though her story is very bengali-specific, i think anyone with recently immigated relatives can relate to her themes. dealing with unusual names is certainly a problem that transcends culture. anyway, i read this book straight through and really enjoyed the story and its characters. a few of the end-paragraphs seemed a little forced, but otherwise i thought this book was very deserving of all its praise.
now, of course, i'm low on books. my mom is trying to get me to read something called good in bed. good thing i have give our regards to the atom-smashers squirreled away!
jhumpa lahiri's the namesake
a chapter of this appeared in the new yorker a year or so ago, and since i've had good experiences w/ novels that have appeared in the new yorker before, i picked this up for the airport. i was not disappointed in the least--lahiri really seems to capture the identity struggles of a first-generation american, and though her story is very bengali-specific, i think anyone with recently immigated relatives can relate to her themes. dealing with unusual names is certainly a problem that transcends culture. anyway, i read this book straight through and really enjoyed the story and its characters. a few of the end-paragraphs seemed a little forced, but otherwise i thought this book was very deserving of all its praise.
now, of course, i'm low on books. my mom is trying to get me to read something called good in bed. good thing i have give our regards to the atom-smashers squirreled away!
Thursday, August 12, 2004
book 68
calvin trillin's american stories
this collection of some of trillin's new yorker pieces from the mid-80s does capture his unique, dry humor, but also highlights his more serious side as a writer. the essays range in topic from ben and jerry's battle against haagen-dazs to a small-town sexual-abuse-related murder to a duke student's tragic death in china. of course, some of these stories seem pretty dated (especially the ben and jerry's one), but trillin's skill still makes reading them worthwhile. i think this book is out of print (i picked up my copy at nightlight), so feel free to borrow it from me! or you can get his new book of dubya-related humorous poetry, and let me know how that is.
this collection of some of trillin's new yorker pieces from the mid-80s does capture his unique, dry humor, but also highlights his more serious side as a writer. the essays range in topic from ben and jerry's battle against haagen-dazs to a small-town sexual-abuse-related murder to a duke student's tragic death in china. of course, some of these stories seem pretty dated (especially the ben and jerry's one), but trillin's skill still makes reading them worthwhile. i think this book is out of print (i picked up my copy at nightlight), so feel free to borrow it from me! or you can get his new book of dubya-related humorous poetry, and let me know how that is.
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
magazine reading
i finally read the new(ish) issue of heeb this afternoon (after experimenting w/ chapel hill buses and before a nap--how nice to have some time to myself!). i really enjoy this magazine--the photo-essay on guilt was pretty great, as is the "whole megillah" section. the cover article (on jewish guilt) kind of dropped the ball, though, and steve almond's short story was eh. still, i am a big fan of this magazine--except, of course, for the name, which makes me cringe every time i buy it or mention it. i'm just not the sort of person who thinks reclaiming racial slurs and making them hip is a good idea. not that i could think of a better name, but ugh.
sorry for the lack of book postings--i've been saving the few books i have piled up for the flight to pittsburgh. i always get to the airport two hours early, in case of security snafus, and then generally get to spend the time reading and relaxing pre-flight (except when the security guards feel the need to grope me to see if my boobs are real, or are perhaps secretly bionic weapons, and then my reading time is significantly less).
sorry for the lack of book postings--i've been saving the few books i have piled up for the flight to pittsburgh. i always get to the airport two hours early, in case of security snafus, and then generally get to spend the time reading and relaxing pre-flight (except when the security guards feel the need to grope me to see if my boobs are real, or are perhaps secretly bionic weapons, and then my reading time is significantly less).
Saturday, August 07, 2004
book 67
david guterson's our lady of the forest
there are few common elements among guterson's three novels--the spirituality of nature, maybe, and the narrow-mindedness of small towns (perhaps exaggerated here--do oregonians really use the phrase "jew you down" and mentally mock hindus?). his in-depth characterizations are also notable--here, the main characters are a sixteen year old girl having visions of the virgin mary, her skeptical friend carolyn, the local weak-willed priest, and a mean-spirited local macho type. the visionary remains mysterious throughout (though her terrible childhood is detailed--are there any books anymore where characters aren't badly abused as children? reading two in one day is unpleasant), but the other three, even the cruel local, are all interesting and sympathetic characters. of course, they all come together as a huge number of people flock to the tiny town as pilgrims, and wackiness--and a catholic church inquiry--ensue(s). ok, there's not really any wackiness. but like all of guterson's books, it's an ultimately satisying read.
there are few common elements among guterson's three novels--the spirituality of nature, maybe, and the narrow-mindedness of small towns (perhaps exaggerated here--do oregonians really use the phrase "jew you down" and mentally mock hindus?). his in-depth characterizations are also notable--here, the main characters are a sixteen year old girl having visions of the virgin mary, her skeptical friend carolyn, the local weak-willed priest, and a mean-spirited local macho type. the visionary remains mysterious throughout (though her terrible childhood is detailed--are there any books anymore where characters aren't badly abused as children? reading two in one day is unpleasant), but the other three, even the cruel local, are all interesting and sympathetic characters. of course, they all come together as a huge number of people flock to the tiny town as pilgrims, and wackiness--and a catholic church inquiry--ensue(s). ok, there's not really any wackiness. but like all of guterson's books, it's an ultimately satisying read.
book 66
it's such a nice sunny afternoon--i had to go outside to read! unluckily, i left the book i was reading at ooh la latte last night--good thing i had some library books in my car. :)
nora okja keller's fox girl
this book wasn't especially stunning, or exciting, but it was entertaining enough to read on a sunny day, despite its fairly dark subject matter. it's about two girls growing up in korea (after the korean war, i assume), one the daughter of a prostitute who follows in her mother's footsteps, the other her best friend, who is more well off at first. it focuses on the fairly seedy lives of the children abandoned by GIs and their efforts to get away from "america town," the area surrounding the army base. yeah, there're no great life lessons learned and nothing particularly profound happens, but it's not a bad book by any means.
time to head over to durham to reclaim my guterson book . . . or maybe i'll eat a creamsicle.
nora okja keller's fox girl
this book wasn't especially stunning, or exciting, but it was entertaining enough to read on a sunny day, despite its fairly dark subject matter. it's about two girls growing up in korea (after the korean war, i assume), one the daughter of a prostitute who follows in her mother's footsteps, the other her best friend, who is more well off at first. it focuses on the fairly seedy lives of the children abandoned by GIs and their efforts to get away from "america town," the area surrounding the army base. yeah, there're no great life lessons learned and nothing particularly profound happens, but it's not a bad book by any means.
time to head over to durham to reclaim my guterson book . . . or maybe i'll eat a creamsicle.
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
book 65
a.l. kennedy's everything you need
i am seriously bummed that the chapel hill library seems to only have two books by kennedy and now i've read them both. she's really brilliant at characterization--her characters here are all fairly eccentric writers living on an isolated island, and even the minor figures are memorable and interesting (especially the lovable dog!). the main thrust of the plot is that a young writer comes to stay in their writers' colony and is unknowingly connected to one of the other writers there (this relationship is revealed early on, and i think most readers would pick it up even earlier). kennedy's own writing is lyrical, yes sometimes harsh, and difficult to read for its harshness. not that i wouldn't wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone, because i do.
i am seriously bummed that the chapel hill library seems to only have two books by kennedy and now i've read them both. she's really brilliant at characterization--her characters here are all fairly eccentric writers living on an isolated island, and even the minor figures are memorable and interesting (especially the lovable dog!). the main thrust of the plot is that a young writer comes to stay in their writers' colony and is unknowingly connected to one of the other writers there (this relationship is revealed early on, and i think most readers would pick it up even earlier). kennedy's own writing is lyrical, yes sometimes harsh, and difficult to read for its harshness. not that i wouldn't wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone, because i do.
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
djing 3 aug 04--top ten @ 10
djing is kind of boring w/o christina, so i will now join the ranks of those with online playlists.
song title/artist/album title
I = new playlist
II = older playlist
(#) = top ten
(R) = request
(10) every day you've been away/bebel gilberto/bebel gilberto
(9) soft south africans/the homosexuals/astral glamour
(8) avoid disconnect/the ghost of rock/the ghost of rock
--
(7) playa azul/los amigos invisibles/the venezuelan zinga son vol. 1
(6) diana ross/the concretes/the concretes
(5) what you want/tracy + the plastics/culture for pigeon
--
(4) space mambo/little tempo/fire blender
(3) indictment/antibalas/who is this america?
(2) painted forest fire/radar bros./old enough to know better
--
(1) mad mock goth/the fall/real new fall ep
smiles and frowns/snowglobe/our land brains
(I) lazy daisy/north elementary/lose your favorite things
willie/the snitches/star witness
chicks don't fall in love with me/leprikonsi/russendisko
--
i don't know what you've got (but it's got me)/percy milem/goldwax story vol 2
the ignorant version/adrian sherwood/never trust a hippy
(I) coco pilots/infinite livez/bush meat
turn it up/ugly duckling/taste the secret
--
sex, god + money/neulander/smoke + fire
(I) miss you/to rococo rot/hotel morgen
what NY couples fight about (freat. kurt wagner)/morcheeba/parts of the process
what the snowman learned about love/stars/heart
--
hand to phone/adult./resuscitation
orange blossom/minikon/minikon
i just had the best time/the maybellines/chatfield holiday
nerd boy/rocketfire red/year of the red
(I) sure, bert/mystic chords of memory/mystic chords of memory
--
pop promotion/gerhard narholz & jurgen jaenner/music for tv dinners: the 60s
living in space/david kilgour/frozen orange
and dude, when did the coke machine go from 65 to 70 cents? i totally had to run upstairs for a nickel so i could get lemonade-in-a-can.
song title/artist/album title
I = new playlist
II = older playlist
(#) = top ten
(R) = request
(10) every day you've been away/bebel gilberto/bebel gilberto
(9) soft south africans/the homosexuals/astral glamour
(8) avoid disconnect/the ghost of rock/the ghost of rock
--
(7) playa azul/los amigos invisibles/the venezuelan zinga son vol. 1
(6) diana ross/the concretes/the concretes
(5) what you want/tracy + the plastics/culture for pigeon
--
(4) space mambo/little tempo/fire blender
(3) indictment/antibalas/who is this america?
(2) painted forest fire/radar bros./old enough to know better
--
(1) mad mock goth/the fall/real new fall ep
smiles and frowns/snowglobe/our land brains
(I) lazy daisy/north elementary/lose your favorite things
willie/the snitches/star witness
chicks don't fall in love with me/leprikonsi/russendisko
--
i don't know what you've got (but it's got me)/percy milem/goldwax story vol 2
the ignorant version/adrian sherwood/never trust a hippy
(I) coco pilots/infinite livez/bush meat
turn it up/ugly duckling/taste the secret
--
sex, god + money/neulander/smoke + fire
(I) miss you/to rococo rot/hotel morgen
what NY couples fight about (freat. kurt wagner)/morcheeba/parts of the process
what the snowman learned about love/stars/heart
--
hand to phone/adult./resuscitation
orange blossom/minikon/minikon
i just had the best time/the maybellines/chatfield holiday
nerd boy/rocketfire red/year of the red
(I) sure, bert/mystic chords of memory/mystic chords of memory
--
pop promotion/gerhard narholz & jurgen jaenner/music for tv dinners: the 60s
living in space/david kilgour/frozen orange
and dude, when did the coke machine go from 65 to 70 cents? i totally had to run upstairs for a nickel so i could get lemonade-in-a-can.
speaking of powers:
there's a pretty good article about the series here (link via bookslut).
i would actually disagree that the series is apolitical--but of course, the author hadn't yet read the past two issues, where deena wakes up from her coma to discover that powers have been outlawed. i'm really interested to see where it'll go from here.
i would actually disagree that the series is apolitical--but of course, the author hadn't yet read the past two issues, where deena wakes up from her coma to discover that powers have been outlawed. i'm really interested to see where it'll go from here.
Monday, August 02, 2004
book 64
tim richardson's sweets: a history of candy
i bought this book a couple weeks ago, overjoyed to have 382 pages about candy to read! the first half is a fairly well-done history of candy, and reading all these ancient and not-s0-ancient comments on sugary things is pretty entertaining. the second half (which focuses on the last century, more or less) is a little less thrilling--or maybe my interest in candy waned! nah. anyway, one of the problems i had with this book was that richardson will briefly mention some grand sociological issue (deplorable working conditions on cacao plantations, or the gendering of candy marketing), which i think actually undermines his work. if he had solely focused on the history of sugary goodness, this would just be a fun and fluffy history book. by bringing up these other topics and then droppin them, he makes his work seem both incomplete and irrelevant (when really it could be a pretty useful tool for social historians as well as a fun read). also, because the man is british, i've never heard of half the candies he raves about (he mentions his favorite, something called a rhubard and custard, at least 15 times). i could conceivably use this book as a shopping list for the next time i head to southern season, though . . . and of course, he does debunk the story that the baby ruth bar was named for grover cleveland's daughter, so it's all worth it.
anyway, i'm going to stick to fiction for the next few books.
i bought this book a couple weeks ago, overjoyed to have 382 pages about candy to read! the first half is a fairly well-done history of candy, and reading all these ancient and not-s0-ancient comments on sugary things is pretty entertaining. the second half (which focuses on the last century, more or less) is a little less thrilling--or maybe my interest in candy waned! nah. anyway, one of the problems i had with this book was that richardson will briefly mention some grand sociological issue (deplorable working conditions on cacao plantations, or the gendering of candy marketing), which i think actually undermines his work. if he had solely focused on the history of sugary goodness, this would just be a fun and fluffy history book. by bringing up these other topics and then droppin them, he makes his work seem both incomplete and irrelevant (when really it could be a pretty useful tool for social historians as well as a fun read). also, because the man is british, i've never heard of half the candies he raves about (he mentions his favorite, something called a rhubard and custard, at least 15 times). i could conceivably use this book as a shopping list for the next time i head to southern season, though . . . and of course, he does debunk the story that the baby ruth bar was named for grover cleveland's daughter, so it's all worth it.
anyway, i'm going to stick to fiction for the next few books.
kochalka-stuff and other comics
once again, 2nd foundation (which seems to have officially changed names to "chapel hill comics") has tested my willpower and won.
this weekend i finally caved and got the big fancy american elf/james kochalka sketchbook diary book, even though i own the first 4/5s of it! but it's neat to read it all at once--i for one am really glad he's stuck with the project. his little anecdotes really capture the rhythms of daily life. i think all married people and new parents especially should check this out, as it addresses family life in a more realistic way than most books.
other purchases: the new caper, the new powers, the new SiP, the new luba, and another little japanese illustrated storybook.
i'm going to be bold here and say that i have been somewhere between annoyed and disappointed in strangers in paradise lately. i mean, it's one of the comics that got me into comics back when i was 16, so i feel a certain loyalty to it, and, sure ,the story has its ups and downs over the years, but i'm really seeing a lot more of a downward turn than usual these days. the worst offense is the novelization of some bits--which in theory makes the action move along more quickly, except that terry moore always novelizes the preceding panels. why?? and i'm sorry, but his writing translates to comic book form much better than regular novel form. his work is totally potboiler and lame. it reminds me of danielle steel (so wonderfully mocked in this new york times article. my favorite line: "Ms. Steel shies away from the selfish, ruthless, shameless home-wrecker type, preferring something more genteel. She would rather focus on inadvertent fabulousness, as in: "She had never paid much attention to the impact she had on men, she was always too busy thinking and talking about a variety of topics." That syntax makes sense only if you notice the 62 other titles on the current "Also by Danielle Steel" list and realize that the author hasn't much time to sweat the small stuff, like periods and commas."). it's unbearable to read.
i'm not really enjoying the new caper storyline either. it all revolves around a hand in a cooler and there's a lot of random action-movie-style gunfire, which just doesn't do it for me.
powers and luba were pretty good though.
this weekend i finally caved and got the big fancy american elf/james kochalka sketchbook diary book, even though i own the first 4/5s of it! but it's neat to read it all at once--i for one am really glad he's stuck with the project. his little anecdotes really capture the rhythms of daily life. i think all married people and new parents especially should check this out, as it addresses family life in a more realistic way than most books.
other purchases: the new caper, the new powers, the new SiP, the new luba, and another little japanese illustrated storybook.
i'm going to be bold here and say that i have been somewhere between annoyed and disappointed in strangers in paradise lately. i mean, it's one of the comics that got me into comics back when i was 16, so i feel a certain loyalty to it, and, sure ,the story has its ups and downs over the years, but i'm really seeing a lot more of a downward turn than usual these days. the worst offense is the novelization of some bits--which in theory makes the action move along more quickly, except that terry moore always novelizes the preceding panels. why?? and i'm sorry, but his writing translates to comic book form much better than regular novel form. his work is totally potboiler and lame. it reminds me of danielle steel (so wonderfully mocked in this new york times article. my favorite line: "Ms. Steel shies away from the selfish, ruthless, shameless home-wrecker type, preferring something more genteel. She would rather focus on inadvertent fabulousness, as in: "She had never paid much attention to the impact she had on men, she was always too busy thinking and talking about a variety of topics." That syntax makes sense only if you notice the 62 other titles on the current "Also by Danielle Steel" list and realize that the author hasn't much time to sweat the small stuff, like periods and commas."). it's unbearable to read.
i'm not really enjoying the new caper storyline either. it all revolves around a hand in a cooler and there's a lot of random action-movie-style gunfire, which just doesn't do it for me.
powers and luba were pretty good though.
Saturday, July 31, 2004
slacking
sorry for the lack of posts lately (to the two of you who read this blog). it's not that i haven't been reading, but i'm not reading as much due to massive headaches and to being busy going to mergefest. i promise there will be more book/comic-related commentary here soon!
Sunday, July 25, 2004
book 63
finally finished book 63 . . . it's been ages since i posted a book.
john banville's shroud
one of the reasons it took me so long to finish this was its extremely dull story and equally dull prose. honestly, i nodded off twice today alone while reading it. it's all about some academic-type who assumed someone else's identity after wwII and the young girl who has uncovered his secret. it mostly takes place in turin, hence the title. but unfortunately, since it's narrated by the aforementioned academic, it's a pretty dry read for a novel--esp. weird considering there's a fair amount of sex and madness involved. it's gotten a lot of great reviews but sometimes i don't see the point of these novels that exist solely to illuminate some decrepit old man's mental state.
john banville's shroud
one of the reasons it took me so long to finish this was its extremely dull story and equally dull prose. honestly, i nodded off twice today alone while reading it. it's all about some academic-type who assumed someone else's identity after wwII and the young girl who has uncovered his secret. it mostly takes place in turin, hence the title. but unfortunately, since it's narrated by the aforementioned academic, it's a pretty dry read for a novel--esp. weird considering there's a fair amount of sex and madness involved. it's gotten a lot of great reviews but sometimes i don't see the point of these novels that exist solely to illuminate some decrepit old man's mental state.
Saturday, July 24, 2004
fangirl
i just wrote the silliest, lamest little email to craig thompson. carnet de voyage was just lovely--i liked the informality of the sketchbook, but the story of his travels across france and morocco was compelling enough to keep me reading past my bedtime (hey, i got up at 6:30 and i'm sleepy!). and of course his drawings are all so beautiful; i selfishly wondered if he sells his original art so i could try and save up and hoard one little bit all to myself.
and his impressions of the loneliness of traveling were just so spot on. i kept thinking back to my week in egypt when i was 20, and how lonely and miserable i was, even though i was traveling with friends. not being able to communicate well makes one feel more isolated, i guess.
back to craig thompson for a second though: i just suddenly remembered that when kris and damon (comic swap! i miss you!) recommended his book goodbye, chunky rice, it was just before i went to israel. i remember rereading it in pittsburgh a day or so before i flew away . . . for the triangle denizens: i've seen copies at internationalist books and think you all should check it out. i hadn't seen it in years and finally found it in one of the boxes my parents brought me, along w/ all the stuff i got at the upc thing at bowling green when i'd just gotten back after 6 months abroad . . . i was so happy to read it again. and i finally got my copy of blankets back too, from its endless rounds among my friends. that one has a spot on my real bookshelves.
it makes my heart hurt a little to read his books, b/c he sometimes seems so sad; his drawings are so gorgeous that they hurt me a little too. i'm profoundly grateful that he's out there creating these things though. i told him in my email that i bet every girl who reads his stuff falls a little bit in love with him, and i sincerely believe that it's true. maybe it's true of the sensitive males too, or of anyone who has experienced love and loss and loneliness and all that alliterative jazz.
yes, i'm aware that i take these things too seriously.
and his impressions of the loneliness of traveling were just so spot on. i kept thinking back to my week in egypt when i was 20, and how lonely and miserable i was, even though i was traveling with friends. not being able to communicate well makes one feel more isolated, i guess.
back to craig thompson for a second though: i just suddenly remembered that when kris and damon (comic swap! i miss you!) recommended his book goodbye, chunky rice, it was just before i went to israel. i remember rereading it in pittsburgh a day or so before i flew away . . . for the triangle denizens: i've seen copies at internationalist books and think you all should check it out. i hadn't seen it in years and finally found it in one of the boxes my parents brought me, along w/ all the stuff i got at the upc thing at bowling green when i'd just gotten back after 6 months abroad . . . i was so happy to read it again. and i finally got my copy of blankets back too, from its endless rounds among my friends. that one has a spot on my real bookshelves.
it makes my heart hurt a little to read his books, b/c he sometimes seems so sad; his drawings are so gorgeous that they hurt me a little too. i'm profoundly grateful that he's out there creating these things though. i told him in my email that i bet every girl who reads his stuff falls a little bit in love with him, and i sincerely believe that it's true. maybe it's true of the sensitive males too, or of anyone who has experienced love and loss and loneliness and all that alliterative jazz.
yes, i'm aware that i take these things too seriously.
Friday, July 23, 2004
so happy
i swung by second foundation after work today--it always smells so good in there, it makes me want to cry. they've gotten rid of pretty much all the books so it's a real comic book store now! it looks amazing.
i got a ton of great stuff:
--conversation #1 (craig thompson and james kochalka's tagteam comic)
--the origami pet (very cool-looking minicomic)
--carnet de voyage (craig thompson's first book since blankets)
--kabuki (first issue in AGES!)
--love fights 11
--y the last man24
--powers vol 2 #1
--liberty meadows sourcebook 1
--fables 27
--plastic man 8
--fables: storybook love (the third trade--i started buying the issues just after this story arc)
--sweaterweather (graphic novel by sara varon)
--bipolar 2-4 (etgar keret writes some stories for these and i've heard great things about them)
--powers 26 and 30 (i think these are the two issues i was missing. well, i hope they are . . . )
--eightball 23 (in a new big size!)
--rabbithead (one-shot by rebecca dart)
i almost regret making plans to see napoleon dynamite tonight--i really want to just read all these right now!
i am so happy, and so utterly addicted.
i got a ton of great stuff:
--conversation #1 (craig thompson and james kochalka's tagteam comic)
--the origami pet (very cool-looking minicomic)
--carnet de voyage (craig thompson's first book since blankets)
--kabuki (first issue in AGES!)
--love fights 11
--y the last man24
--powers vol 2 #1
--liberty meadows sourcebook 1
--fables 27
--plastic man 8
--fables: storybook love (the third trade--i started buying the issues just after this story arc)
--sweaterweather (graphic novel by sara varon)
--bipolar 2-4 (etgar keret writes some stories for these and i've heard great things about them)
--powers 26 and 30 (i think these are the two issues i was missing. well, i hope they are . . . )
--eightball 23 (in a new big size!)
--rabbithead (one-shot by rebecca dart)
i almost regret making plans to see napoleon dynamite tonight--i really want to just read all these right now!
i am so happy, and so utterly addicted.
Thursday, July 22, 2004
recent reading material
salon has an article today on alan moore. the accompanying illustration is pretty great, too.
so the regulator is in the midst of a 20% off sale (for members) and even though i have been diligently using my library card, i really felt the need to shop at least a little. and i had a few things on hold there . . .
one of the things i had on hold was robert coover's stepmother, which turned out to be a mcsweeney's book. that totally explains its vaguely silly, dark perspective on fairy tales. it's one of those turning-fairy-tales-on-their-head books, only not really; the illustrations are stunning--stark and entrancing. it's only 89 pages so it doesn't count toward my 100 books, but i definitely recommend picking it up just for fun.
i also picked up the latest issue of bitch magazine. i'm not sure why i keep buying this, as i'm consistently underwhelmed with its content (has it gone downhill? i loved it in college. or have i outgrown it in some capacity?). i guess i'm tired of its overtly political/academic bent. the interview w/ diane dimassa (who drew the hothead paisan comics) was pretty great, but the one w/ em and lo was pretty bland (so disappointing--i adore them!). i did like the article on male "homosociality" and the very favorable camera obscura review (they called them "subversive," hee!) but otherwise was pretty much bored during the course of my reading.
i think i just prefer bust's take on female-friendly articles--they're a lot more fun! and it's not like they don't have a feminist agenda, but they don't need to overly politicize everything--it's definitely aimed more at the feminists of my generation, who generally aren't so angry (which doesn't mean we're not activists!) and are maybe more creative. i never see much on diy stuff in bitch.
hee, and another book i got was this hilarious book called "english as she is spoke," an english phrasebook originally written in 1855 by a portuguese man who didn't actually know english. needless to say, it's really entertaining for word nerds like me.
so the regulator is in the midst of a 20% off sale (for members) and even though i have been diligently using my library card, i really felt the need to shop at least a little. and i had a few things on hold there . . .
one of the things i had on hold was robert coover's stepmother, which turned out to be a mcsweeney's book. that totally explains its vaguely silly, dark perspective on fairy tales. it's one of those turning-fairy-tales-on-their-head books, only not really; the illustrations are stunning--stark and entrancing. it's only 89 pages so it doesn't count toward my 100 books, but i definitely recommend picking it up just for fun.
i also picked up the latest issue of bitch magazine. i'm not sure why i keep buying this, as i'm consistently underwhelmed with its content (has it gone downhill? i loved it in college. or have i outgrown it in some capacity?). i guess i'm tired of its overtly political/academic bent. the interview w/ diane dimassa (who drew the hothead paisan comics) was pretty great, but the one w/ em and lo was pretty bland (so disappointing--i adore them!). i did like the article on male "homosociality" and the very favorable camera obscura review (they called them "subversive," hee!) but otherwise was pretty much bored during the course of my reading.
i think i just prefer bust's take on female-friendly articles--they're a lot more fun! and it's not like they don't have a feminist agenda, but they don't need to overly politicize everything--it's definitely aimed more at the feminists of my generation, who generally aren't so angry (which doesn't mean we're not activists!) and are maybe more creative. i never see much on diy stuff in bitch.
hee, and another book i got was this hilarious book called "english as she is spoke," an english phrasebook originally written in 1855 by a portuguese man who didn't actually know english. needless to say, it's really entertaining for word nerds like me.
Monday, July 19, 2004
book 62
here's another one i picked up at the library last weekend. i'm nearly due for another trip--i am totally enamoured of the chapel hill public library, for the record.
a.l. kennedy's so i am glad
this book was pretty great, i have to say. at first the narration annoyed me--the narrator is a self-described cold, emotionless woman--but then the story sort of enveloped me. it's about this woman and how she meets a mysterious man who claims to be cyrano de bergerac (also, he glows in the dark). i mean, it'd be hard not to be interested in a story like that. the narrator's interactions with the minor characters are well-drawn as well; it's a pretty small story if you think about it, but the characters are so fleshed out and their interactions so intense that it doesn't feel that way at all. and it's only on writing this and reflecting on the book that i realize the title is a perfect fit as well. i fully plan on tracking down more of kennedy's works.
a.l. kennedy's so i am glad
this book was pretty great, i have to say. at first the narration annoyed me--the narrator is a self-described cold, emotionless woman--but then the story sort of enveloped me. it's about this woman and how she meets a mysterious man who claims to be cyrano de bergerac (also, he glows in the dark). i mean, it'd be hard not to be interested in a story like that. the narrator's interactions with the minor characters are well-drawn as well; it's a pretty small story if you think about it, but the characters are so fleshed out and their interactions so intense that it doesn't feel that way at all. and it's only on writing this and reflecting on the book that i realize the title is a perfect fit as well. i fully plan on tracking down more of kennedy's works.
Thursday, July 15, 2004
books 60 and 61
i forgot to post this one the other day:
patti kim's a cab called reliable
this book starts off promisingly--it's about a young girl who recently came from korea to america. pretty much the first thing that happens is that her mother leaves, taking her little brother with her, leaving the girl w/ her semi-abusive, drunk father. there's a very cute neighbor character who's her best friend, but he soon moves away. things don't really progress much from here--she starts writing depressing stories, and suddenly is a troubled middle-schooler doing poorly in school, and just as suddenly her terrible father becomes a doting father . . . it makes little sense--i mean, there is NO character development. the book is pretty short, but that's no reason for the chapters to jump around so much. and when a huge reveal is made, it's never explained or even mentioned again. this was just really frustrating to read--it had a lot of potential but really fell short of the mark.
william styron's lie down in darkness
i think it's a bad sign when i've spent the past few days reading this book, yet could not for the life of me remember its title over those days (i actually had to get up and go look just now b/c i'd forgotten it again). i mean, this book is ok, but it was written in 1951 and all the characters are mildly racist, and even styron at times comes off as racist (the "dialect" the black characters speak is appalling, especially since the dialog of all the other southern characters isn't written in any discernable style). there's also some interesting anti-jewish sentiments; the daughter of the main characters marries a new york jew, which lends itself to pages and pages of discussion. the story itself is about a very unhappily married couple--an alcoholic and a delusional weirdo--and their daughter, who early in the book has committed suicide. the story itself is presented as a series of flashbacks loosely interwoven with the action at the funeral. in addition, there's a fairly annoying disjointed section narrated by the daughter just before her suicide--very stream of consciousness and melodramatic. was that a new thing in 1951? now i'm definitely going to hesitate before reading sophie's choice. i really didn't enjoy styron's writing here.
patti kim's a cab called reliable
this book starts off promisingly--it's about a young girl who recently came from korea to america. pretty much the first thing that happens is that her mother leaves, taking her little brother with her, leaving the girl w/ her semi-abusive, drunk father. there's a very cute neighbor character who's her best friend, but he soon moves away. things don't really progress much from here--she starts writing depressing stories, and suddenly is a troubled middle-schooler doing poorly in school, and just as suddenly her terrible father becomes a doting father . . . it makes little sense--i mean, there is NO character development. the book is pretty short, but that's no reason for the chapters to jump around so much. and when a huge reveal is made, it's never explained or even mentioned again. this was just really frustrating to read--it had a lot of potential but really fell short of the mark.
william styron's lie down in darkness
i think it's a bad sign when i've spent the past few days reading this book, yet could not for the life of me remember its title over those days (i actually had to get up and go look just now b/c i'd forgotten it again). i mean, this book is ok, but it was written in 1951 and all the characters are mildly racist, and even styron at times comes off as racist (the "dialect" the black characters speak is appalling, especially since the dialog of all the other southern characters isn't written in any discernable style). there's also some interesting anti-jewish sentiments; the daughter of the main characters marries a new york jew, which lends itself to pages and pages of discussion. the story itself is about a very unhappily married couple--an alcoholic and a delusional weirdo--and their daughter, who early in the book has committed suicide. the story itself is presented as a series of flashbacks loosely interwoven with the action at the funeral. in addition, there's a fairly annoying disjointed section narrated by the daughter just before her suicide--very stream of consciousness and melodramatic. was that a new thing in 1951? now i'm definitely going to hesitate before reading sophie's choice. i really didn't enjoy styron's writing here.
Sunday, July 11, 2004
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