Laurie R. King's O Jerusalem
Yet another Mary Russell book is enlivened by a trip to Palestine in 1918. General Allenby* makes a cameo appearance, as does my favorite old-timey spelling of a word ("orang-outang", first read in a Poe story, the meaning of which I couldn't puzzle out till I asked my dad aloud what it meant). The usual hijinks and adventures ensue, and I'll still not tired of this series so I'll give it an A.
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*His namesake street in Tel Aviv is where all the fun is!
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
scott pilgrim preview!
Check it out!
Apparently the cover will be revealed on Monday . . . . YAYYYYYYYY!!!!!
Oooh, and look at this other shot from his photostream. If George Michael and other assorted people affiliated with that movie Superbad like O'Malley's stuff, you should too!!!!
Apparently the cover will be revealed on Monday . . . . YAYYYYYYYY!!!!!
Oooh, and look at this other shot from his photostream. If George Michael and other assorted people affiliated with that movie Superbad like O'Malley's stuff, you should too!!!!
Monday, May 21, 2007
2007 book 71
Lesley Kagen's Whistling in the Dark
This novel centers on ten year old Sally O'Malley. In the summer of 1959, her mother's in the hospital, her drunken stepfather isn't around, and her older sister is preoccupied with being eighteen, so it's just Sally and her wild little sister Troo, who Sally promised their dead father she'd protect. Meanwhile, there's a murderer and molester in town and Sally is not only convinced that she knows who he is, but that she's his next victim. It's a pretty riveting story--my only beef is that the writing gets a little too faux-childish at times, and the ending is clear to the reader long before it's clear to the protagonist, which can be a little bit frustrating. Still, I really liked the way the twists and turns played out, so I'll give it an A-.
This novel centers on ten year old Sally O'Malley. In the summer of 1959, her mother's in the hospital, her drunken stepfather isn't around, and her older sister is preoccupied with being eighteen, so it's just Sally and her wild little sister Troo, who Sally promised their dead father she'd protect. Meanwhile, there's a murderer and molester in town and Sally is not only convinced that she knows who he is, but that she's his next victim. It's a pretty riveting story--my only beef is that the writing gets a little too faux-childish at times, and the ending is clear to the reader long before it's clear to the protagonist, which can be a little bit frustrating. Still, I really liked the way the twists and turns played out, so I'll give it an A-.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
2007 book 70
Arthur Phillips' Angelica
I remember not really liking Phillips' The Egyptologist. but this has been getting good reviews and the descriptions seemed intriguing--a Victorian ghost story, a terrible family tragedy, etc. Each of the four protagonists has a turn narrating the novel, which isn't a ghost story, and the tragedy is debatable. Then ending is really stupid and totally unsatisfying. Maybe this would be a better book if it wasn't billed as all spooky and cool, since it is neither of those things, but is primarily annoying. C-.
I remember not really liking Phillips' The Egyptologist. but this has been getting good reviews and the descriptions seemed intriguing--a Victorian ghost story, a terrible family tragedy, etc. Each of the four protagonists has a turn narrating the novel, which isn't a ghost story, and the tragedy is debatable. Then ending is really stupid and totally unsatisfying. Maybe this would be a better book if it wasn't billed as all spooky and cool, since it is neither of those things, but is primarily annoying. C-.
2007 book 69
Laurie R. King's The Moor
The 4th Maru Russell mystery revisits the scene of the famous Hound of the Baskervilles. I wasn't as into this one as the previous stories--it took a while to get going, and it felt a little bit lazy, cribbing from a previous Holmes story--but it was still a fun read. B.
The 4th Maru Russell mystery revisits the scene of the famous Hound of the Baskervilles. I wasn't as into this one as the previous stories--it took a while to get going, and it felt a little bit lazy, cribbing from a previous Holmes story--but it was still a fun read. B.
Friday, May 18, 2007
2007 book 68
Nathan Englander's The Ministry of Special Cases
This novel, about a Jewish family in Argentina during all the crappy political unrest of the 1970s, has been garnering a ton of rave reviews. I was all excited to read it . . . and then I couldn't get into it at all. Seriously, it starts all in media res going on about Jewish cemetaries and things. It did pick up after that, but just as I'd get into it, it would start to drag again. And we're talking about a story involving the disappeared! But the problem is, there's so much bureaucracy and corruption in the book . . . it's easy to feel the frustration of the protagonists, b/c I as a reader was frustrated reading it. The ending was appropriate but I just can't give this book above a B.
This novel, about a Jewish family in Argentina during all the crappy political unrest of the 1970s, has been garnering a ton of rave reviews. I was all excited to read it . . . and then I couldn't get into it at all. Seriously, it starts all in media res going on about Jewish cemetaries and things. It did pick up after that, but just as I'd get into it, it would start to drag again. And we're talking about a story involving the disappeared! But the problem is, there's so much bureaucracy and corruption in the book . . . it's easy to feel the frustration of the protagonists, b/c I as a reader was frustrated reading it. The ending was appropriate but I just can't give this book above a B.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
2007 book 67
Laurie R. King's A Letter of Mary
The third book in the Mary Russell series was right up my alley, as it involved the murder of an archaeologist who has bequeathed a letter apparently writted by Mary Magdalene on the Holmeses. I wonder if King is secretly a biblical scholar or is just an excellent researcher, b/c all of her off-hand remarks about Russell's research are dead-on. I've definitely never seen a reference to a furtive patach in a novel before! Obviously I'm giving this one an A and putting the next couple books in the series on hold at the library! Gosh, are there enough prepositional phrases in these sentences? They'd be a bitch to diagram. (I love diagramming sentences.)
The third book in the Mary Russell series was right up my alley, as it involved the murder of an archaeologist who has bequeathed a letter apparently writted by Mary Magdalene on the Holmeses. I wonder if King is secretly a biblical scholar or is just an excellent researcher, b/c all of her off-hand remarks about Russell's research are dead-on. I've definitely never seen a reference to a furtive patach in a novel before! Obviously I'm giving this one an A and putting the next couple books in the series on hold at the library! Gosh, are there enough prepositional phrases in these sentences? They'd be a bitch to diagram. (I love diagramming sentences.)
Monday, May 14, 2007
2007 books 65 and 66
I managed to read a couple of short books last night and today while taking breaks from unpacking and whatnot!
Haruki Murakami's After Dark
I really think that Murakami is one of the most consistently GOOD authors out there. He never disappoints and this novel is no different. It's less, I don't know, epic than most of his novels, but the characters are some of his most likable. The story involves a small group of people who all encounter each other late one night. Meanwhile, the older sister of one of the protagonists is deeply asleep and possibly in danger. I really loved all the characters and I thought the film-like narrative was pretty interesting. A.
Chelsea Cain's Confessions of a Teen Sleuth
This was a mildly amusing Nancy Drew parody. It turns out that Nancy was a real person whose college roommate, Carolyn Keene, wrote a series of more-or-less inaccurate books about her. Nancy grows into adulthood, grappling with her teen sleuth identity and desperate for mysteries to solve. Totally a goofy read. B.
Haruki Murakami's After Dark
I really think that Murakami is one of the most consistently GOOD authors out there. He never disappoints and this novel is no different. It's less, I don't know, epic than most of his novels, but the characters are some of his most likable. The story involves a small group of people who all encounter each other late one night. Meanwhile, the older sister of one of the protagonists is deeply asleep and possibly in danger. I really loved all the characters and I thought the film-like narrative was pretty interesting. A.
Chelsea Cain's Confessions of a Teen Sleuth
This was a mildly amusing Nancy Drew parody. It turns out that Nancy was a real person whose college roommate, Carolyn Keene, wrote a series of more-or-less inaccurate books about her. Nancy grows into adulthood, grappling with her teen sleuth identity and desperate for mysteries to solve. Totally a goofy read. B.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
2007 book 64
Kirsten Miller's Kiki Strike Inside the Shadow City
This was a fun YA book about a group of pre-teen girls, each with special skills, who band together to explore an underground city underneath NY. Meanwhile, they get caught up in danger and mysteries! I figured out the twist ending but enjoyed it a lot anyway. The sequel comes out this fall and I definitely will be reading it. A.
This was a fun YA book about a group of pre-teen girls, each with special skills, who band together to explore an underground city underneath NY. Meanwhile, they get caught up in danger and mysteries! I figured out the twist ending but enjoyed it a lot anyway. The sequel comes out this fall and I definitely will be reading it. A.
2007 book 63
Laurie R. King's A Monstrous Regiment of Women
I moved yesterday and am tired and have a million things to do, so I apologize if this is scattered! Anyway, the second book in what is apparently a series of books about young eccentric Mary Russell and her friend Sherlock Holmes deals with some feminist biblical scholars and some mysterious murders. After we both enjoyed Beekeeper's Apprentice, Christina discovered all its sequels and encouraged me to read them, and this was pretty worth it. B+.
I moved yesterday and am tired and have a million things to do, so I apologize if this is scattered! Anyway, the second book in what is apparently a series of books about young eccentric Mary Russell and her friend Sherlock Holmes deals with some feminist biblical scholars and some mysterious murders. After we both enjoyed Beekeeper's Apprentice, Christina discovered all its sequels and encouraged me to read them, and this was pretty worth it. B+.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
two great tastes that taste great togther
The Clientele . . . as manga!! I totally have to buy that book when it comes out.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
2007 book 62
Michael Faber's Vanilla Bright Like Eminem
I am really not into short stories these days, but I'm reviewing this so I had to read it. It's really weird how Faber's stories veer between sort of surreal and/or totally unpleasant, and charming little vignettes. There were a few stories that made me want to put the damn book down for good, and a couple I really liked. I guess that averages out to a B-/C+.
I am really not into short stories these days, but I'm reviewing this so I had to read it. It's really weird how Faber's stories veer between sort of surreal and/or totally unpleasant, and charming little vignettes. There were a few stories that made me want to put the damn book down for good, and a couple I really liked. I guess that averages out to a B-/C+.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Multimedia message
I was out running errands this afternoon as a break from packing and moving and came across this publicity thingum for Harry Potter 7. I think this lends credence to the "Snape is actually a good guy" theory (which I totally believe), or else why would plot point that be such a big marketing thing?
Sunday, May 06, 2007
2007 book 61
Dani Shapiro's Black & White
The protagonist of this novel is a woman whose mother achieved fame and fortune by taking photographs of her young daughter naked. As an adult, the daughter has cut off all contact with her mother, until news reachers that her mother is dying. She struggles to come to terms with the role the photographs played in her own life while trying to raise her own daughter. Blah. This book was pretty good, but I wished they had fleshed out some of the characters more (like the protagonist's older sister). The ending also didn't do much for me. B-.
The protagonist of this novel is a woman whose mother achieved fame and fortune by taking photographs of her young daughter naked. As an adult, the daughter has cut off all contact with her mother, until news reachers that her mother is dying. She struggles to come to terms with the role the photographs played in her own life while trying to raise her own daughter. Blah. This book was pretty good, but I wished they had fleshed out some of the characters more (like the protagonist's older sister). The ending also didn't do much for me. B-.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
2007 book 60
Jennifer McMahon's Promise Not to Tell
I've been feeling a little bit sick for the past couple of days, so I've been sticking to lighter reading. This mystery revolves around two identical murders that took place thirty years apart--when the first victim's friend Kate returns to town to care for her sick mother and the second little girl is murdered, everyone is terrified and suspicious. As Kate attempts to unravel the truth, she must come to term with her own role in her friend's death, which has inspired a slew of local legends and ghost stories. Anyway, I liked the mystery part (though it was pretty easy to guess the killer) and had some mixed feelings about the ghost story parts, so I'll give it a B.
I've been feeling a little bit sick for the past couple of days, so I've been sticking to lighter reading. This mystery revolves around two identical murders that took place thirty years apart--when the first victim's friend Kate returns to town to care for her sick mother and the second little girl is murdered, everyone is terrified and suspicious. As Kate attempts to unravel the truth, she must come to term with her own role in her friend's death, which has inspired a slew of local legends and ghost stories. Anyway, I liked the mystery part (though it was pretty easy to guess the killer) and had some mixed feelings about the ghost story parts, so I'll give it a B.
2007 book 59
Alison McGhee's Falling Boy
This is a sweet novel about a teenage boy in a wheelchair; he spends his summer working in a bakery with an eccentric boy boss and with a troubled little girl hanging around. Gradually the story of his injury comes out, though his boss has half-convinced everyone that he is a superhero. Anyway, I really liked this, and give it an A- because it drags a little.
This is a sweet novel about a teenage boy in a wheelchair; he spends his summer working in a bakery with an eccentric boy boss and with a troubled little girl hanging around. Gradually the story of his injury comes out, though his boss has half-convinced everyone that he is a superhero. Anyway, I really liked this, and give it an A- because it drags a little.
Friday, May 04, 2007
chabon, chabon, chabon!
The Yiddish Policeman media blitz continues with an interview with Michael Chabon at Salon. It's mostly good, but I disagree with the introduction's assertion that there's a secret cabal akin to the Elders of Zion. I don't want to give the story away, so I can't explain why that is really off the mark, but it IS REALLY OFF THE MARK. I mean, the refrain the article's author refers to is actually "These are strange times to be a Jew," so clearly Ms. Goldstein didn't read the book very carefully.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
grey's anatomy
I am officially over this show! I've been on the verge of forgoing it since the whole George-Izzie pairing, but even a Broken West song couldn't redeem tonight's episode.
I might watch the spin-off though, but only if Piz from Veronica Mars will be appearing regularly (preferably shirtless, as he did tonight).
I might watch the spin-off though, but only if Piz from Veronica Mars will be appearing regularly (preferably shirtless, as he did tonight).
P5030083
I've been experimenting with recipes from that King Arthur whole grain cookbook. So far everything I've made (Milk and Honey Corn Muffins, Maple-Date-Walnut Bread) has been pretty good--but these Barley Sugar Cookies are pretty great! I could barely put this one down long enough to take a photo.
My only beef with the cookbook is that some of the flavors (i.e., the titular honey and maple from my previous efforts, and lemon in these cookies) don't come through as much as I'd like. That's probably just a personal preference, though, and it's easy enough to add more of the good stuff to a recipe!
My only beef with the cookbook is that some of the flavors (i.e., the titular honey and maple from my previous efforts, and lemon in these cookies) don't come through as much as I'd like. That's probably just a personal preference, though, and it's easy enough to add more of the good stuff to a recipe!
cook for the cure
I love all these kitchen products for the cure. I actually do need a set of cookware (I have myriad baking pans and things, but only one small saucepan and one frying pan due to various kitchen incidents), but I'm not sure I need THAT many pink kitchen accessories. Still, if you want to have matching stuff, you may as well do it for a good cause! And that cookware set is a really good deal at the moment. I am sorely tempted--I think pink kitchen stuff would nicely complement my pastel blue KitchenAid stand mixer.
OK, I admit it. I think pink pots 'n' pans are supercute! I am sooooo girly! WTF.
OK, I admit it. I think pink pots 'n' pans are supercute! I am sooooo girly! WTF.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
2007 book 58
Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union
You know how sometimes, when you've been waiting FOREVER for something, and are all excited about it, when you finally get it, it's just not as good as you thought it would be. Well, that is not at all the case here! I read an excerpt from it in some journal or another a couple months ago, and have been waiting with bated breath ever since, and it managed to exceed my expectations. So, nu, what is the book about? I guess people are making a big deal about it being an alternate history murder mystery, but the alternate history stuff is just a really wonderful and elaborate backdrop to a story that is straight-up noir. In this version of the world, Israel never became a state, and the Jews instead were granted temporary custody of a large chunk of Alaska. Of course there's the usual trouble with the land's previous inhabitants, not the mention the 60 years the Jews were granted to live there is about to expire. In the midst of all this, a cop named Meyer Landsman is called to the scene of a murder in his own hotel building. Also, his ex-wife is now his boss. I mean, it's the awesomest noir ever!
Anyway, this story is not in the least anti-Semitic, so whoever said that it was is clearly on crack. Like there have never been Jewish mobsters before--come on, there was a whole CLASS about Jewish mobsters at Penn State (I never took it). Weirdly, I feel like Chabon really tried to keep the Yiddish in check to make the novel more palatable and understandable to his non-Jewish readers. There are a few words that crop up a lot, but half the time he's called kugel "noodle pudding", so clearly there's some self-censorship going on. I mean, that's not important to the story at all, I just thought it was interesting. The whole world of the novel is steeped in Jewish culture, at any rate.
Can you guess that I'm giving this an A+ and an automatic spot on the year-end best list? Gosh I love Michael Chabon!
You know how sometimes, when you've been waiting FOREVER for something, and are all excited about it, when you finally get it, it's just not as good as you thought it would be. Well, that is not at all the case here! I read an excerpt from it in some journal or another a couple months ago, and have been waiting with bated breath ever since, and it managed to exceed my expectations. So, nu, what is the book about? I guess people are making a big deal about it being an alternate history murder mystery, but the alternate history stuff is just a really wonderful and elaborate backdrop to a story that is straight-up noir. In this version of the world, Israel never became a state, and the Jews instead were granted temporary custody of a large chunk of Alaska. Of course there's the usual trouble with the land's previous inhabitants, not the mention the 60 years the Jews were granted to live there is about to expire. In the midst of all this, a cop named Meyer Landsman is called to the scene of a murder in his own hotel building. Also, his ex-wife is now his boss. I mean, it's the awesomest noir ever!
Anyway, this story is not in the least anti-Semitic, so whoever said that it was is clearly on crack. Like there have never been Jewish mobsters before--come on, there was a whole CLASS about Jewish mobsters at Penn State (I never took it). Weirdly, I feel like Chabon really tried to keep the Yiddish in check to make the novel more palatable and understandable to his non-Jewish readers. There are a few words that crop up a lot, but half the time he's called kugel "noodle pudding", so clearly there's some self-censorship going on. I mean, that's not important to the story at all, I just thought it was interesting. The whole world of the novel is steeped in Jewish culture, at any rate.
Can you guess that I'm giving this an A+ and an automatic spot on the year-end best list? Gosh I love Michael Chabon!
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Monday, April 30, 2007
jerks
I'm kind of sad about the responses to this Gawker post. That professor is totally right! Cake is AWESOME.
Maybe I'm overly sensitive to remarks about cat ladies now that I own a cat . . . and bought him two new bags of squishy balls after work today, since I arbitrarily decided that May 1st is his birthday. Sigh. To my credit, I did not divulge that to the chatty clerk at Petco.
Maybe I'm overly sensitive to remarks about cat ladies now that I own a cat . . . and bought him two new bags of squishy balls after work today, since I arbitrarily decided that May 1st is his birthday. Sigh. To my credit, I did not divulge that to the chatty clerk at Petco.
2007 book 57
Joshua Ferris' Then We Came to the End
Yay, this finally came in from the library! I've been reading good reviews for ages and was dying to read it. Luckily it met my expectations. Narrated in first person plural (except for one chapter in the middle, which is a jarring change), a hard trick to pull off, Ferris' novel is all about office life--drudgery, fear of layoffs, office politics--and he totally nails the environment. His characters are all slightly quirky and endearing, and the inevitable ending is both fitting and satisfying. A.
Yay, this finally came in from the library! I've been reading good reviews for ages and was dying to read it. Luckily it met my expectations. Narrated in first person plural (except for one chapter in the middle, which is a jarring change), a hard trick to pull off, Ferris' novel is all about office life--drudgery, fear of layoffs, office politics--and he totally nails the environment. His characters are all slightly quirky and endearing, and the inevitable ending is both fitting and satisfying. A.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
x-men spinoffs
OK, I do have a soft spot for Magneto and all, but this may be the darkest origin story EVER. Plus that's not why Xavier and Magneto become enemies . . . oh fine, I'll admit it: I want to see Magneto take down some Nazis with his amazing metal powers!!!! Bad-ASS. Also, more fuel for the "Jews and Comic Books" curriculum.
2007 book 56
Susan Minot's Evening
The latest issue of Entertainment Weekly was the summer movie issue, and it looks like a movie version of this is coming out--starring Vanessa Redgrave and Meryl Streep, with Claire Danes and Meryl Streep's daughter as young Redgrave and Streep. There's a whole Fried Green Tomatoes thing going on here--a dying woman flashes back on her adult life, especially to the weekend of her best friend's wedding, where she met the love of her life. Of course the movie version will be drastically different (half the characters are missing, judging by the imdb listing, and we never see Streep's character as an adult in the novel) but it could make for a compelling film. Oh, the book gets an A-. It would have been an A, but I hated that the lack of punctuation stream-of-consciousness narrative splashed over into the bits that weren't the dying woman's thoughts. Seriously, use quotation marks.
The latest issue of Entertainment Weekly was the summer movie issue, and it looks like a movie version of this is coming out--starring Vanessa Redgrave and Meryl Streep, with Claire Danes and Meryl Streep's daughter as young Redgrave and Streep. There's a whole Fried Green Tomatoes thing going on here--a dying woman flashes back on her adult life, especially to the weekend of her best friend's wedding, where she met the love of her life. Of course the movie version will be drastically different (half the characters are missing, judging by the imdb listing, and we never see Streep's character as an adult in the novel) but it could make for a compelling film. Oh, the book gets an A-. It would have been an A, but I hated that the lack of punctuation stream-of-consciousness narrative splashed over into the bits that weren't the dying woman's thoughts. Seriously, use quotation marks.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
2007 book 55
Lionel Shriver's The Post-Birthday World
From the moment I picked up this book--its cover featured an empty cupcake wrapper with a few crumbs beside it--I knew I'd like it, and I DID! I've never read anything else by Shriver, but I may have to seek some of her earlier works now. Anyway, this is the story of a married woman who is tempted to kiss an old friend. Will she or won't she?? Actually, it's both--both scenarios are played out in alternating chapters (the same narrative structure as the move Sliding Doors). The parallels between the alternate lives are really fascinating, and as a result the reader picks up on things more quickly than the protagonist. She, and the two men in her life, are really interesting characters and I wholeheartedly enjoyed both versions of the story. I give this a resounding A.
From the moment I picked up this book--its cover featured an empty cupcake wrapper with a few crumbs beside it--I knew I'd like it, and I DID! I've never read anything else by Shriver, but I may have to seek some of her earlier works now. Anyway, this is the story of a married woman who is tempted to kiss an old friend. Will she or won't she?? Actually, it's both--both scenarios are played out in alternating chapters (the same narrative structure as the move Sliding Doors). The parallels between the alternate lives are really fascinating, and as a result the reader picks up on things more quickly than the protagonist. She, and the two men in her life, are really interesting characters and I wholeheartedly enjoyed both versions of the story. I give this a resounding A.
Monday, April 23, 2007
2007 book 54
>Cynthia Kadohata's Kira-Kira
This won the Newbury a couple of years ago, so I figured it'd be a good read, which for the most part it was. I just don't remember most Newbury books being so depressing! Anyway, this is the story of a little Japanese girl living in Georgia in the late 1950s/early 1960s. As if her life wasn't hard enough, her older sister gets sick and the family begins to fall apart. Hilariously, the reader's guide in the back uses questions the protagonist is assigned for a book report (i.e., "What is the theme of this story?"). B+.
This won the Newbury a couple of years ago, so I figured it'd be a good read, which for the most part it was. I just don't remember most Newbury books being so depressing! Anyway, this is the story of a little Japanese girl living in Georgia in the late 1950s/early 1960s. As if her life wasn't hard enough, her older sister gets sick and the family begins to fall apart. Hilariously, the reader's guide in the back uses questions the protagonist is assigned for a book report (i.e., "What is the theme of this story?"). B+.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
alicia reviews ice cream
Seeing Hot Fuzz (AWESOME!) reminded me that I've been meaning to write excellent things about two delicious new Ben and Jerry's flavors I've tried recently! I was unsuccessful in my attempts to find the Stephen Colbert flavor, but Creme Brulee and Cinnamon Buns more than made up for it. The former didn't really excite me at first, until I found myself craving its crunchy caramelized sugar swirl. YUM. And the latter could have used a few more chunks of cinnamon bun dough, but the streusel swirl was simply sublime. Both flavors get an A!
2007 book 53
A.L. Kennedy's Day
Normally I love Kennedy's novels--she's a beautiful writer--but I just couldn't get into this one. I'm not really sure why--the protagonist was really sympathetic, a WWII vet who spent time in a POW camp, and after the war ends up working as an extra in a movie about a POW camp . . . maybe it was the way every chapter flashed back and forth in time, and it seemed like things were missing and didn't quite fit together, and the love interest wasn't really characterized in any way (which may have been the point, since it's all about the protagonist's thought process). At any rate, I wasn't that into it, as much as it pains me to say so. B.
Normally I love Kennedy's novels--she's a beautiful writer--but I just couldn't get into this one. I'm not really sure why--the protagonist was really sympathetic, a WWII vet who spent time in a POW camp, and after the war ends up working as an extra in a movie about a POW camp . . . maybe it was the way every chapter flashed back and forth in time, and it seemed like things were missing and didn't quite fit together, and the love interest wasn't really characterized in any way (which may have been the point, since it's all about the protagonist's thought process). At any rate, I wasn't that into it, as much as it pains me to say so. B.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
2007 book 52
China Mieville's The Scar
This fantasy-ish book was really long, and had a lot of characters with a lot of plotlines. I'm not even going to start trying to summarize it. I mostly liked it, but one thing that struck me as odd was that, in a world he'd completely created, down to made-up names months and days and made up expressions, why did Mieville's characters keep dropping the f-bomb? Make up another fake swear word or whatever! B.
Back to Ugly Betty, which just mentioned my former staple drink, the dirty girl scout. Throwing up green tends to turn a girl off for good.
This fantasy-ish book was really long, and had a lot of characters with a lot of plotlines. I'm not even going to start trying to summarize it. I mostly liked it, but one thing that struck me as odd was that, in a world he'd completely created, down to made-up names months and days and made up expressions, why did Mieville's characters keep dropping the f-bomb? Make up another fake swear word or whatever! B.
Back to Ugly Betty, which just mentioned my former staple drink, the dirty girl scout. Throwing up green tends to turn a girl off for good.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
2007 book 51
Hey, I'm in Philly! I only finished one book on the way here (b/c I slept through my 7 am flight, and the other book I had for the trip here is long). Anyway, I made it with only an hour delay, which was a serious relief.
Sanda Dallas' Tallgrass
This novel centers on a 13 year old girl in Colorado in 1942; when a Japanese internment camp opens up a mile down the road, she and her family find themselves in the middle of a very charged situation. I really liked all the characters here--there were just a few false notes that rang a little too Disney-channel-movie for me (you know: "Let's all be friends! Racists are bad! I have learned to accept the differences of others!") but on the whole the story was an enjoyable one. I do wonder if there were people so sympathetic to the Japanese prisoners, or if that's just sort of a liberal guilt reaction and an "if IIII was there, I'd have been nice and stood up for them!" rewriting of history. Race politics aside, it was a really good read. A-.
PS. Comic book writer/artist Kevin Huizenga's wife is at this training thing too!!!
Sanda Dallas' Tallgrass
This novel centers on a 13 year old girl in Colorado in 1942; when a Japanese internment camp opens up a mile down the road, she and her family find themselves in the middle of a very charged situation. I really liked all the characters here--there were just a few false notes that rang a little too Disney-channel-movie for me (you know: "Let's all be friends! Racists are bad! I have learned to accept the differences of others!") but on the whole the story was an enjoyable one. I do wonder if there were people so sympathetic to the Japanese prisoners, or if that's just sort of a liberal guilt reaction and an "if IIII was there, I'd have been nice and stood up for them!" rewriting of history. Race politics aside, it was a really good read. A-.
PS. Comic book writer/artist Kevin Huizenga's wife is at this training thing too!!!
Sunday, April 15, 2007
2007 book 50
Lisa Lutz's The Spellman Files
This was a highly entertaining and funny look at a family of PIs; unconventional protagonist Izzy has to deal with her parents and unruly baby sister invading her privacy and the general disapproval of her straight-laced older brother. When she gets involved with a cold case and starts dating a dentist, things get even more chaotic. Although there was one minor plot point I was surprised to pick up before the PI girl, generally I really liked this story and its characters. A.
Now I'm off to finally see The Namesake! Speaking of movies, I recently watched Brick on the recommendation of Jordon, who has a man-crush on Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I did like it, but found the dialogue to be reeeeally over-the-top. Was it supposed to be a parody of noir films? If so, it was very successful.
This was a highly entertaining and funny look at a family of PIs; unconventional protagonist Izzy has to deal with her parents and unruly baby sister invading her privacy and the general disapproval of her straight-laced older brother. When she gets involved with a cold case and starts dating a dentist, things get even more chaotic. Although there was one minor plot point I was surprised to pick up before the PI girl, generally I really liked this story and its characters. A.
Now I'm off to finally see The Namesake! Speaking of movies, I recently watched Brick on the recommendation of Jordon, who has a man-crush on Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I did like it, but found the dialogue to be reeeeally over-the-top. Was it supposed to be a parody of noir films? If so, it was very successful.
Friday, April 13, 2007
attention durham residents-slash-bad movie fans!
I just saw a commercial for a Lifetime original movie totally based on the Michael Peterson case! It has the awesomely bad title of "The Staircase Murders" and stars Treat Williams as Michael Peterson (look, they didn't even bother changing his name) and Anna from the OC as his suspicious stepdaughter. It premieres on Sunday!
I . . . might have to watch this. Of course, Sunday is the day I've dedicated to a) hauling a bunch of books to a used bookstore, and b) finishing the organization of the comic books I want to donate. I can't believe I'm moving in like three weeks. YIKES.
I . . . might have to watch this. Of course, Sunday is the day I've dedicated to a) hauling a bunch of books to a used bookstore, and b) finishing the organization of the comic books I want to donate. I can't believe I'm moving in like three weeks. YIKES.
2007 books 47, 48, and 49
I had jury duty today, which somehow was even more boring than I imagined (mainly b/c it consisted of sitting around waiting to hear if my name was called, which when it was, meant I had to sit around for an extra couple of hours for what turned out to be no reason whatsoever--probably I'd have minded less if I hadn't finished all three of my books shortly after 12:30. Next time I'm bringing meatier tomes).
Anyway:
Bennett Madison's Lulu Dark and the Summer of the Fox
The sequel to the rich and glamourous teen girl detective book I read last week was just as cute as its predecessor, yet somehow even more farfetched. I did like the whole middle-aged actresses as terrorists motif, though. B+
Nora Gallagher's Changing Light
Ah, 1950s New Mexico--a place where a Czech Jewish scientist can flee in horror from his work on the A-bomb and meet up with a feisty Georgia O'Keefe-esque painter fleeing from her own crappy marriage, and immediately fall in love. Seriously, why do fictional characters form long-lasting love-type feelings for characters they've only known for five minutes? Were they that sexually repressed or something? I guess the two characters were interesting, but I really didn't buy their sudden romance. Also, the pseudo-villains (a really annoying spy and a jealous priest) were pretty lame. B-.
Anjali Bannerjee's Maya Running
This is the sort of YA book I don't like much. Of course you all know I'm interested in themes of outsider-ness, so you'd think I'd like a book about a teen Indian girl in Canada in the 1970s, who's the only non-white kid in her class and is trying hard to fit in, balance her two worlds, etc. Unfortunately, this book had absolutely no subtlety, and when things suddenly take a turn for the mystical, I was rolling my eyes on just about every page. Way to throw anvils on heads, Ms. Bannerjee! It was like a badly written moralistic fairy tale. C.
Anyway:
Bennett Madison's Lulu Dark and the Summer of the Fox
The sequel to the rich and glamourous teen girl detective book I read last week was just as cute as its predecessor, yet somehow even more farfetched. I did like the whole middle-aged actresses as terrorists motif, though. B+
Nora Gallagher's Changing Light
Ah, 1950s New Mexico--a place where a Czech Jewish scientist can flee in horror from his work on the A-bomb and meet up with a feisty Georgia O'Keefe-esque painter fleeing from her own crappy marriage, and immediately fall in love. Seriously, why do fictional characters form long-lasting love-type feelings for characters they've only known for five minutes? Were they that sexually repressed or something? I guess the two characters were interesting, but I really didn't buy their sudden romance. Also, the pseudo-villains (a really annoying spy and a jealous priest) were pretty lame. B-.
Anjali Bannerjee's Maya Running
This is the sort of YA book I don't like much. Of course you all know I'm interested in themes of outsider-ness, so you'd think I'd like a book about a teen Indian girl in Canada in the 1970s, who's the only non-white kid in her class and is trying hard to fit in, balance her two worlds, etc. Unfortunately, this book had absolutely no subtlety, and when things suddenly take a turn for the mystical, I was rolling my eyes on just about every page. Way to throw anvils on heads, Ms. Bannerjee! It was like a badly written moralistic fairy tale. C.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
weirdest poetry tribute ever
I'm not usually much for poetry, but thanks to one of the Anastasia Krupnik books, I read Wordsworth's daffodil poem at a young age and still harbor a fondness for it. However, I've never considered dressing up as a rodent and rapping a version of it. (Being from Squirrel Hill, I find this extra amusing--of course, our squirrels were the grey ones.)
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
wow
As many of you know, I get comic books mailed to me monthly from the fine folks at Chapel Hill Comics. Before each shipment goes out, the lovely Vanessa emails me a list of stuff I might like to include in the package. A lot of times I don't research these books--if it's by an author I like, I say, "throw it in!" and she does.
Anyway, I just read one of those last-minute adds, and it is one of the most devastating things I've ever read. It's Anders Nilsen's Don't go Where I Can't Follow. It starts out as a bunch of letters and drawings and journal entries and photos, and I was thinking, like, "Wait, what is the point of this?" and then I turned a page and knew. By the end I had a huge lump in my throat and was a little teary. Like I said, it was really a devastating read, but a very powerful one, so I urge everyone to check it out. It's on sale at D&Q right now.
Anyway, I just read one of those last-minute adds, and it is one of the most devastating things I've ever read. It's Anders Nilsen's Don't go Where I Can't Follow. It starts out as a bunch of letters and drawings and journal entries and photos, and I was thinking, like, "Wait, what is the point of this?" and then I turned a page and knew. By the end I had a huge lump in my throat and was a little teary. Like I said, it was really a devastating read, but a very powerful one, so I urge everyone to check it out. It's on sale at D&Q right now.
new mix
In honor of the stupendous new Rosebuds album (out today!), I made a mix cd! As usual, it's . . . eclectic. Track listing below:
The Well And The Lighthouse -- The Arcade Fire
Brass Ring -- The Broken West
Fucking Boyfriend -- The Bird & The Bee
A place for us to -- Opening flower happy bird
Let's Call It Off -- Peter Bjorn & John
Eye Know -- De La Soul
Tickets to Crickets -- Ferraby Lionheart
Girl Sailor -- The Shins
The Air Between Us -- Palomar
FRIGHTENED by the LAKE -- Audubon Park
Normal Day -- Schooner
The Sun Is Still Sunny -- Dean & Britta
Save The Last Dance For Me -- Ike & Tina Turner
Night Of The Three Furies -- The Rosebuds
Lemon Tree (Thievery Corporation Remix) -- Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
How Many Times Can We Burn This Bridge? -- Yuka Honda
BBC World -- David Kilgour
Black Ship White Sails -- Nathan Oliver
That Teenage Feeling -- Neko Case
Lullaby for John Grives -- Erie Choir
The Well And The Lighthouse -- The Arcade Fire
Brass Ring -- The Broken West
Fucking Boyfriend -- The Bird & The Bee
A place for us to -- Opening flower happy bird
Let's Call It Off -- Peter Bjorn & John
Eye Know -- De La Soul
Tickets to Crickets -- Ferraby Lionheart
Girl Sailor -- The Shins
The Air Between Us -- Palomar
FRIGHTENED by the LAKE -- Audubon Park
Normal Day -- Schooner
The Sun Is Still Sunny -- Dean & Britta
Save The Last Dance For Me -- Ike & Tina Turner
Night Of The Three Furies -- The Rosebuds
Lemon Tree (Thievery Corporation Remix) -- Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
How Many Times Can We Burn This Bridge? -- Yuka Honda
BBC World -- David Kilgour
Black Ship White Sails -- Nathan Oliver
That Teenage Feeling -- Neko Case
Lullaby for John Grives -- Erie Choir
2007 book 46
Michelle Richmond's A Year of Fog
OK, so this is the story of a woman who, one day, takes her fiance's little daughter to the beach. When the little girl disappears, everyone's lives start to unravel. The book jacket hints too strongly about the ending, so I wasn't surprised about it, but I really did have some mixed feelings about it anyway. I'm going to think about this one some more, but in the meantime I'll give it a B. Point of interest: the protagonist uses a Holga.
OK, so this is the story of a woman who, one day, takes her fiance's little daughter to the beach. When the little girl disappears, everyone's lives start to unravel. The book jacket hints too strongly about the ending, so I wasn't surprised about it, but I really did have some mixed feelings about it anyway. I'm going to think about this one some more, but in the meantime I'll give it a B. Point of interest: the protagonist uses a Holga.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
2007 book 45
Steven Hall's The Raw Shark Texts
This has been getting a lot of positive reviews, but I wasn't really that into it. It's heavily inspired by Haruki Murakami (especially Hard-Boiled Wonderland, and you'd be better off reading that). It's being described as, like, "A man wakes up one day without any of his memories; he soon discovers he has a weird psychological disorder dtemming from the accidental death of his girlfriend. But as he delves into his past, he realizes things aren't what they seem!!" Sounds intriguing, right? But after the first hundred pages, it starts getting all metaphysical or something, with all these weird word-sharks (don't ask--though there is a nice bit of graphic imagery with a word-shark toward the end of the book). Like I said, the whole thing is very reminiscent of Murakami, as though a Murakami fan sat down and wrote a first novel. Which apparently one did. B-.
On another note, I saw Blades of Glory this afternoon, and it was way more enjoyable than this book. It was sweet!
This has been getting a lot of positive reviews, but I wasn't really that into it. It's heavily inspired by Haruki Murakami (especially Hard-Boiled Wonderland, and you'd be better off reading that). It's being described as, like, "A man wakes up one day without any of his memories; he soon discovers he has a weird psychological disorder dtemming from the accidental death of his girlfriend. But as he delves into his past, he realizes things aren't what they seem!!" Sounds intriguing, right? But after the first hundred pages, it starts getting all metaphysical or something, with all these weird word-sharks (don't ask--though there is a nice bit of graphic imagery with a word-shark toward the end of the book). Like I said, the whole thing is very reminiscent of Murakami, as though a Murakami fan sat down and wrote a first novel. Which apparently one did. B-.
On another note, I saw Blades of Glory this afternoon, and it was way more enjoyable than this book. It was sweet!
Saturday, April 07, 2007
2007 book 44
Bennett Madison's Lulu Dark Can See Through Walls
This was a cute little YA book about a rich girl who gets caught up in a mystery. She and her friends are fun characters, and most of the YA-type drama feels true enough. It wraps up neatly, and I liked it well enough to give it a B+ and to put its sequel on hold at the library.
This was a cute little YA book about a rich girl who gets caught up in a mystery. She and her friends are fun characters, and most of the YA-type drama feels true enough. It wraps up neatly, and I liked it well enough to give it a B+ and to put its sequel on hold at the library.
Friday, April 06, 2007
2007 book 43
Laura Lippman's What the Dead Know
This mystery story focuses on a woman involved in a hit and run accident; when police confront her, she announces that she's one of a pair of sisters who disappeared thirty years earlier. As the police attempt to discover whether or not she's telling the truth about her identity, her story and the aftermath of the girls' disappearance are told in flashbacks. There are a few twists and turns, and the ending was very satisfying, so I give it a birthday A.
This mystery story focuses on a woman involved in a hit and run accident; when police confront her, she announces that she's one of a pair of sisters who disappeared thirty years earlier. As the police attempt to discover whether or not she's telling the truth about her identity, her story and the aftermath of the girls' disappearance are told in flashbacks. There are a few twists and turns, and the ending was very satisfying, so I give it a birthday A.
Monday, April 02, 2007
2007 book 42
China Mieville's Un Lun Dun
I've read a few of China Mieville's short stories in various anthologies and liked them well enough, so when his first YA novel started getting some press attention I figured I'd check it out. Guess what--it's good! It's the typical chosen-pre-teen-girl-must-save-a-bizarre-and-magical-world story . . . but then it sort of turns on its head. Lots of great secondary characters, including an extreme librarian and a very lovable milk carton, and the heroine is both believable and likable. Totally an A.
I've read a few of China Mieville's short stories in various anthologies and liked them well enough, so when his first YA novel started getting some press attention I figured I'd check it out. Guess what--it's good! It's the typical chosen-pre-teen-girl-must-save-a-bizarre-and-magical-world story . . . but then it sort of turns on its head. Lots of great secondary characters, including an extreme librarian and a very lovable milk carton, and the heroine is both believable and likable. Totally an A.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
2007 book 41
Natalie Danford's Inheritance
This novel is about a young American woman whose Italian father dies; while going through his things, she discovers the deed to a house in his hometown. She travels to Italy to learn about her father; meanwhile, his own story is told in alternating chapters. I was pretty "meh" on this book. There's a lot going on in barely 200 pages, and the daughter's romantic interest feels really shoehorned in. Also, I guess the ending was supposed to be a big reveal, but it was ridiculously obvious the whole time. I liked the father's chapters but the daughter didn't have much personality. B-/C+.
This novel is about a young American woman whose Italian father dies; while going through his things, she discovers the deed to a house in his hometown. She travels to Italy to learn about her father; meanwhile, his own story is told in alternating chapters. I was pretty "meh" on this book. There's a lot going on in barely 200 pages, and the daughter's romantic interest feels really shoehorned in. Also, I guess the ending was supposed to be a big reveal, but it was ridiculously obvious the whole time. I liked the father's chapters but the daughter didn't have much personality. B-/C+.
2007 book 40
Sherman Alexie's The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven
This is our last book club book; it's actually a book of short stories, so as usual it took me a while to slog through (there's no "what happens next??" with short stories, you know?). A lot of characters do recur, so the reader does get a pretty good feel for them, but a few of the more experimental stories were on the weaker side. Anyway, I had no idea this was only published in 1992. I guess I always thought Alexie was older, since he's been in the canon for so long. OK, I'll give this a B, jsut to grade it and wrap this up.
This is our last book club book; it's actually a book of short stories, so as usual it took me a while to slog through (there's no "what happens next??" with short stories, you know?). A lot of characters do recur, so the reader does get a pretty good feel for them, but a few of the more experimental stories were on the weaker side. Anyway, I had no idea this was only published in 1992. I guess I always thought Alexie was older, since he's been in the canon for so long. OK, I'll give this a B, jsut to grade it and wrap this up.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
passover
Epicurious has been posting Passover features all week, which are collected here. I am very intrigued by the concept of matzah baklava (in the Israeli menu), but will probably stick with my delicious (and easy!) chocolate-covered matzah. It's like a candy-bar-coated piece of matzah! Yum!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
2007 book 39
Nancy Pickard's The Virgin of Small Plains
So this was a sort of mystery about a young woman who was found naked and dead in a snowstorm in the 1980s by a teenage boy, his brother, and his father. Her mysterious death and her lack of identity haunt the town, who come to believe she can perform miracles. Meanwhile, yet another teenage boy, who left town the day after she was found, has returned after almost 18 years. What will his high-school sweetheart thing? Will the mysterious girl's death ever be solved? What were all their parents covering up?!?!??? Anyway, I liked the way the mystery wrapped up, but the book's ending was more than a little sappy. B.
So this was a sort of mystery about a young woman who was found naked and dead in a snowstorm in the 1980s by a teenage boy, his brother, and his father. Her mysterious death and her lack of identity haunt the town, who come to believe she can perform miracles. Meanwhile, yet another teenage boy, who left town the day after she was found, has returned after almost 18 years. What will his high-school sweetheart thing? Will the mysterious girl's death ever be solved? What were all their parents covering up?!?!??? Anyway, I liked the way the mystery wrapped up, but the book's ending was more than a little sappy. B.
Monday, March 26, 2007
2007 book 38
Tawni O'Dell's Sister Mine
This was a sweet book, about a former cop/cab-driving woman who lives in a central PA coal-mining town, and suddenly her sister who's been missing for 18 years comes to town, followed by all sorts of shady characters. It has predictable twists and endings, but it was satisfying anyway. B+.
This was a sweet book, about a former cop/cab-driving woman who lives in a central PA coal-mining town, and suddenly her sister who's been missing for 18 years comes to town, followed by all sorts of shady characters. It has predictable twists and endings, but it was satisfying anyway. B+.
2007 book 37
Pam Lewis' Speak Softly, She Can Hear
Jenny really liked this so I thought I might too, but I didn't. The protagonist is really stupid and I saw the big twist ending coming from chapter one. Oh well. C-.
Jenny really liked this so I thought I might too, but I didn't. The protagonist is really stupid and I saw the big twist ending coming from chapter one. Oh well. C-.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
2007 book 36
Hisham Matar's In the Country of Men
The narrator of this novel reminded me of the one from The Kite Runner,, maybe b/c they're both jerky children. This one is living in Libya in 1979, with his secretly-alcoholic mother and his often-gone father. Everyone's all up in arms b/c revolutionaries are afoot, everyone is being watched, blah blah. I liked the ending but wasn't really into the rest of it--slightly clueless, unsympathetic narrators are really hard to pull off. B-.
OK, back to avoiding writing a paper.
The narrator of this novel reminded me of the one from The Kite Runner,, maybe b/c they're both jerky children. This one is living in Libya in 1979, with his secretly-alcoholic mother and his often-gone father. Everyone's all up in arms b/c revolutionaries are afoot, everyone is being watched, blah blah. I liked the ending but wasn't really into the rest of it--slightly clueless, unsympathetic narrators are really hard to pull off. B-.
OK, back to avoiding writing a paper.
Friday, March 23, 2007
revolutionary road
I can't believe they're making a movie of Revolutionary Road! That book is DARK. Also, I have pretty mixed feelings about that casting--I'm not sure Leo can pull off the whole smarmy 1950s ad exec kind of guy. Kate Winslet, of course, can do anything she wants (although I wouldn't have pictured her in this role).
newsflash
Jonathan Safran Foer is still a tool.
(Of course, I'm still a fan of the classic Maxwell House Haggadah.)
(Of course, I'm still a fan of the classic Maxwell House Haggadah.)
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
2007 book 35
Dana Spiotta's Eat the Document
One of the other librarians at work loaned this to me, and I have to say, she has my taste pretty pegged, b/c I loved it! It's basically about a young couple who were involved in radical protests in the 1970s; when something goes wrong, they both go underground. Most of the story actually takes place over twenty years later, when the girl is the mother of a teenager. It's not clear at first which of several middle-aged dudes her former boyfriend is, which is one of many fascinating things about the novel. Anyway, several major characters emerge as their stories flash back in forth in time, as as their identities start to unravel. Maybe this description sounds cheesy--I was a little leery when I read the back cover--but, aside from some awkward dialogue, it's really well-written. And actually, once I got really into the story, I stopped noticing any possible flaws and just wanted to know what was going to happen--which is, of course, the mark of an excellent story. A.
One of the other librarians at work loaned this to me, and I have to say, she has my taste pretty pegged, b/c I loved it! It's basically about a young couple who were involved in radical protests in the 1970s; when something goes wrong, they both go underground. Most of the story actually takes place over twenty years later, when the girl is the mother of a teenager. It's not clear at first which of several middle-aged dudes her former boyfriend is, which is one of many fascinating things about the novel. Anyway, several major characters emerge as their stories flash back in forth in time, as as their identities start to unravel. Maybe this description sounds cheesy--I was a little leery when I read the back cover--but, aside from some awkward dialogue, it's really well-written. And actually, once I got really into the story, I stopped noticing any possible flaws and just wanted to know what was going to happen--which is, of course, the mark of an excellent story. A.
2007 books 33 and 34
Anthony Pinn, ed. Noise and Spirit: The Religious and Spiritual Sensibilities of Rap Music
This anthology was really hit or miss for me, but the essays by Ralph Watkins and Mark Taylor were pretty good. You'd probab;y be better off just reading Michael Dyson's book on Tupac.
Heather Hendershot's Shaking the World for Jesus
This was last week's book for class, but I forgot to write about it. It's mainly about mass media being produced by evangelical Christians; there's a chapter on Christian music which is pretty good, but could really have been amazing if it was stronger and better-supported. She has some interesting things to say about Veggie Tales, though.
This anthology was really hit or miss for me, but the essays by Ralph Watkins and Mark Taylor were pretty good. You'd probab;y be better off just reading Michael Dyson's book on Tupac.
Heather Hendershot's Shaking the World for Jesus
This was last week's book for class, but I forgot to write about it. It's mainly about mass media being produced by evangelical Christians; there's a chapter on Christian music which is pretty good, but could really have been amazing if it was stronger and better-supported. She has some interesting things to say about Veggie Tales, though.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Multimedia message
Yay!! I got to see the Broken West tonight!! And they were really, really nice guys--I'm not just saying that b/c before their last song, they publicly thanked me for making them cookies. :)
The evening started off with some comedic misadventures as we attempted to identify which of the shaggy-haired hipsters hanging around might be members of the band (we correctly picked out two of them before Ross figured out who I was, saving me from the embarrassment of approaching random dudes and saying, "Um, are you in the band? I have cookies for you . . . "). Thank you to Christina for your valiant text-messaged assistance!
The opening band was really good too--called Ferraby Lionheart, and they totally had a trombonist! I picked up their EP and was thankful I'd put off making a mix cd, b/c one of their songs will definitely be on it.
Then Broken West played!!!! Tall dudes kept standing directly in front of me (whyyyyyy?!?) but I was not thwarted from totally rocking out. The Broken West are my new rock star crushes. I would totally be that dork who wears the band t-shirt the day after the show, but I'm not sure I can pull it off as work attire till casual Friday.
Anyway, thank you guys for playing in Tallahassee!!!! It was SO GREAT to get to see you live!
The evening started off with some comedic misadventures as we attempted to identify which of the shaggy-haired hipsters hanging around might be members of the band (we correctly picked out two of them before Ross figured out who I was, saving me from the embarrassment of approaching random dudes and saying, "Um, are you in the band? I have cookies for you . . . "). Thank you to Christina for your valiant text-messaged assistance!
The opening band was really good too--called Ferraby Lionheart, and they totally had a trombonist! I picked up their EP and was thankful I'd put off making a mix cd, b/c one of their songs will definitely be on it.
Then Broken West played!!!! Tall dudes kept standing directly in front of me (whyyyyyy?!?) but I was not thwarted from totally rocking out. The Broken West are my new rock star crushes. I would totally be that dork who wears the band t-shirt the day after the show, but I'm not sure I can pull it off as work attire till casual Friday.
Anyway, thank you guys for playing in Tallahassee!!!! It was SO GREAT to get to see you live!
etgar keret
Here is a great piece on Etgar Keret, who has been receiving even more buzz than usual lately (I think b/c the graphic novel he wrote with one of the Hanuka brothers in their comic Jetlag has been made into a a movie starring the kid from Almost Famous and Tom Waits. Note that the movie's title is lame, and the original story was called Pizzeria Kamikaze). Anyway, I was pleased to see a mention of "Hat Trick", which is something I read back in college when I was doing an independent study on Israeli short stories; looks like it's being translated into English for the first time now, which is great, b/c I've had a helluva time trying to prove its existence before now. No one has ever believed that a story involving a magician pulling a dead baby out of a hat actually existed (though dead baby jokes were really in vogue back when I was in college. Ah, nostalgia. Just kidding, eww.).
Sunday, March 18, 2007
2007 book 32
Decca: The Letters of Jessica Mitford
Of course the Mitfords are one of the most infamous and fascinating families, well, pretty much ever; Jessica is perhaps the one who's most infamous (ok, maybe the sister who loved Hitler and shot herself when England entered WWII was more infamous . . . or the sister who was a prominent British Nazi . . . I like this book about the sisters, for the curious). Anyway, Decca was well-known for running away as a teenager to get involved in the Spanish Civil War; she later came to America and was a prominent communist and author. Her letters are well worth reading--there's plenty of family drama, plus she was friends with many intellectual luminaries (among them Maya Angelou) and there are even a couple of letters to Hillary Clinton, who had clerked in Decca's husband's law office. Decca was really into writing letters--this book was an exhausting 700+ pages and is definitely aimed at the Mitford completist. There are plenty of letters that are funny or compelling, but 700+ pages was a little much for me.
Of course the Mitfords are one of the most infamous and fascinating families, well, pretty much ever; Jessica is perhaps the one who's most infamous (ok, maybe the sister who loved Hitler and shot herself when England entered WWII was more infamous . . . or the sister who was a prominent British Nazi . . . I like this book about the sisters, for the curious). Anyway, Decca was well-known for running away as a teenager to get involved in the Spanish Civil War; she later came to America and was a prominent communist and author. Her letters are well worth reading--there's plenty of family drama, plus she was friends with many intellectual luminaries (among them Maya Angelou) and there are even a couple of letters to Hillary Clinton, who had clerked in Decca's husband's law office. Decca was really into writing letters--this book was an exhausting 700+ pages and is definitely aimed at the Mitford completist. There are plenty of letters that are funny or compelling, but 700+ pages was a little much for me.
Friday, March 16, 2007
2007 book 31
Judy Budnitz's If I Told You Once
I'm not sure how this book remained off my radar for so long--it's the sort of thing that is typically right up my alley. It starts off strong, with a young girl in a tiny town in Eastern Europe around the time of WWI; lots of folk tales work their way into her narrative and it's all very compelling and exciting. Eventually the voices of her daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter are added into the mix, which is where things unravel a bit. For one thing, the middle two women are wholly unsympathetic, and Budnitz doesn't do a great job of distinguishing any of the women's voices from the others'. Things do pick up a bit at the end, so I'll give it a B+.
I'm not sure how this book remained off my radar for so long--it's the sort of thing that is typically right up my alley. It starts off strong, with a young girl in a tiny town in Eastern Europe around the time of WWI; lots of folk tales work their way into her narrative and it's all very compelling and exciting. Eventually the voices of her daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter are added into the mix, which is where things unravel a bit. For one thing, the middle two women are wholly unsympathetic, and Budnitz doesn't do a great job of distinguishing any of the women's voices from the others'. Things do pick up a bit at the end, so I'll give it a B+.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
dude!!
OK, before I start this post, I should probably explain that I was reeeeally into Star Wars when I was a kid. Like, read the sequel-novels, had the poster hanging over my bed, built a model of the Millennium Falcon (and I'd never built a model before!). You didn't know I was a geek, did you.
Anyway, HBO's been playing the original Star Wars movies for the past few weeks and I keep catching bits and pieces of them here and there. So I just settled in to watch the end of Return of the Jedi, which has been my favorite since I was a little girl, b/c ewoks rule, and DUDE!!!! They edited the ending! In the scene where Luke sees ghost-Obi Wan, ghost-Yoda, and ghost-Vader, they edited out old Vader and put in Hayden Christensen! Can I get a big ol' "What the fuck?!" I just don't get it--I mean, they left in Sir Alec Guiness, so why can't whatshisname who played old Vader get to have a few extra seconds of screen time? He gets like two lines in the whole trilogy. Also, I don't want to be reminded of Hayden Christensen and the prequels, b/c the prequels sucked (except for Ewan MacGregor).
I'm the sort of girl who's a purist--and that shit just don't fly with me.
Anyway, HBO's been playing the original Star Wars movies for the past few weeks and I keep catching bits and pieces of them here and there. So I just settled in to watch the end of Return of the Jedi, which has been my favorite since I was a little girl, b/c ewoks rule, and DUDE!!!! They edited the ending! In the scene where Luke sees ghost-Obi Wan, ghost-Yoda, and ghost-Vader, they edited out old Vader and put in Hayden Christensen! Can I get a big ol' "What the fuck?!" I just don't get it--I mean, they left in Sir Alec Guiness, so why can't whatshisname who played old Vader get to have a few extra seconds of screen time? He gets like two lines in the whole trilogy. Also, I don't want to be reminded of Hayden Christensen and the prequels, b/c the prequels sucked (except for Ewan MacGregor).
I'm the sort of girl who's a purist--and that shit just don't fly with me.
awesome library resource
This book came into the library today and I have to say, as a fervent comic book geek, that it is GREAT. Seriously, Michael Pawuk is the first person to really get it right, in my opinion. He includes all the comics/books I'd include, and really nails all the genres within graphic novels. This is an invaluable resource for any librarian interested in a graphic novel collection--and I may buy my own copy for personal use. :)
Saturday, March 10, 2007
300
We went to see 300 tonight, and I really liked it! Sure, it was uber-violent, but that was balanced out by really over-the-top acting, a drag-queen-looking villain, and plenty of man candy. The battle scenes were straight out of the Lord of the Rings movies, and I'm not just saying that b/c Faramir was one of the cod-piece-sportin' Spartans. King dude's wife was a total bad-ass, too. All around an enjoyable movie, and the cinematography was amazing.
2007 book 30
Amy Tan's The Bonesetter's Daughter
I reread this one for the next book group meeting, and it was just as good as I remembered. Tan brings in her usual mother/daughter culture-clash themes, but adds in several new layers as a daughter whose mother has been stricken with Alzheimer's discovers her mother's handwritten memoir. Both women's stories are compelling. A.
I reread this one for the next book group meeting, and it was just as good as I remembered. Tan brings in her usual mother/daughter culture-clash themes, but adds in several new layers as a daughter whose mother has been stricken with Alzheimer's discovers her mother's handwritten memoir. Both women's stories are compelling. A.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
2007 book 29
Peter Ho Davies' The Welsh Girl
When I first read the description of this book, I sort of rolled my eyes--it was so Summer of my German Soldier*. I don't know if the jacket-writer didn't read the novel closely or didn't want to really give it away, but it doesn't do this excellent story justice. Yes, there is a POW camp in a small Welsh town in the waning days of WWII, and yes, one soldier and one girl sort of notice each other . . . but that's hardly the main plotline in the book. The girl's story and the German soldier's intertwine, framed by the story of a German-Jewish interrogator working for the British to interrogate Rudolf Hess, who's being held in Wales. See, I'm not giving anything away either, but I'm not making it out to be about some illicit romance, which it really isn't. It's much better than that! Totally an A!
__
*When I was in middle school, I met the author of this book at some bizarre book knowledge competition. I would give you more details, but that was about 15 years ago and it's pretty hazy. I do remember my team debating Animal Farm or something, which we weren't actually prepared to do. Otherwise that whole day is a blur. [Except, one of the other girls on the team, Annie, was from the grade below me. She was the daughter of an actress on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood and a talented performer in her own right--she danced, I think. When I was a sophomore in college, I found out from a girl in my dorm that Annie had died in a car accident the year before. They'd been church friends.]
When I first read the description of this book, I sort of rolled my eyes--it was so Summer of my German Soldier*. I don't know if the jacket-writer didn't read the novel closely or didn't want to really give it away, but it doesn't do this excellent story justice. Yes, there is a POW camp in a small Welsh town in the waning days of WWII, and yes, one soldier and one girl sort of notice each other . . . but that's hardly the main plotline in the book. The girl's story and the German soldier's intertwine, framed by the story of a German-Jewish interrogator working for the British to interrogate Rudolf Hess, who's being held in Wales. See, I'm not giving anything away either, but I'm not making it out to be about some illicit romance, which it really isn't. It's much better than that! Totally an A!
__
*When I was in middle school, I met the author of this book at some bizarre book knowledge competition. I would give you more details, but that was about 15 years ago and it's pretty hazy. I do remember my team debating Animal Farm or something, which we weren't actually prepared to do. Otherwise that whole day is a blur. [Except, one of the other girls on the team, Annie, was from the grade below me. She was the daughter of an actress on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood and a talented performer in her own right--she danced, I think. When I was a sophomore in college, I found out from a girl in my dorm that Annie had died in a car accident the year before. They'd been church friends.]
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
this american life
Good news for those of us whose lack of digital cable precludes us from seeing the TAL tv show--downloads will be available on iTunes! Yet another reason to invest in a video ipod one of these days . . .
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
2007 book 28
Elif Shafak's The Bastard of Istanbul
I'm not really sure what to make of this novel, so I'll just dive in with a brief summary. It's basically about two girls, one a Turkish girl, an illegimate daughter who lives with her mother, her three aunts, and various other female relatives. The other is a half-Armenian American girl who travels to Istanbul on a whim to try and find a connection to her grandmother's past. Since the American girl's stepfather is the Turkish girl's uncle, she ends up staying with her family, bonding, learning life lessons, whatever. Parts of the ending are quite shocking and parts were really predictable, and maybe would have been more so if I'd had an easier time keeping track of all the various grandmothers' stories. One of the more interesting things about this book is that the author was put on trial for denigrating Turkishness because the characters discuss the Armenian genocide (she ended up not going to prison). I will say this for her novel: the story turned out much differently than I was expecting (an early mention of a character with eyes full of "fiery intelligence" made me worry I was getting into Danielle Steel territory). I am still going, "wait, WHAT?" about the ending, although actually I wish it had gone on a little longer. Um, I have no idea what grade to give this. We'll go with a B.
I'm not really sure what to make of this novel, so I'll just dive in with a brief summary. It's basically about two girls, one a Turkish girl, an illegimate daughter who lives with her mother, her three aunts, and various other female relatives. The other is a half-Armenian American girl who travels to Istanbul on a whim to try and find a connection to her grandmother's past. Since the American girl's stepfather is the Turkish girl's uncle, she ends up staying with her family, bonding, learning life lessons, whatever. Parts of the ending are quite shocking and parts were really predictable, and maybe would have been more so if I'd had an easier time keeping track of all the various grandmothers' stories. One of the more interesting things about this book is that the author was put on trial for denigrating Turkishness because the characters discuss the Armenian genocide (she ended up not going to prison). I will say this for her novel: the story turned out much differently than I was expecting (an early mention of a character with eyes full of "fiery intelligence" made me worry I was getting into Danielle Steel territory). I am still going, "wait, WHAT?" about the ending, although actually I wish it had gone on a little longer. Um, I have no idea what grade to give this. We'll go with a B.
Monday, March 05, 2007
yum
Chow gives us a list of indie rock songs about food.
Now I know there are way more than that--just from Shonen Knife!
Also, here is an article on Heidi Swanson (of 101cookbooks) and her new cookbook (which has been on my Amazon wishlist for ages!).
PS. Heroes is on hiatus for 7 weeks! I'm sad.
Now I know there are way more than that--just from Shonen Knife!
Also, here is an article on Heidi Swanson (of 101cookbooks) and her new cookbook (which has been on my Amazon wishlist for ages!).
PS. Heroes is on hiatus for 7 weeks! I'm sad.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
2007 book 27
Julia Alvarez's Saving the World
This novel starts off strong, focusing on a 50-year-old novelist who's struggling to write a sequel to one of her previous books, and is distracted by a story of an expedition to provide a smallpox vaccine to Central America in the early 1800s. The novel-within-a-novel mostly works, but the novelist's story descends into melodrama and pointless tragedy quite suddenly, and it just didn't work for me. I hesitate to give anything by Alvarez a mediocre grade, but this is my least favorite of her novels. B-.
This novel starts off strong, focusing on a 50-year-old novelist who's struggling to write a sequel to one of her previous books, and is distracted by a story of an expedition to provide a smallpox vaccine to Central America in the early 1800s. The novel-within-a-novel mostly works, but the novelist's story descends into melodrama and pointless tragedy quite suddenly, and it just didn't work for me. I hesitate to give anything by Alvarez a mediocre grade, but this is my least favorite of her novels. B-.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
2007 book 26
Andrea Levy's Fruit of the Lemon
Levy's follow-up to her novel Small Island,, which won a ton of awards and was one of my favorite books of 2004 (or 2005, I forget), is the story of a young British girl with Jamaican parents who is struggling to find her place in the world, I guess. She has to deal with all sorts of bizarrely casual racism--is England really like that? After a small breakdown, her parents send her to Jamaica, where her aunt tells her all the family stories her mother and father never shared. The protagonist gets totally lost in the second half of the books as these family stories are shoehorned in; we never see her reactions and see very little of her apparently life-changing experiences in Jamaica. The ending feels a little bit like a cop-out too. It's not that this is a bad book--I did read it all today--but it is disappointing. B-.
Levy's follow-up to her novel Small Island,, which won a ton of awards and was one of my favorite books of 2004 (or 2005, I forget), is the story of a young British girl with Jamaican parents who is struggling to find her place in the world, I guess. She has to deal with all sorts of bizarrely casual racism--is England really like that? After a small breakdown, her parents send her to Jamaica, where her aunt tells her all the family stories her mother and father never shared. The protagonist gets totally lost in the second half of the books as these family stories are shoehorned in; we never see her reactions and see very little of her apparently life-changing experiences in Jamaica. The ending feels a little bit like a cop-out too. It's not that this is a bad book--I did read it all today--but it is disappointing. B-.
Friday, March 02, 2007
2007 book 25
Daniel Alarcon's Lost City Radio
Alarcon has written a fairly compelling novel involving a woman named Norma, the host of a radio show that attempts to locate and reunite people after a war has devastated their country. Norma's own husband has been missing for ten years; when a young boy arrives at the radio station from a village near where her husband disappeared, will she finally discover his fate? The twists this story takes are pretty obvious, but nonetheless are satisfying. I have no issue with Alarcon's name being on the list of awesome young American writers that I mentioned in my last post (although like several other members of the list, Alarcon actually grew up in another country).
Alarcon has written a fairly compelling novel involving a woman named Norma, the host of a radio show that attempts to locate and reunite people after a war has devastated their country. Norma's own husband has been missing for ten years; when a young boy arrives at the radio station from a village near where her husband disappeared, will she finally discover his fate? The twists this story takes are pretty obvious, but nonetheless are satisfying. I have no issue with Alarcon's name being on the list of awesome young American writers that I mentioned in my last post (although like several other members of the list, Alarcon actually grew up in another country).
best young writers?
Granta has published a list of the best American writers under 35 (link via Bookslut, who was really snotty about it for some reason). A lot of writers I like made the cut--Daniel Alarcon, author of the book I'm currently enjoying, Nell Freudenberger, Dara Horn, Yiyun Li, Maile Meloy, ZZ Packer, and, yes, even Nicole Krauss. Sure, I hate Jonathan Safran Foer, and think Uzodinma Iweala is a little overrated, and haven't read a few of them b/c I'm sick of short stories, but it's not a terrible list by any means, and it's a pointer toward some authors I may actually like, if nothing else.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
2007 books 23 and 24
Eric Michael Mazur and Kate McCarthy, eds. God in the Details: American Religion in Popular Culture
This was a collection of essays by people trying to identify religion-related themes in pop culture. Some of these essays worked (the one on the Simpsons was interesting, and I liked the one on southern barbeque for nostalgid reasons), but most were pretty specious. I mean, come on, I've been to enough Jimmy Buffett shows (what???? don't laugh!) to know that Parrotheads aren't in a religion. And don't even get me started on Cathy, the worst comic strip of all time.
Laurie R. King's The Beekeeper's Apprentice: On the Segregation of the Queen
A great recommendation from Elizabeth, this was the story of a young girl who finds herself apprenticed to Sherlock Holmes after his semi-retirement (for real, in which Holmes story does it say he retired to keep bees? Chabon's Final Solution had him doing that, too). Of course mysteries ensue and the two find themselves in a struggles for their lives! Actually this was the sort of mystery I really like--the twists were all surprises but they fit the story really well. A-.
Back to watching ANTM! That wacky Tyra!
This was a collection of essays by people trying to identify religion-related themes in pop culture. Some of these essays worked (the one on the Simpsons was interesting, and I liked the one on southern barbeque for nostalgid reasons), but most were pretty specious. I mean, come on, I've been to enough Jimmy Buffett shows (what???? don't laugh!) to know that Parrotheads aren't in a religion. And don't even get me started on Cathy, the worst comic strip of all time.
Laurie R. King's The Beekeeper's Apprentice: On the Segregation of the Queen
A great recommendation from Elizabeth, this was the story of a young girl who finds herself apprenticed to Sherlock Holmes after his semi-retirement (for real, in which Holmes story does it say he retired to keep bees? Chabon's Final Solution had him doing that, too). Of course mysteries ensue and the two find themselves in a struggles for their lives! Actually this was the sort of mystery I really like--the twists were all surprises but they fit the story really well. A-.
Back to watching ANTM! That wacky Tyra!
Monday, February 26, 2007
Sunday, February 25, 2007
2006 book 22, quilts
Emily Mitchell's The Last Summer of the World
An excellent first novel about the noted photographer (not a noted fashion photographer, ANTM fans!) Edward Steichen and his experiences as an aerial photographer during WWI. While dealing with the horrors of war, he flashes back to various past events that led to the dissolution of his marriage. Interestingly, the author downplays some of his celebrity circle; although his close friendship with Rodin comes up a lot, and Gertrude Stein is mentioned now and then, the fact that Carl Sandburg was his brother-in-law only becomes apparent when reading the historical note at the end. I suppose those things are taken for granted by people familiar with Steichen; I'd never really heard his name, though cursory research revealed that I was familiar with many of his photographs. Anyway, I liked it well enough to read it all tonight, even during Battlestar Galactica. A.
In other news, I've started assembling the t-shirt quilt that I began working on back in 2001. Here's the quandary: when this stage is done, I'm going to have six rows of six squares each (and the next stage will be another six rows of six squares). Should I sew all of those together and make one big square and then stuff it and stuff, or should I sew each one of those a back and then stuff it and then sew them all together? Also, my mom suggested I actually make two t-shirt quilts instead of having it be double-sided. Besides the fact that that would be way more expensive, I kind of like the idea of it being double-sided, but I'm certainly open for suggestions as clearly I'm clueless about quilts.
An excellent first novel about the noted photographer (not a noted fashion photographer, ANTM fans!) Edward Steichen and his experiences as an aerial photographer during WWI. While dealing with the horrors of war, he flashes back to various past events that led to the dissolution of his marriage. Interestingly, the author downplays some of his celebrity circle; although his close friendship with Rodin comes up a lot, and Gertrude Stein is mentioned now and then, the fact that Carl Sandburg was his brother-in-law only becomes apparent when reading the historical note at the end. I suppose those things are taken for granted by people familiar with Steichen; I'd never really heard his name, though cursory research revealed that I was familiar with many of his photographs. Anyway, I liked it well enough to read it all tonight, even during Battlestar Galactica. A.
In other news, I've started assembling the t-shirt quilt that I began working on back in 2001. Here's the quandary: when this stage is done, I'm going to have six rows of six squares each (and the next stage will be another six rows of six squares). Should I sew all of those together and make one big square and then stuff it and stuff, or should I sew each one of those a back and then stuff it and then sew them all together? Also, my mom suggested I actually make two t-shirt quilts instead of having it be double-sided. Besides the fact that that would be way more expensive, I kind of like the idea of it being double-sided, but I'm certainly open for suggestions as clearly I'm clueless about quilts.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
2007 book 21
Colleen McDannell's Material Christianity: Religion and Popular Culture in America
This was a really fun book examining the ways art and objects are used by Christians. It looks at everything from fancy bibles in the 1800s to cemetaries to Mormom garments to the current spate of Christian, well, everything. Its ample illustrations are pretty useful as well.
This was a really fun book examining the ways art and objects are used by Christians. It looks at everything from fancy bibles in the 1800s to cemetaries to Mormom garments to the current spate of Christian, well, everything. Its ample illustrations are pretty useful as well.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
graphic novel
I never know whether to count graphic novels toward the reading list, but I usually don't, so I'll just keep that trend going. Anyway, I read a really cute one tonight called Breaking Up. It's by some YA author I've never heard of, and features a pretty typical YA plot involving four friends torn asunder by popularity and boys, but the art was done by Christine Norrie (of Hopeless Savages fame) and really elevates the story.
I also got this Cute Book, which made me think of Stef for so many reasons, and some other great comics, including the four new issues of Castle Waiting, which I am so excited is back in regular publication!
I also got this Cute Book, which made me think of Stef for so many reasons, and some other great comics, including the four new issues of Castle Waiting, which I am so excited is back in regular publication!
Monday, February 19, 2007
heroes
So the Israeli chick was finally introduced tonight! Not that you'd know it from the actress--in her first scene, she was totally unaccented, and in the second she sounded Scottish. I actually have mixed feelings about her character--on the one hand, her mythic heroic matriarchal lineage is just so cliche, but on the other hand, it is pretty comic book-y.
And anyway, it's always nice to see a Stan Lee cameo.
And anyway, it's always nice to see a Stan Lee cameo.
2007 book 20
Tove Jansson's The Summer Book
Jansson, best known for the Moomin comics, apparently also wrote some novels. This seems to be the most popular; translations are still in print. It consists of a series of small stories about a moody little girl and her aging grandmother who spend the summer together on a small island in Finland. They encounter all sorts of nature--Jansson's descriptions of the water are especially nice--and, of course, themselves. Or whatever. Really a nice read.
Jansson, best known for the Moomin comics, apparently also wrote some novels. This seems to be the most popular; translations are still in print. It consists of a series of small stories about a moody little girl and her aging grandmother who spend the summer together on a small island in Finland. They encounter all sorts of nature--Jansson's descriptions of the water are especially nice--and, of course, themselves. Or whatever. Really a nice read.
Friday, February 16, 2007
2007 book 19
I came back from vacation with a pretty wicked cold, so I've been all lazy and stuff and hadn't been reading (plus reading is more fun when you're doing it on a pool chair). I am due for more cold meds now, so this will be brief.
David Long's The Inhabited World
It's about a guy who killed himself and has been hanging around his old house in a sort of purgatory for ten years. As he watches its latest inhabitant try to make a change in her own life, the story of his slowly unfolds. Pretty good stuff--I read it in one sitting. A-.
David Long's The Inhabited World
It's about a guy who killed himself and has been hanging around his old house in a sort of purgatory for ten years. As he watches its latest inhabitant try to make a change in her own life, the story of his slowly unfolds. Pretty good stuff--I read it in one sitting. A-.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
2007 book 18
Ian Sansom's The Case of the Missing Books: A Mobile Library Mystery
My mom--an avid mystery reader--suggested I read this, since the main character is a Jewish librarian. Hee. Anyway, this is the coziest of coziest mysteries, a slapstick fish-out-of-water comedy of errors, featuring Israel Armstong, a Londoner who comes to a small town in Ireland to be their librarian. He has several problems with his new situation, not least of which is that all the books are missing. Oh no! Apparently this is going to be the first book in a series, and there are plenty of characters and small-town intrigues for latter books. Anyway, it was really cute. A-.
My mom--an avid mystery reader--suggested I read this, since the main character is a Jewish librarian. Hee. Anyway, this is the coziest of coziest mysteries, a slapstick fish-out-of-water comedy of errors, featuring Israel Armstong, a Londoner who comes to a small town in Ireland to be their librarian. He has several problems with his new situation, not least of which is that all the books are missing. Oh no! Apparently this is going to be the first book in a series, and there are plenty of characters and small-town intrigues for latter books. Anyway, it was really cute. A-.
2006 books 14, 15, 16, 17
As you all well know, my favorite thing about vacations is getting lots of reading done! Which I managed to do once again, even though I actually drove here and didn't have that valuable waiting-around-in-airports reading time.
Calvin Baker's Dominion
Actually, that Gary Nash book I read for class a couple weeks ago turned out to be pretty good backround reading for this historical novel, which centers on a freed slave in the early 1700s, as he tries to build a life for himself and his family. There are brief interludes of the supernatural, but on the whole this is a novel about family, homesteads, and the Revolutionary War. A.
Lisa Unger's Beautiful Lies and Slivers of Truth
These suspense/mystery novels focus on a young New Yorker named Ridley Jones, who in the first one finds herself caught up in a search for her identity that quickly takes some sinister turns (the big surprise ending--which didn't quite work for me--was actually ruined by a review I read of the sequel, so if you want to remain unspoiled, avoid the media, or whatever). The sequel is more of the same, pretty much. There are a few false notes--a little too much New York name-brand dropping, which was distracting from the main thrust of the story, and some poorly written love scenes (I don't like the phrase "silky hardness", even if it is just referring to abs. It's a little romance novel-y)--but on the whole these were engaging stories, perfect for reading while working on my tan. B for both.
Helen Oyeyemi's The Icarus Girl
This reread is our next library book discussion book; it mainly deals with a lonely and troubled young half-Nigerian, half-British girl who discovers her new friend isn't who she thought she was. This almost made my top books list of 2004 (I think it was 2004) but was beaten out by Diana Evans' 26a, which has some similar themes without as many of the supernatural elements. Still, it's really riveting--A.
I'll be back home tomorrow, at which point I'll upload photos and catch up on email.
Calvin Baker's Dominion
Actually, that Gary Nash book I read for class a couple weeks ago turned out to be pretty good backround reading for this historical novel, which centers on a freed slave in the early 1700s, as he tries to build a life for himself and his family. There are brief interludes of the supernatural, but on the whole this is a novel about family, homesteads, and the Revolutionary War. A.
Lisa Unger's Beautiful Lies and Slivers of Truth
These suspense/mystery novels focus on a young New Yorker named Ridley Jones, who in the first one finds herself caught up in a search for her identity that quickly takes some sinister turns (the big surprise ending--which didn't quite work for me--was actually ruined by a review I read of the sequel, so if you want to remain unspoiled, avoid the media, or whatever). The sequel is more of the same, pretty much. There are a few false notes--a little too much New York name-brand dropping, which was distracting from the main thrust of the story, and some poorly written love scenes (I don't like the phrase "silky hardness", even if it is just referring to abs. It's a little romance novel-y)--but on the whole these were engaging stories, perfect for reading while working on my tan. B for both.
Helen Oyeyemi's The Icarus Girl
This reread is our next library book discussion book; it mainly deals with a lonely and troubled young half-Nigerian, half-British girl who discovers her new friend isn't who she thought she was. This almost made my top books list of 2004 (I think it was 2004) but was beaten out by Diana Evans' 26a, which has some similar themes without as many of the supernatural elements. Still, it's really riveting--A.
I'll be back home tomorrow, at which point I'll upload photos and catch up on email.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Multimedia message
I made vegan cupcakes for class tomorrow--my new favorite thing may be tiny cupcakes! These are chocolate with an amazingly tasty vegan frosting (the secret is maple syrup).
2006 book 13
John Lawrence and Robert Jewett's The Myth of the American Superhero
I have to give a presentation on this in class tomorrow, and I'm tired of articulating my thoughts. It's a good look at American mythology as expressed in pop culture (especially movies), for the curious.
I have to give a presentation on this in class tomorrow, and I'm tired of articulating my thoughts. It's a good look at American mythology as expressed in pop culture (especially movies), for the curious.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
aline kominsky-crumb
Here's a link to a podcast thingie with Aline-Kominsky Crumb! A couple excerpts from her comics can also be found at the link; the one about the nose job was featured prominently in my master's paper.
Monday, February 05, 2007
chabon in pittsburgh
Michael Chabon (along with his wife, Ayelet Waldman) is speaking in Pittsburgh tonight! Apparently professional book reviewers have already received review copies of The Yiddish Policeman's Union--I am of course seething with jealousy. I wanna read it NOW!
Sorry for the radio silence this weekend--Saturday was movie night (All About my Mother and Psycho Beach Party really work as a double feature) and Sunday featured Super Bowl shenanigans (I forced my hosts to put the Puppy Bowl on picture-in-picture, and then left at the start of the third quarter so I could better watch the puppies and kitty halftime show. C'mon, you know I don't care about football unless one of the, like, three teams I sort of care about are involved). Oh, I also spent most of the rest of my time this weekend napping and/or watching "The Vicar of Dibley" from Netflix, so I didn't get much reading done.
Oh, now what the heck! Why didn't anyone tell me Chabon was starting his NY Times novel-serialization project last weekend??
Sorry for the radio silence this weekend--Saturday was movie night (All About my Mother and Psycho Beach Party really work as a double feature) and Sunday featured Super Bowl shenanigans (I forced my hosts to put the Puppy Bowl on picture-in-picture, and then left at the start of the third quarter so I could better watch the puppies and kitty halftime show. C'mon, you know I don't care about football unless one of the, like, three teams I sort of care about are involved). Oh, I also spent most of the rest of my time this weekend napping and/or watching "The Vicar of Dibley" from Netflix, so I didn't get much reading done.
Oh, now what the heck! Why didn't anyone tell me Chabon was starting his NY Times novel-serialization project last weekend??
Friday, February 02, 2007
happy groundhog's day!
When I was a little girl growing up in Pittsburgh, a classmate's grandparents lived in Punxsutawney, and every year on groundhog's day, her grandmother brought us groundhog cookies, and every year I agonized over whether or not it was rude to take off the raisin eye before I ate one. (I hate raisins.) I think someday I'll make groundhog day cookies, and use chocolate chips for their adorable beady little eyes!
Speaking of baked goods, a (male) co-worker, upon eating one of my cupcakes, just told me that the man who finally catches me will be a very fat man. That's very sweet . . . I think.
PS. I am wearing these shoes today. HOT.
Speaking of baked goods, a (male) co-worker, upon eating one of my cupcakes, just told me that the man who finally catches me will be a very fat man. That's very sweet . . . I think.
PS. I am wearing these shoes today. HOT.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
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