by Philip Roth.
Quickie recap: Roth imagines what life would have been like for himself and his family had Charles A. Lindbergh, the Nazi-loving pilot, been elected President during WW2.
Quickie review: Powerfully inventive, once my mind stopped screaming about the historical inaccuracies (which was my fault for not fully understanding the 'speculative' nature of the novel), I really enjoyed this, not just for the superb writing, but for the craftsmanship and story-telling.
Quickie recommendation: It's not light reading, but it's great reading.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Killing Yourself to Live
by Chuck Klosterman.
Quickie recap: Chuck, a writer for Spin magazine, drives cross country on an assignment to check out the places were rock stars were killed or killed themselves. On the trip he muses about his failed romantic relationships, and tries to make connections between them all.
Quickie review: Heartless and flat, this book struck me as mildly amusing in some places, and painfully self-indulgent in others. Mostly it was just unnecessary. At one point he tells the reader that his friend Lucy called this book "dubious" and quotes her as saying "Just don't complain to me when all those idiot bloggers write things like 'Ultimately, the author should have listened to his friend Lucy Chance.'" And here I am, saying, well, he should have listened to Lucy.
Quickie recommendation: Sorry, no dice.
Quickie recap: Chuck, a writer for Spin magazine, drives cross country on an assignment to check out the places were rock stars were killed or killed themselves. On the trip he muses about his failed romantic relationships, and tries to make connections between them all.
Quickie review: Heartless and flat, this book struck me as mildly amusing in some places, and painfully self-indulgent in others. Mostly it was just unnecessary. At one point he tells the reader that his friend Lucy called this book "dubious" and quotes her as saying "Just don't complain to me when all those idiot bloggers write things like 'Ultimately, the author should have listened to his friend Lucy Chance.'" And here I am, saying, well, he should have listened to Lucy.
Quickie recommendation: Sorry, no dice.
The Waste Land
by T.S. Eliot.
Quickie recap: Impossible to say what a poem is "about" - but it makes you ache with despair.
Quickie review: Despite the bleak imagery, the words are beautiful. I always find myself reading and rereading it, because once is never enough. Everything is connected, and disconnected.
Quickie recommendation: Again and again.
Quickie recap: Impossible to say what a poem is "about" - but it makes you ache with despair.
Quickie review: Despite the bleak imagery, the words are beautiful. I always find myself reading and rereading it, because once is never enough. Everything is connected, and disconnected.
Quickie recommendation: Again and again.
The Death of the Heart
by Elizabeth Bowen.
Quickie recap: Orphaned, Portia goes to live with her half-brother Thomas and her sister-in-law Anna, who are less than thrilled to receive her. Portia has few friends, but when she does make them, they get her into more trouble than they're worth.
Quickie review: I surprised myself by liking this one as much as I did. Innocence and corruption are played against each other expertly.
Quickie recommendation: Give the girl a chance!
Quickie recap: Orphaned, Portia goes to live with her half-brother Thomas and her sister-in-law Anna, who are less than thrilled to receive her. Portia has few friends, but when she does make them, they get her into more trouble than they're worth.
Quickie review: I surprised myself by liking this one as much as I did. Innocence and corruption are played against each other expertly.
Quickie recommendation: Give the girl a chance!
Eureka
An Essay on the Material and Spiritual Universe, by Edgar Allan Poe.
Quickie recap: Actually, the title says it all.
Quickie review: Although Poe postulated these scientific theories purely from "instinct", many of them astounded scientists by proving true - in fact, he predated the big bang theory by 80 years. Because Poe operated by intuition, he considered this masterpiece to be a work of art, a "prose poem" rather than a scientific paper. No matter what you call it, it provides fascinating insight into the mind of the man who came up with so many top-notch macabre stories.
Quickie recommendation: For those with a morbid fascination of Poe.
Quickie recap: Actually, the title says it all.
Quickie review: Although Poe postulated these scientific theories purely from "instinct", many of them astounded scientists by proving true - in fact, he predated the big bang theory by 80 years. Because Poe operated by intuition, he considered this masterpiece to be a work of art, a "prose poem" rather than a scientific paper. No matter what you call it, it provides fascinating insight into the mind of the man who came up with so many top-notch macabre stories.
Quickie recommendation: For those with a morbid fascination of Poe.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Sebastopol Sketches
by Leo Tolstoy.
Quickie recap: Tolstoy fought in the Crimean war, 1855, and recounts his experiences - from the battles to the decadent soldiering life (eating, drinking, gambling, whoring, VD).
Quickie review: Tolstoy balances his patriotism with "truth" and ends up depicting some very fine battle scenes.
Quickie recommendation: Not my cup of tea, and not my favourite Tolstoy, but bears the marks of a fine writer.
Quickie recap: Tolstoy fought in the Crimean war, 1855, and recounts his experiences - from the battles to the decadent soldiering life (eating, drinking, gambling, whoring, VD).
Quickie review: Tolstoy balances his patriotism with "truth" and ends up depicting some very fine battle scenes.
Quickie recommendation: Not my cup of tea, and not my favourite Tolstoy, but bears the marks of a fine writer.
In Persuasion Nation
by George Saunders.
Quickie recap: Collection of short stories, including: the despondency of characters forced to shill products in commercials, where TV characters go to die, how death saves religious fanatics from themselves.
Quickie review: Almost any collection will struggle to remain consistent, and this was no different, but I was drawn in by the first story and was impressed by the high caliber of writing, page after page. These stories were compelling and fresh; truly I don't think I've read anything so different but still worthy in a long while.
Quickie recommendation: Yuppers.
Quickie recap: Collection of short stories, including: the despondency of characters forced to shill products in commercials, where TV characters go to die, how death saves religious fanatics from themselves.
Quickie review: Almost any collection will struggle to remain consistent, and this was no different, but I was drawn in by the first story and was impressed by the high caliber of writing, page after page. These stories were compelling and fresh; truly I don't think I've read anything so different but still worthy in a long while.
Quickie recommendation: Yuppers.
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