Reviews

Reviews of books, comics, movies, and other random stuff.

An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Breakfast of Champions, Running with Scissors

Days like this, I want to be at home, relaxing in bed with a good book. I'm currently reading Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions, one of the most subversively whacked-out books I've ever come across. In the midst of seemingly random observations he unexpectedly drops cynical nuggets of truth: Viet Nam was a country where America was trying to make people stop being communists by dropping things on them from airplanes. The chemicals he mentioned were intended to kill all the foliage, so it would be harder for communists to hide from airplanes. And: That was the main reason the…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

The Village: Better Than the Reviews

The Village, much-maligned for not living up to M. Night Shyamalan's media-manufactured reputation for shocking twists, was actually a pretty good movie when judged on its own merits. An interesting, well-told story - not quite the allegory of a post-9/11 world some critics have suggested - it features what is arguably one of the most amazing debut performances by a young actress in Bryce Dallas Howard. There is no way in the world Kirsten Dunst, the original actress cast in the role, could have handled the part as the movie would have sunk on her frail, one-note shoulders. The twists,…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Crawfish Dreams, Venom’s Taste

I love randomly discovering new [to me] writers, especially when they're not well-known bestseller list types. That whole underdog thing. I finished Crawfish Dreams last week and am happy to say that Nancy Rawles is a remarkable talent! She weaves an intricate tale of a family of Creoles living in mid-80's Los Angeles into a delicious literary gumbo. Pretty Miss Camille Broussard is the roux, a strong base around which her family, the Watts "riots," and the dark side of Reaganomics all come to vibrant life. Her children, in particular, are so finely detailed that you want to smack them…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Set This House in Order

Finished Matt Ruff’s Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls yesterday. Absolutely amazing! He’s one of a handful of writers I want to BE.

A description of the plot would be inadequate because his work is so layered and full of texture that it wouldn’t do it justice. Kind of like explaining procreation in clinical terms. Suffice to say that his ability to convey a multitude of distinctive characters has never been stronger than in this twist on a coming-of-age tale of two people with multiple personality disorders. Each personality, or “soul” as he calls them, is as sharply drawn as any of the major characters in Fool on the Hill or Sewer, Gas & Electric: THE PUBLIC WORKS TRILOGY, and the way he presents life inside their heads is nothing short of brilliant.

That the story takes place in the real world, as opposed to the hyper-realistic fantasy settings of his first two books, is a testament to his versatility and a body blow to the idea that “fantasy” and “literary” are two separate genres.

The lives of Andy Gage and Penny Driver, the protagonists of House, will stick with me for a long time.

Up next: Crawfish Dreams, by Nancy Rawles, another random-while-browsing discovery. One chapter in and I’m liking her style.

(more…)

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Fun with Merriam-Webster. con-tra-vene : The feeling that life is moving too slow and your kids are growing up too fast. sur-re-al-is-tic: Your mother telling your wife about finding the lingerie catalogs you used to hoard as a teenager, believing it's true but not really remembering it happening. stul-ti-fy: Between louderARTS and Urbana's combined 17 finals slots for 2004, there's only 14 people filling them; 8 of those have been on at least one national team, including several championships. ad-um-brate: "On the eve of the rollout of the new commercials, Mr. Kerry flew home to Massachusetts on Sunday for a…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

1. The Machiavellian Chronicles continue over coffee with my old boss this afternoon [Starbucks. She paid. I still feel guilty!] to discuss the current situation and the interesting direction it took earlier today. She's the only one I actually trust and things could get very interesting as early as next week so I'm trying to place my pieces on the right squares and minimize the collateral damage. Drama! 2. On a related note, I got some well-timed rave reviews for the series of ads I did for our new Accounting books. I love it when a plan comes together! 3.…

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