Chuck Klosterman's day job is as a rock critic for Spin Magazine, and that's quite apparent in Killing Yourself to Live. The book, an extension of a pChuck Klosterman's day job is as a rock critic for Spin Magazine, and that's quite apparent in Killing Yourself to Live. The book, an extension of a project he did for Spin involving a cross-country trip to sites where rock stars died, is engaging so long as Chuck sticks to music. The problem is, somewhere along the line he decided music wouldn't be enough. He makes several attempts at broad, philosophical generalizations about death, but none are particularly insightful and most are simply irritating. At one point he mentions Dave Eggers' suffocating influence on the memoir genre, and one can only hope Chuck realizes that he is perhaps the guiltiest of all in terms of Eggers style plagiarism. He even goes so far as to include a mock dialogue between himself and three of his female interests, a badly concealed homage to Eggers' imagined interview with an MTV's Real World talent scout in A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. What keeps the reader going is the anticipation of the plot returning to anything relevant to music, so perhaps the book's greatest strong point is its pacing. In the end, though, no amount of witty rock criticism could overshadow the nagging doubt that maybe this project should never have been expanded from its original article form. The upside is that the title becomes quite relevant; the inclusion of the additional subject matter - faux intellectualism, every detail of Chuck's personal life, etc. - may be what allow the project to live in book form, but unfortunately that's also what's killing it....more
Play It As It Lays may have been written almost forty years ago, but it reads immediate and modern, bringing the Hollywood culture to life in all its Play It As It Lays may have been written almost forty years ago, but it reads immediate and modern, bringing the Hollywood culture to life in all its nihilistic, maddening glory. The novel reads incredibly quickly, and the story does not disappoint, especially for fans of the darker side of things....more
Cormac McCarthy uses his minimalist style to great effect in No Country for Old Men, making for an unstoppable and fascinating read. Most enticing perCormac McCarthy uses his minimalist style to great effect in No Country for Old Men, making for an unstoppable and fascinating read. Most enticing perhaps is the villain character Chigurh, defined by an inconquerable will and a penchant for philosophical musings delivered to his future victims. The pitting of Chigurh against Llewelyn Moss reminded me of the dynamics between Russell Crowe and Christian Bale in 3:10 to Yuma, featuring an antagonist who demanded respect and a protagonist who wasn't perfect but won over your sympathies. Any scene featuring either of the two is impossible to stop reading. Hats of to McCarthy for grabbing hold and not letting go....more
I have also read Cat's Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, and the legendary Slaughterhouse-Five, and I believe this, Mother Night, to be the finest amongI have also read Cat's Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, and the legendary Slaughterhouse-Five, and I believe this, Mother Night, to be the finest among them. Mother Night couples the reliably brilliant writing style of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. with a truly fascinating story. It is a beautiful, darkly comic investigation of the warped human psyche, and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone....more
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