Pretty much everything I like about crime novels is on display here. There's a low-key feminism that calls to mind tMy most exciting recent discovery.
Pretty much everything I like about crime novels is on display here. There's a low-key feminism that calls to mind the original run of the BBC's "Prime Suspect." All the characters - major and minor - are rendered with insight and complexity. I came out of it with an equally complex image of Glasgow - its neighborhoods, its speech patterns, and especially its class politics. Mina shifts voices with great nuance, inhabiting an array of people ranging from working class housekeepers to psychotic prep school teenagers. There's no Hollywood bullshit either. The narrative never stretches the limits of plausibility - there are no shootouts or heroic escapes. The life of a detective seems slow-going and bureaucratic, but the book shifts perspectives so effectively that it never gets boring either. If you like character-driven crime fiction, this is essential stuff....more
Vaccines are the litmus-test of the week on cable news right now. Christie is for "parental choice," thTotally engrossing, and very carefully written.
Vaccines are the litmus-test of the week on cable news right now. Christie is for "parental choice," the neoliberal buzzword that usually means "bad things to come." Rand Paul goes further, giving us our first taste of the Infowars-friendly record of beliefs that will doom his presidential candidacy. And all my lefty facebook friends are busy shaming skeptical parents - you're idiots, you trust Jenny McCarthy more than the CDC, you're just as bad as the Birthers, etc.
Let me be clear - I think vaccinations are great, and if I had kids I would vaccinate them. This is ultimately Biss' conclusion as well. She considers the options for her infant son, and SPOILER ALERT she has him vaccinated. But there's something about the rhetoric of the pro-science crowd on this one that seems counter-productive, even though it's right on the issues.
What makes Biss' book so remarkable is the sense that it could *actually persuade* a skeptic. The first person narrative indicates that, unlike fears over the President's birth certificate, the paranoia here is quite intimate. Parents want to do what's best for their kids, and they don't categorically trust the government or the pharamceutical industry to show them the way.
Accordingly, she keeps her ear to the ground. Weighing the fears offered by other parents in her friends circle with the commentary of a wide array of experts - immunologists, historians, philosophers, naturalists, linguists, etc. What emerges is a narrative as concerned with the ways we internalize risk as it is with public health in the 21st century.
There's no shaming in "On Immunity," though there is plenty of evidence. The incredible empathy demonstrated throughout the book will make you forget that you're essentially reading non-fiction about the sciences. She defends the things that I think are in need of defending (peer review, especially), but she never takes the patronizing tone of "big science" descending on the uninformed masses. There's no hipster bashing, no sweeping generalizations about our ill-informed media, and no internalized misogyny about "hysterical mothers" (which is, for my money, the ugliest ad hominem attack that this debate seems to endlessly invite).
There's a lot to learn in this book about conflict, rhetoric, patience, and trust....more
Great collection of essays that bridge the gap between alt-lit and the fine arts. In addition to being insightful and thoughtful, Tillman is also a grGreat collection of essays that bridge the gap between alt-lit and the fine arts. In addition to being insightful and thoughtful, Tillman is also a great interviewer. This definitely made me excited to check out some of the people she talks to.
Not every single essay knocks it out of the park, but on the whole, this is pretty brilliant stuff. The long form pieces (about Paul and Jane Bowles, about Edith Wharton) are particularly insightful. Tillman has a non-judgmental curiosity about her subjects, which doesn't render her "neutral" or opinion-less.
Oh, and it's nice to hear from someone who liked "Role Models" as much as I did, for the same reasons!...more
(I decided to brush this old Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ thing off to keep track of 2015, etc.)
This is a solid Pelecanos novel, with a little less genre stuff than some(I decided to brush this old Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ thing off to keep track of 2015, etc.)
This is a solid Pelecanos novel, with a little less genre stuff than some of his more serial work. The "serial killer" angle feels peripheral (and maybe even unnecessary), but it's mostly there to add a backdrop to a series of good character studies.
As usual, the D.C. setting is brilliantly rendered, with some interesting stuff about parenting, privilege, and race showing up from time to time without distracting from the overall story. Not as strong as a book like "Hard Revolution" (my fave from Pelecanos), but definitely worth a look....more
i did this on audiobook. diaz reads it himself, and his delivery REALLY adds a lot to the narrative.
first and foremost, this book is funny. especialli did this on audiobook. diaz reads it himself, and his delivery REALLY adds a lot to the narrative.
first and foremost, this book is funny. especially the first story, in which yunior (the bumbling, semi-sympathetic chauvinist at the heart of the stories) attempts to re-kindle a doomed relationship through an ill-fated "luxury vacation" to the dominican republic. what follows is a laugh-out-loud analysis of cultural stereotypes, american ignorance, young male jackassery, race relations, bad advice and relationship friction. it sets the tone for the stories that follow, which vary in their level of success. on the whole, this is a fun, quick read that made me kind of glad i'm not in my 20's anymore. i look forward to reading oscar wao soon. my GF has been trying to get me to read it for a few years now, and claims it's even better....more
i picked this up this after reading an interesting interview with its author, which you should read too:
i'm gri picked this up this after reading an interesting interview with its author, which you should read too:
i'm growing more and more fascinated with utopian projects, cults and the like, but i understand that your mileage may vary for this sort of thing. if you aren't inclined to explore this sort of thing, i'll say that a thousand lives works really well as a story. scheeres decentralizes the role of jim jones himself (who seems to have been an authoritarian thug from very early on, in spite of his social-justice-y persona) and focuses on several members of the people's temple, exploring their diverse backgrounds, desires, interests and agendas. it's a fantastic structure for a story than many probably know the contours of already.
along the way, scheeres does a great job of characterizing the circumstances and desires that brought followers to the temple, especially alongside the racial tensions of the 50's, 60's and early 70's. i'm not sure the point of the book is to convince me of the "sanity" of these people - it's not as simple as that. instead, the stories temper my impulse to judge the people affected in the wake of the massacre. the final section of the book, where scheeres chronicles several attempts to escape, is one of the most tense and engrossing things i've read this year. the follow-up section, tracing a few lives after the massacre, is totally fascinating as well. one survivor's story (i won't spoil which one) could be the subject of a book of its own. this is a well-written, respectful work of non-fiction that avoids a lot of the trappings of true-crime atrocity porn....more
i'm a sucker for dystopia, especially when it doesn't resort to magical, deus-ex-machina stuff and keeps its ear to the ground. on paper, america pacii'm a sucker for dystopia, especially when it doesn't resort to magical, deus-ex-machina stuff and keeps its ear to the ground. on paper, america pacifica is my kind of book - a sci-fi think piece along the lines of octavia butler's parable of the sower or margaret atwood's oryx and crake. but it's not as convincing as either of those. the protagonist is likeable enough, in a katniss everdeen sort of way (a good thing, imo), but she doesn't seem to have any human qualities other than broadly-rendered strength and resilience. i could say the same of the world north creates as well. there isn't enough detail about the size, scale or sociology of america pacifica. its universe seems to split into haves and have-nots, but there isn't enough nuance to its world building or its class politics. not a bad book exactly, but one that lacks a distinct voice or perspective....more
oddly enough, i'm trying to prep for a half-marathon in mid-september. i've only been running for about a year and a half, and only more than 2/3 timeoddly enough, i'm trying to prep for a half-marathon in mid-september. i've only been running for about a year and a half, and only more than 2/3 times a week for a few months. so some of the more intermediate advice here wasn't totally applicable to my case, but it was worth reading anyway.
this is very welcoming and pragmatic. i could have used a bit more technical advice and possibly a table of contents at the end. for example, i'm new enough to this to have to google "striders," since douglas assumes i know what they are. if you're looking for someone to set a regiment for you, this probably isn't the book for you. but if you're reading this on the internet, finding a decent running schedule is probably a google away to begin with.
if you're looking to motivate yourself to get off of your ass, read this. it's pretty level-headed - no jocky tough love or whatever. better still, douglas seems pretty indifferent to fancy shoes and protein shakes and fad diets and whatever. the focus is on the act of running and the goal is to get you to do it, rather than to supplement it with lots of complicated gear or rituals....more
well, i've finished with the infamous fourth installment of the series. i see why people dislike it so much, though i can't say i share many of their well, i've finished with the infamous fourth installment of the series. i see why people dislike it so much, though i can't say i share many of their objections. yes, there is less action than a storm of swords, but after the mayhem in the final third of that book, keeping up a similar pace would eventually grow silly, wouldn't it? plus, how many shocking deaths does it take to render the entire ordeal un-shocking? martin's new-found prudence allows me to catch my breath as a reader, and i appreciate the slower pace.
as you may have heard, a feast for crows stands alongside book #5 (a dance with dragons) in terms of the story's timeline. basically, the universe got too huge for one volume. lots of people resented martin's decision to split it up, but i kind of admire it. at this point, he's no longer establishing this world (save maybe in dorne). instead, he's simply inhabiting it. he takes his time with certain plot developments, but the indulgences are addictive. i can't imagine the amount of labor that went into constructing the various histories of westeros (and beyond), so the slower pace is an earned extravagance in my opinion.
also, for what it's worth, this book is primarily about the ladies of westeros, and in accordance with the gender expectations of his world, there's a bit less noble (or not so noble) battle carnage, accordingly. i like this shift of gears immensely. spending time with brienne of tarth is a pleasure, as is the deepening of some smaller characters like gilly or asha greyjoy. and though the inner life of cersei lannister doesn't prove to be as surprising or illuminating as her brother's was in the previous volume, her POV allows martin to showcase one of his least-applauded writerly talents, namely his knack for the intricacies of politics.
in many ways, feast is the most "literary" entry into the ASOIAF series, with its slower pace and psychological, character-driven focus. you might even call it more "high brow," if that term is still even still useful (it isn't). after the drama and heartache of storm of swords, this wasn't necessarily the book i was expecting... but i like the change of tone and shits in focus. i'm not particularly worried about martin finishing the series, to be honest - i'm along for the ride. and this entry expects the kind of leisurely loyalty i already feel for the series, i guess. at the end of the day, i probably enjoyed books #1 and 3 a bit more, but a feast for crows is still stylistically daring and aesthetically challenging in ways that the previous volumes don't always match. so keep an open mind and don't turn each page in search of a diabolical wedding....more
i had fairly high expectations for this one, and it lived up to them. a genuinely offbeat crime thriller that works equally well as a pulp page-turneri had fairly high expectations for this one, and it lived up to them. a genuinely offbeat crime thriller that works equally well as a pulp page-turner and as an experiment in low-key surrealism. structurally similar to elmore leonard, though deliberately lacking his warmth or empathy. no one is exactly "likeable" in miami blues, but each character seems human and interesting, especially freddy, the sort-of-antagonist. freddy is ultimately a scumbag, but he's so fascinating that i could have read 500 more pages about him and his love of haikus and cop impersonation. excited to read the rest of the series, which is in serious need of a reissue from its publisher....more
i knew i was gonna like this, and it actually exceeded my already high expectations. i figured it would be a compelling coming-of-age story about famii knew i was gonna like this, and it actually exceeded my already high expectations. i figured it would be a compelling coming-of-age story about family and sexuality; i had no idea it would be such a gripping, unconventional story.
here's what i knew going in (since it's a good, non-spoiler-y amount of info to start with): alison bechdel is a lesbian comic artist and at some point during her upbringing, she discovered that her father was gay/bi/queer as well. i assumed that this would result in something introspective/informative, like a less ho-hum chester brown or something. instead, it's a surprisingly unique personal story - a real yarn, in a certain sense (albeit a fairly melancholic one that deserves to be taken seriously). better still, bechdel weaves a number of literary references into its fabric, documenting her father's obsession with proust, joyce and especially f. scott fitzgerald alongside her own discovery of queer fiction in the days prior to the feminist/gender studies pedagogy that is thankfully now on the rise in (some) colleges. in once sense, it's a book about finding yourself through literature - and the ways that literature can either empower a person or provide cover into which to bury one's head in shame.
above all though, fun home is an incredibly generous and honest graphic novel. it's never sentimental, but it's not ugly or exploitative either. bechdel's father is neither a hero nor a monster. he's a bit of a tragedy, but he's no object of sanctimonious pity either. he feels like a real person, and fun home was clearly written by a real person as well. ...more
i need a little more from a fantasy novel than d & d catnip, and i expected more from this, my first moorcock novel. it starts out well enough - elrici need a little more from a fantasy novel than d & d catnip, and i expected more from this, my first moorcock novel. it starts out well enough - elric is an albino warlock emperor in ill-health, kept alive by potions that he's in constant need of replenishing. moorcock has him sit atop a kingdom defined by hedonistic self-interest and authoritarianism, none of which sits well with elric.
not quite the revelation that i found hour of the star to be, but measuring up to that one is next to impossible. still, near to the wild heart is a wnot quite the revelation that i found hour of the star to be, but measuring up to that one is next to impossible. still, near to the wild heart is a worthy follow-up, albeit one that fits more comfortably in the canon of modernist literature.
as in star, this largely plot-less novel concerns the inner life of an eccentric woman named joanna. joanna isn't quite as bizarre and enigmatic as star's macabea, but she's still a strange mixture of loyalty, defiance, sophistication and willful immaturity. and, in what appears to be a lispector trademark, everyone around her is as weird as she is. the best thing about lispector is the way she overrides the familiar modernist dichotomy between a brooding, isolated subject and the callous bourgeois universe she is forced to inhabit. lispector isn't exactly interested in personal alienation, so much as she is in rendering a universe composed of singular, unique subjects that fundamentally contradict, and stand apart from, each another. when i read her work, i don't lament missed inter-personal connections or hope that the protagonist will be finally be heard and understood. instead, i marvel at the radical differences that exist between her characters, and appreciate the extent to which any normative standard of "empathy" would actually ruin what's so exciting about them. ...more
a slow, steady, rewarding experience. it's a mystery novel on the surface, though the crime at the heart of the story isn't treated with any pulpy pyra slow, steady, rewarding experience. it's a mystery novel on the surface, though the crime at the heart of the story isn't treated with any pulpy pyrotechnics. figuring out whodunit won't seem particularly urgent once you've committed to the story. instead, the focus is on the coming-of-age of a middle-school-aged boy on an ojibwe reservation in north dakota as him and his family struggle with the aftermath of his mother's rape.
erdrich effectively filters my desire for some sort of narrative resolution through the lens of a 13-year-old boy. the protagonist is a sharp enough kid, but he's never depicted as a precocious, child-sleuth-genius. some of the most effective passages involve the kind of poor decision-making familiar to anyone who's ever been through puberty. alongside the realism is a smaller story-arc concerning the differences between u.s. law and tribal law - the kid's father is a lawyer who must navigate both worlds, and he maintains emotional connection to his son by sharing this knowledge. i can see how some people found this dimension of the story tedious, but i thought it made the book informative as well as emotionally engaging.
if you're looking for an atypical take on the mystery genre with rich prose and great atmosphere, this is well worth your time. it drags a bit in the middle - there's a quasi-magic-realist element (via mythology and allegory) that feels unnecessary at times - but the honesty and sobriety of the story-telling more than make up for it....more
while i'll admit that this is a pretty addictive page-turner, it's also a major disappointment. i'm not exactly sure what i expected from gone girl, bwhile i'll admit that this is a pretty addictive page-turner, it's also a major disappointment. i'm not exactly sure what i expected from gone girl, but i'm fairly sure all the people hyping it to death didn't think it was as silly as i did.
the story concerns two NYC yuppies who relocate to semi-rural missouri after the husband loses his job in journalism. neither the husband nor the wife is particularly interesting, but they're both custom-made to mirror the prejudices of the NPR-liberal crowd this book is so clearly created for. throughout its first half, gone girl is a book about a dissolving marriage - only marginally a murder mystery - with lots of lukewarm appeals to "literature" or whatever. the tone is often patronizing - expect lots of snarky observations about middle americans offering snacks with ham wrapped around them, written in a tone just gentle enough to qualify as an assessment of "recession-era america" instead of plain-jane class snobbery. it's obnoxious.
once the buzz of the big revelation wore off, i began thinking through how completely implausible the maneuver was to begin with. to make matters worse, its consequences aren't as tightly arranged as the circumstances leading up to it. toward the end, the plotline inches ever closer to "lifetime" movie territory, complete with shifty backwoods yokels, johnnie-cochran-style legal advice and daytime tv appearances. it's not an entirely humorless book, but its scope is too normative and moralistic to capitalize on its cheap thrills. i'm kind of mad at myself for becoming so addicted to it, to be honest....more
despite their shared politcs, sacco and hedges are a bit of an odd couple. sacco's instinct to get out of the way and let people tell their own storiedespite their shared politcs, sacco and hedges are a bit of an odd couple. sacco's instinct to get out of the way and let people tell their own stories is the key ingredient to his magic (imo), whereas hedges can't wait to turn each tale of misery into a bullet-point in his ongoing treatise against neoliberal capitalism.
don't get me wrong - this is a good book that does us all a great service by telling the stories it tells. i spent most of my life in philadelphia - a 15 minute subway ride from camden, NJ - and nearly everyone i know who ever ended up there did so by accident. too often in philly, camden is little more than a punchline - one that occasionally comes from the mouths of the same people crying crocodile tears over "the ruins of detroit" or whatever. by shining a light on these "economic dead zones," sacco and hedges remind me that these places exist, which in and of itself is incredibly important.
that said, i guess i'm "team sacco" all the way. i admire chris hedges (especially as an activist), but he's way too eager to "speak for" the people he encounters here, and it comes dangerously close to deal-breaker territory for me at times. i have great sympathy for his thesis (and diagnosis, for the most part), but as someone who lives in a small rust-belt city with an evaporating infrastructure myself (erie, pa), i can't help thinking that the people he interviews might not be pleased with his depictions of them from time to time.
and the soapboxing isn't necessary, as sacco's comic passages make clear. the stories do the leg work for them - the abandonment, the prejudices, the eroding social safety nets - all of these things shine through in the words of the people they encounter. hedges has some big, important ideas on display here, and he's committed to an admirable project. but i wish he was a better listener. ...more
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