**spoiler alert** I was really pleasantly surprised at how funny this was, I didn't remember "Bright Lights Big City" being humorous at all. It was li**spoiler alert** I was really pleasantly surprised at how funny this was, I didn't remember "Bright Lights Big City" being humorous at all. It was like a more light-hearted Bret Easton Ellis (who McInerney references, as well as himself, in true meta-fashion--Ellis actually used McInerney as a character [as well as himself] in "Lunar Park.") The comedy stems from the zany characters themselves, as well as the writing style which is kind of smarmy and smug, but in an entertaining way. The main character, of course, is a 30-year-old man still in an adolescent lifestyle, and the story is that of his wacky New York world--comprised of his model girlfriend, militant vegetarian best friend, anorexic sister, alcoholic parents, etc.--as it begins to collapse around him. My only problem was that it had one of those tacked-on endings where someone dies out of nowhere in a last-ditch attempt at some gravitas in an otherwise fun little romp, kind of like some Wes Anderson movies....more
I still have 80 pages left, but I can already tell this isn't gonna get any better. I'm not that familiar with Leary, but I'm pretty sure he's more taI still have 80 pages left, but I can already tell this isn't gonna get any better. I'm not that familiar with Leary, but I'm pretty sure he's more talented than this book. It's a rant-fest, which is fine, except the topics he chooses are all TIRED TIRED TIRED. I'm talking Anna Nicole, Lewinskygate, "A Million Little Pieces," Child Stars Gone Bad, the guy who sued McDonald's when he spilled coffee on himself, etc. PETA wouldn't even have to hire a lawyer to get Leary convicted for the relentless beating he gives to these dead horses. The only saving grace is the few autobiographical anecdotes he throws in from his childhood. A memoir about growing up Irish Catholic in Boston would have been sooo much better than this tripe....more
I was gonna only give this three stars, but then realized there was a stretch of 120 pages I had read in one sitting, so I guess I have to give it proI was gonna only give this three stars, but then realized there was a stretch of 120 pages I had read in one sitting, so I guess I have to give it props. No boogeymen to be found, which is fine, I knew ahead of time it was just something about a woman murdering her husband (which you find out on page 1). The story isn't all that compelling, but the format of the book is; there are no chapter breaks, it's just one big 300-page confession by the titular character, a typical King small-town woman, complete with Maine dialect, phonetic spelling/abbreviations and all (which is interesting, considering he railed against the notion of purposeful misspelling in "On Writing"). If you like character studies, you can't find much better....more
I think a lot of this was included in the "Portable Rollins" collection that initially turned me off his writing some years ago. Just too repetitive, I think a lot of this was included in the "Portable Rollins" collection that initially turned me off his writing some years ago. Just too repetitive, especially with the overuse of the words "annihilation" and "incineration."...more
"A bullet shot at this man would steer clear, knowing that nothing would happen to its target." This immediately reminded me of this line from Chuck P"A bullet shot at this man would steer clear, knowing that nothing would happen to its target." This immediately reminded me of this line from Chuck Palahniuk's "Survivor:" "Me getting killed right now would be redundant." Another good one: "Sometimes it gets so cold in here I want to build a roaring fire using my body for kindling."...more
These early books--with their short bursts of autobiography, fictional snippets, bad poetry, and random thoughts--are starting to grow on me. Maybe a These early books--with their short bursts of autobiography, fictional snippets, bad poetry, and random thoughts--are starting to grow on me. Maybe a bit juvenile in their unfocused rage, but that makes them really cathartic to pick up if you happen to be in a particularly foul mood. The author puts it best on the back cover of his collection, "The First Five:"
"A densely packed tome to keep the blood thin and the mind clear when enduring a long night of solitary refinement. Don't hitchhike solo on the highway to the great abyss. No need to sail alone through the stormy sea of your self-pity. When you need to wallow in the mire of your existence with a fellow self-obsessed insomnia-ridden megalomaniac and your friends no longer pick up the phone when you call, reach for this book."...more
These short stories mainly have a collective theme of loss, mourning, or emptiness, and many also have a surrealistic quality that is somehow streamliThese short stories mainly have a collective theme of loss, mourning, or emptiness, and many also have a surrealistic quality that is somehow streamlined effortlessly into the story and doesn't jar or come across as Sci-Fi. My personal favorite was "My Brother and the Unabomber," in which the narrator gives an account of life with a violent, emotionally disturbed family member. "Art School is Boring So" and "What a Schoolgirl You Are" are also standouts, but there weren't many I didn't enjoy....more
The girl this is about says something in the afterward about how she hopes that it could help just one person, etc., but you can't help anyone if theyThe girl this is about says something in the afterward about how she hopes that it could help just one person, etc., but you can't help anyone if they're too bored to finish your story. There is not a whole lot devoted to her actual experiences as a high-ranking member of the Chicago street gang, this is more of a portrait of an abused, impoverished single mother in the city, and not a very good one at that. Reymundo Sanchez who interviewed Lady Q for the book, previously wrote his own autobiography, "My Bloody Life," which is a lot better....more
I'm gonna have to post some quotes as I read this:
"When lost in the mountains, try to put on a brave front for morale's sake."
"Posing under empty pictI'm gonna have to post some quotes as I read this:
"When lost in the mountains, try to put on a brave front for morale's sake."
"Posing under empty picture frames to elude a villain is a risky venture!"
"Beware of who you give autographs to--your signature might later be used to forge checks."
***Finished***
The main draw here is obviously the random quotes that are hilarious when removed from their original context, but it also includes a brief history of the series' creation/evolution, and some light-hearted quizzes (none of which I could answer) and the like. Anyway, I don't want to give all of them away but here are a few more.
"Eating can be a fattening hobby."
"If you're taken prisoner, unobtrusively knock off a button so that your rescuers will be better able to trace your whereabouts."
"When threatened with a hairbrush by a vicious woman, remain calm and speak in cold level tones."...more
So I'm not her biggest fan, I only have the "Become What You Are" album, but when I saw she wrote an autobiography, it piqued my curiosity, and my expSo I'm not her biggest fan, I only have the "Become What You Are" album, but when I saw she wrote an autobiography, it piqued my curiosity, and my expectations were EXTREMELY exceeded. I had no idea she was capable of something this interesting and insightful. The chapters alternate from daily journal entries on her then-current tour and a history of her rise to semi-prominence with the hit single, "My Sister." A lot of the writing isn't even about music, it's just biographical musings from a fellow lone wolf. Juliana describes the highs and lows of touring, the joy of writing a song, depression, the futility of love/relationships (especially with musicians with addiction problems), eating disorders, stalkers, diminishing audiences, annoying promoters, etc. She dishes, disses, and dismisses some of her contemporaries (not always naming names, which was annoying), calls out the evils of the major labels, Clinton's corporate-media-consolidating Telecommunications Act, and Clear Channel, this book covers a lot of interesting subjects. There's even a chapter just on how much she liked the Replacements/Paul Westerberg. A must-read for any Gen Xers who came of age during the "alt-rock boom" of the 90's. I liked this so much I would rank it among my favorites documenting that period--"Our Band Could be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991," "Route 666: On the Road to Nirvana," and "Fool the World: An Oral History of the Pixies."...more
This is making me laugh, hard. Robert Hamburger's (of "Real Ultimate Power" fame) older cousin investigates a mysterious paranormal conspiracy that stThis is making me laugh, hard. Robert Hamburger's (of "Real Ultimate Power" fame) older cousin investigates a mysterious paranormal conspiracy that starts with a Hot Pocket that moved... on it's own. If you're familiar with the "Jim Anchower" columnist from "The Onion," imagine that type of narrator in a would-be "X-Files" novel. There are lines like, "I once lived in a duplex that had to be blessed," and "Some idiots out there think that Transylvania is really just Pennsylvania."
***Finished***
I cannot recommend this highly enough, four times yesterday I was laughing to myself sitting alone at Barnes and Noble reading lines like, "In Cambodia, you can throw a grenade at water buffaloes for FIVE BUCKS." If you are interested in gurgling sounds, opening a portal to time/space, or face-punchings, you must read this book....more
This is a fun, albeit generic, adventure in the Savage Land (a prehistoric, dinosaur-infested area of Anarctica disguised by "cloud cover"). Sauron, tThis is a fun, albeit generic, adventure in the Savage Land (a prehistoric, dinosaur-infested area of Anarctica disguised by "cloud cover"). Sauron, the hypnotic, energy-vampire pterodactyl-man, is up to his old tricks again, and it's up to Storm, Wolverine, Archangel, Psylocke, Beast, Iceman, and Cannonball (alongside Ka-Zar, Lord of the Savage Land, his wife Shanna the She-Devil, and Zabu, their pet sabre-tooth tiger) to stop him. Sauron is of course aided by Magneto's evil mutates such as the frog-like Amphibius, blind but super-strong Gaza, four-armed Barbarus, wolf-man Lupo, and female dizzy-spell-inducing Vertigo. The story is basically that some of the X-Men get captured and the rest try to rescue them, but it's well-done overall, and also has a romantic sub-plot with Archangel and Psylocke I wasn't aware of, as well as a neat, unexpected orgin story flashback from Lupo's point of view....more
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