I'm (temporarily) moving to the Netherlands in September. So, when I happened upon this book at the library, I said (silently, as it was the library),I'm (temporarily) moving to the Netherlands in September. So, when I happened upon this book at the library, I said (silently, as it was the library), why not. It was a quick, entertaining, if not terribly illuminating, read. There were a couple of laugh-out-loud moments, although the author's self-deprecating shtick wore thin pretty quickly, as it's not especially convincing. Still, not a bad way to while away a lazy summer day or two. ...more
Good fun! There were a couple clunkers, and some ho-hum numbers, but overall, a solid, engaging collection that entertains and at times compels and reGood fun! There were a couple clunkers, and some ho-hum numbers, but overall, a solid, engaging collection that entertains and at times compels and resonates. The concept of a literary equivalent to "reality" T.V. is timely and brilliant (spoken like a true Rock of Love fan). While the orthodoxy of San Francisco identity politics inevitably rears its head, it's just as often quite refreshingly flouted. High points include "Colin on Colin" and "Uppercasing," both of which made me laugh out loud and contained actual, original ideas. I want to be a textural DJ when I grow up. ...more
Honestly? I skimmed/skipped most of it. This has to do with not being particularly interested in the bulk of the subject matter. The writing is first-Honestly? I skimmed/skipped most of it. This has to do with not being particularly interested in the bulk of the subject matter. The writing is first-rate. The selections I enjoyed were "The Life and Times of Joe Bob Briggs, So Far" (for the career inspiration) and "Covering the Cops". "Zei-da-man" is one of the most poignant things I can remember reading and had me tearing up on the bus, which is in itself a poignant experience. I'm curious about his food writing. ...more
Please don't misunderstand. I like vanilla cupcakes top heavy with fluffy pink frosting as much as the next guy. That's why the shOuch, ouch, my soul.
Please don't misunderstand. I like vanilla cupcakes top heavy with fluffy pink frosting as much as the next guy. That's why the show is a longstanding guilty pleasure of mine. The difference between the show and the book is that while acquisitive, status-obsessed party monsters with less depth than a paper cut comprise the bulk of the characters on the show as in the book, the show manages to flesh them out into comically fallible, three-dimensional human beings who, even if you find them repugnant, you can find weirdly fascinating and feel empathy toward.
The book: not so much. I had to read several passages multiple times because it was difficult to stay sufficiently engaged to pay attention.
"'It's cute. It's light. You know. It's not Tolstoy.'
'I'm not trying to be Tolstoy,' Carrie said. But of course, she was."
If Carrie Bradshaw really is the author's alter ego, you have to wonder. I would have settled for Fitzgerald. But these portraits of the power-hungry, the socially climbing, and the upwardly mobile aren't Gatsbyesque. They're ghastly.
Upon finishing this book, I felt like I'd consumed a dozen pink-frosted cupcakes. I apologized to my system for inundating it with crap and promised myself that I would eat more vegetables. And read Tolstoy....more
"We're all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." Thus spake Oscar Wilde. "Except for those of us in the stars who are looking at th"We're all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." Thus spake Oscar Wilde. "Except for those of us in the stars who are looking at the gutter." Thus spake me. Let's face it, isn't gutter-gazing a natural human proclivity? Crime is unlovely, but it can be interesting. This is a collection of thoughtful, well-written articles. The details are often lurid, but never true-crime sensationalistic. Some of them are fascinating. "A Kiss Before Dying" tells the story of a complicated outsider and, in so doing, defends the humanity that her small town largely declined to grant her. In a culture where killers are rock stars, it's deeply refreshing to find compassionate, three-dimensional (warts and all) portrayals of their victims. Speaking of killers, "The Devil in David Berkowitz" is a great read. Looking at the stars may be a noble pursuit, but it can be a strain on the neck. And sometimes, when crime reporting is done responsibly, compassionately, and decently, you can find stars (and even a few laughs) in the most unlikely places. ...more
Powerful, violent, disturbing, wounded, tender, sad. Gothic with a capital G. It brought me much closer to vegetarianism than anything else I've encouPowerful, violent, disturbing, wounded, tender, sad. Gothic with a capital G. It brought me much closer to vegetarianism than anything else I've encountered, and this includes the time a (not so) well-intentioned friend introduced me to "Meat is Murder" in an effort to persuade me to change my evil, bacon-loving ways. Bacon still wins, but man, the suffering in this book is cringe-inducing. The author definitely has a thematic preoccupation (hence the title), which at times renders these stories a one-note symphony; and the typos are frequent and egregious, which is distracting. But if you're looking to get a your visceral on (literally and figuratively), this is a good collection to turn to. ...more
What is this thing called poetry? As a recovering poet, I've devoted no small amount of thought to this subject. The best answer I can give you is tinWhat is this thing called poetry? As a recovering poet, I've devoted no small amount of thought to this subject. The best answer I can give you is tinfoil in the microwave. That's poetry. Unfortunately, most poetry reads more like saran wrap in the refrigerator. Which is why it was such a pleasure to happen upon this collection. While it doesn't quite approach the level of a full-blown kitchen disaster, certainly there are sparks. And it's always nice to find a soul as morbid as I am (see "31-Year-Old Lover;" also, there's an entire section devoted to the D-word--that's Death. As someone who used to write impassioned poems to Azrael, I appreciate this). Also, check out the poem that references Sharon Olds in the title. Soooo good (said in a Teen Girl Squad voice)!
While this book didn't quite shake my notion of poetry as anything other than a doomed, if pretty, exercise in futility, it did serve as a reminder of what I saw in the genre. It was rather like finding a sweater you used to wear all the time in a pile of castoff clothes. You might not go there again, but you look back fondly on what was. ...more
"Today the clerk in the fancy deli next door asked me how I was, and I said, 'I have deep longings that will never be satisfied.'"
Oh, Mary Gaitskill, "Today the clerk in the fancy deli next door asked me how I was, and I said, 'I have deep longings that will never be satisfied.'"
Oh, Mary Gaitskill, you always do this to me. You begin a story like that, and it's brave and honest and true, and then I realize...
I'm shallow. And your stories are depressing. Sure there's a truckload of insight at work here, and occasionally dark humor rears its head, but really, these stories conjure dust bunnies sulking on dull linoleum. Transfixing dust bunnies, but dust bunnies. This collection is like the gentle, lurching violence of a typical bus ride to a destination you don't particularly want to arrive at, but can't avoid.
What you have to say about loneliness, longing, desperation, and the predatory (and sad and silly and tender) aspects of human nature rings true. It does. I relate (too much). I do.
But there are no moors in your stories, Mary Gaitskill. See, in reading this collection, I realized (yet again) that I like my depression dark and dramatic, with plenty of brooding atmosphere. I suppose it's the recovering goth in me. Why settle for quiet desperation when you can have noisy futility? I'll take Wuthering Heights over the withering depths, no matter how deftly rendered (and they are).
What I mean to say is, for me, these stories inspired deep longings, which they left unsatisfied....more
This book was, to borrow someone else's phrasing, punishingly unendurable. But in the best possible way. The writing is like a luscious chocolate dessThis book was, to borrow someone else's phrasing, punishingly unendurable. But in the best possible way. The writing is like a luscious chocolate dessert sprinkled with sparkling shards of glass. The ladies (and gent) in this tome all strike me as the type who would grind up glass and serve it in your dessert. This is the land of the lovelorn and lacerated, folks. And Lazarus is nowhere in sight. Hey, if redemption isn't possible, at least there's always alliteration. Anyway, the real issue here is that I'm a member of the plebian, plodding masses SHE lives to despise. I took a trip to page 100 and felt like I'd served my time. I should probably add the disclosure that the main reason this book was hard for me to stomach is that it had waaaayyyy too much autobiographical resonance. Hello, Allison, aged thirty-eight!...more
I made it to page 68. For me, the buck stops here. Don't get me wrong, it's a great 68 pages--a strong, distinct style, endearing neurosis, and humor I made it to page 68. For me, the buck stops here. Don't get me wrong, it's a great 68 pages--a strong, distinct style, endearing neurosis, and humor prevail. But 68 pages of anyone's neurosis goes a long way. It's like that friend of yours--the one who has a lot going for them, but is super high maintenance, and there's only so much time you can spend with them. I am that friend of yours, so I can say this. In summation (as it were), it's rinse-wring-repeat and on to the next book! ...more
This is a compulsively readable, excellently written, if not particularly uplifting book. It got under my skin and haunted me. Particularly effective This is a compulsively readable, excellently written, if not particularly uplifting book. It got under my skin and haunted me. Particularly effective is the constant juxtaposition of pathos with acute details of random, senseless violence and the people who perpetrate it. I found myself wanting to shake the killers by the shoulders and shout, "Don't you get it?! This MATTERS!" while secretly wondering if that was true--their nihilism and the completely pointless, near-accidental nature of the violence are oppressive to the point of being difficult to rebut. What do you say in the face of all this? I need to read something light and fluffy now. Back to Camus!...more
So the man's a tool and he writes with his. Really, there's not much to recommend the narrator--I suppose he's personable enough in a misogynistic, anSo the man's a tool and he writes with his. Really, there's not much to recommend the narrator--I suppose he's personable enough in a misogynistic, anti-Semitic, sociopathic sort of way. But my does he have a marvelous style. At his best, the man does exhilarating things with words and there are glimpses of real tenderness throughout. By "throughout" I mean the half of the book I actually got through, at which point my curiosity was satisfied. Next! ...more
Southern Gothic at its finest, replete with a character who names his daughters from a scavenged medical encyclopedia (Hernia Sue being my favorite, tSouthern Gothic at its finest, replete with a character who names his daughters from a scavenged medical encyclopedia (Hernia Sue being my favorite, to the extent that I'm considering having a daughter exclusively for the purpose of naming her that). It takes a special talent to render rotting corpses poetic. The man pulls it off. ...more
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