White Wolf Pub. -- pb
Stone Mtn, GA -- ©1994 -- 334pp
ISBN: 1-56504-107-0
Dark Fantasy/Horror fiction.
'Introduction' -- Thomas F. Monteleone
"The Calling" -- David B. Silva
"Scartaris, June 28th" -- Harlan Ellison
"Glass Eyes" -- Nancy Holder
"The Grass of Remembrance" -- John DeChancie
"On the Nightmare Express" -- Francis J. Malozzo
"The Pounding Room" -- Bentley Little
"Peeling It Off" -- Darrell Schweitzer
"The Raw and the Cooked" -- Michael Green
"His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood" -- Poppy Z. Brite
"Oh What a Swell Guy Am I" -- Jeffrey Osier
"Delia and the Dinner Party" -- John Shirley
"Suicide Note" -- Lee Moler
"Stillborn" -- Nina Kiriki Hoffman
"Ladder" -- T.E.D. Klein
"Muscae Volitantes" -- Chet Williamson
"The Man in the Long Black Sedan" -- Ed Gorman
"His Frozen Heart" -- Jack Hunter Daves Jr.
"Evelyn Grace" -- Thomas Tessier
"By The Light of the Silvery Moon" -- Les Daniels
"A Younger Woman" -- John Maclay
"But You'll Never Follow Me" -- Karl Edward Wagner
"Stephen" -- Elizabeth Massie
"Alexandra" -- Charles L. Grant
"The Good Book" -- G. Wayne Miller
"By Bizarre Hands" -- Joe R. Lansdale
'About the Editor'
#####
I have always enjoyed taking a literary ride on the 'horror' train, though I haven't read as much dark fantasy lately as I did as a teenager. I picked this book up in an airport some years back when I had forgotten to bring along something to read, and while I read maybe two stories at the time, this book sat around on my shelves waiting for me to get back to it.
Mostly this book was a time-passer. Few, if any, of the stories really reached me. Nothing stood out as a story I'll remember for a long time. One story, as I was reading it, had me thinking ... oh good, a story that I can write about in my review, but as I look through the table of contents, it doesn't stand out. I recognize all the titles. I remember reading them, but none strike me as 'outstanding.'
At the same time, none of these struck me as terrible. In some cases, they were predictable ("By Bizarre Hands" "The Man in the Long Black Sedan" "Muscae Volitantes" "Stillborn" "Delia and the Dinner Party" "The Raw and the Cooked" "The Grass of Remembrance"). However, of these, some did stand out as being excellently written, specifically "Stillborn" by Nina Kiriki Hoffman and "Delia and the Dinner Party" by John Shirley and "The Grass of Remembrance" by John DeChancie.
If you enjoy the genre, then this book will probably be a welcome window to the dark for you. If you are new to this type of fiction, then better, perhaps to start with a true master of the field (find something by Robert Bloch or Robert Aikman or H.P. Lovecraft).
Monday, August 23, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
SPINNING INTO BUTTER:A PLAY -- Rebecca Gilman
Faber & Faber -- tpb
©2000 -- 96pp
ISBN: 0571199844
a new play that explores the dangers of both racism and political correctness in America today in a manner that is at once profound, disturbing, darkly comic, and deeply cathartic. Rebecca Gilman challenges our preconceptions about race relations, writing of a liberal dean of students named Sarah Daniels who investigates the pinning of anonymous, clearly racist letters on the door of one of the college's few African American students. The stunning discovery that there is a virulent racist on campus forces Sarah, along with other faculty members and students, to explore her feelings about racism, leading to surprising discoveries and painful insights that will rivet and provoke the reader.
#####
I was not at all familiar with this play before reading it. Gilman's name sounded familiar but I couldn't name anything she'd written. I am sure that will change for me.
Judging simply by the title, I suspected that this play would deal with racial issues and I admit to having second thoughts because I just wasn't looking for a didactic lesson on race. Fortunately, what I got was not a lesson on race but a lesson on racism. And...surprise, surprise...from a "white" perspective! How novel! How daring! And, being Caucasian, it actually reached me in a way that a play never has before.
The play is about one individual on a college campus who is forced to face her own feelings of racism. Outward, she appears level-headed, intelligent, and very sympathetic to racial issues. But of course sympathy is perhaps not the right emotion to have. Inward, the woman struggles with her views on 'blacks' and admits that one of the reasons she took a job at a college in Vermont was to get away from the black population.
One of the most beautiful aspects of this play is that it takes a major issue, and brings it in to focus through one individual -- and a likable individual! It forces us to look at ourselves and how similar we may be to this character.
There are no clear answers, only lots of soul-searching questions, but the play does end with a spark of promise.
©2000 -- 96pp
ISBN: 0571199844
a new play that explores the dangers of both racism and political correctness in America today in a manner that is at once profound, disturbing, darkly comic, and deeply cathartic. Rebecca Gilman challenges our preconceptions about race relations, writing of a liberal dean of students named Sarah Daniels who investigates the pinning of anonymous, clearly racist letters on the door of one of the college's few African American students. The stunning discovery that there is a virulent racist on campus forces Sarah, along with other faculty members and students, to explore her feelings about racism, leading to surprising discoveries and painful insights that will rivet and provoke the reader.
#####
I was not at all familiar with this play before reading it. Gilman's name sounded familiar but I couldn't name anything she'd written. I am sure that will change for me.
Judging simply by the title, I suspected that this play would deal with racial issues and I admit to having second thoughts because I just wasn't looking for a didactic lesson on race. Fortunately, what I got was not a lesson on race but a lesson on racism. And...surprise, surprise...from a "white" perspective! How novel! How daring! And, being Caucasian, it actually reached me in a way that a play never has before.
The play is about one individual on a college campus who is forced to face her own feelings of racism. Outward, she appears level-headed, intelligent, and very sympathetic to racial issues. But of course sympathy is perhaps not the right emotion to have. Inward, the woman struggles with her views on 'blacks' and admits that one of the reasons she took a job at a college in Vermont was to get away from the black population.
One of the most beautiful aspects of this play is that it takes a major issue, and brings it in to focus through one individual -- and a likable individual! It forces us to look at ourselves and how similar we may be to this character.
There are no clear answers, only lots of soul-searching questions, but the play does end with a spark of promise.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
NORSE CODE -- Greg van Eekhout
Bantam Spectra -- pb
New York -- ©2009 -- 292pp
ISBN: 0553592130
The NorseCODE genome project was designed to identify descendants of Odin. What it found was Kathy Castillo, a murdered MBA student brought back from the dead to serve as a valkyrie in the Norse god’s army. Given a sword and a new name, Mist’s job is to recruit soldiers for the war between the gods at the end of the world—and to kill those who refuse to fight.
But as the twilight of the gods descends, Mist makes other plans.
#####
My timing on reading this book turned out to be nearly perfect. I'd just finished a great deal of research on Norse mythology for a project that I was commissioned to write, and I was heading out for a week of vacation on the beach and grabbed this book as something small and 'light' for beach reading.
Having so many of the Norse gods and their relationships and places still in my head, this book struck me as extremely well researched and a fun take on the personalities. I knew immediately who each character was and of course I knew their relationship with the other characters. I did wonder, though, if I hadn't been as fmailiar with them before reading this, would I have enjoyed this book nearly as much? Probably not.
Although I gave this book four stars, based on my own enjoyment of reading it, I did have a few problems with the story.
First, while I really liked the idea of "Norse Code" -- a technologically modern center for finding appropriate people to bring to Valhalla to fight for Odin at the final battle, I felt that this gimmick was ill-used. Certainly not worthy of the title of the book. It came into play in the first couple of chapters and then was really nothing at all important to the story.
Second, we as readers had to take some giant leaps (pun intended) of literary faith to accept that everything that happens in the story is simply because one woman, a mortal who became a Valkyrie, wants to rescue her sister and a man she doesn't know (but whom she killed) from Hel. I don't think that the relationship with the sister was ever really established enough, and the guilt over killing the man was definitely not believable. Perhaps that's why both ... neither was strong enough motivation? Even so...for all that these people faced, marching into Hel, attempting to stop Ragnarok (the final battle), facing undefeatable foes, all to rescue two people... well, it just seemed a bit lame, quite frankly.
If I could have given this three and a half stars, I would have, but I stand by the four stars because ... well, I enjoyed it.
New York -- ©2009 -- 292pp
ISBN: 0553592130
The NorseCODE genome project was designed to identify descendants of Odin. What it found was Kathy Castillo, a murdered MBA student brought back from the dead to serve as a valkyrie in the Norse god’s army. Given a sword and a new name, Mist’s job is to recruit soldiers for the war between the gods at the end of the world—and to kill those who refuse to fight.
But as the twilight of the gods descends, Mist makes other plans.
#####
My timing on reading this book turned out to be nearly perfect. I'd just finished a great deal of research on Norse mythology for a project that I was commissioned to write, and I was heading out for a week of vacation on the beach and grabbed this book as something small and 'light' for beach reading.
Having so many of the Norse gods and their relationships and places still in my head, this book struck me as extremely well researched and a fun take on the personalities. I knew immediately who each character was and of course I knew their relationship with the other characters. I did wonder, though, if I hadn't been as fmailiar with them before reading this, would I have enjoyed this book nearly as much? Probably not.
Although I gave this book four stars, based on my own enjoyment of reading it, I did have a few problems with the story.
First, while I really liked the idea of "Norse Code" -- a technologically modern center for finding appropriate people to bring to Valhalla to fight for Odin at the final battle, I felt that this gimmick was ill-used. Certainly not worthy of the title of the book. It came into play in the first couple of chapters and then was really nothing at all important to the story.
Second, we as readers had to take some giant leaps (pun intended) of literary faith to accept that everything that happens in the story is simply because one woman, a mortal who became a Valkyrie, wants to rescue her sister and a man she doesn't know (but whom she killed) from Hel. I don't think that the relationship with the sister was ever really established enough, and the guilt over killing the man was definitely not believable. Perhaps that's why both ... neither was strong enough motivation? Even so...for all that these people faced, marching into Hel, attempting to stop Ragnarok (the final battle), facing undefeatable foes, all to rescue two people... well, it just seemed a bit lame, quite frankly.
If I could have given this three and a half stars, I would have, but I stand by the four stars because ... well, I enjoyed it.
Sunday, August 08, 2010
THE DAY ROOM -- Don DeLillo
Alfred A. Knopf -- hc
New York -- ©1986 -- 113pp
a play
A black comedy that explores the chaos caused when the onlooker is unsure of the status of a team of medics in a psychiatric unit. Are they really bona fide staff or patients just pretending to be?
*****
I enjoy absurdist theatre a great deal and while the name Don DeLillo may have brought people in to watch a theatrical production who might otherwise never have gone to a play, I found very little that was original about this.
First of all, there's going to be an obvious One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nestcomparison. I caught myself making just such a note early as I was reading, but I also found myself thinking about Harold Pinter's The Hothouse, and in both cases the earlier play is a much more engaging piece. Of course the plots are vastly different, with The Day Room asking some rather metaphysical questions, such as "What is real?" "Who can you believe or trust?" It is a deconstruction of reality, whereasCuckoo's Nest is a fight for reality and Hothouse is about abusive power.
But if you are going to deconstruct reality, you must be compared to another master playwright, Eugene Ionesco, who managed to do it over and over again.
Back to DeLillo...
The main problem I had with this script is "why?" Why tell this story? What was in it for me? I didn't finish it and think about my own life and what was real or not. I didn't feel compelled to see this on stage any time too soon.
I enjoyed the theatricality of this, and the humor, but found it lacking in story or purpose.
New York -- ©1986 -- 113pp
a play
A black comedy that explores the chaos caused when the onlooker is unsure of the status of a team of medics in a psychiatric unit. Are they really bona fide staff or patients just pretending to be?
*****
I enjoy absurdist theatre a great deal and while the name Don DeLillo may have brought people in to watch a theatrical production who might otherwise never have gone to a play, I found very little that was original about this.
First of all, there's going to be an obvious One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nestcomparison. I caught myself making just such a note early as I was reading, but I also found myself thinking about Harold Pinter's The Hothouse, and in both cases the earlier play is a much more engaging piece. Of course the plots are vastly different, with The Day Room asking some rather metaphysical questions, such as "What is real?" "Who can you believe or trust?" It is a deconstruction of reality, whereasCuckoo's Nest is a fight for reality and Hothouse is about abusive power.
But if you are going to deconstruct reality, you must be compared to another master playwright, Eugene Ionesco, who managed to do it over and over again.
Back to DeLillo...
The main problem I had with this script is "why?" Why tell this story? What was in it for me? I didn't finish it and think about my own life and what was real or not. I didn't feel compelled to see this on stage any time too soon.
I enjoyed the theatricality of this, and the humor, but found it lacking in story or purpose.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
YOU WISH (THE MISADVENTURES OF BENJAMIN BARTHOLOMEW PIFF, #1) -- Jason Lethcoe
Grosset & Dunlap -- tpb
New York -- © 2007 -- 215pp
ISBN: 0448448351
Orphaned Benjamin closed his eyes, blew out the candle and wished with all his might. Soon after, sirens wailed all over the Wishwork Factory- Ben had followed every rule of birthday wishing to a T and hand made the most dangerous wish of all... a wish for UNLIMITED wishes.
#####
There were moments in this book that I found clever and even fun, but overall this book was tepid, uninspired.
I bought this book because the premise seemed real interesting -- a young boy makes the granddaddy of all wishes -- that he have an infinite number of wishes -- and because he did everything just right in the making of the wish, the wish came true, and of course, when a wish like that comes true, it wreaks havoc on those granting the wishes.
So, a good idea...what went wrong?
First, there's the story-telling itself. A lot of telling rather than showing. It came across as a lack of focus as to the age group that this was written for. On one hand, it seemed aimed at the youngest readers -- eight years old or so, but on the other hand, it had some themes that seemed targeted to the early middle-schoolers.
Although I rolled my eyes a little at the idea of the 'hated orphan' aspect, it didn't bother me terribly. Again, the basic idea seemed pretty good, but once we got into the war between the wish-fullfillers and the nightmare handlers, I couldn't wait to be done with the book.
The great war came from nowhere, but even more so was the idea that our hero was better at a weapon like a boomerang than any of the fairy folk who trained with the weapon. There was no lead up to this, no hint, no forshadowing (couldn't he have been playing with a boomerang in the fron yard of the orphanage when he first got yelled at?). And the attempt at creating a friendly rival not only came from nowhere, the rivalry fizzled out early and was a waste of time.
I had hoped to find a book that would keep my kids interested, but I think this one would intsult their intelligence.
New York -- © 2007 -- 215pp
ISBN: 0448448351
Orphaned Benjamin closed his eyes, blew out the candle and wished with all his might. Soon after, sirens wailed all over the Wishwork Factory- Ben had followed every rule of birthday wishing to a T and hand made the most dangerous wish of all... a wish for UNLIMITED wishes.
#####
There were moments in this book that I found clever and even fun, but overall this book was tepid, uninspired.
I bought this book because the premise seemed real interesting -- a young boy makes the granddaddy of all wishes -- that he have an infinite number of wishes -- and because he did everything just right in the making of the wish, the wish came true, and of course, when a wish like that comes true, it wreaks havoc on those granting the wishes.
So, a good idea...what went wrong?
First, there's the story-telling itself. A lot of telling rather than showing. It came across as a lack of focus as to the age group that this was written for. On one hand, it seemed aimed at the youngest readers -- eight years old or so, but on the other hand, it had some themes that seemed targeted to the early middle-schoolers.
Although I rolled my eyes a little at the idea of the 'hated orphan' aspect, it didn't bother me terribly. Again, the basic idea seemed pretty good, but once we got into the war between the wish-fullfillers and the nightmare handlers, I couldn't wait to be done with the book.
The great war came from nowhere, but even more so was the idea that our hero was better at a weapon like a boomerang than any of the fairy folk who trained with the weapon. There was no lead up to this, no hint, no forshadowing (couldn't he have been playing with a boomerang in the fron yard of the orphanage when he first got yelled at?). And the attempt at creating a friendly rival not only came from nowhere, the rivalry fizzled out early and was a waste of time.
I had hoped to find a book that would keep my kids interested, but I think this one would intsult their intelligence.
SHAKESPEARE'S SECRET -- Elise Broach
Scholastic, Inc. -- tpb
New York -- ©2007
ISBN: 0439930170
When Hero starts sixth grade at a new school, she's less concerned about the literary origins of her Shakespearean name than about the teasing she's sure to suffer because of it. So she has the same name as a girl in a book by a dusty old author. Hero is simply not interested in the connections. But that's just the thing; suddenly connections are cropping up all over, and odd characters and uncertain pasts are exactly what do fascinate Hero. There's a mysterious diamond hidden in her new house, a curious woman next door who seems to know an awful lot about it, and then, well, then there's Shakespeare. Not to mention Danny Cordova, only the most popular boy in school. Is it all in keeping with her namesake's origin-just much ado about nothing?
#####
I was very 'into' this book ... I kept wanting to read the next chapter, which suggests to me that it was certainly well written. I'm not always an easy mark.
Hero, the lead character's name, struck me as a very normal, intelligent, young girl -- self-obsessed with her own little misery at being the new kid and with an odd name, but young enough to take advice from parents and teachers. Danny, the older, cool boy who seems to take a liking to Hero, also comes across as quite real. A bit of an enigma, he's popular but doesn't try to be. He's got some troubles, which he shares with Hero, but not with his posse of friends. Those troubles (an absent mom and a police chief father who tends to give him too much leeway) strike the reader as very real.
The mystery in the book, the search for a hidden object and what that object might imply, becomes a little heavy-handed. Hero and Danny find the object almost without difficulty, despite the police searching the place from top to bottom on more than one occassion. How convenient.
One thing that I didn't like ...
**WARNING >>> SPOILER ALERT >>>**
...was the author's suggesting, rather strongly, that William Shakespeare didn't write the plays attributed to him, but rather another historical figure of the era.
I know this is a popular theme, and many scholarly books have been written about this, but it annoys me more than a little bit that we plant this suggestion in the minds of our youth, whom we still want to have read Shakespeare.
As to the Shakespeare controversy itself, I've never held to the theory that the man couldn't have written those plays because he was so poorly educated and came from such a poor background. That theory doesn't sit well with me. Genius can come about in many forms and out of nowhere. If Albert Einstein hadn't lived in an era when things were so well documented, we might certainly believe that he couldn't possibly have come up with the brilliant theories that he did. He was a poor immigrant who failed at math in his elementary school years. How could he possibly have such brilliant theories later in life? So too with Shakespeare.
Fortunately, the author does write a note at the end of the book about the Shakespeare theories, which is nice, but when the author asks, directly "What do I think?" she cops out and answers to both, one as historian and one as novelist.
I say let's take the Shakespeare 'reality theories' out of the elementary and middle schools and focus on the writing by that author known as Shakespeare.
New York -- ©2007
ISBN: 0439930170
When Hero starts sixth grade at a new school, she's less concerned about the literary origins of her Shakespearean name than about the teasing she's sure to suffer because of it. So she has the same name as a girl in a book by a dusty old author. Hero is simply not interested in the connections. But that's just the thing; suddenly connections are cropping up all over, and odd characters and uncertain pasts are exactly what do fascinate Hero. There's a mysterious diamond hidden in her new house, a curious woman next door who seems to know an awful lot about it, and then, well, then there's Shakespeare. Not to mention Danny Cordova, only the most popular boy in school. Is it all in keeping with her namesake's origin-just much ado about nothing?
#####
I was very 'into' this book ... I kept wanting to read the next chapter, which suggests to me that it was certainly well written. I'm not always an easy mark.
Hero, the lead character's name, struck me as a very normal, intelligent, young girl -- self-obsessed with her own little misery at being the new kid and with an odd name, but young enough to take advice from parents and teachers. Danny, the older, cool boy who seems to take a liking to Hero, also comes across as quite real. A bit of an enigma, he's popular but doesn't try to be. He's got some troubles, which he shares with Hero, but not with his posse of friends. Those troubles (an absent mom and a police chief father who tends to give him too much leeway) strike the reader as very real.
The mystery in the book, the search for a hidden object and what that object might imply, becomes a little heavy-handed. Hero and Danny find the object almost without difficulty, despite the police searching the place from top to bottom on more than one occassion. How convenient.
One thing that I didn't like ...
**WARNING >>> SPOILER ALERT >>>**
...was the author's suggesting, rather strongly, that William Shakespeare didn't write the plays attributed to him, but rather another historical figure of the era.
I know this is a popular theme, and many scholarly books have been written about this, but it annoys me more than a little bit that we plant this suggestion in the minds of our youth, whom we still want to have read Shakespeare.
As to the Shakespeare controversy itself, I've never held to the theory that the man couldn't have written those plays because he was so poorly educated and came from such a poor background. That theory doesn't sit well with me. Genius can come about in many forms and out of nowhere. If Albert Einstein hadn't lived in an era when things were so well documented, we might certainly believe that he couldn't possibly have come up with the brilliant theories that he did. He was a poor immigrant who failed at math in his elementary school years. How could he possibly have such brilliant theories later in life? So too with Shakespeare.
Fortunately, the author does write a note at the end of the book about the Shakespeare theories, which is nice, but when the author asks, directly "What do I think?" she cops out and answers to both, one as historian and one as novelist.
I say let's take the Shakespeare 'reality theories' out of the elementary and middle schools and focus on the writing by that author known as Shakespeare.
Monday, July 05, 2010
AMERICAN ON PURPOSE -- Craig Ferguson
HarperCollins -- tpb
New York -- (c)2009 -- 304pp
ISBN: 0061998494
The subtitle "Improbable Adventures" actually understates the skittish life path of this book's author. Late, Late Show host Craig Ferguson was born in Glasgow, where he walked mean streets, performed in a punk band called Bastards from Hell, and appeared in alternative comedy clubs as Bing Hitler. From those unremunerative enterprises, he lurched into temporary occupations as a construction worker, a bouncer, and a bartender. In that last job, he seemed to have found his true tragic calling. He became his own best customer, rapidly lapsing into a downward spiral of alcohol and drugs that nearly killed him. Somehow he not only survived and recovered; he found a new career, a new country, and a new sense of purpose. Heartfelt, fun, and inspiring.
#####
Like millions of others, I'm a tremendous fan of Ferguson's Late, Late Night talk show. His off-the-cuff humor is brilliant and his interviews are unlike any other talk show hosts'. And so, I was really looking forward to his book, which didn't disappoint, but wasn't the "wow, zing, bang" book I was looking for.
While there are definitely traces of his humor throughout ... and if you know Ferguson, you'll definitely be able to read some of this work picturing and hearing him deliver it ... for the most part I thought this book was a slightly maudlin. It was a serious, honest (some would say "open") look at a life that wasn't rosy, though for no particular reason other than that he's always seemed to prefer adventure over stability. There's nothing wrong with this, but it's not the Craig Ferguson we've come to know and love on television.
Some might argue that this is the whole point of the autobiography ... to show us who he really is, that what we see on television isn't the real person. I understand this, but there's just enough in the book to lead us to think that who we see on Late, Late Nightis Craig Ferguson, and at the same, time, the book doesn't deliver that Craig Ferguson. Just look at that cover and tell me you're not expecting some fun, whacky humor.
If you like Ferguson, read the book. He's led an interesting and most definitely a charmed life. If you don't know who he is, this probably won't mean a thing to you.
New York -- (c)2009 -- 304pp
ISBN: 0061998494
The subtitle "Improbable Adventures" actually understates the skittish life path of this book's author. Late, Late Show host Craig Ferguson was born in Glasgow, where he walked mean streets, performed in a punk band called Bastards from Hell, and appeared in alternative comedy clubs as Bing Hitler. From those unremunerative enterprises, he lurched into temporary occupations as a construction worker, a bouncer, and a bartender. In that last job, he seemed to have found his true tragic calling. He became his own best customer, rapidly lapsing into a downward spiral of alcohol and drugs that nearly killed him. Somehow he not only survived and recovered; he found a new career, a new country, and a new sense of purpose. Heartfelt, fun, and inspiring.
#####
Like millions of others, I'm a tremendous fan of Ferguson's Late, Late Night talk show. His off-the-cuff humor is brilliant and his interviews are unlike any other talk show hosts'. And so, I was really looking forward to his book, which didn't disappoint, but wasn't the "wow, zing, bang" book I was looking for.
While there are definitely traces of his humor throughout ... and if you know Ferguson, you'll definitely be able to read some of this work picturing and hearing him deliver it ... for the most part I thought this book was a slightly maudlin. It was a serious, honest (some would say "open") look at a life that wasn't rosy, though for no particular reason other than that he's always seemed to prefer adventure over stability. There's nothing wrong with this, but it's not the Craig Ferguson we've come to know and love on television.
Some might argue that this is the whole point of the autobiography ... to show us who he really is, that what we see on television isn't the real person. I understand this, but there's just enough in the book to lead us to think that who we see on Late, Late Nightis Craig Ferguson, and at the same, time, the book doesn't deliver that Craig Ferguson. Just look at that cover and tell me you're not expecting some fun, whacky humor.
If you like Ferguson, read the book. He's led an interesting and most definitely a charmed life. If you don't know who he is, this probably won't mean a thing to you.
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
THE HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY -- Susan Patron
Scholastic -- hc
New York -- ©2006 -- 134pp
ISBN:1416901949 (isbn13: 9781416901945)
illustrated by Matt Phelan
2007 Newbery Award winner
Lucky, age 10, lives in tiny Hard Pan, California (population 43), with her dog and the young French woman who is her guardian. With a personality that may remind some readers of Ramona Quimby, Lucky, who is totally contemporary, teeters between bravado--gathering insect specimens, scaring away snakes from the laundry--and fear that her guardian will leave her to return to France. Looking for solace, Lucky eavesdrops on the various 12-step meetings held in Hard Pan (of which there are plenty), hoping to suss out a "higher power" that will see her through her difficulties. Her best friend, Lincoln, is a taciturn boy with a fixation for tying knots; another acquaintance, Miles, seems a tiresome pest until Lucky discovers a secret about his mother.[from Booklist]
#####
I've made it a habit to read the Newbery Medal winning books, and often I read the runners-up as well. What I've found is that lately I have been less than impressed with the winning titles. This particular winner typifies my dislike for the winning choices.
What we have in this book is all the didactic qualities that the ALA seems to like, mixed in with a parent-less youth, who happens to be bright enough to overcome her own situation. It's the same qualities that we found in KIRA-KIRA, CRISPIN, A SINGLE SHARD, BUD NOT BUDDY, HOLES, and so on. What we don't have is a strong story. Even the School Library Journal described the book in their review as a "character-driven novel."
Characters can be wonderful and fun, and hold a reader's interest, but still a novel needs a story. Patron's book just doesn't have enough story to keep me interested (and I felt that the characters were odd or unusual to drive a novel, not because they needed to be).
The writing is unusually flat for an award-winning book. It seems almost a crime to put this book on the same shelf as Konigsberg's or Lowry's or Spinelli's.
This feels like a book that was written to get ALA Newbery interest, and not a book written to catch the interest of a young reader.
Much has been written about the book's rather casual use and descriptions for the word "scrotum." Patron and the ALA and past Newbery Honor winners can defend this all the want, and I most certainly would defend the author's right to write a book in any way she so chooses. However, I would also defend the right of readers to shout and howl against this word choice.
Personally, I would not (and won't) advocate that my children read this book. I know that it will make them uneasy, and quite rankly, there's just not enough in the book to make it worthwhile to have to read some 'shocking' word choices. Is 'scrotum' an appropriate word for young readers? I don't think so. Should a book, aimed at pre-teen readers also have young characters speak clinically about a penis or vagina? No, and I don't know why there would be any difference.
That the ALA saw fit to award this book the medal is absolutely shocking and only serves to lessen the honor of the award itself.
New York -- ©2006 -- 134pp
ISBN:1416901949 (isbn13: 9781416901945)
illustrated by Matt Phelan
2007 Newbery Award winner
Lucky, age 10, lives in tiny Hard Pan, California (population 43), with her dog and the young French woman who is her guardian. With a personality that may remind some readers of Ramona Quimby, Lucky, who is totally contemporary, teeters between bravado--gathering insect specimens, scaring away snakes from the laundry--and fear that her guardian will leave her to return to France. Looking for solace, Lucky eavesdrops on the various 12-step meetings held in Hard Pan (of which there are plenty), hoping to suss out a "higher power" that will see her through her difficulties. Her best friend, Lincoln, is a taciturn boy with a fixation for tying knots; another acquaintance, Miles, seems a tiresome pest until Lucky discovers a secret about his mother.[from Booklist]
#####
I've made it a habit to read the Newbery Medal winning books, and often I read the runners-up as well. What I've found is that lately I have been less than impressed with the winning titles. This particular winner typifies my dislike for the winning choices.
What we have in this book is all the didactic qualities that the ALA seems to like, mixed in with a parent-less youth, who happens to be bright enough to overcome her own situation. It's the same qualities that we found in KIRA-KIRA, CRISPIN, A SINGLE SHARD, BUD NOT BUDDY, HOLES, and so on. What we don't have is a strong story. Even the School Library Journal described the book in their review as a "character-driven novel."
Characters can be wonderful and fun, and hold a reader's interest, but still a novel needs a story. Patron's book just doesn't have enough story to keep me interested (and I felt that the characters were odd or unusual to drive a novel, not because they needed to be).
The writing is unusually flat for an award-winning book. It seems almost a crime to put this book on the same shelf as Konigsberg's or Lowry's or Spinelli's.
This feels like a book that was written to get ALA Newbery interest, and not a book written to catch the interest of a young reader.
Much has been written about the book's rather casual use and descriptions for the word "scrotum." Patron and the ALA and past Newbery Honor winners can defend this all the want, and I most certainly would defend the author's right to write a book in any way she so chooses. However, I would also defend the right of readers to shout and howl against this word choice.
Personally, I would not (and won't) advocate that my children read this book. I know that it will make them uneasy, and quite rankly, there's just not enough in the book to make it worthwhile to have to read some 'shocking' word choices. Is 'scrotum' an appropriate word for young readers? I don't think so. Should a book, aimed at pre-teen readers also have young characters speak clinically about a penis or vagina? No, and I don't know why there would be any difference.
That the ALA saw fit to award this book the medal is absolutely shocking and only serves to lessen the honor of the award itself.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
(NOT THAT YOU ASKED): Rants, Exploits, and Obsessions -- Steve Almond
Random House -- hc
New York -- © 2007 -- 288pp
ISBN: 978-1-4000-6619-3
A collection of essays by Steve Almond.
"How This Book Became and Official Oprah's Book Club™ Pick (Not That You Asked)"
"Dear Oprah"
"Why I Crush on Vonnegut (Not That You Asked)"
"Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt, Part One"
"Part Two"
Part Three"
"Postscript"
"About My Sexual Failure (Not That You Asked)"
"Shame on Me"
"Chestfro Agoniste"
"My First Fake tits"
"How to Write Sex Scenes: The 12-Step Program"
"Why, Upon Publication of This Book, I Will Have to Leave the City of Boston Under Cover of Night (Not That You Asked)"
"Red Sox Anti-Christ"
"Concerning the Laughable Nature of Literary Fame (Not That You Asked)"
"How Reality TV Ate My Life"
"Blog Love"
"Heart Radical"
"Pretty Authors Make Graves"
"A Recipe to Die for, A Band to Worship (Not That You Asked)"
"Death by Lobster Pad Thai"
"Tesla Matters (Dude)"
"In Tribute to My Republican Homeys (Not That You Asked)"
"Cash Cowed"
"Where'd You Hide the Body?"
"Demagogue Days"
"How I Became a Baby Daddy (Not That You Asked)"
"You're What?"
"10 Ways I Killed My Daughter Within Her First 72 Hours of Life"
"Ham for Chanukah"
Acknowledgements
#####
For the record...I'm a fan of Steve Almond's writing, and; I do not like most modern essays. I'm probably one of the few readers who really can't stomach Augusten Burroughs and who finds David Sedaris to be only occasionally amusing, and nearly almost always self-aggrandizing.
Now that this is out of the way, let me address this book in particular.
Almond opens this book with the rather odd, and very immature little spoof/rant. Let's write letters to Oprah, trying to knock her down a peg, and then follow it up with a batch of letters apologizing. Ooh, how clever. How witty!
How terribly freshman!
Sorry, Steve, I wrote crap like this in high school and college. Yeah, you get the bucks to have it published, but it doesn't make it unique, clever, or, well, good.
I was worried, then, if the entire book was going to be this way. If I wanted dreck, I'd read Burroughs. Fortunately, I immediately began reading the "Why I Crush on Vonnegut" which hooked me in to the rest of the book.
THIS is an essay! This is how an essay should be written! A lot of personal reflection about a very personal (to the writer) subject, but not about the writer himself.
I felt every nuance, every pain or anger that Almond expressed. I want to go back and re-read every Vonnegut book, I want to go and knock the heads of the women on the panel with Vonnegut (I'll do something better...I will actively NOT buy their books). This essay alone kept me reading through the entire book.
The rest of the book falls somewhere in between these first two essays.
Anyone familiar with Almond's fiction writing knows that he writes about sex quite well, so his essays of a sexual bent are also strong. "How To Write Sex Scenes: The 12-Step Program" is both, fun and informative.
"Red Sox Anti-Christ" didn't hit me particularly well. I'm not a huge baseball fan, and really, the essay wasn't 'about' anything, was it? It wasn't quite a personal reflection, it was more of an essay trying to be clever. The historical anecdotes, about growing up and being a fan of the A's was interesting, but trying to pin on the label of Red Sox Anti-Christ was just too much a of a stretch.
Enjoyable essays were "How Reality TV Ate My Life," "Death by Lobster Pad Thai," and "Tesla Matters." Here Almond explores a topic, again personal and with personal reflection, as an essay should be, but not really about the essayist (I would argue that "How Reality TV Ate My Life" is more about the phoniness of "reality" TV and selling out to it in general than it is about Steve Almond's absorption in it).
Of lesser interest were "Blog Love" and "Ham for Chanukah" -- two essays that I couldn't relate to and held little interest for me.
The rest were decent.
But I'd much rather read more fiction from this fine author.
New York -- © 2007 -- 288pp
ISBN: 978-1-4000-6619-3
A collection of essays by Steve Almond.
"How This Book Became and Official Oprah's Book Club™ Pick (Not That You Asked)"
"Dear Oprah"
"Why I Crush on Vonnegut (Not That You Asked)"
"Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt, Part One"
"Part Two"
Part Three"
"Postscript"
"About My Sexual Failure (Not That You Asked)"
"Shame on Me"
"Chestfro Agoniste"
"My First Fake tits"
"How to Write Sex Scenes: The 12-Step Program"
"Why, Upon Publication of This Book, I Will Have to Leave the City of Boston Under Cover of Night (Not That You Asked)"
"Red Sox Anti-Christ"
"Concerning the Laughable Nature of Literary Fame (Not That You Asked)"
"How Reality TV Ate My Life"
"Blog Love"
"Heart Radical"
"Pretty Authors Make Graves"
"A Recipe to Die for, A Band to Worship (Not That You Asked)"
"Death by Lobster Pad Thai"
"Tesla Matters (Dude)"
"In Tribute to My Republican Homeys (Not That You Asked)"
"Cash Cowed"
"Where'd You Hide the Body?"
"Demagogue Days"
"How I Became a Baby Daddy (Not That You Asked)"
"You're What?"
"10 Ways I Killed My Daughter Within Her First 72 Hours of Life"
"Ham for Chanukah"
Acknowledgements
#####
For the record...I'm a fan of Steve Almond's writing, and; I do not like most modern essays. I'm probably one of the few readers who really can't stomach Augusten Burroughs and who finds David Sedaris to be only occasionally amusing, and nearly almost always self-aggrandizing.
Now that this is out of the way, let me address this book in particular.
Almond opens this book with the rather odd, and very immature little spoof/rant. Let's write letters to Oprah, trying to knock her down a peg, and then follow it up with a batch of letters apologizing. Ooh, how clever. How witty!
How terribly freshman!
Sorry, Steve, I wrote crap like this in high school and college. Yeah, you get the bucks to have it published, but it doesn't make it unique, clever, or, well, good.
I was worried, then, if the entire book was going to be this way. If I wanted dreck, I'd read Burroughs. Fortunately, I immediately began reading the "Why I Crush on Vonnegut" which hooked me in to the rest of the book.
THIS is an essay! This is how an essay should be written! A lot of personal reflection about a very personal (to the writer) subject, but not about the writer himself.
I felt every nuance, every pain or anger that Almond expressed. I want to go back and re-read every Vonnegut book, I want to go and knock the heads of the women on the panel with Vonnegut (I'll do something better...I will actively NOT buy their books). This essay alone kept me reading through the entire book.
The rest of the book falls somewhere in between these first two essays.
Anyone familiar with Almond's fiction writing knows that he writes about sex quite well, so his essays of a sexual bent are also strong. "How To Write Sex Scenes: The 12-Step Program" is both, fun and informative.
"Red Sox Anti-Christ" didn't hit me particularly well. I'm not a huge baseball fan, and really, the essay wasn't 'about' anything, was it? It wasn't quite a personal reflection, it was more of an essay trying to be clever. The historical anecdotes, about growing up and being a fan of the A's was interesting, but trying to pin on the label of Red Sox Anti-Christ was just too much a of a stretch.
Enjoyable essays were "How Reality TV Ate My Life," "Death by Lobster Pad Thai," and "Tesla Matters." Here Almond explores a topic, again personal and with personal reflection, as an essay should be, but not really about the essayist (I would argue that "How Reality TV Ate My Life" is more about the phoniness of "reality" TV and selling out to it in general than it is about Steve Almond's absorption in it).
Of lesser interest were "Blog Love" and "Ham for Chanukah" -- two essays that I couldn't relate to and held little interest for me.
The rest were decent.
But I'd much rather read more fiction from this fine author.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND -- Nancy Armstonrg, editor
NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND: THE MOST OUTRAGEOUS STORIES FROM THE ALTERNATIVE PRESS
Chamberlain Bros. -- tpb
New York -- ©2005 -- 238pp
ISBN: 1-59609-008-1
A collection of non-traditional newspaper stories. Stories collected from 'alternative' newspapers.
Introduction -- Steve Almond
"The Hobohemians" -- Ben Ehrenreich LA Weekly
"Evil Eyes" -- Glenna Whitley Dallas Observer
"Bound By Fear: Polygamy in Arizona" -- John Dougherty Phoenix New Times
"I Was Queen for a Day" -- Chris Wright The Boston Phoenix
"Academia Under Siege" -- Barbara Solow The Independent (Durham, NC)
"Spray It, Don't Say It" -- Andrew Kiraly Las Vegas Mercury
"An Unresolved Death" -- Mike Keefe-Feldman Missoula Independent
"Blue Lines, Steel, and the Hour of Myth" -- Celeste Fraser Delgado Miami New Times
"Dead Wrong" -- Wendy Grossman Houston Press
"Good-bye to All That" -- David Ritchie New York Press
"What About the Kids?" -- Jessica Rae Patton The Fairfield County Weekly
"A Village Transformed" -- Brita Brundage The Fairfield County Weekly
"Soul of the Brute" -- Kevin Hoffman Cleveland Scene
"Quitting the Business" -- Eileen Loh Harrist Gambit Weekly (New Orleans)
"Haidl Your Daughters / Unreasonable Doubts?" -- R. Scott Moxley OC Weekly
"Dope" -- Dan Savage The Stranger (Seattle)
"Out of The World" -- Mara Shalhoup Creative Loafing (Atlanta)
"Stalking the Bogeyman" -- David Holthouse Westword (Denver)
"When Girls Go Wild" -- Geri L. Dreiling Riverfront Times (St. Louis)
"Vanishing Act" -- Carlton Smith Willamette Week
"Hip-Hop Turns 30" -- Greg Tate The Village Voice (New York)
"The Last Executioner" -- Jennifer Gonnerman The Village Voice (New York)
#####
Journalism, the way it was intended.
Today's newspapers are little more than twitteresque reports and media splash -- hook 'em, tell them something dramatic, move on.
This collection of newspaper stories from "alternative" newspaper -- generally those free papers with lots of ads and night-club listings -- break the rules by actually going a little in-depth, reporting, interviewing, AND ... personalizing and offering opinions.
Not all of these stories grabbed me. Some still felt incomplete. Yet overall, these were much more interesting, and in many ways, still relevant, than most daily newspaper stories.
Ben Ehrenreich teaches us that riding the rails as a 'hobo' is still something that happens, though the days of the transient worker is a fading memory. Today's hobos treat it as an extreme sport, or a fun dare.
Glenna Whitley scars us with the in-depth exploration of a serial killer who manages to escape true punishment, and who threatens, again and again, to continue killing.
Although the television media had a field day with the polygamy and compound marriages to teens not too long ago, John Dougherty goes deeper into how a town and a state can keep polygamy on the fast track, and how hard it is for anyone to escape from the beliefs.
Not every story moved. "I Was Queen For A Day" didn't do a thing for me. Perhaps I've just never even considered dressing like a woman and going out on the town. Perhaps the writing just wasn't strong enough. either way, it was my first let-down in the book.
A number of stories seemed interesting, but I'd like a follow-up -- they didn't resolve it. Okay...not all stories get resolved, but newspaper stories, collected and published in a book...could we get just a little more, please? Some of those stories, for me, where..."Academia Under Siege" "What About the Kids?" "Quitting the Business" "Vanishing Act" and "The Last Executioner". All of these were interesting and I just wanted to read more.
Those that really didn't touch me include: "Blue Lines, Steel, and the Hour of Myth" "Good-bye to All That" and "A Village Transformed".
Even so, this is a collection worth reading. No collection will please 100%, but this is a nice way to start.
Chamberlain Bros. -- tpb
New York -- ©2005 -- 238pp
ISBN: 1-59609-008-1
A collection of non-traditional newspaper stories. Stories collected from 'alternative' newspapers.
Introduction -- Steve Almond
"The Hobohemians" -- Ben Ehrenreich LA Weekly
"Evil Eyes" -- Glenna Whitley Dallas Observer
"Bound By Fear: Polygamy in Arizona" -- John Dougherty Phoenix New Times
"I Was Queen for a Day" -- Chris Wright The Boston Phoenix
"Academia Under Siege" -- Barbara Solow The Independent (Durham, NC)
"Spray It, Don't Say It" -- Andrew Kiraly Las Vegas Mercury
"An Unresolved Death" -- Mike Keefe-Feldman Missoula Independent
"Blue Lines, Steel, and the Hour of Myth" -- Celeste Fraser Delgado Miami New Times
"Dead Wrong" -- Wendy Grossman Houston Press
"Good-bye to All That" -- David Ritchie New York Press
"What About the Kids?" -- Jessica Rae Patton The Fairfield County Weekly
"A Village Transformed" -- Brita Brundage The Fairfield County Weekly
"Soul of the Brute" -- Kevin Hoffman Cleveland Scene
"Quitting the Business" -- Eileen Loh Harrist Gambit Weekly (New Orleans)
"Haidl Your Daughters / Unreasonable Doubts?" -- R. Scott Moxley OC Weekly
"Dope" -- Dan Savage The Stranger (Seattle)
"Out of The World" -- Mara Shalhoup Creative Loafing (Atlanta)
"Stalking the Bogeyman" -- David Holthouse Westword (Denver)
"When Girls Go Wild" -- Geri L. Dreiling Riverfront Times (St. Louis)
"Vanishing Act" -- Carlton Smith Willamette Week
"Hip-Hop Turns 30" -- Greg Tate The Village Voice (New York)
"The Last Executioner" -- Jennifer Gonnerman The Village Voice (New York)
#####
Journalism, the way it was intended.
Today's newspapers are little more than twitteresque reports and media splash -- hook 'em, tell them something dramatic, move on.
This collection of newspaper stories from "alternative" newspaper -- generally those free papers with lots of ads and night-club listings -- break the rules by actually going a little in-depth, reporting, interviewing, AND ... personalizing and offering opinions.
Not all of these stories grabbed me. Some still felt incomplete. Yet overall, these were much more interesting, and in many ways, still relevant, than most daily newspaper stories.
Ben Ehrenreich teaches us that riding the rails as a 'hobo' is still something that happens, though the days of the transient worker is a fading memory. Today's hobos treat it as an extreme sport, or a fun dare.
Glenna Whitley scars us with the in-depth exploration of a serial killer who manages to escape true punishment, and who threatens, again and again, to continue killing.
Although the television media had a field day with the polygamy and compound marriages to teens not too long ago, John Dougherty goes deeper into how a town and a state can keep polygamy on the fast track, and how hard it is for anyone to escape from the beliefs.
Not every story moved. "I Was Queen For A Day" didn't do a thing for me. Perhaps I've just never even considered dressing like a woman and going out on the town. Perhaps the writing just wasn't strong enough. either way, it was my first let-down in the book.
A number of stories seemed interesting, but I'd like a follow-up -- they didn't resolve it. Okay...not all stories get resolved, but newspaper stories, collected and published in a book...could we get just a little more, please? Some of those stories, for me, where..."Academia Under Siege" "What About the Kids?" "Quitting the Business" "Vanishing Act" and "The Last Executioner". All of these were interesting and I just wanted to read more.
Those that really didn't touch me include: "Blue Lines, Steel, and the Hour of Myth" "Good-bye to All That" and "A Village Transformed".
Even so, this is a collection worth reading. No collection will please 100%, but this is a nice way to start.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
THE UNICORN CHRONICLES: BOOK TWO - SONG OF THE WANDERER -- Bruce Coville
Scholastic Press -- hc
New York -- ©1999 -- 330pp
ISBN: 0-590-45953-8
Cara attempts to cross Luster in a desperate effort to rescue her grandmother. Each stage of Cara’s journey brings new peril, wondrous new characters, and new clues to the mystery of her grandmother’s past. And through it all threads the haunting melody of the “Song of the Wanderer”.
*****
If you read any of my reviews, you'll know that I'm a fan of Bruce Coville's writing. His Unicorn Chronicles is one of the best series for fantasy readers of any age.
Although I first read this book many years ago, I've begun reading the series to my boys, ages 11 and 12, and they absolutely love it.
They were both hesitant at first, and neither would read the series on their own, thinking that it was a 'girl's' book. But neither wants me to read anything else now until I've started the series.
The first book was fun, but this second book begins to weave an intricate tale. Alliances are defined and the characters take on a depth that helps us identify with them. The adventure isn't so new, but we discover new areas to Luster (the land of the unicorns)and meet new characters.
It's a thrilling adventure and really makes us thirst for the next book.
New York -- ©1999 -- 330pp
ISBN: 0-590-45953-8
Cara attempts to cross Luster in a desperate effort to rescue her grandmother. Each stage of Cara’s journey brings new peril, wondrous new characters, and new clues to the mystery of her grandmother’s past. And through it all threads the haunting melody of the “Song of the Wanderer”.
*****
If you read any of my reviews, you'll know that I'm a fan of Bruce Coville's writing. His Unicorn Chronicles is one of the best series for fantasy readers of any age.
Although I first read this book many years ago, I've begun reading the series to my boys, ages 11 and 12, and they absolutely love it.
They were both hesitant at first, and neither would read the series on their own, thinking that it was a 'girl's' book. But neither wants me to read anything else now until I've started the series.
The first book was fun, but this second book begins to weave an intricate tale. Alliances are defined and the characters take on a depth that helps us identify with them. The adventure isn't so new, but we discover new areas to Luster (the land of the unicorns)and meet new characters.
It's a thrilling adventure and really makes us thirst for the next book.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
STRIPTEASE, REPEAT PERFORMANCE, AND THE PROPHETS -- Slawomir Mrozek
Grove Press, Inc -- hc
New York -- ©1972 -- 166pp
ISBN: 0-394-48280-8
In Striptease, two characters - one an intellectual, the other an activist - find themselves inside a room where a gigantic hand instructs them to remove their clothes until both act out an elaborate dance of rationalized submission. In Repeat Performance, a middle-aged man on an escapade with his sonÕs young wife encounters a ghost from his own youth - the charismatic political leader to whom he had sworn everlasting allegiance, and whose spirit has now returned to claim either the father or the son. The Prophets tells what happens when two prophets show up to fulfill the prophesies instead of just one. [from Amazon.com]
#####
It has been ages since I've read any Slawomir Mrozek and I was a little worried that either he, or I, might not have aged too well. Fortunately my fears were unfounded. A good playwright tells a story in a strong fashion, and Mrozek is a good playwright.
Theatre of the Absurd is certainly not something that is commonly popular. In fact, I often wonder if it's only popular as history ... studied after the fact. But while I agree that Mrozek's play are absurdist, I'd rather label them Theatre of Metaphor, for he tends to be telling us something by showing us something slightly different. In "Striptease" we learn about power (the power of a single white glove), imprisonment, and the fear of the unknown.
"The Prophets" is a wonderful, humourous, absurdist metaphor for our popular religions.
"Repeat Performance" is the weakest of the plays in this collection. The only two act play (the others are both one acts) in the book, this one seems to try just a little too hard to make a point. There is little, to no subtext or subplot, but Mrozek wears it all on his sleeve. If we, as an audience, don't have to think about it and say "Ah ha! I think I know what you're doing" then we just don't have fun.
Still, the U.S. and Britain just don't produce fascinating works the way Poland does. Not since Jean-Claude van Itallie have we had a playwright expound so metaphorically.
Monday, February 22, 2010
WOBEGON BOY -- Garrison Keillor
Viking -- hc
New York -- ©1997 -- 305pp
ISBN: 0-670-87807-3
A young man from Lake Wobegon, Minnesota decides to hed for greener, or more active, pastures and moves to Upstate New York. But as most of us know, and the young man must discover, you can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy.
#####
Garrison Keillor writes very cleanly. Meaning...his style is simple and direct. There's some purple prose, and he does veer from stating a point to describing an event or character that is only marginally related to what he was initially writing about, but he does bring it back on topic. If you are familiar with his PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION radio show, then this isn't anything new to you.
I chuckled, I laughed out loud, I recognized myself more than once. It was a pleasant way to pass some reading time. But I didn't necessarily become enriched or enlightened in any way. Does one need to become enriched or enlightened? No. But once I finished reading it, it was already a book that I knew I wouldn't be thinking about again. In a year or so, I'll wonder if I ever read it. It's just not memorable.
How do you rate a book like that? It wasn't bad, but you never really care about anyone or any thing that's happening. It's a very middle-or-the-road book. So you give it a middle-of-the-road rating.
Three stars.
If you like Keillor's radio show, specifically the News From Lake Wobegon segment, then you'll probably enjoy this book. If you're new to Keillor, maybe this isn't the place to start.
New York -- ©1997 -- 305pp
ISBN: 0-670-87807-3
A young man from Lake Wobegon, Minnesota decides to hed for greener, or more active, pastures and moves to Upstate New York. But as most of us know, and the young man must discover, you can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy.
#####
Garrison Keillor writes very cleanly. Meaning...his style is simple and direct. There's some purple prose, and he does veer from stating a point to describing an event or character that is only marginally related to what he was initially writing about, but he does bring it back on topic. If you are familiar with his PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION radio show, then this isn't anything new to you.
I chuckled, I laughed out loud, I recognized myself more than once. It was a pleasant way to pass some reading time. But I didn't necessarily become enriched or enlightened in any way. Does one need to become enriched or enlightened? No. But once I finished reading it, it was already a book that I knew I wouldn't be thinking about again. In a year or so, I'll wonder if I ever read it. It's just not memorable.
How do you rate a book like that? It wasn't bad, but you never really care about anyone or any thing that's happening. It's a very middle-or-the-road book. So you give it a middle-of-the-road rating.
Three stars.
If you like Keillor's radio show, specifically the News From Lake Wobegon segment, then you'll probably enjoy this book. If you're new to Keillor, maybe this isn't the place to start.
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
THE UNICORN CHRONICLES BOOK ONE: INTO THE LAND OF UNICORNS -- Bruce Coville
Scholastic, Inc. -- hc
New York -- ©1994 -- 159pp
ISBN: 0-590-45955-4
autographed
A young girl is sent to Luster ... a world where unicorns reign ... by her grandmother. The girl discovers that her grandmother had many secrets related to this world ... secrets which only slowly reveal themselves as the girl begins a journey with the unicorns.
#####
Bruce Coville is one of the best fantasy writers out there. Because he tends to write toward the younger market, many adults aren't familiar with him, which is a shame.
I first read this many years ago, when I was reading children's books at a tremendous rate. It's possible that this was one of the first Coville books I read. I immediately became enchanted by the book and by Coville's work, which I have sought out on a regular basis.
This book came off the shelf again the other day as I was looking for something to read aloud to my boys (ages 10 & 12) at bedtime. Although both will read on their own, they enjoy having me read to them. I chose this book because I knew they weren't likely to read it on their own (unicorns and a female protagonist made this seem a little too 'girly' for them). They absolutely loved it!
It was hard to stop at night, because both boys would want 'just one more chapter'.
Coville does a good job here by making the unicorns male, to balance the fact that the main human character is female. Throw in a creature that resembles a half man, half bear; a Disney-ish squirrel-like creature called a Squijum; a dwarf, a dragon, and a whole glory of unicorns, and you have one of the most unique fantasy stories around.
The book is a quick and easy read, and we're already well in to book #2.
New York -- ©1994 -- 159pp
ISBN: 0-590-45955-4
autographed
A young girl is sent to Luster ... a world where unicorns reign ... by her grandmother. The girl discovers that her grandmother had many secrets related to this world ... secrets which only slowly reveal themselves as the girl begins a journey with the unicorns.
#####
Bruce Coville is one of the best fantasy writers out there. Because he tends to write toward the younger market, many adults aren't familiar with him, which is a shame.
I first read this many years ago, when I was reading children's books at a tremendous rate. It's possible that this was one of the first Coville books I read. I immediately became enchanted by the book and by Coville's work, which I have sought out on a regular basis.
This book came off the shelf again the other day as I was looking for something to read aloud to my boys (ages 10 & 12) at bedtime. Although both will read on their own, they enjoy having me read to them. I chose this book because I knew they weren't likely to read it on their own (unicorns and a female protagonist made this seem a little too 'girly' for them). They absolutely loved it!
It was hard to stop at night, because both boys would want 'just one more chapter'.
Coville does a good job here by making the unicorns male, to balance the fact that the main human character is female. Throw in a creature that resembles a half man, half bear; a Disney-ish squirrel-like creature called a Squijum; a dwarf, a dragon, and a whole glory of unicorns, and you have one of the most unique fantasy stories around.
The book is a quick and easy read, and we're already well in to book #2.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL -- Philip Roth
Penguin Books -- tpb
New York -- ©1973 -- 328pp
ISBN: 0-14-007678-6
The Ruppert Mundys, the only homeless big-league ball team in American history .. with drunken home-run sluggers, and a battle of midgets, this story takes a crazy spin on the sport of baseball.
#####
An American novel...definitely. Great? No so much so.
The writing of this is typical 1970's humor. Think M*A*S*H (yes, I know the book was published in '68, but the movie was released in '70, which helped popularize the book series) or the works of Kurt Vonnegut. It's a sort of intelligentsia humor. Sophisticated. Dry. Not a laugh-out-loud type of humor. And for me, this didn't work.
I have to be up-front. I'm not a huge baseball fan. I enjoy it a little bit more, now as I'm older and can look for some of the strategy, but I still find it a slow and mostly dull game. So...to have a book, full of dry humor around the sport of baseball, probably is not a good choice for me.
In large part, though, I had trouble visualizing anyone from this book. The characters were never real for, and without them being real, or characters that I could picture, I didn't really care anything for them. And for that I blame the author.
This is my second Philip Roth novel, and so far, I'm not particularly impressed.
New York -- ©1973 -- 328pp
ISBN: 0-14-007678-6
The Ruppert Mundys, the only homeless big-league ball team in American history .. with drunken home-run sluggers, and a battle of midgets, this story takes a crazy spin on the sport of baseball.
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An American novel...definitely. Great? No so much so.
The writing of this is typical 1970's humor. Think M*A*S*H (yes, I know the book was published in '68, but the movie was released in '70, which helped popularize the book series) or the works of Kurt Vonnegut. It's a sort of intelligentsia humor. Sophisticated. Dry. Not a laugh-out-loud type of humor. And for me, this didn't work.
I have to be up-front. I'm not a huge baseball fan. I enjoy it a little bit more, now as I'm older and can look for some of the strategy, but I still find it a slow and mostly dull game. So...to have a book, full of dry humor around the sport of baseball, probably is not a good choice for me.
In large part, though, I had trouble visualizing anyone from this book. The characters were never real for, and without them being real, or characters that I could picture, I didn't really care anything for them. And for that I blame the author.
This is my second Philip Roth novel, and so far, I'm not particularly impressed.
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