false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172183594m/147020.jpg 147020 4 In his smart and self-assured debut, <I>My Life in Heavy Metal</I>, Steve Almond breathes fresh life into the oft-explored territory of young love and longing. The 12 stories in this pulsating collection are populated with hookups, drunken kisses, failed passes, and souring relationships. And though it's an aggressively sexual affair (when it comes to getting it on in the bedroom--or on the bathroom sink, for that matter--Almond doesn't believe in fading to black), at its core it's a collection with heart. His characters stumble unrehearsed through the choreography of modern love, wearing their sloppy passions on their rumpled sleeves, aching to connect.<p>The memorable title story introduces David, an El Paso music critic on the "late-eighties hair bands" circuit who cheats on his longtime college girlfriend with an unassuming YMCA lifeguard. "Because we were a morning paper, I had to bang out my copy by midnight. I operated on a template involving an initial bad pun, a lengthy playlist--<I>adjective, adjective, song title</I>--and a description of the lead singer's hair." Almond hilariously captures the flirty, stylized banter and drinks-after-work breeziness of office life in "Geek Player, Love Slayer." He spins this bittersweet story from a female, first-person perspective as a thirtysomething reporter at an alternative weekly finds an unlikely obsession in the oddly alluring Lance, the paper's overconfident systems administrator ("How did Computer Guy become the Lifeguard of the decade?"). In another standout story, "How to Love a Republican," a doomed cross-party affair plays out against the 2000 presidential election.<p>Readers should take note of this solid debut and stay on the lookout for more from Almond--he's a sharp and surprisingly sensitive writer with plenty of stories to tell. <I>--Brad Thomas Parsons</I> 2217088 2002 My Life in Heavy Metal total:462|5:103|4:198|3:115|2:43|1:3| 462 1741 634 72 5 3 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Nov 08 08:35:57 -0800 2007 Thu Nov 08 08:49:23 -0800 2007 more...]]> 4 2 false false Fri Nov 09 21:32:58 -0800 2007 Sun Oct 12 20:45:18 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri Nov 07 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 03 09:57:52 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 08 11:23:48 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun May 24 21:06:27 -0700 2009 Tue May 05 08:21:01 -0700 2009 Sun May 24 21:06:27 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 1 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Thu Sep 13 09:31:11 -0700 2007 Thu Sep 13 09:33:25 -0700 2007 2 0 false false Sun Nov 30 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 03 13:18:49 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 30 14:44:18 -0800 2008
A friend enticed me into reading the book by saying that when he read it, it made him feel as though anyone can write, and that it inspired him to have increased confidence when writing.

I feel like this is both a good and bad thing. ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Jan 23 14:34:56 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 23 14:34:56 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 true false Tue May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue May 22 09:51:00 -0700 2007 Tue May 22 10:36:57 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Wed Sep 19 11:36:01 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 19 11:36:01 -0700 2007 This is easily Steve Almond's best book and one of the best collections of short stories I've read in years. It's honest (which is about as high a compliment as I could possibly give to a book) raw..and really strikes me in its confessionalist tone, especially with regard to sex. It's very d...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Aug 05 08:32:07 -0700 2007 Sun Aug 05 08:46:58 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Dec 04 03:58:43 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 04 04:01:11 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Wed Sep 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 28 11:02:05 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 02 13:46:45 -0700 2009
I'm a little put off by Almond's anatomical references - "clavicle", "meat of ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Fri Jul 13 08:55:27 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 13 09:02:29 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Feb 09 10:43:44 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 19 05:26:55 -0800 2008
Before October, I’d n...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Sep 16 18:47:56 -0700 2007 Sun Sep 16 18:50:34 -0700 2007 My Life in Heavy Metal is a dozen stories about sex and love, being together and standing apart. Almond has a wonderfully strong and pungent voice. Some of the stories are excellent, some are duds; several have stuck with me. In the best of the collection, Almond truly inhabits his characters. Not o...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jul 03 07:04:49 -0700 2007 Sat Jul 07 17:01:36 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Nov 19 19:55:56 -0800 2007 Tue Jan 15 11:17:47 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Jul 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 18:11:25 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 18:12:31 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Jun 23 03:02:17 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 23 03:02:59 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Mon Dec 22 08:42:02 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 22 08:43:10 -0800 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=147020