A soap opera esque story, told from the perspective of the female drummer, Laura, of the rise and fall of a punk rock band in the early nineties known...moreA soap opera esque story, told from the perspective of the female drummer, Laura, of the rise and fall of a punk rock band in the early nineties known as the Mistakes. This is all foreshadowed by the earlier rise and horrible fall of Laura’s earlier band, for which she was the bass player behind her brother, Anthony. What happens to them is a horrible tragedy which is only slowly revealed throughout the course of the novel as we follow the rise of the Mistakes. I burned through this in three days, which I beleive says something about its entertainment value.
Some of this was a little cheesy. As it drove closer and closer to its conclusion, I found myself desperate to know the fate of these characters, then, upon discovering that fate, found it to be a fairly predictable one involving fame and jealousy and betrayal and Rock and Roll. Which is not to say that this wasn’t any less enjoyable for that--only to say that the story reads like one or two I might have read before. Maybe it’s because the story is an archetype, one that can be retold over and over because it is a story that resonates with the reader because it is relatable and something that anyone who has ever played music can recognize. Or maybe there just isn’t a new story in the 90’s nostalgia genre and this is the only one we’ve got. It’s not a perfect novel, but I enjoyed it, and I never look a fun read “gift horse” in the mouth. My minor misgivings are the only reason it didn’t earn a perfect score, but maybe you should read it anyway.
This book was a pleasant surprise-- a book I had never heard of (that I found accidentally...moreIt feels so Good When I stop
By Joe Pernice
This book was a pleasant surprise-- a book I had never heard of (that I found accidentally while browsing through the “P“ section of the library) that nevertheless proved to be absolutely delightful to read.
This is set in Cape Cod in the 1990’s, but unlike another recent book I read that took place in that decade (whose name escapes me at the moment) the setting is not used to milk the reader’s sense of nostalgia--it simply serves as a way to set the action apart from the current reality--reflecting a dream-like state or maybe even a vacation from reality.
The novel reads like a memoir, or maybe a confession, an almost heartbreaking coming of age story about a man who has recently separated from his wife of one day. He leaves her in New York to crash at his sister’s place in Cape Cod. His sister has also just gotten out of a marriage that had produced a child, Roy, with whom this character (who is unnamed throughout the novel) forms a bond. This bond attracts the interest of Marie, a local filmmaker who is dealing with the loss of a son roughly the same age as Roy. The man rides his bike around town, which becomes symbolic of his slow journey through life that is as aimless as it is difficult.
I loved this book, and actually hated to see it end. It does end somewhat abruptly after the climax, after following a narrative structure that alternates between past and present, between ex-wife/girlfriend and current love interest/girlfriend.
Minor quibbles: I usually hate clever narrative techniques and gimmicks that distract from the telling of a story, such as the fact that the narrator is never given a first name. But I got over this one, and I’m glad I did. The musical references were not over the top or annoying like they could have been, like I have seen in other books of this sort of retro 90’s nostalgia genre. It helps that I actually like the bands mentioned.
The writing style itself was in 1st person with frequent shifts in time, which was not difficult to follow--it was kind of like reading someone else’s journal--addictive and very readable.
I am a big fan of this book and look forward to reading more from this author.
Chuck P, when he was still pretty good, in a story about a poem that, when read aloud, kills the listener. Not top form, but not bad--still edgy, sti...moreChuck P, when he was still pretty good, in a story about a poem that, when read aloud, kills the listener. Not top form, but not bad--still edgy, still with that highly stylized and recognizable voice (the repetition, the refrains, a style that I have even parodied in my own writing). It tightens up enough in the end to warrant a mild recommendation, but for my money, read Fight Club, Choke and Survivor and hope to hell he snaps out of the losing streak of the last 3 novels.
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A fascinating examination of the events leading up to 9-11, The Looming Tower is the result of 5 years of research and interviews. It examines the b...moreA fascinating examination of the events leading up to 9-11, The Looming Tower is the result of 5 years of research and interviews. It examines the background and foundation of al-Qaeda and really gets into the mind of bin Laden and what led him on his path to becoming the world’s most notorious terrorist.
John O’Neil, the FBI counter Terrorism chief, was the Chicken Little of the impending terrorist threat against America, sounding the alarm and trying to get others to listen. However, he was operating within an intelligence community that was as antiquated and inefficient as it was insular and unwilling to share its own information. His story is one of the most compelling of this book, which almost reads like a spy novel--his story alone could be the basis of a movie. His womanizing and high-living went side by side with his dogged efforts to keep America safe, which all ended on 9-11 when he perished in the attack on the World Trade Center.
Wright has constructed a history of al-Qaeda that makes sense of 9-11, and what led us to that day. He talks about the so-called Arab Afghans, the fighters who went to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan but were more interested in martyring themselves than they were in fighting invaders, who would later form part of a terrorist organization that would carry on their fight against the west.
The Looming Tower does not dwell on the actual events of 9-11; rather it helps to develop and understanding of the many intelligence failures and evil motivations that led to it. It also shows that there were many reasons why it happened, but perhaps the biggest reason for it is that the only people who could imagine that it could happen were not paid attention to until it was too late.
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At 562 pages, Freedom is probably the longest book I’ve read since the Clinton autobiography--another book that...moreOprah told me to read this…
At 562 pages, Freedom is probably the longest book I’ve read since the Clinton autobiography--another book that killed my interest in books for a long, long time. I think I can forgive the author for not always giving me a reason to like the characters. But most of the time, Freedom is so entertaining and readable that I can forget the moments I might have wanted to throw it across the room for the somewhat narcissistic and immoral actions of the characters.
This is a very voyeuristic look into the intertwining lives of the characters, revolving around the Berglund family. You are peering into the thoughts of people that supposedly exemplify the family of the new millennium. There is a deep darkness to their actions, the rampant infidelities, in a sweeping narrative that reads like John Irving meets Tom Perrotta, minus the humor or either of those authors. It was ultimately the lack of humor in this novel that prevented me from loving it and giving myself over to it completely. But that is not to say it wasn’t a damn good read.
Freedom begins with the omniscient narrator and then slides into a sort of first person perspective, via the clever narrative technique of a therapeutic undertaking for one of the main characters--and then it slides back into the omniscient narration. Breaking one of the rules I’d always thought was vital to the craft of writing, Franzen does a lot of “tell” rather than “show.” This is necessary for the scope of the story he is trying to tell. The narrative follows each member of the Berglund family as it offers up background and explanation for why a modern family such as them could fall apart so completely, selling out themselves and their ideals to the reality of modern life and plain old human temptation.
I’m sorry if this is a clinical dissection of the book, and I hope I’m not giving the impression that I didn’t like it--I was just really examining my own reasons for being so fascinated with it, and the word I came up with was voyeuristic. You feel like a voyeur peering into the lives of these people. Other than the crap about birds and overpopulation and a few other minor flaws, it’s a really great book. It’s really addictive, for the most part, the kind of book you want to read in large chunks and then tell your friends about it.
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A good book for fans of Stephen Hawking’s “A Brief History of Time,” POTI takes several concepts from the world of science fiction and speculates on t...moreA good book for fans of Stephen Hawking’s “A Brief History of Time,” POTI takes several concepts from the world of science fiction and speculates on the possibility of their eventual existence in real life. He explores the technology of force fields, invisibility, phasers, light speed, multiple/parallel dimensions, etc., all through the eyes of a physicist, and then, using the logic and tools of a physicist (while keeping in mind the layman audience) classifies each of these "impossibilties" into one of three categories:
Class 1--something that may be possible within a hundred years.
Class 2--something that may be possible within a thousand or a million years.
And Class 3--a technology or phenomenon that is not possible within the known laws of physics.
This is an intriguing approach to what can be a difficult subject. The writing is very readable and conversational and makes a pretty good introduction to physics (might be a great gift for a student?). That said, a lot of this still sailed over my head. Perhaps I do not possess the abstract thinking necessary to understand things like moving electrons through time and space, or what exactly a particle accelerator does--but in taking a rational, scientific approach to some of the technologies featured in some of my favorite movies and TV shows, he does make me appreciate science for what it is: our best tool for understanding the world in which we live.
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I wanted to like this book. I wanted to like it after picking it up, I wanted to like it after the first 10 pages, then the first 50, but by the firs...moreI wanted to like this book. I wanted to like it after picking it up, I wanted to like it after the first 10 pages, then the first 50, but by the first 100 I was starting to face up to the fact that I just wasn’t feeling it with this debut novel from Bryan Charles.
I especially wanted to like this book after reading the author bio and the “about the book” section in which Charles says the book is an “intangible force that gave back everything I put into it and more.” I love that sort of passion, and as a writer, I get it. But I just don’t feel it with this book. It’s kind of a mess, it doesn’t really feel like it did much more than meander through it’s characters and situations. The random song quotes in the prose was more jarring than anything else it was intended to be: it came off as more of a random insertion to establish that yes, this does in fact take place in the early ‘90s.
But I guess my biggest problem with this book has to be its tone. The author is going for an accurate portrayal of a teenage boy and his march toward adulthood, which just happens to take place in 1992...I guess it may have been what suckered me into reading it in the first place. To me, Vim is unlikable, a snotty teenager. I’m not faulting the accuracy of this portrayal, but at the same time, it is not a character I want to spent time with, and this is an almost insurmountable problem for a book that could have been so much better, if perhaps in an overdone genre (the “coming of age story.”)
However, even after all this, I am going to put this out there: I would read another Bryan Charles book. There were times I was very impressed with his writing, and there must have been something compelling about this for me to read all the way through (I have no qualms about giving up on a book I don’t like.) This book was not my cup of tea, but his writing wasn’t a total turnoff, either.
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I’ve always wanted to be a writer. But Dave…you are a writer! Yeah…but I’m not a famous writer. I have to admit, the sheer brazen nature of this bo...moreI’ve always wanted to be a writer. But Dave…you are a writer! Yeah…but I’m not a famous writer. I have to admit, the sheer brazen nature of this book appealed to me. The act of self-promotion requires an incredible amount of confidence--or at least the great ability to fake it. In this book, author Ariel Gore advocates all manner of self-promotion and creativity in the attempt to make a name for yourself. In many ways, this could serve as a companion piece to my other favorite book about writing, No Plot, No Problem, by the founder of National Novel Writing Month, Chris Baty, which also advocates plowing ahead beyond self-doubt to do the wonderfully ridiculous act of writing a 50 thousand word novel in 30 days. The best advice any writer can ever get is simply to write. Write every day. Write even when you don’t feel like it.
Ariel Gore starts the book with a powerful hook: a letter from a friend, who wants her help in the quest to become a famous writer. Gore says she will help her, that they should meet and have coffee and talk about how she can help her become a literary superstar. But of course, life gets in the way, and before they can ever get together to talk, her friend has a seizure and dies, at age 23. All the advice in this book is what she would have said to her if they had ever had that meeting.
The book itself is a rollicking run through the craft of writing and self-promoting, and is an inspirational tribute to her friend, the writer. It is less of a step by step/how to manual and more of a motivational piece--though, to be sure, there is a lot of solid advice here, and many things I might have never thought of--such as why a large advance is not necessarily a good thing or why you shouldn’t change your name or why you should be nice to interns.
I recommend this to any writer who needs a kick in the butt, or anyone who just needs to be reminded that all art is worth the struggle.
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The Unnamed is Joshua Ferris’ second novel, which tells the story of a middle aged man named Tim Farnsworth. Tim has a wife, Jane, and a daughter, Bec...moreThe Unnamed is Joshua Ferris’ second novel, which tells the story of a middle aged man named Tim Farnsworth. Tim has a wife, Jane, and a daughter, Becka, and he happily works long hours at his law firm. Then one day he is afflicted with a condition that causes him to walk, compulsively and without control. What at first seems like a funny premise is in fact the setting for what amounts to a life-changing illness which hurts his career, his marriage, and family.
I will cut to the chase by saying that I didn’t like this book. This book is really a downer, much more than I was expecting from the book jacket, and from his previous work. Then We Came to the End, Ferris’ first novel, was a fairly entertaining and insightful take on office life, a subject with which I have fairly limited experience. I did not feel the same way about this one.
The writing is good, but he gets really abstract towards the middle-back of the book, writing in a style that is meant to simulate a person’s experience with medication or hallucinations. Personally, I always find this sort of narrative technique distracting. The story itself seems to amble along and for me, at least never really pays off. He takes up a lot of space for the characters to have debates as to whether or not Tim’s condition is physical or mental.
I got this whole “World According to Garp” feeling after finishing this book, as in, I feel like I followed this whole man’s life, pretty much up until the end, without a whole lot of payoff. While it’s meant to be enriching and deep, I really just felt like this novel just depressed and depressed, and then it was over.
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After a little bit of a work mix-up where this book went missing for a week (there was an innocent explanation for this and it has since been returned...moreAfter a little bit of a work mix-up where this book went missing for a week (there was an innocent explanation for this and it has since been returned to me) I had the chance to finish reading the tell-all memoir of former John Edwards staffer Andrew Young. Boy, what an a-hole the former Senator is.
You have undoubtedly heard the story on the news. Here is Andrew Young’s full account of what he went through over ten years of working with the man he truly believed should and would become the next President, as he catered to his prima donna whims and desires, as he covered up for his affair (s) and finally, taking the ultimate bullet for his man (at first unknowingly): “admitting” to being the father of a child that in fact belonged to John Edwards. It reads like a John Grisham novel (ok, I’ve never actually read Grisham) and as you may imagine, it’s not a pretty tale. But you also can’t put it down.
The book was obviously cathartic for Mr. Young, and while he certainly made his mistakes, it is ultimately Mr. Edwards’ sense of entitlement that made it all possible. (less)
Disclosure: Author is a long-time friend of mine, and I am familiar with many of the real-life characters upon which his material is drawn.
...moreDisclosure: Author is a long-time friend of mine, and I am familiar with many of the real-life characters upon which his material is drawn.
With Garlic and Victory is (to my knowledge) Josh’s second book, and it’s work would appear to have been written/collected in the last 8-10 years. It is an enjoyable read, with a mixture of stories and blank verse poems which read like stories, reminiscent of the work of Charles Bukowski. Josh is painfully honest about himself in his writing, and his depictions of his life as a poor, beer-drinking, coffee-swilling artist who has made a career out of working in kitchens, are tremendously entertaining and truthful.
“So why do you want to work here?” he stretched out on the seat, arms folded, his face betrayed the countenance of a man suffering with hot grease on his balls and a spatula broken off in his ass…
“Well, I’m new in town and times are hard, so…”
“Well, as an employer, it’s hard to hear I was your last resort…listen, I can take one look at you and see you won’t fit in here…”
“THAT’S IT? You called me all the way out here for a two minute interview hoping I’d tell you my dream in life, my true aspiration was to flip burgers? What kind of asshole are you?”
I walked out.
In many ways I consider Josh’s work a throwback--his work would be perfectly at home in Depression era fiction: the story of a factotum just trying to survive. The opening story about trying to get a job in a restaurant in Portland, only to fail because the boss didn’t think he would be a proper ass-kisser, and the story about donating plasma for money are sad reminders of a rough time for the both of us (something we both did when we lived in Portland) but it is very in-line with the rest of the themes running through With Garlic and Victory: Everything is bullshit--and work is just a means to an end to put food on the table and beer in the fridge while keeping your soul intact. Anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is a goddamn liar.
At 85 pages, this book that breezes right along. I’d have read the whole thing in one sitting if I could have. Great job! (less)
A breezy read through all the arguments you will ever need to argue with any proponent of Intelligent Design. This book, written by the head of the N...moreA breezy read through all the arguments you will ever need to argue with any proponent of Intelligent Design. This book, written by the head of the National Skeptics Society, pretty much lays bare all the arguments used against evolution in the name of equal time or “teaching the controversy” of (essentially) creationism vs. evolution. Science has a process: Intelligent Design has an agenda. As Shermer concludes, “Darwin Matters because evolution matters. Evolution matters because science matters. Science matters because it is the pre-eminent story of our age, an epic saga about who we are, where we came from and where we are going.” (P. 161) ‘Nuff said.
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