Doug (summervillain) - Arlington, MA (277 books)

Doug rated a book 2 of 5 stars

The View From the Cherry Tree
by Willo Davis Roberts

read in May, 2013

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For better or worse, I found myself thinking of The View from the Cherry Tree as sort of what-if-Ralphie-of-A-Christmas-Story-witnessed-a-murder? story. (The novel substantially predates the film, of course, but post-dates the Jean Shepherd novel fro...more For better or worse, I found myself thinking of The View from the Cherry Tree as sort of what-if-Ralphie-of-A-Christmas-Story-witnessed-a-murder? story. (The novel substantially predates the film, of course, but post-dates the Jean Shepherd novel from which the film drew, so maybe the association isn't entirely spurious. (Then again, it could as easily be what-if-Dennis-the-Menace-witnessed-a-murder?) The about-the--author notes indicate that this is Roberts' first novel for younger readers, and I was reminded of Lawrence Block commenting that The Burglar in the Closet became a comic mystery only because Block couldn't make it work as straight noir, and I wonder if The View from the Cherry Tree had a similar genesis: it leans awfully hard on the "nobody believes me" trope, but there's some implied, if off-screen, seediness that seemed jarring in a middle-grade novel.

I thought this might be a book for which I've been searching for a long time. It's not the book I remember, and I'm sure I didn't read it as a kid. So either there were two kids books published in the mid-late 70's that featured a cat named "S.O.B." and mentioned spiders, or I was so shocked by the cat's name that I returned the book to the library unread. Ironically, the cat was far and away my favorite thing about the book, he's swaggery, cantankerous and generally credible.

The book is clearly the product of a more innocent time, but Rob's inability to convince an adult to listen to him wasn't the only thing that strained my credibility much more than the grumpy ol' cat. A couple of my quibbles bear directly on the mystery, such as it is, and I'll avoid spoilers. But one of the ways we know Rob is a l'il hellion is because he's inordinately fond of his jar of live spiders. There are holes in the lid, sure ... but given that over the course of a few days, Rob does not spend time shoving bugs or other spider food in the jar, I'd expect him to wind up with a just one (somewhat larger) spider in pretty short order.(less)

Doug rated a book 4 of 5 stars

A Visit from the Goon Squad
by Jennifer Egan (Goodreads Author)

read in May, 2013

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Egan pushes the boundaries of what can reasonably be called a "novel" with this intricately structured and densely-linked set of stories. I don't think there's a single element -- of plot, character, or even theme -- present in all the tales. Charact...more Egan pushes the boundaries of what can reasonably be called a "novel" with this intricately structured and densely-linked set of stories. I don't think there's a single element -- of plot, character, or even theme -- present in all the tales. Characters reappear in various contexts, with a cameo role in one story becoming the lead in another. The level of naturalism fluctuates wildly, from hard-edge realism to overblown satire. Resonances abound, with three successive generations of women and men in and around the music business one of the most prominent; the spectre of suicide shadows several stories.

It was the footnotes in one chapter that first made me think of David Foster Wallace, and then the narrator's voice -- willfully self-deluding, exactingly detailed, and deeply self-reflective -- made me wonder if Egan was consciously and specifically mimicking Wallace's style (or perhaps some amalgam of writers with unreliable narrators and a penchant for minutia: Antrim and Baker and Gates, oh my? But Wallace, foremost).

And then I started to wonder if several of the chapters couldn't be read as an attempt to "do" this writer or that, perhaps not a terribly productive line of inquiry, but one that the novel's myriad stylistic shifts makes easy to pursue. And it struck me that I may never have read a more deliberate attempt to write "The" Great American Novel, or at least The Great American Novel of The Cusp of the 21st Century (which the book straddles on either side by several decades).

It tries to cram in the defining attributes of a lifespan, from the greed-is-good excess of the 80s through to the consequences of climate change. In a fashion similar to how The Sopranos explored the Mob as a metaphor for capitalism at its purest and most unbridled, Egan uses music to exemplify sociological and technical changes in how humans relate to one another.

My expectations were high -- hell, it won a Pulitzer -- and weren't quite met. It's impressive, for sure -- it's a little nuts to try so many things in a single book, let alone succeed at so many of them. But for me, at least, it's too fragmented for all the bits to gel into the "wow" experience I was expecting.(less)

Doug rated a book 3 of 5 stars

The Merciless Book of Metal Lists
by Howie Abrams

read in May, 2013

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The world of heavy metal music is broader than almost anyone who hasn't spent time in it is likely to guess, so if you're contemplating this book as a gift for a metalhead in your life (which might be yourself) it's helpful to know the focus and bias...more The world of heavy metal music is broader than almost anyone who hasn't spent time in it is likely to guess, so if you're contemplating this book as a gift for a metalhead in your life (which might be yourself) it's helpful to know the focus and bias. For Abrams and Jenkins the core of metal is first and foremost Black Sabbath, and secondarily the "big four" American thrash* bands: Anthrax/Megadeth/Metallica/Slayer (although they think Megadeth's Dave Mustaine is a prick). They're explicitly not into any of the genre-boundary-pushing stuff going on right now (Agalloch, Kylera, and Nachtmystium make it onto the short list of "Best Bands to Form Since the Turn of the (New) Millennium"; that's about as kvlt as it gets). Hair metal, grunge metal and nu metal are not "metal," but some industrial metal is. The editors consistently rate Voivod and Nuclear Assault higher than I would expect, but that's jake with me, coz I do too. They're kind of dismissive of black metal, death metal, and NWOBHM overall (despite love for a handful of standout artists like Venom and Iron Maiden. And they're way, way, US- and GB-centric (despite love for handful of standout artists like Sepultura). Although the authors highly rate music by bands with racist, sexist, and homophobic on-record content and/or off-record comments, they also pay some lip service to women, people of color, and non-straight people -- well, Rob Halford, at least -- in metal.

The book has guest content from a handful of interesting folks, with Slayer's Kerry King and Metal Blade's Brian Slagel probably the most prominent, and I found it amusing, but it also seemed both a little lazy and a little safe. I was hoping to learn about more obscure artists to check out, and only one list really delivered: Slagel's "10 NWOBHM bands you don't know" (Eddie Trunk's "Top 5 bands you probably never heard of that I think should have been huge" tried, but covered familiar ground). A lot of the lists are wishy-washy: "25 of the greatest" vs. "The 25 greatest," so the book doesn't spoil for fights as often as I think it should. The "10 illegible black metal logos" list was fun, but it was disappointing that only 22 of the "200 embarrassingly bad album covers" were pictured (although it's funny and apt that the list includes 12 volumes of Slagel's groundbreaking "Metal Massacre" comps).

In the era of rdio, Spotify et al, I also thought it was a bit disappointing that there were no links to listen to some of the featured music. I took it upon myself to make three of the lists (as best I could with the available tracks): Our Favorite Songs by the Best Metal Bands (on rdio/on spotify), The Best Metal Albums Ever (on rdio/on spotify, and Great Crossover Albums (on rdio/on spotify).

* at least at the start of their careers. Let's not start fighting this early in the review, ok?(less)

Doug rated a book 2 of 5 stars

Jack Glass: The Story of a Murderer
by Adam Roberts

read in May, 2013

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There was a lot I appreciated about Robert's elegantly crafted Jack Glass, but I definitely didn't think it succeeded at everything it set out to do.

The middle section of the novel, for instance, offers a classically structured whodunnit and -- skirt...more There was a lot I appreciated about Robert's elegantly crafted Jack Glass, but I definitely didn't think it succeeded at everything it set out to do.

The middle section of the novel, for instance, offers a classically structured whodunnit and -- skirting spoilers -- I think Roberts is trying to get the reader so far in the head of his few-centuries-hence characters that the reader misses a relevant detail that would be obvious in a contemporaneous setting. Clever. But unfortunately, the particular gimmick hinges on something that even his future characters would never have done; it's fundamentally inconsistent.

One of the novel's protagonists has supposedly been bred for superhuman political acumen, but misses a staggeringly obvious plot development. (And to ensure the reader sees how obvious it is, Roberts inexplicably reveals it to the reader with a flashing red neon "here's a big honking clue!" sign.) The protagonist is very young, but Roberts goes to some lengths to suggest the issue is not one of emotional versus intellectual intelligence; she just seemed not nearly as smart as everyone in the book gave her credit for being.

I also think the notion that a mere rumor of a truly radical technology could disrupt societal equilibrium is intriguing, but perhaps not very realistic. Reportage of cold fusion did not cause panic among energy providers.

Finally, there were elements of the milieu that I think a "hard" science fiction novel should address more thoroughly. The book has perhaps a bit of a cake-and-eat-it-too problem: an economy very much driven by scarcity and unequal resource distribution, but one featuring at least some "magic" technologies for manipulating mass. (No one seems to worry about the costs of matching velocities, as they do in, say, John Barnes' Losers in Space .) This isn't necessarily inconsistent, but it's not easy for the reader to figure out what's cheap and what's not, and what constraints the "magic" tech operates under. It always niggles at me when a future incorporating significant advances on some fronts shows little evidence of artificial intelligences even as sophisticated as current technology without any explanation. And although the novel eventually addresses the issue of hacking systems, the characters in the whodunnit subplot completely ignore the possibility that the electronic records of e.g., who left or didn't leave the premises could have been compromised.

However, my criticisms should perhaps be taken with salt, because I also fundamentally didn't like the book. It's (intermittently) more violent than I care for, but more than that, it has an embedded pessimism about life so fundamental and severe that I found the novel's worldview repulsive. So my objectivity may have been compromised.

And if nothing else, the novel certainly provoked a lot of thought. It's taken me more than a week to wrangle my reactions into anything remotely coherent.(less)

Doug rated a book 3 of 5 stars

Austentatious
by Alyssa Goodnight (Goodreads Author)

read in April, 2013

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There was a lot I enjoyed about Austentatious, but also a fair bit I found problematic. The novel scored big points with me early on by dropping a reference to The Princess Bride without belaboring it with an explanation. And I enjoyed its breezy, ne...more

Doug is now following Mary Roach and Wen Spencer

Doug made a comment on his review of Boys and Girls Like You and Me: Stories

"Chacon a son gout, right? There are plenty of books that make me angry and annoyed and inclined to shake the viewpoint character in exactly the way yo...more "

Doug rated a book 3 of 5 stars

Shelf Life: Fantastic Stories Celebrating Bookstores
by Greg Ketter

read in March, 2013

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Greg Ketter, owner of Minneapolis' DreamHaven books describes this volume as a labor of love, and that's evident. But its thematic focus is so narrow that it's probably better dipped into than read straight-through: it's a bit too easy to play spot-t...more

Doug rated a book 4 of 5 stars

Boys and Girls Like You and Me by Aryn Kyle

Boys and Girls Like You and Me: Stories
by Aryn Kyle (Goodreads Author)

read in March, 2013

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My friend Terri wrote a scathing review of this book, and it acted on me like the classic spoiled milk skit: "Ugh, it's terrible! Here, taste it!" I was perversely curious, and after noticing that other reviews of the book seemed wildly polarized --...more

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Doug rated a book 2 of 5 stars The View From the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts read in May, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
For better or worse, I found myself thinking of The View from the Cherry Tree as sort of what-if-Ralphie-of-A-Christmas-Story-witnessed-a-murder? story. (The novel substantially predates the film, of course, but post-dates the Jean Shepherd novel fro...more
Jun 01, 2013 12:24pm · see review
Doug rated a book 4 of 5 stars A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (Goodreads Author) read in May, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Egan pushes the boundaries of what can reasonably be called a "novel" with this intricately structured and densely-linked set of stories. I don't think there's a single element -- of plot, character, or even theme -- present in all the tales. Charact...more
Jun 01, 2013 09:01am · see review
Doug rated a book 3 of 5 stars The Merciless Book of Metal Lists by Howie Abrams read in May, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The world of heavy metal music is broader than almost anyone who hasn't spent time in it is likely to guess, so if you're contemplating this book as a gift for a metalhead in your life (which might be yourself) it's helpful to know the focus and bias...more
May 13, 2013 05:02am · see review
Doug rated a book 2 of 5 stars Jack Glass: The Story of a Murderer by Adam Roberts read in May, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
There was a lot I appreciated about Robert's elegantly crafted Jack Glass, but I definitely didn't think it succeeded at everything it set out to do. The middle section of the novel, for instance, offers a classically structured whodunnit and -- skirt...more
May 10, 2013 04:18am · see review
Doug rated a book 3 of 5 stars Austentatious by Alyssa Goodnight (Goodreads Author) read in April, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
There was a lot I enjoyed about Austentatious, but also a fair bit I found problematic. The novel scored big points with me early on by dropping a reference to The Princess Bride without belaboring it with an explanation. And I enjoyed its breezy, ne...more
Apr 17, 2013 02:23am · see review
Doug is now following Mary Roach and Wen Spencer
Apr 01, 2013 11:08am
Doug made a comment on his review of Boys and Girls Like You and Me: Stories "Chacon a son gout, right? There are plenty of books that make me angry and annoyed and inclined to shake the viewpoint character in exactly the way yo...more "
Mar 26, 2013 07:14am · see review
Doug rated a book 3 of 5 stars Shelf Life: Fantastic Stories Celebrating Bookstores by Greg Ketter read in March, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Greg Ketter, owner of Minneapolis' DreamHaven books describes this volume as a labor of love, and that's evident. But its thematic focus is so narrow that it's probably better dipped into than read straight-through: it's a bit too easy to play spot-t...more
Mar 26, 2013 04:41am · see review
Doug rated a book 4 of 5 stars Boys and Girls Like You and Me: Stories by Aryn Kyle (Goodreads Author) read in March, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
My friend Terri wrote a scathing review of this book, and it acted on me like the classic spoiled milk skit: "Ugh, it's terrible! Here, taste it!" I was perversely curious, and after noticing that other reviews of the book seemed wildly polarized --...more
Mar 26, 2013 04:08am · see review

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