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C
can't take my eyes off of you
jack lechner
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I hate TV. I hate it because I’m addicted to it, and I feel worse
after watching it. Many times, I’ll suddenly get up like my
pants are on fire and turn off the tv and sigh. I don’t even
have anything but basic cable and the sci-fi channel. Oh
TV. You’re horrible. Anyway, I always feel a kinship with
anyone else who may feel that television is a soul-sucking
thing that makes you feel like a cheap advertising patron. I
mean, this is what we’ve come to? Bread and circuses? But
then again, I can’t help myself. I get sucked in. Anyway, this
book is about a man who watched 12 tv’s for six days seven
nights and what he sees. I greatly enjoyed the first half of
the book. It was almost like watching TV with a funny, New
York, clever friend. Some of my favorite parts of the book
are the asides that don’t involve tv. I mean, the author has
the New York life everyone I know that lives in New York
would like to have. And he lets nuggets of his life show
through. He comes off a bit full of himself, but with reason. I
get the impression that he was a rich kid who made the right
friends, and if only he’d acknowledge that privilege, I’d like
him better. There were many clever things he said as social
commentary and such. I was engrossed in the book for two
days, and I’m going to suggest that Mark read it. In the end, it
was just a slice of our life as mirrored and implemented by
television. I’ll not stay home sick and flip through the
channels the same way again. I recommend this to anyone
who is going to Europe, camping, or the beach and needs a
good book for when they’re away from tv.
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reviewed by: kristen |
May 2001 [link] |
recommend
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candyfreak: a journey through the chocolate underbelly of america
steve almond
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| Steve Almond's book answers the oft thought question- where does candy come from? As he leads us through the factories of the few independent candy makers left in America we also learn the answer to- where has all the candy gone? The "big 3" manufacturers have strong-armed the little man off the shelves of our the candy aisles but there are those out there who keep on producing the goods in spite of their lack of distribution because there are those out there--like me-- who keep on devouring. This is a very satisfying read. |
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reviewed by: rachel |
May 2004 [link] |
recommend 1 thumbs up
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caramelo
sandra cisneros
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This is one of those works that makes you secretly wish you were from another culture (same feeling you get when you watch "Monsoon Wedding" or "Like Water For Chocolate", if you are not an Indian or Latino, that is). It's essentially about a large family of Mexicans and their immigration from Mexico City to Chicago. It encompasses three generations. The thing I love about the book is that it feels like you are reading a series of loosely interconnected short stories (there are 80 chapters), or anecdotes, which, when strung together, end up as an epic of sorts. For people like me that don't want their reading to be too painful, this one goes down easy, and becomes almost addictive. I mention the movies above, and now that I think about it, the book has more in common with them than I first thought. You find yourself fascinated with the color,the depth of the culture, and the incredible family bonds that hold this family together. And, like the examples, this book has the feel and charm of a fable.
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reviewed by: ericS |
November 2002 [link] |
recommend 1 thumbs up
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cat attacks: true stories and hard lessons from cougar country
jo deurbrouck
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Do you like stories about cougars attacking humans and trying to eat them? If so, Cat Attacks is the book for you. Jo Deurbrouck and Dean Miller have assembled a great collection of cougar attack stories and conversations with the people involved (usually the ones that didn’t get eaten).
Cougars are clever and fast hunters, and I was amazed at how often the victims had no idea that they were being hunted until it was too late. If I lived in cougar country, I’d pick this book up so I would know what I was up against (and to make me completely paranoid when I took out the trash at night). |
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reviewed by: rich |
January 2004 [link] |
recommend
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catcher in the rye
j.d. salinger
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| I was recommended Catcher in the Rye in seventh grade, but I thought it was a baseball book along the lines of The Red Badge of Courage, so I didn’t read it until I was in college. My friend Mike was like "Holy shit. I have a friend who hasn’t read ‘Catcher in the Rye’". I read it and was utterly amazed. This was during my truth period in life, and this book seemed really real and stuff. My very favorite J.D. Salinger book was 9 Stories particularly the first story. I loved it. I read 9 Stories when I was in my what is the meaning of life phase. This seemed pretty much a chronicle. J.D. Salinger doesn’t age well on me, and sometimes I wonder if I have grown out of him, BUT I recently read Franny as I love the meaning of life question in that book, and it still hit me. |
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reviewed by: kristen |
September 2000 [link] |
recommend 5 thumbs up
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cathedral
raymond carver
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| This is a book I read from my roommate Kent’s collection. I love the voice and the stories. The prose is so spare and REAL. I used to be on this big time TRUTH and what is the REAL TRUTH kick. This book was one that I loved during that period. I also love that Kent told me Raymond was this normal working class guy who didn’t start writing until one day he was thirty five and sitting in a laundromat and noticed some guy and wrote about what he perceived his life was like. I think Larry Brown sounds a lot Raymond. The people that sublet our New York apartment from us while we were in Kansas City once said in passing they borrowed a book of mine. This one is missing, so I hope that it went to a good cause. Chris Longworth has since overpaid us for some utilities he owed, so I am totally not wanting it back. |
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reviewed by: kristen |
September 2000 [link] |
recommend 2 thumbs up
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ce'st la vie!
suzy gershman
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| Separated into four sections, one for each season, Suzy heads to Paris, France after the death of her husband to start a new life. Each little essay is stocked with great tips on starting over in a foreign city. Lots of wonderful descriptions of meals, shopping and sight-seeing. It made me long for a chic Parisian cafe with a latte and chocolate croissant. |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
April 2005 [link] |
recommend
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children of god go bowling
shannon olsen
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| This is Olsen's second novel, her first being the funny and kooky "Welcome To My Planet: Where English is Sometimes Spoken". Her newest book picks up the autobiographical aspect of her first novel with the character "Shannon Olsen" traversing the route of therapists and group therapy in an effort to combat panic attacks and her question of "Will I spent the rest of my life alone?". Interspersed is an on-going struggle with her mother Flo (apparently called "one of the great moms of American fiction" by Garrison Keillor) and her thoughts on whether her best male friend is "The One". Hilarious and touching and sad, Olsen is proving herself to be an engaging and funny author. |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
February 2005 [link] |
recommend
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chronicles vol.1
bob dylan
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Not so much a biography or memoir as it is a carefully and sometimes frustratingly selected offering of particular reminisces; this is a surprisingly warm well written piece of hucksterism. Does the man have an impeccable memory or is he just blowing us lyrical smoke? A little of both I think. But I really didn’t care as I found myself enjoying this book way more than I’d thought possible. With a couple of chapters dedicated to his early years, his self imposed exile in Woodstock, and the making of the late eighties album “Oh Mercy” (really??) this is a great read that in the end actually works to humanize Dylan.
Half the fun of the book is the digressions he goes on when trying to tell about a particular period in his life. One of my favorites involves him staying in the home of a couple of Lower East Side early bohemians. While describing their library Dylan offers up an anecdote about how some years later he would visit the Tolstoy estate when in Russia and how a tour guide allowed him to ride Leo’s bike. The book is full of great stuff like that. While the “Oh Mercy” chapter does go on a little too long, it is interesting nonetheless in shedding some light on the most recent incarnation of Dylan and the carefully thought out strategy behind his constant touring and reworking of his older songs.
Since the book is called “Chronicles: Vol 1” I can only assume this means we have more entries to look forward to in the future. Although I do feel it is a bit of a missed opportunity that he apparently doesn’t read the audio book himself (Sean Penn handles that task), for that would have truly made a great holiday gift for someone.
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reviewed by: JohnLawton |
November 2004 [link] |
recommend 1 thumbs up
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ciao, america: an italian discovers the u.s.
beppe severgnini
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I am late reading this book – apparently the whole world has already read this book. My cat has probably already read this book (“you are just now reading that? Meow.”).
Well, here is my two word review: Its’ cute.
There, I said it.
A fine book, Severgnini documents his year living in the states and how things are different than in his native Italy. It was an enjoyable read, don’t get me wrong (Severgnini comes off as an great chap), but there were few relevations in it (We like cold beverages!) – I mean, I could totally be missing the point that this book was originally written in Italian and was a best-seller in Italy. Naturally, it may not work as well when read by freedom fry loving Americans.
A good rental. |
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reviewed by: rich |
March 2003 [link] |
recommend
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cinnamon skin
john macdonald
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I think I already reviewed this but then I couldn’t get to the site to post it and just erased. So, I hope you readers haven’t had WITHDRAWAL. Hell, I’ll just review the book again. Oh yes, I liked it that much (although I won’t trouble myself to type tooo much). I’m not sure if I can tell you what, but there is something about Travis McGee’s coloured detective story (I mean all the Travis McGee books have colours in their title). I love the idea of Florida. I secretly love the Jimmy Buffet lifestyle. I love mysteries. I love people that don’t take careers too seriously, but focus on fun and friends and philosophy. This is what these books are like.
I first read these when a small lass pilfering from my Mommy’s collection, but as I read this book (that I got for ten cents at a booksale) at age 29 (and holding), it was still just like Margaritaville. |
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reviewed by: kristen |
June 2001 [link] |
recommend
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city of fallen angels
john berendt
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| You remember Berendt - you know, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"? This time, Berendt applies his talent for writing and nose for drama to Venice as he shacks up there for almost 10 years lurking, listening and observing life as a Venetian. A great, gossipy book results mostly revolving around the fire, conspiracy and rebuilding of La Fenice - the opera house in Venice that caught fire the night before Berendt arrived in Venice wasy back in 1996. Also contains stories about Ezra Pound's last days in Venice and controversy surrounding his will and estate. Lushly written, the book really takes you behind the scenes of the otherwise impenetrable Venetian high-class society and culture. |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
February 2006 [link] |
recommend
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climbing the mango trees
madhur jaffrey
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Madhur Jaffrey, of Indian cookbook fame (and award-winning actress fame, which I didn't know) has written this memoir of her childhood in India. Lots of descriptions of all that lucious and spiced Indian food and a section in the back of the book with glorious family recipes like meatball curry and stuffed okra.
Jaffrey grew up in a very privilaged family where women went to college and servants cooked and cleaned for the huge extended family that resided in one large compound. She explains a lot of Indian history and the traditions surrounding holidays and customs, such as those concerning the care and cleaning of women's saris - all very fascinating. |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
December 2006 [link] |
recommend
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cold red sunrise
stuart kaminsky
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| I finished reading all of the Inspector Porify Petrovich books a long while ago. I loved it while it lasted. These books all take place in grim mother Russia. They have a very philosophical and engaging inspector who has a maimed leg, AND there is a Spock (as in “Star Trek”) like character that I adore. Reading these books inspired me to write a screenplay treatment (for school) about Siberia (although I’ve never of course been). Well I wouldn’t say inspired, but I had to write for a class and couldn’t think of anything that was worthy of a screenplay. I was stumped, then I thought about what I would want to see, and I wrote a screenplay treatment about a murder mystery in Siberia in the winter. Oh these are delightful books. |
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reviewed by: kristen |
September 2000 [link] |
recommend
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columbine
dave cullen
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i usually read a few books at a time, juggling at least one non-fiction and one fiction book. when i picked 'columbine' up, i didn't go back to the novel until i had reached the final pages of this one. i know that pulitzers are usually handed out to nonfiction books with more worldly themes, but i am not sure we'll see, in 2009, a more powerful, revealing, and insightful meditation on what is clearly a growing world phenomenon. after i finished 'columbine' and returned to the novel i had been reading, i was struck by that recurring notion that, although novels can teach us truths that cannot always be revealed in non-fiction, more often than not true stories are stranger, more complex, and more visceral than anything that can be dreamed up.
'columbine' is the culmination of journalist dave cullen's 10 years of on-the-scene coverage of the infamous school shootings. cullen is perhaps one of the leading experts on the event due to this dedication to understanding every aspect of the massacre, the killers, their victims, the media coverage, the local politics, the path that led to the tragedy, and its aftershocks. the book is scholarly and authorative without being bookish and clinical, yet it is also gripping and explicit without veering into typical true crime sensationalism. cullen skillfully weaves together, via fast fowards and rewinds and numerous scene changes, the months leading up to the events, the media fallout, the histories and outcomes of numerous key figures, until the final chapters which end with descriptions of eric and dylan's 'basement tapes' (videos of their rants and final words), and the incredibly eerie reconstruction of their attack through their last seconds before their suicides.
the most notable contribution cullen provides here (there are many notable ones) is perhaps the tearing down of the myths associated with the tragedy. everything we have been led to believe about columbine is wrong. the media created their own narrative, their own motives, and fleshed out the killers and their victims with whatever seemed compelling. the media ran with it and we ate it up.
these killings were not about anger towards a certain type of person. these kids did not set out to kill jocks, bullies, or popular kids. music and video games did not fuel these killings. both of these kids were not of the same mindset. the 'trench coat mafia' was a bogus angle. this was not meant to be a shooting at all. it was meant to be a bombing. their parents loved them. they were intelligent and social and had friends and jobs. they were like many kids you see every day at the mall or hanging out at the pizza joint.
this is the worst nightmare for parents of any children. yes, it would be terrible to lose your child to a school massacre, but imagine your own child as the one who massacred. either scenario is unimaginably horrifying. they why's never stop coming. quite honestly, there is not one ingredient to this particular event that could be considered key. what we had here was a perfect storm. two kids with two different personalities and two different mental illnesses. two kids with very different motives, who wanted two very different things out of life. could the events have been stopped? yes. was there any one event or sign that could have single-handedly indicated that these events were actually going to occur? it's arguable.the sad part is that this perfect storm included several missed chances by several figures and organizations to follow up, to potentially unearth evidence of a conspiracy to commit mass murder. or better yet, to get these kids the treatment they so desperately needed.
cullen has provided us with an invaluable dissection of one of the most elusive tragedies in american history. every parent, teacher, law enforcement officer, every principal would be well served to pick this up. |
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reviewed by: ericS |
May 2009 [link] |
recommend 4 thumbs up
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complicated women: a look at pre-code hollywood
mick lasalle
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Ahhhhhh. I’m such a nostalgia buff. AND I love free women. This book was most excellent. I had seen a movie called “The Women” which is a great movie in that the entire cast is women, but I felt that although the characters were very well acted, women sort of got the shaft in a back-handed way. This book pronounces that movie as the deceptive nadir of women in film. I feel like I’m slowly awakening into realizing that I’m a dolphin trapped in a big, beautiful net and that I’ve been so since birth. I remember my teacher telling me how the more learned you get, the more you realize it’s all connected. This book reminded me both of Brave New World and that biography I read on the Prussian woman who married a Swedish playwright. That Prussian biography revealed a world in the 30's that I never knew existed: the one of freedom, debauchery, questing, ennui, etceteras so similar to what we’re living now but with a sense of hopefulness, joie de vivre, and innocence mixed in.
This book showed a time from 1910ish-1930ish when there was a freedom for women and artists and humanity that got stamped out by powerful sanctimonious conservatives.
This book reveals that women were indeed were the huge draw to movies and were BY FAR more successful, complicated, bad, and popular in movies than men. We read about all the stars of the “pre-code” day. Did you know that Cary Grant was in a movie about abortion (as the token boyfriend of course)? It seemed that moviemakers were responding and making movies about the reality of the human experience. When men cheated on women and wanted to come back, this era has the women showing their hurt and then telling the man to hit the road. Then the Hays Code eliminated all things real. (The only exception was film noir where everyone who was bad got punished and that was OK). The reason that all those happy endings and loving-at-all-costs-women were in the movies (and thus forming our thoughts for us of what is happiness) is that the Hays Code dictated it. Gone were affairs by women, pre-marital sex, lesbianism, etc. In their place was the sugar-coated dreamy Catholic values (Hays was one of those Catholics unlike JFK). It’s an interesting look at a short window of time. I’m valiantly looking for “The Divorcee” to rent. |
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reviewed by: kristen |
May 2001 [link] |
recommend 1 thumbs up
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complications: a surgeon's notes on an imperfect science
atul gawande
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This book is way more fascinating than its title suggests. Many of you may have read Gawande before. He is a regular contributor to the New Yorker, The Atlantic, and the Boston Globe Magazine. The chapters, or essays, in this book have mostly appeared elsewhere (several I had read in the NYer before I read them again here).
Gawande is a surgeon who teaches at Harvard. He is doing quite a bit of research on errors in surgery in an effort to improve many of the problems that plague American hospitals. Some of the things he discusses in the book are: 'Why does a small hernia specialty hospital in Canada have relatively miniscule number of complications compared to hospitals that do the same procedure here, and do hospital 'assembly lines' create burnout?', 'Do hospitals owe it to their patients to let them know that a the surgeon working on you will be doing this particular surgery for the very first time? -- if not, how will he ever learn?', 'Why good doctors go bad', etc.
The essays carry a little more weight and complexity since Gawande's own children have had medical problems that have created some conflicts within his own ethical belief system.
He is never dull, always incredibly insigntful, and completely sympathetic to the viewpoint of the patient. This guy, if he wanted to, could quit medicine and write medical thrillers (some of these pieces literally will have your heart racing to find out what happens (there is an amazing segment in which the author botches an emergency tracheotomy on a morbidly obese woman).
You may never want to enter a hospital again after reading some of these essays. But you may feel better knowing that some of the surgeons are as caring and as passionate about their work as this guy. |
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reviewed by: ericS |
April 2005 [link] |
recommend 1 thumbs up
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confederacy of dunces
john kennedy o'toole
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| I've always been told to read this book. I was told that it was my boyfriend's ex-wife's favorite book, so that stopped me for a bit. Then at my girl's slumber party several of the girls expressed oohs and ahhs over it, so I read it. It was a hard book to finish, but I'm glad I did. It has a very nice ambiance. After I read it I thought, "maybe I wouldn't be a great book publisher" because I don't know if I would have thought it was "the next huge thing". It was sort of anti-climatic when I finished, but the characters have really stayed with me (which is rare). I guess I liked the world created. |
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reviewed by: kristen |
September 2000 [link] |
recommend
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cooking for mr. latte
amanda hesser
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| A simply delicious book - I had to restrain myself from devouring it all in one sitting. Amanda Hesser wrote "Food Diary" for The New York Times Magazine detailing her dating and cooking escapades with "Mr. Latte" (New Yorker writer Tad Friend) and this is a compilation of those essays. Cute, funny, yummy and interesting, this is the best kind of book: Words about food with the recipes included. Besides, it's the prettiest shade of pink this side of Chanel and the illustrations are adorable (as my husband said "I can't believe I have a crush on a drawing"). There's some funky recipes calling for figs and what-not but plenty of perfectly delectable dishes. |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
August 2003 [link] |
recommend
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cookoff: recipe fever in america
amy sutherland
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| An expose, if you will, of the competitive world of cook- and bake-offs! Sutherland covers almost all of the most popular contests like the Pillsbury Bake-Off and National Beef and Chicken contests. She profiles some "contesters" which are people that in some cases have won thousands of dollars from these contests in addition to new kitchens and new kitchen appliances. This is a very interesting read about the history of American cooking and the cult following some of the contests have and a look at why recipes loaded with soup mixes are so damn popular. |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
July 2004 [link] |
recommend
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corpse on the dyke, the
janwillem van der wetering
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| This was a book I read out of rebellion. I should have been studying and completing my schoolwork, but alas. I finished reading it about four days ago. This was a very competent detective novel from our Amsterdam team. There were very profound movement, but mostly this was no "Blond Baboon" - in fact, the similarity to "Blond Baboon" sort of dulled the quality of both books in my mind - same smart but warped villian, same beautiful but nutty woman... This was a great escapist read. It takes place early in the series when the detectives are still a bit rough and stuck. The buddhism slant is hidden but evident. Fast read. |
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reviewed by: kristen |
December 2001 [link] |
recommend
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crawling at night
nani powers
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I was perusing through the new books at the library, and I
must say I judged this book by its cover. It’s very tasteful
with orange and pink stripes of different widths covering a
black and white photo of a naked asian girl. When I read the
flap (something akin to watching the giveaway previews of a
movie, but something I’ve learned to do as I have to carry
these books a mile back to my house) and it said that the
book covered longing and miserable lives in New York, I was
hooked. Turns out this is another one of those portraits into
miserable lives books. Who knew? Hmmm, I rather liked the
ambiance of the book as I’m quite interested in asian culture
and repressed desire and alcoholism and loss, but it was
similar to that Wally Lamb book in that it left me with just a
bleak trashy aftertaste. The desperate freedom felt by the
characters and the desperate restraint felt by others was a
good aspect of the book. The resolution of all this delusion
and longing was my favorite part. There’s a lot of sex and
despair. I’m not saying that this book sux, but I probably
won’t remember anything but the haunting ache of the sushi
chef later. It was well written, but perhaps a tinge shallow
and antiseptic. |
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reviewed by: kristen |
April 2001 [link] |
recommend
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crimson petal and the white, the
michael faber
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| For those of you who would have liked to had a little more dick in your Dickens, you can't go wrong here. The story revolves around a young prostitute in 19th century London, who goes by the name of Sugar. A married, wealthy, perfumer by the name of William Rackham has such a fascination with young Sugar, that he decides to take her off the market by drawing up an attractive deal with her Madam. This 800-plus doorstop of a novel should not scare you away, though. It's a blast, and you'll be amazed at how fast you plow through it. With a host of wonderful supporting characters, a saucy narrator, and Faber's dazzling recreation of the era, you'll look forward to getting cozy in bed with Sugar for a spell each night, and you'll wonder where in the Dickens she's been all your life. |
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reviewed by: ericS |
March 2003 [link] |
recommend 2 thumbs up
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crooked letter, crooked letter
tom franklin
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| Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is Southern fiction at its finest, portraying a Mississippi town steeped in mystery with drunk fathers, racial tension and chickens thrown in for good measure. Larry Ott leads a solitary life ever since high school when a girl he took out on a date disappeared soon after he met up with her. Another girl has gone missing and suspicions alight on Larry. When Larry is found shot one night, his former friend and town constable Silas works to solve the mystery of the current missing girl as well as shed some light of his own about the girl who went missing all those years ago. Despite some tedious sections, this thriller was hard to put down. |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
August 2011 [link] |
recommend
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curious incident of the dog in the night-time
mark haddon
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| Written from the point of view of Christopher, an autistic 15 year-old, as he tries to solve the mystery of the murdered dog next door. Along the way he solves other mysteries that he never even knew existed. Filled with neat little puzzles and facts and numbers that his autistic brain loves, this is truly a character you fall in love with as well as a mesmerizing tale. |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
September 2004 [link] |
recommend 2 thumbs up
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cutting for stone
abraham verghese
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The phrase "Cutting For Stone" comes from the Hippocratic oath: "I will not cut for stone, even for patients in whom the disease is manifest" which required doctors to diagnose patients without modern surgery techniques.
In the novel "Cutting for Stone", it is also related to the last name of the main characters as well as a multitude of other meanings. It's the perfect title for this book as the story itself exists on many levels and meanings. Spanning locations in India, Ethiopia and America as well as taking place over 40 plus years, the story begins with the birth of conjoined twins to a nun; one of the twins, Marion, is the narrator but as he and his brother, Shiva, are so close, we learn just as much about Shiva as well. Their mother dies in childbirth and they are raised by two other doctors where their mother worked. The father, a surgeon at the same hospital, flees the horror of the birth and therein lies much of the tale – the absence of parents, the presence of wonderful adoptive parents and the heartache, misery and joys of a third-world country's hospital. You can't help but love the wonderfully drawn characters and this long, epic tale means you get to spend a lot of quality time with them. As the author was first a surgeon, big portions of the book are medically technical but accessible and interesting.
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reviewed by: lisa may |
January 2010 [link] |
recommend 1 thumbs up
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