rant, rave & squaredance: word addictionwhat the hell--why not keep track of what I'm reading, too?A.M.- May 28, 2003 The Autograph Man, Zadie Smith--I didn't read this book when it came out last year because it was universally panned, but I just finished watching the BBC version of White Teeth (her first book, which I really enjoyed--and the miniseries was quite well done, too), so when I saw A.M. at the library, I picked it up; I'm glad I did. Definitely a good read, but one of those books in which the main character just doesn't get a break, it seems--I was just dying to see him dig himself out of his hole,.http://blogs.salon.com/0002085/categories/wordAddiction/2003/05/28.html#a140 I'm laughing, and then I'm not- May 23, 2003 All Is Vanity, Christina Schwarz--This book is pretty amusing, until the very end, when it reads like a cross between the script for an adult After School Special and a Lifetime movie. (Things fall apart! Oh, the horror! Oh, the opportunities to learn from the mistakes of others!) I particularly enjoyed the main character's descriptions of herself as a child, making these elaborate projects and thinking herself so far above her peers in her abilities...and although I normally don't say what...http://blogs.salon.com/0002085/categories/wordAddiction/2003/05/23.html#a126 oh mickey you're so fine- May 22, 2003 Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, Cory Doctorow--Fun little piece of speculative fiction. You could buy yourself a copy, or download a free copy in one of several formats here. Doctorow gets around the virtual world; he's outreach coordinator for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and co-editor of the ever-popular BoingBoing. The economy of the future is based on reputation, or "whuffie," which would certainly take care of that little problem we have with CEOs making so...http://blogs.salon.com/0002085/categories/wordAddiction/2003/05/22.html#a124 book o' the week- May 20, 2003 Good Faith, Jane Smiley--It's interesting how different Smiley's later books are from her earlier books--much funnier, less grim ("I am serious literature"), and just plain better, I think. It's like the difference between someone in an MFA program (albeit one of the better students) and a more mature, confident writer. Plus, I always learn arcane stuff from her books, and I find them interesting even when they're about something I'm completely uninterested in, like horseracing. I give...http://blogs.salon.com/0002085/categories/wordAddiction/2003/05/20.html#a119 more books- May 14, 2003 here are a few more novels I've sucked down in the past week: All Over Creation, Ruth Ozeki--This was a decent read, but if you haven't read any Barbara Kingsolver, or Jane Smiley's Moo, you should read those, instead. I guess what I'm saying is, this book's a wee bit derivative, but still entertaining. It is, however, quite predictable. Set This House in Order, Matt Ruff--This is my top pick of the week; it's much better than any description makes it sound like it would be, so just take...http://blogs.salon.com/0002085/categories/wordAddiction/2003/05/14.html#a114 fiction funk- May 6, 2003 Some people gorge on food when they're in a mood; I gorge on words. In the past week, I've read the following (thanks, in part, to a really good haul of new books from the school library--the good thing about university libraries is that the new fiction often goes unnoticed): Zen Attitude, Sujata Massey--The second in a series of Japanese mysteries that have recently been translated into english (well, relatively recently), but I think the author is originally Indian-American, and went to..http://blogs.salon.com/0002085/categories/wordAddiction/2003/05/06.html#a100 |