Sometimes there is a moment or event, beyond your control, that changes your life. I specify beyond your control because there are several events that will change your life that you can choose – marriage, family, career – but there are many you can’t – abandonment, violence, death. This post focuses on the latter*. SoContinue reading “What Changed You? The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez”
Tag Archives: books
That Was Easy: A Top Ten List
It amazes me how many social (media) outlets there are. It further amazes me how people manage to keep up with them all. There is Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blogging, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+, Goodreads, LibraryThing, and many more. I use three of these: Twitter, Instagram, and blogging (though I have essentially defunct accounts for most). TwitterContinue reading “That Was Easy: A Top Ten List”
The Good Lord Bird by James McBride
I’d like to think I have varied interests. Think being the keyword in that sentence. Because at the end of the day I sometimes realize exactly how connected my little literary world is. And then my world seems significantly smaller and much less varied. I am not a person of many talents. It’s quite possibleContinue reading “The Good Lord Bird by James McBride”
The Universe in Miniature in Miniature by Patrick Somerville
Did you know that Albert Einstein originally used Gedanken experiments to explore his illegal sexual fantasies? No? Neither did I. According to the book jacket of Patrick Somerville’s excellent short story collection The Universe in Miniature in Miniature, it’s true. It is, apparently, a fun fact. Since these stories have elements of science (groan), didContinue reading “The Universe in Miniature in Miniature by Patrick Somerville”
Love, Lies, and the Internet: The Hypothetical Girl by Elizabeth Cohen
What initially attracted me to ‘The Hypothetical Girl’ was the title. Or, at the very least, I find the sentiment behind the title appealing. Despite being in the latter half of my twenties, I have no idea ‘who I am’. I’m okay with this, as I don’t believe anyone is one thing. What I struggleContinue reading “Love, Lies, and the Internet: The Hypothetical Girl by Elizabeth Cohen”
The Rathbones by Janice Clark
If Tim Burton collaborated with Charles Addams to rewrite and combine The Odyssey and Moby-Dick, you would get ‘The Rathbones’. Janice Clark’s singular debut, a gothic adventure novel set in New England, is one of the most intriguing new novels this year (for the imagery and originality, if nothing else). Lest you think I jest about the strainsContinue reading “The Rathbones by Janice Clark”
It Was a Dark and Stormy Night: A Top Ten List
Best opening lines. I’m going to spare you the traditional list of best opening lines. We all know them. You’ll find this week’s list devoid of Lolita (one of the best opening lines, ever), Pride and Prejudice, Moby-Dick, Rebecca, and Charles Dickens (most people cite A Tale of Two Cities as the best, I maintainContinue reading “It Was a Dark and Stormy Night: A Top Ten List”
Ablutions: Notes for a Novel by Patrick deWitt
A man walks into the bar… There are too many places to go with that, so I’ll take the aposiopetic approach… You are a thirty something year old man. You work at a bar that was once glamorous but is now notably seedy. There are various unsavory characters that frequent the bar; you observe themContinue reading “Ablutions: Notes for a Novel by Patrick deWitt”
Thinner by Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman)
Let’s talk about weight. Weight is, without a doubt, a heavy subject. (Sorry.) You could be overweight, underweight, or at a perfectly healthy weight, but I know very few people who are happy with what the scale says. I’m no different. I work out and am physically very healthy, but (sadly) I do not lookContinue reading “Thinner by Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman)”
Nobody’s Fool by Richard Russo
Life is but a joke*. Just ask Bob Dylan. I’ve recently had a string of rather aggravating, melancholy days. The shit has hit the fan more than once, to put it eloquently. Today was the final straw; I’ll set the scene for you. It’s 100+ degrees, not a cloud in sight – so it’s sweltering.Continue reading “Nobody’s Fool by Richard Russo”
flannel and folklore 