Marie Brenner writes in her new memoir Apples and Oranges, “It is the tone I know well, hate and love, rage and need, all scrambled together.” A sister’s desire to understand her older brother takes her out of the city and into Washington State, better known as apple country. Coming from a journalistic background the book reads like Brenner is in a hurry, chapters are short, sentences even shorter, facts are thrown on to the pages in a flurry. The story itself is intriguing especially for those of us who have siblings, even more so with those that have a difficult relationship with their siblings. Apples and Oranges never fully grasped my attention but did continue to entertain and intrigue which made me return to the book until the end.
Win Butler stands on a balcony, with only a mic and the dark sky to keep him company, belting out the beginning lyrics of “Keep the Car Running.” Random answering machine messages are played from calls placed to 1-866-Neonbible, with some being messages of hope, some of hate, some of sheer desperation. There is also an awesome takeway show where the band is squeezed into an elevator and the beat is kept with the ripping of pages out of a book.
Miroir Noir was released by Arcade Fire on December 15th. It is a documentary on the band’s live shows, recording sessions, and random goofy moments. It covers the warming up and the cooling down. Intriguingly, it brings a sort of humanity to one of the most notable indie rock bands of the 21st century. If you are a fan of Arcade Fire then their 76 minute documentary is a must have.
Lewis H. Lapham is an American writer who has been the Editor of Harper’s Magazine from 1976 until 2006, apart from a short interim between 1981 and 1983. In 2006 he established his own journal on history, Lapham’s Quarterly. Since the early 80′s Lewis Lapham has not only worked on monthly publications but has written several books on the topic of history as well.
Theater of War is a non-fictional piece about 911 and how the government, as well as the nation, perceived events, our leader, and the inevitable conflict at our hands. Although Lapham’s work goes into great length and discursiveness, he is cognizant and assured. As Annie Dillard, a Pulitzer Prize winning author herself, has said, Lewis Lapham is “one of our most brilliant writers and thinkers.”
I picked up the first of this four book series 3 days ago, and within those 3 days I drank up those 498 pages like you had just offered me a bottle of water after I had been trudging through the hot desert for months. Stephenie Meyer has written an irresistible tale about two teenagers, one human, one vampire, and their love.
The way Edward Cullen, the main vamp, protects Bella, the main human hits all those female parts hard. Meyer paints their love, trust, and acceptance of each other into a beautiful journey that floats off the page and into your mind so smoothly it cant be a book. The story is equally exciting as it is mushy love stuff, from page one this story will have its grip on you.
Three years after Publishers Weekly claimed Stephenie Meyer the ” most promising author of 2005″ Stephenie has a best selling four book series, and a movie grossing over 70 million dollars in its first weekend in theaters. The books are as big as the hype around them, pick up Twilight and see for yourself.
Joan Didion is an American essayist, journalist, and novelist whose writing career spans well over 40 years. Her style is consistent with many commas and quotations, ramblings and interrupting thoughts. The Last Thing He Wanted, Didion’s 1996 novel serves as no opposition to the rule. The story revolves around Elena McMahon, a reporter who quits her job after the death of her mother and ventures to be with her father who is in need of much care. Somewhere in the process of doing a favor for her father, Elena becomes entangled in the position of an arm’s dealer for the United States government and finds herself in Central America unable to get herself back home.
Although not one of her more praise-worthy novels, The Last Thing He Wanted is a fast paced and suspenseful read where conspiracy and paranoia lurk around every page.
Who killed Wellington? This is the question that spurs Mark Haddon’s debut novel on a wild murder mystery adventure. Wellington is Mrs. Shears dog, and when her neighbor Christopher is found standing next to the dead dog he becomes a suspect in Wellington’s murder. No charges are pressed but Christopher, knowing it was not he who committed such a crime, sets off in search for the true culprit.
The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night-Time is told from the perspective of Christopher, a fifteen year old boy with Autism. The author does a particularly fascinating job portraying this voice of character. Christopher’s story is not only entertaining but educational, it allows the reader a unique chance to experience life through the eyes of someone with autism. It might feel slightly awkward at first but a few chapters in the plot builds and evolves leaving you restless to find out what happens next.
6,557 miles, two and a half weeks, 600 CDs and one man make Killing Yourself to Live one of the best books about death I have ever read. That might not be saying much, as I have read maybe 5 books about death, but trust me Killing Yourself to Live is good.
Chuck Klosterman takes the reader along as his traveling companion as he embarks on a curious roadtrip about rock-n-roll and death. His mission: to understand why one of the best career moves a rockstar can make is to die. ”Somewhere at some point, somehow, somebody decided that death equals credibility.”
The reader suddenly becomes Chuck’s confidante as he reveals his partying, love life issues, family stories and rock-n-roll legends who have met their demise. Published in 2005, Killing Yourself to Live is, in my opinion, a masterful piece of witty nonfiction, pop-culture literature.
“It’s a fine line between clever and stupid.. Yesterday I was clever. Beautiful notes flotaed from my fingers up towards the heavens. Today I was a wimp. Soft. Limp. Tasteful. Where did I go wrong? What were my crimes?” The Union Hall Basement, home to concerts, readings, magic shows, spelling bees etc, is a small, dark room decorated with random old paintings that makes you feel like you have just walked into a great aunt’s spooky living-room, minus the furniture.
The erie portraits and stale aroma of the joint can set up a book reading better than light dimmers and comfy chairs. I had barely heard of Dean Wareham and his bands Galaxie 5000 and Luna, but I knew just from the cover of the book that it would be an interesting night. I know, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but lets be honest everyone does, a good cover can lure you into reading a book you wouldn’t normally read. And so here I was, standing in a dark, dank basement, squished against a couple dozen strangers, waiting to hear a reading from a guy I knew little to no background about just because of a book cover.
Black Postcards gives the reader an inside scoop into the music industry, Dean’s recollection of growing up listening to rock-n-roll, personal struggles on the road and his family life, and a bands strife to become successful.
Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dressis a stroll through Susan Jane Gilman’s life. The book is one of spontaneous hilarity, honest human emotions, and a sarcastic session of reminiscent memories. It appears as if Susan has had one of the most well rounded experiences life has to offer. Hyppie Communes, Capital Hill, Jewish newspapers, and switzerland are some of the few settings the reader will travel to while breezing through this masterpiece.
Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress is divided into three parts: “Grape Juice and Humiliation,” “Not Just Horny, but Obnoxious too,” and “Reality Says Hello.” It is through these sections that Susan covers christmas pageants, sex, Mick Jagger, marriage and the Maharishi. ”We were a legion of balllerinas, and from then on, we spent virtually our entire time in Kindergarten waiting to pee.”
A Man Without A Countryis a smart and satisfying collection of short essays by the ever loved and revered Kurt Vonnegut. Known for his works of satire and black comedy, Vonnegut never disappoints. In this 2005 compilation, subjects vary from art to war and back to art again saying, “the arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable… it’s a way to make your soul grow… you’ll get an enormous reward. You will have created something.” This creation was intended by Vonnegut to be his final work, and until after his death in April 2007, when a number of his unpublished works were assembled into Armageddon in Retrospect, it was. Kurt Vonnegut wished for the world that, “100 years from now people are still laughing.” With your works, Mr. Vonnegut, they just might be.
Marie Brenner writes in her new memoir Apples and Oranges, “It is the tone I know well, hate and love, rage and need, all scrambled together.” A sister’s desire to understand her older brother takes her out of the city and into Washington State, better known as apple country. Coming from a journalistic background the book reads like Brenner is in a hurry, chapters are short, sentences even shorter, facts are thrown on to the pages in a flurry. The story itself is intriguing especially for those of us who have siblings, even more so with those that have a difficult relationship with their siblings. Apples and Oranges never fully grasped my attention but did continue to entertain and intrigue which made me return to the book until the end.
Theater of War
