Books To Jump Up and Down Over
Magic Hours by Tom Bissell: This marvelous collection of essays chronicles everything from film shoots to novelists rescued from oblivion. (The essay on the Underground Literary Alliance, with its portrait of raucous factions, unexpectedly reveals how soft today's literary world has become.) But if you peer between the cracks of these smart pieces, you may very well see how cultural lives are formed from the most unexpected life choices. And as we follow Bissell's development as a writer over the years, that goes for Bissell as well. (Bat Segundo interview with Bissell)
Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway: Harkaway's latest novel greatly improves on his previous book, The Gone-Away World, which I'm already on record as praising. Angelmaker adopts genre elements without ever feeling like a genre book, and it leads me to believe that Harkaway is well on his way to a narrative grace close to China Miéville's. Yet inexplicably this very fun book, which includes an eightysomething badass named Edie Banister, a mysterious mechanical object that may destroy the world, farcical scenarios involving lawyers and the police, and some unexpectedly moving moments about fatherhood, doesn't appear to be getting much attention in American newspapers. Nothing from the snobs at The New York Times Book Review, nothing from The Washington Post. And since I can't get Harkaway on Bat Segundo, I hope this Jump Up and Down mention gets you hopping as well.
The Age of Insight by Eric Kandel: Unless you're really pressed for time, forget Jonah Lehrer. If you want to understand creativity and its relationship to neuroscience, then the bowtie-wearing Nobel laureate is your man. In addition to being a physically beautiful book (you will drool over many of the paintings), there are helpful overviews on optical illusions, science, biographical backgrounds, and many vital figures from the Vienna Secession. Kandel's enthusiasm (and his call for greater unity between the humanities and science) is contagious.
Archive for October, 2005
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NaDruWriNi Naught Five
Posted on October 24, 2005 | 1 CommentFolks who read this blog last year know that I shamelessly participated in National Drunken Writing Night (aka “NaDruWriNi”), along with Gwenda Bond. The results here weren’t very lucid, and... -
Just Don’t Forget to Use Alt-Tab When the Boss is Coming
Posted on October 24, 2005 | 1 CommentEveryone seems to be pointing to this Advertising Age article about how U.S. workers will waste 551,000 years reading blogs. Well, what the article doesn’t say is that businesses will,... -
Slow Reader
Posted on October 23, 2005 | 7 CommentsHow Fast Do You Read?: “You read between 350-400 words per minute. Well above average reading level. (The average rate is between 200 – 250 words per minute.) It is... -
When You’re a Press Release, You’re a Press Release All the Way
Posted on October 23, 2005 | No CommentsMediabistro Still in Operation October 22, 2005 Mediabistro, now in the practice of issuing press releases any time the earth rotates, is still in business mere days after Elizabeth Spiers’... -
Because Hatred Needs Cute and Cuddly Teeny-Boppers
Posted on October 22, 2005 | No CommentsABC News: “Known as ‘Prussian Blue’ — a nod to their German heritage and bright blue eyes — the girls from Bakersfield, Calif., have been performing songs about white nationalism... -
Leon Wieseltier’s a Big Fan of Taiwanese Pop
Posted on October 22, 2005 | No CommentsThere are no words to describe this. (via MeFi) -
Bill’s Excellent Adventure
Posted on October 22, 2005 | 1 CommentThis interesting Bill Murray profile doesn’t explain why Murray transformed himself into such an asshole to portray Hunter S. Thompson in Where the Buffalo Roam, but it does describe much... -
‘Tis the Season for Filmcrit Compilations
Posted on October 22, 2005 | 2 CommentsWhile the blogosphere din has been abuzz about Ron Hogan’s forthcoming The Stewardess is Landing the Plane! and John Scalzi’s The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies, there’s another film criticism... -
The New Yorker: Is Criticism Being Deliberately Abbreviated?
Posted on October 21, 2005 | No CommentsA good critic would tell you why a film is boring. A good critic would keep the plot summary as brief as possible and cite specific examples for why he... -
Too Busy
Posted on October 21, 2005 | No CommentsThis morning, I found myself in a madhouse. Nothing to worry about. I’ve been through this before. But the flying projectiles and frequent epithets have severely hindered any future posts.... -
A Supposedly Simple Pairup Not Likely To Happen Again
Posted on October 20, 2005 | 1 CommentAt the Lannan Archives, there’s an audio interview with David Foster Wallace interviewed by Dalkey’s John O’Brien. What’s crazy is that he interviews Richard Powers in the same sitting. I... -
Four of the Apocalypse
Posted on October 20, 2005 | 1 CommentInspiration for Photo:: Four of the Apocalypse (1962), directed by Lucio Fulci. Plot Outline (from IMDB): Four petty criminals, three men and a women, wander through the trackless terrain of... -
Saddam Confuses Courtroom with Comedy Club; Performs “Take My Harem, Please!” Act in Front of Judge
Posted on October 20, 2005 | 2 Comments -
DeLay to Mug Shot Camera: “No Nick Nolte Here!”
Posted on October 20, 2005 | 1 CommentHe seems quite happy, doesn’t he? [TMFTML takes the Nolte/DeLay thing one step further.] -
Hypertext Fiction: Dead or Alive?
Posted on October 20, 2005 | 5 CommentsI alluded to Robert Coover’s Litquake[1] appearance at Elbo Room in the previous post. But what I failed to mention was Andrew Sean Greer‘s introduction for Coover. Greer, who despite... -
We’re Not In…
Posted on October 20, 2005 | No CommentsWe’re not in New York, but if you are, Emily Gordon points us to a Katrina benefit going down this Sunday at some place called Camaje. Again, we’re not in... -
Strange
Posted on October 19, 2005 | No CommentsApparently, some folks are having sex while sleepwalking. Phone sex operators are being outsourced to India. I knew that train groping was a problem in Japan, but I didn’t realize... -
My Successful Friends
Posted on October 19, 2005 | No CommentsFunny stuff, which could easily be transposed to the freelance writing world. -
Roundup
Posted on October 19, 2005 | No CommentsWho was Henrik Ibsen? (via Book Ninja) At the Frankfurt Book Fair, Korean publishing has been a dominant presence. Are zines still viable? Another year, another theory about who might... -
New Literary Blogs
Posted on October 19, 2005 | 1 CommentFor those interested in thinking outside of the box (i.e., sick of reading the usual suspects), here are a few literary blogs I’ve recently stumbled upon : Notes on Non-Camp... -
Strunk and White: Now Available for Prada Regulars
Posted on October 19, 2005 | No CommentsThe Elements of Style gets an illustrated edition, baffling high school students and English majors everywhere who were denied the purty colors when they went to school. Hard-hearted writing instructors,... -
Birnbaum Alert
Posted on October 19, 2005 | No CommentsBob “He Puts the Cream In Your Coffee But Asks You First In Case You Take It Black” Birnbaum talks with recent MacArthur fellow Jonathan Lethem. There’s also a sweet... -
A Short List of Words That Inexplicably Turn Me On
Posted on October 19, 2005 | No CommentsFrom today’s edition of TMI Linguistics: librarian sizzle crackle Molly (and yet, strangely enough, I’ve never dated a Molly; likely because I’m terrified that the frequent use of this word... -
Every MP3 Who’s Any MP3
Posted on October 19, 2005 | No CommentsLet it not be said that Gerard Jones ever rested on his laurels. Mr. Jones has now finished recorded every chapter of Ginny Good and made them publicly available. -
The Bat Segundo Show #10
Posted on October 19, 2005 | 2 CommentsAuthor: T.C. Boyle Condition of Mr. Segundo: Terse, conserving energies for a drink. Subjects Discussed: Boyle as one of the original bloggaz, how Boyle arranges his short stories for his... -
America: A Nation of TV-Watching Zombies?
Posted on October 18, 2005 | 1 CommentThis information from Nielsen Media Research (PDF) can’t possibly be right. The average American watches 8 hours and 11 minutes per day? Okay, let’s say the average American works from... -
1986 Was Nineteen Years Ago…Thank Goodness
Posted on October 18, 2005 | 1 Comment“You Got the Touch” -
How Not to Solicit Litbloggers
Posted on October 18, 2005 | 1 CommentM.J. Rose may have received a strange letter with two unwanted galleys, but I believe that I can top her. For I received an equally baffling letter accompanying a package... -
Apparently, Sly Forgot About the “Get Carter” Remake Bombing
Posted on October 17, 2005 | No CommentsSylvester Stallone is returning to the role of Rocky Balboa for Rocky VI. In this installment, Rocky will apparently confront John Rambo, leaving both men to wonder why their collective... -
Roundup
Posted on October 17, 2005 | 1 CommentSoft Skull now has a blog, demonstrating to the world that Dan Wickett may have some competition from Richard Nash in the We Never Sleep Department. If there was any...