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The 10 Most Recent Dispatches
- The Bat Segundo Show: Stephen Fry
- The Bat Segundo Show: Deborah Scroggins
- Komen for the Cowards: Betraying Breast Cancer
- The Bat Segundo Show: Susan Cain
- Forgotten Writers: Dorothy Uhnak
- Dwight Garner’s Revisionist Ignorance: Ayaan Hirsi Ali
- Forgotten Writers: The Novels of John P. Marquand
- The Situation in American Waffles
- The Bat Segundo Show: Elliot Perlman
- The Death of the Heart (Modern Library #84)
Modern Library Reading Challenge
On January 10, 2011, Managing Editor Edward Champion pledged to read the top 100 fiction books from #100 to #1. Read about his progress as he makes his way through the Modern Library canon!
84. The Death of the Heart (January 6, 2012)
85. Lord Jim (November 30, 2011)
86. Ragtime (October 30, 2011)
Books To Jump Up and Down Over
The Call by Yannick Murphy: The always interesting author of Here They Come and Signed, Mata Hari returns with a novel that whips up a worldview from a rather quirky set of limitations: namely, the call logs that a veterinarian maintains as his son is unexpectedly put into a coma and an unforgiving economy denies him work. What emerges is a surprisingly optimistic, often funny, and very moving account on how one family uses acceptance and forgiveness as a way to atone for hard knocks. (Bat Segundo interview with Murphy)
Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber: Forget Franzen and Eugenides. If you're looking for a social novel that counts, Diana Abu-Jaber is the author you're looking for. Building from the free-form exploration of consciousness and identity in Crescent and the gripping procedural structure of Origin, Abu-Jaber's latest novel is her finest, equally fluent with gutterpunk culture and smarmy real estate men. It has been suggested by The Washington Post's Ron Charles that you will likely gain some pounds while reading this novel. This is certainly true. Abu-Jaber's description of food is so precise that it often made me want to do more cooking. But I very much admired the way in which Abu-Jaber presents all her characters as unwitting victims of rough capitalism, which permits them some dignity even as they perform terrible acts.
The Last of the Live Nude Girls by Sheila McClear: This memoir isn't so much about the decline of the Times Square peepshow, as it is about one young woman's efforts to pull herself up by by her bootstraps when presented with few economic options. Filled with self-introspective candor and a quiet dignity, McClear's story is one that might befall any of us in these volatile times. While McClear does get back on her feet, her book leads one contemplating the terrible fates of other young women now moving to New York and falling into deadlier vocations. (Bat Segundo interview with McClear)
Boyle, T.C. Archive
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BSS #70: T.C. Boyle II
Posted on October 15, 2006 | 1 CommentAuthor: T.C. Boyle Condition of Mr. Segundo: Dubious of state lottery programs. Subjects Discussed: Multiple genders, Lawrence Durrell, on whether Talk Talk is a thriller, Anthony Burgess’ The Right to... -
Next Up: The Coraghessan Pronunciation Campaign
Posted on October 13, 2006 | 3 CommentsThis blog has launched the Restore Coraghessan Campaign — “the official international movement to bring back the beguiling middle name of author T.C. Boyle to all of his dust jackets... -
A Boyle Manifesto
Posted on August 7, 2006 | No CommentsStorySouth: “But when you read Boyle’s fiction, you know the [Baby Boomer] generation for what it is: just a large number of individuals with individual stories and individual themes, all... -
T.C. Boyle’s Talk Talk, Part Four
Posted on July 19, 2006 | 1 Comment[EDITOR'S NOTE: This post concludes our discussion of T.C. Boyle's Talk Talk. Previous discussion: Part One, Part Two and Part Three.] Dan Wickett writes: Ouch, nice shot at the age... -
Corollary to Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold?
Posted on July 18, 2006 | 2 CommentsT.C. Boyle: “Bury your enemies, and bury ‘em deep.” (via Powell’s Blog) Of course, if stunts like this are the result of such philosophy, then isn’t there something to be... -
T.C. Boyle’s Talk Talk, Part Three
Posted on July 12, 2006 | 1 Comment[EDITOR'S NOTE: The table spins round and round. Where she stops, nobody knows! Today, Megan Sullivan and Gwenda Bond throw their respective hats in the ring. Previous discussion: Part One,... -
T.C. Boyle’s Talk Talk, Part Two
Posted on July 11, 2006 | 1 Comment[EDITOR'S NOTE: Our roundtable discussion of T.C. Boyle's Talk Talk continues, with Edward Champion jumping into the fray and Dan Wickett offering further thoughts. Part One can be accessed here.... -
T.C. Boyle’s Talk Talk, Part One
Posted on July 10, 2006 | 3 Comments[EDITOR'S NOTE: Here begins this week's roundtable discussion of T.C. Boyle's Talk Talk. Our first participant was none other than Dan Wickett, who offers this opening salvo. Part Two can... -
Oh Frabjous Day!
Posted on April 22, 2006 | No CommentsYour man has his paws on a galley of T.C. Boyle’s Talk Talk, to which he offers many thanks to the parcel gods of Manhattan. A very thorough response to... -
New T.C. Boyle Story in Harper’s
Posted on March 15, 2006 | 1 CommentI’ve just discovered that the new Harper’s (March 2006) has a story entitled “Question” by T.C. Boyle. -
Vollmann’s Editor Promoted
Posted on February 15, 2006 | No CommentsAccording to Publisher’s Lunch, Paul Slovak, best known for editing RotR faves such as T.C. Boyle and William T. Vollmann, has been promoted from associate publisher to publisher over at... -
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... -
Hiatus (Sorta)
Posted on September 12, 2005 | 1 CommentWe’ve been working our keisters off here. Two Segundo shows in the works (one we hope to get up tonight with a very special guest), with a third one on... -
RIP Mr. Monitor
Posted on January 11, 2005 | No CommentsOur monitor is at death’s door, we won’t be able to replace it for a few days, and we’re overwhelmed by the stunning response regarding the Star & Buc Wild... -
Deaths, Revivals and Roastings
Posted on February 29, 2004 | 3 CommentsHistorian and one-time Librarian of Congress Daniel J. Boorstin has passed on. Boorstin was best known for his American trilogy and his fascinating books on human innovation. (I highly recommend...