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)
King, Stephen Archive
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Cultural Name Dropping in Stephen King’s Under the Dome
Posted on December 15, 2009 | 9 CommentsFor the purposes of this list, some of the more oblique cultural references have not been included, nor have references to networks (CBS or CNN), newspapers (The New York Times),... -
Stephen King and “Literary” Aspirations
Posted on October 29, 2008 | No CommentsSalon’s John Marks recently talked with Stephen King on the occasion of The Stand‘s 30th anniversary, where King has revealed that he has written “a very long book” called Under... -
Short Story vs. First Chapter
Posted on December 12, 2007 | No CommentsStephen King’s editor Chuck Verril demonstrates the parallels between the first chapter of Duma Key and a story called “Memory” which appeared in Tin House. -
The Mist
Posted on November 23, 2007 | 7 CommentsWhile the majority of the American moviegoing public took in family fare like Enchanted, our humble party was compelled to check out Frank Darabont’s adaptation of The Mist. We figured... -
Stephen King: Stuck in Literary Limbo?
Posted on September 12, 2006 | No CommentsC. Max Magee on the Stephen King interview in the latest Paris Review (only partially available online): “What interests me, though, is how King has graduated from the bestseller list... -
Shining Through
Posted on January 4, 2006 | 1 CommentPlaybill: “Rocker John Mellencamp spent much of November working on The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, a new ‘play with music’ the singer-songwriter is collaborating on with novelist Stephen King.”... -
Morning Roundup
Posted on August 8, 2005 | 1 CommentDoes the apple fall far from the tree? Owen King would prefer that nobody knew about the apple at all. Owen is Stephen King’s son and has a new book... -
Morning Linkage
Posted on June 23, 2005 | No CommentsI’m trying my best to post lengthy entries (and reply to the email backlog), but other obligations have kept me firmly bogged. In the meantime, here’s some morning linkage: David... -
Afternoon Tea
Posted on January 4, 2005 | 3 CommentsDean Koontz’s dog has written a book: a chapbook-sized ode to lapping toilet water. An inmate has sued Stephen King for The Green Mile, claiming that there are, in fact,... -
Disappearing Books & Some People Just Don’t Understand
Posted on January 3, 2004 | No CommentsIn Singapore, Starbucks cafes have initiated a used-book program to get people reading. Read a book, drop it off at a Starbucks, and get $1 off a drink. Of course,...