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)
Roundtable Archive
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Stone Arabia Roundtable — Part Five
Posted on July 15, 2011 | 3 CommentsIn our final installment of the Stone Arabia discussion, we hear new thoughts from ten of our participants -- including Full Stop's Alex Shephard and a lengthy response from Dana Spiotta herself! -
Stone Arabia Roundtable — Part Four
Posted on July 14, 2011 | 1 CommentOur fourth roundtable installment features Susan Straight remarking upon the book after a death in the family, Porochista Khakpour coming to grips with her Los Angeles past and her academic present, Roxane Gay pursuing the issue of supporting women's writers, and Judith Zissman investigating memory. -
Stone Arabia Roundtable — Part Three
Posted on July 13, 2011 | No CommentsOur third roundtable installment features Lydia Kiesling, Paula Bomer, and more -- with thoughts on authenticity, early Internet culture, polyamory, and punk rock. -
Stone Arabia Roundtable — Part Two
Posted on July 12, 2011 | No CommentsOur second installment features a footnote-charged cover dissection from Darby Dixon, thoughts on reader obligation from Robert Birnbaum, insights into concession from Insulted by Authors's Bill Ryan, and connections to hoarding from Roxane Gay. -
Stone Arabia Roundtable — Part One
Posted on July 11, 2011 | 5 CommentsOur first installment features Edward Champion, Sarah Weinman, Levi Asher, and Diane Leach discussing artistic integrity, the music world, Ada Lovelace, Thomas Kinkade, Sontag, and public dissection. -
Sarah Hall Roundtable — Part Five
Posted on September 11, 2009 | 4 Comments(This is the fifth of a five-part roundtable discussion of Sarah Hall’s How to Paint a Dead Man.) Other Installments: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four More on... -
Sarah Hall Roundtable — Part Four
Posted on September 10, 2009 | 1 Comment(This is the fourth of a five-part roundtable discussion of Sarah Hall’s How to Paint a Dead Man.) Other Installments: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Five More on... -
Sarah Hall Roundtable — Part Three
Posted on September 9, 2009 | 5 Comments(This is the third of a five-part roundtable discussion of Sarah Hall’s How to Paint a Dead Man.) Other Installments: Part One, Part Two, Part Four, Part Five More on... -
Sarah Hall Roundtable — Part Two
Posted on September 8, 2009 | 2 Comments(This is the second of a five-part roundtable discussion of Sarah Hall’s How to Paint a Dead Man.) Other Installments: Part One, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five More on... -
Sarah Hall Roundtable — Part One
Posted on September 7, 2009 | 5 Comments(This is the first of a five-part roundtable discussion of Sarah Hall’s How to Paint a Dead Man.) Other Installments: Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five More on... -
Sarah Hall Roundtable Next Week!
Posted on August 31, 2009 | No CommentsThis is just a reminder that, next week, we’ll be devoting this website to a detailed roundtable discussion of Sarah Hall’s How to Paint a Dead Man. The discussion, now... -
Sarah Hall Roundtable
Posted on August 10, 2009 | 2 CommentsDuring the week of September 7, 2009, this website will be devoting its attentions to discussing Sarah Hall’s forthcoming novel, How to Paint a Dead Man. The novel, recently longlisted... -
Roundtable Discussion Coming in September
Posted on August 3, 2009 | 1 CommentAs any person keeping tabs on the publishing industry knows, there are so many high-profile books coming out this year that it’s difficult for some of the books that aren’t... -
Ellen Ruppel Shell’s CHEAP — Part Five
Posted on July 17, 2009 | 2 Comments(This is the fifth of a five-part roundtable discussion of Ellen Ruppel Shell’s Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture. Other installments: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part... -
Ellen Ruppel Shell’s CHEAP — Part Four
Posted on July 16, 2009 | 6 Comments(This is the fourth of a five-part roundtable discussion of Ellen Ruppel Shell’s Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture. Other installments: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part... -
Ellen Ruppel Shell’s CHEAP — Part Three
Posted on July 15, 2009 | 7 Comments(This is the third of a five-part roundtable discussion of Ellen Ruppel Shell’s Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture. Other installments: Part One, Part Two, Part Four, and Part... -
Ellen Ruppel Shell’s CHEAP — Part Two
Posted on July 14, 2009 | 7 Comments(This is the second of a five-part roundtable discussion of Ellen Ruppel Shell’s Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture. Other installments: Part One, Part Three, Part Four, and Part... -
Ellen Ruppel Shell’s CHEAP — Part One
Posted on July 13, 2009 | 16 Comments(This is the first of a five-part roundtable discussion of Ellen Ruppel Shell’s Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture. Other installments: Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, and Part... -
New Roundtable Discussion Date
Posted on June 22, 2009 | No CommentsLadies and gentlemen, for those eagerly watching the skies, there has been a slight change in plans. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will be discussing Ellen Ruppel Shell’s Cheap: The... -
Our July Roundtable Book Revealed!
Posted on June 18, 2009 | 2 CommentsLadies and gentlemen, during the week of July 13th, 2009, an intrepid team of journalists, unusual voices, first wave bloggers, and second wave bloggers will congregate on these pages to... -
Roundtable Discussion Coming in July
Posted on June 8, 2009 | 1 CommentIt came together at the last minute, but this website is going to be featuring a roundtable discussion during the week of July 8, 2009. For those readers who have... -
Flying Roundtable: Stage Five
Posted on March 6, 2009 | 6 Comments(This is the fifth of a five-part roundtable discussion of Eric Kraft’s Flying. Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four can also be read. Many thanks to Eric... -
Flying Roundtable: Stage Four
Posted on March 5, 2009 | 6 Comments(This is the fourth of a five-part roundtable discussion of Eric Kraft’s Flying. Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Five can be read here.) Edward Champion writes: “There... -
Flying Roundtable: Stage Three
Posted on March 4, 2009 | 4 Comments(This is the third of a five-part roundtable discussion of Eric Kraft’s Flying. Part One, Part Two, Part Four, and Part Five can also be read.) Kathleen Maher writes: Regarding... -
Flying Roundtable: Stage Two
Posted on March 3, 2009 | 7 Comments(This is the second of a five-part roundtable discussion of Eric Kraft’s Flying. Part One, Part Three, Part Four, and Part Five can also be read.) Matt Cheney writes: I’m... -
Flying Roundtable: Stage One
Posted on March 2, 2009 | 9 Comments(This is the first of a five-part roundtable discussion of Eric Kraft’s Flying. Here’s Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, and Part Five.) Introduction This week marks the release of... -
Roundtable Discussion: Eric Kraft’s FLYING
Posted on February 16, 2009 | 2 CommentsBeginning on March 2, 2009, this website will be kickstarting a lengthy roundtable discussion of Eric Kraft’s Flying over the course of the week. (For those hoping to follow along... -
Coming in March
Posted on January 13, 2009 | No CommentsFor those readers who have enjoyed our lengthy roundtable discussions of Richard Powers’s The Echo Maker, Nicholson Baker’s Human Smoke, and various other books, let it be known that, during... -
Human Smoke — Part Five
Posted on March 14, 2008 | 11 Comments(This concludes our roundtable discussion of Nicholson Baker’s Human Smoke. For previous installments: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four. (Many thanks to Julia Prosser at Simon &... -
Human Smoke — Part Four
Posted on March 13, 2008 | 11 Comments(This is the fourth of a five-part roundtable discussion of Nicholson Baker’s Human Smoke. For additional installments: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Five.) Jackson West writes: I dithered...