Welcome to the Books archives. The posts are listed in chronological order. Click the post title to read more.
It’s impossible to review Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique in 2010. I’ve been trying to come up with the words for weeks now. Women have gotten PhDs dissecting this book, what it meant to women in 1963, and the repercussions of its publication. I cannot measure its goodness or badness in a few pithy sentences. [...]
I’m thinking about joining the ranks of those boring, jackassy literary pundits who warn about the impending death of something: publishing, the novel, the short story, the traditional book, and everything else you love hold dear. What am I declaring the death of? Story. Or at least good, engaging stories. Off the top of my [...]
Right before her ninth birthday, Rose has a bite of a lemon cake her mom baked. It was a practice cake to make sure the recipe was right for the big occasion, Rose’s birthday. In that bite, Rose is overcome with her mom’s feelings of loneliness and emptiness. Rose’s magical power — tasting the emotions [...]
Do you have that friend in your life who, depending on the day and your mood, you are either madly in love with or so annoyed by you want to shove him in front of a bus? After reading Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life, I’m pretty convinced that if Steve Almond were my [...]
So I’m in love. The pathetic kind of love where you pounce on every opportunity to spout about your lover. It’s the kind of love where even if talking about him doesn’t quite fit into the conversation I will wedge his name and what he thinks about something right in there. I know it’s annoying. [...]
I was so excited to read Scott Pilgirm’s Finest Hour, the sixth and final volume in the series, that even though I had ordered it for ridiculously cheap, the moment I got near Big Brain Comics last Tuesday I caved and bought another copy. There was no way in hell I was going to be [...]
Warning: Bold proclamation ahead, proceed with caution. Thus far, six months into the year, Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad is my second favorite novel of 2010 (Peter Bognanni’s The House of Tomorrow is my favorite so far). A novel comprised of linked short stories that circle around record exec Bennie Salazar and [...]
Usually when I discover books based on the author’s Largehearted Boy Book Notes essay, it’s something about the music he or she choose that captures my attention. Or, most likely, the author picks music that I really like and I figure since they have good taste in music they must be able to write a [...]
Beezus is nine and she’s got a bratty handful of a four-year-old sister, Ramona. Beezus likes to embroider pot holders, read books, and take art classes. Ramona likes to ride her tricycle in the house while playing the harmonica, wander off in search of the end of the rainbow, and bug the crap out of [...]
Since I have encouraged everyone I know to go back and re-read the books they were younger, my Rock & Roll Bookclub chose J.D. Salinger’s Franny and Zooey for our May read. It is one of my sister Ericka’s favorite books. I’m not entirely sure why, especially when you consider she’s a pretty devout Atheist. [...]
So yeah, I Will Dare is going to be 10 on Saturday. To mark this momentous occasion I’m going to be making random Top 10 lists that may or may not have anything to do with the past 10 years. Today’s list, Favorite Books. It’s a little known fact that I’ve been keeping a list [...]
I wanted to read American Widow by Alissa Torres ever since I spied it on Largehearted Boy’s list of favorite graphic novels of 2008. When it arrived in a big box of books David sent me I was giddy. I was intrigued for years by the bare bones of the story — young woman loses [...]
It’s taken me over 72 hours to find the words to explain what happened on Thursday. Thursday started out like most any other day — peanut butter, apples, a little work, a little bit of “Roseanne.” But then the afternoon came and while trolling through the Google Reader I tripped over a link to Sweet [...]
The last time we visited our favorite Canadian Hipster doofus, he was getting in deep with Ramona Flowers, she of the seven evil exes. So deep that the couple has shacked up. What? Our favorite slacker has gotten a job and a live-in girlfriend? How can this be. Alas, it is s. But no need [...]
Every time I start to write about one of the books in the Scott Pilgrim series, I thumb through the book to refresh my memory. Without fail, each page I land on brings a giant smile to my face. It’s probably my job as a “reviewer” (in quotes because I’m not sure I really review [...]
MN Reads PW.net
