I’ve been under house arrest for a week, working in my office, but not going out cause of this rotten cold. Somehow, I never feel too lousy to read. Here’s the list:
Diary: A Novel by Chuck Palahniuk . This is my first by this (amazingly famous) writer and I liked it and hated it at the same time. Totally compelling, but a bit cheap and tawdry at the same time, with the implied fillip of being deliberately so, as in spoofing a genre. Okay, so what was it really like to read this book? Think Martin Amis rewrites Rosemary’s Baby, with the screenplay to be optioned by Reese Witherspoon.
Eastern Standard Tribe, a novel by Cory Doctorow: This one is good. Not great, as in plot gets really formulaic, but a in his understanding of people and technology and his ability to describe both are right up there with William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, and Neil Stephenson. Definitely reading the rest of Mr.D’s books.
Heart in the Wild, a Journey of self-discovery with animals of the wilderness, by Susan Chernak McElroy: Boy, was this a mistake. Not for me. Not when she goes off to talk to Mr. Elk all the time. Oops. Back to the library.
When Fools Rush In: Steve Case, Jerry Levin, and the Unmaking of AOLTimeWarner by Nina Munk. A friend who just left AOL said this was better than Kara Swisher’s book, so I got it, but I think I’m ready to put AOL behind me at last, which means I am probably not going to finish it. Just a little too familiar.
Nothing Makes You Free: Writings by Descendants of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, edited by Melvin Jules Bukiet. I can’t wait to read this!
My Life as a Fake, a novel by Peter Carey: This also looks great.
I’ve been under house arrest for a week, working in my office, but not going out cause of this rotten cold. Somehow, I never feel too lousy to read. Here’s the list:
Diary: A Novel by Chuck Palahniuk . This is my first by this (amazingly famous) writer and I liked it and hated it at the same time. Totally compelling, but a bit cheap and tawdry at the same time, with the implied fillip of being deliberately so, as in spoofing a genre. Okay, so what was it really like to read this book? Think Martin Amis rewrites Rosemary’s Baby, with the screenplay to be optioned by Reese Witherspoon.
Eastern Standard Tribe, a novel by Cory Doctorow: This one is good. Not great, as in plot gets really formulaic, but a in his understanding of people and technology and his ability to describe both are right up there with William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, and Neil Stephenson. Definitely reading the rest of Mr.D’s books.
Heart in the Wild, a Journey of self-discovery with animals of the wilderness, by Susan Chernak McElroy: Boy, was this a mistake. Not for me. Not when she goes off to talk to Mr. Elk all the time. Oops. Back to the library.
When Fools Rush In: Steve Case, Jerry Levin, and the Unmaking of AOLTimeWarner by Nina Munk. A friend who just left AOL said this was better than Kara Swisher’s book, so I got it, but I think I’m ready to put AOL behind me at last, which means I am probably not going to finish it. Just a little too familiar.
Nothing Makes You Free: Writings by Descendants of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, edited by Melvin Jules Bukiet. I can’t wait to read this!
My Life as a Fake, a novel by Peter Carey: This also looks great.