"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter." —Mark Twain
“The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.” – William Gibson, Neuromancer (1984) The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet, by Reif Larsen The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet is an engrossing, impossible-to-put-down story of discovery and redemption, told by a child prodigy, a master cartographer at the […]
Last month I decided to read some banned books. I gave myself a year to finish the project. I’m sandwiching these books in with my regular reading, rather than tackling them all at once. One month in, I’ve finished four controversial books for children: And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell Looks […]
“As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams, he found himself transformed into a giant insect.” – Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis (1915) The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz I didn’t finish it, I’m slightly ashamed to say. It’s sort of a Dominican version of Catcher in the Rye. Four or five […]
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” – George Orwell, 1984 (1949) A Most Wanted Man, by John le Carré You know what you’re going to get with a John le Carré novel, much as you know what you’re going to get with an Elmore Leonard novel . […]
“A screaming comes across the sky.” – Thomas Pynchon, Gravity’s Rainbow (1973) Ritual, by Mo Hayder Okay detective thriller with a written-for-TV feel, entertaining but ultimately forgettable. I was far more impressed with Mo Hayder’s The Devil of Nanking. Pig Island, by Mo Hayder Still under the influence of The Devil of Nanking, I went […]
“Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins.” – Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita (1955) A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, by Dave Eggers Someone on Facebook tagged me with a literary poll. One question I couldn’t answer was: David Sedaris or Dave Eggers? I read and enjoy David Sedaris but had not read Dave Eggers, […]
“Outside of a dog a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.” — Groucho Marx Neuromancer, by William Gibson I’ve been working my way through William Gibson’s novels. This is my least favorite to date, but only because it’s so dated. Reading it, I kept flashing on Tron […]
“Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.” — P.J. O’Rourke The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: Volume !: The Pox Party, by M.T. Anderson An astonishingly rich historical novel, right up there with the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian. I am […]