AltWeeklies Wire
'A Paradise Built in Hell' Explores the Utopic Possibilities Glimpsed in Disasternew
Perhaps the primary virtue of Rebecca Solnit's clear-headed new book is that it does not simply swap one interpretation of disaster -- as anticonsumerist reckoning, for instance -- for another, such as Jerry Falwell-style damnation. Solnit is interested in how people act in the aftermath, for better and for worse.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Max Goldberg |
09-30-2009 |
Nonfiction
If You're Not a Diehard David Cross Fan, 'I Drink' Will Likely Disappointnew
There are a few brilliant moments ("A Free List of Quirks for Aspiring Independent Filmmakers," "Ask a Rabbi," "Heaven," "Things to Do When You Are Bored"), but I Drink for a Reason is kind of underwhelming.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Liz Spikol |
09-28-2009 |
Nonfiction
Road to Somewhere: David Byrne's Energizing 'Bicycle Diaries'new
The underlying message here is that while bicycling may be a political movement, it can also be liberating and fun at the same time. I'm hoping Byrne's book now heralds bicycling's offbeat entry into the American mainstream, just as his wacky persona hit the big time thanks to our parents' taste in pop music.
The Portland Mercury |
Matt Davis |
09-25-2009 |
Nonfiction
Bookstores Fight Back With Instant Paperbacksnew
Battered booksellers have a secret weapon that they hope will continue to lure customers into their stores. Would you believe it's a machine that can print up a fresh new paperback copy from a menu of 3.6 million books?
Boston Phoenix |
Ethan Gilsdorf |
09-24-2009 |
Books
Literary Icon Margaret Atwood Discusses Imminent and Avoidable Apocalypsenew
For Atwood, the world of Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood isn't a wild flight of fancy, it's a future extrapolated directly from our present. While her books are not science fiction in the familiar sense they are undeniably fictions informed by science.
Fast Forward Weekly |
Brendan Harrison |
09-24-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Dan Brown's Latest Saga Thrills Until it Drops the Threadnew
The ending sucked. Sorry to be so abrupt, but I appreciate that this is a long review, and I appreciate that you might not finish it, and unlike some other book reviewers, I can't in good conscience discuss The Lost Symbol without bringing up the ending.
Las Vegas Weekly |
Rick Lax |
09-24-2009 |
Fiction
Harvey Silverglate Dissects Federal Prosecutors' Corrupt Justicenew
In Three Felonies A Day, the civil liberties watchdog's thesis is as provocative as it is simple: justice has become sufficiently perverted in this nation that federal prosecutors, if they put their minds to it, could find a way to indict almost any one of us for almost anything.
Boston Phoenix |
Peter Kadzis |
09-23-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
'Cheap' Tackles the Fraught Practice of Buying and Selling Cheap Goodsnew
For its catchy title and relatively few pages, Cheap is a weighty book. Shell reveals the dizzying connections between price and poverty, using statistics, historical accounts, and scientific and sociological explanations. She spent two years doing research, traveling to Sweden, the birthplace of IKEA, and China, "factory to the world."
The Texas Observer |
C.B. Evans |
09-23-2009 |
Nonfiction
Get Your Pencils Out for the Best Erotic Comicsnew
Erotic comics are a special breed of porn. Unlike prose, they can show as well as describe. Unlike photos, they're narrative. Unlike film, they have a limitless special effects budget. And yet good erotic comics seem in short supply. Here are a few of the best.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Justin Hall |
09-23-2009 |
Books
Three Comedians Scrawl Self-Portraits With Poison Pensnew
Lisa Lampanelli, David Cross and Russell Brand reveal different facets of their confrontational stage personae in new books.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
09-22-2009 |
Books
Rod Blagojevich's Book: Think Socrates, Not Icarusnew
The Governor isn't mythological material, though it contains plenty of myth. But it's a fine warning on the pitfalls of democracy.
Chicago Reader |
Mick Dumke |
09-21-2009 |
Nonfiction
Five Books That Have Helped Make This a Great Year for Short-Story Collectionsnew
They may be small, but short stories have been getting a lot of ink lately. It has been a banner year for new short-story collections, with impressive efforts from first-time authors and veterans alike. Here's the cream of this year's crop.
Las Vegas Weekly |
David Berke |
09-18-2009 |
Books
'Our Noise' Tells the Story of Merge Records, and Tells it Wellnew
The book is remarkably candid; it thoroughly examines interpersonal and financial problems, not just triumphs. Because of the candor, we believe the portrayal of Merge as a genuinely noble label, with an uncommon blend of ethics, frugality and business savvy.
INDY Week |
Brian Howe |
09-18-2009 |
Nonfiction
Mystery Man: Author Tony Hillerman's Legacy Lives Onnew
Hillerman began his career as a journalist for The Santa Fe New Mexican and went on to author more than 30 books, most of which were mystery novels set in New Mexico -- more specifically, Navajo lands. Hillerman died last October at the age of 83.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Charlotte Jusinski |
09-17-2009 |
Books
New Treats From Old Friends In Fall Booksnew
Margaret Atwood, A.S. Byatt, Philip Roth, Paul Auster, John Ashberry, and, yes, Vladimir Nabakov have new tales to tell.
Boston Phoenix |
Barbara Hoffert |
09-17-2009 |
Books
