AltWeeklies Wire
John MacLachlan Gray's Victorian-era Thrillernew
Like his previous forays into the genre, there's a lot more going on than the pondering of pale corpses in floppy cravats.
The Georgia Straight |
John Lekich |
01-11-2008 |
Fiction
Robert Bringhurst's Simple Elegancenew
Everywhere Being is Dancing: Twenty Pieces of Thinking is an assemblage of well-considered ruminations, each one distinct but also linked by their creator’s deep erudition and plainspoken literary style.
The Georgia Straight |
Alexander Varty |
01-11-2008 |
Poetry
2008 Fiction Contest: Made from Scratchnew
More than 200 local authors itched to win this year's contest. Only three scraped by.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Various |
01-10-2008 |
Excerpts
Tags: Excerpts
Beth Lisick Seeks Help in 'Helping Me Help Myself'new
When Lisick unleashes her inner snark, she's laugh-out-loud funny, but when she toes the book's tagline and earnestly tries to "fix" herself, she's boring, kind of annoying, and self-indulgent.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
01-10-2008 |
Nonfiction
Geraldine Brooks' Thrilling Yarn of Biblical Scholarshipnew
Her historical fiction, inspired by a recent real-life discovery, makes a speculative journey with the embattled Haggadah all the way back to its imagined creation in medieval Spain.
A New Collection From Colm 'Shortlisted for Booker' Tóibínnew
Tóibín is best known for his novels, but while those were propelled by intensities of exploration rooted in their subjects, the author here often seems to be chasing what Yeats once said he looked for at the end of every poem: the click of a well-made box.
Willamette Week |
Matthew Korfhage |
01-09-2008 |
Nonfiction
Devra Davis Discusses Carcinogens and Curesnew
In her new book, The Secret History of the War on Cancer, the head of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh unveils the ignorance and corruption that have plagued cancer research.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Chris Young |
01-07-2008 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Tim Flannery Moves From Global Warming to Animalsnew
For Chasing Kangaroos, the Australian professor and paleontologist dives into a marsupial milieu, and its relatively narrow focus may put off recent Flannery converts.
The Georgia Straight |
Alexander Varty |
01-04-2008 |
Nonfiction
A Master Pares Down the Craft of Cookingnew
Michael Ruhlman gives us the goods on everything from stock to omelettes to tools to salt in his tautly tasty new kitchen tome.
The Georgia Straight |
Angela Murrills |
01-04-2008 |
Nonfiction
Satan's Choicenew
This colorful, well-crafted historical tale of a bad cop and the corrupt system he served to death shows that the U.S. has been executing innocent people for a long time.
NOW Magazine |
Howard Goldenthal |
01-04-2008 |
Fiction
'Indian Summer' is a Great Read & Backgrounder to Today's Headlinesnew
Historical giants weave in and out of the years of high drama leading up to the British forces' withdrawal from India in 1947. But Von Tunzelmann reveals, often with comical verve, that many of those giants were grossly flawed.
NOW Magazine |
Howard Goldenthal |
01-04-2008 |
Nonfiction
Steve Martin: Philosopher in Bunny Earsnew
His just-published memoir, Born Standing Up, verifies what you always suspected -- Steve Martin never was your typical comedian.
Boston Phoenix |
James Parker |
01-04-2008 |
Nonfiction
Dark Prince Goes Down in Plamesnew
In his memoir, Novak attempts to justify outing Valerie Plame and other moral lapses, but his explanations are self-serving, to say the least, and not very convincing.
Jackson Free Press |
James L. Dickerson |
01-03-2008 |
Nonfiction
'Visual Shock' Explains Art-World Politicsnew
It's really valuable to have a well-researched, intelligent, even-handed, and educated analysis of the art controversies that have shaped the larger social politics of our often provincial-minded
Superpower of a nation.
San Antonio Current |
Diana Lyn Roberts |
01-02-2008 |
Nonfiction
Making Noise: The Composer's Cultural Predicament in the 20th Centurynew
New Yorker critic Alex Ross' book is a corrective for classical music history.
Charleston City Paper |
John Stoehr |
01-02-2008 |
Nonfiction
