AltWeeklies Wire
Deflower Power: Mining the Depths of Reality TVnew
Erik Barmack nails the intricacies of reality dating show conventions in his debut novel. It's about a TV series called The Virgin, in which contestants have a chance to deflower an enigmatic woman named Madison.
The Village Voice |
Joy Press |
01-13-2005 |
Fiction
Best Books From North Carolinanew
Chosen as best book of the year is Blood Done Sign My Name, Timothy Tyson's detective-story record of the racially tense summer of 1970 in Oxford, N.C.
INDY Week |
John Valentine |
01-07-2005 |
Nonfiction
Abridged Too Farnew
In his account of his struggle with the tide of books he's bought, Nick Hornby tosses everything that is sacred -- but annoyingly fussy -- about book reviewing and communicates directly with readers.
Missoula Independent |
John Freeman |
01-06-2005 |
Nonfiction
Trail of Beersnew
Woody Kipp's self-portrait is essentially Act I in the story of his life, from his birth and immediate adoption to his participation in the American Indian Movement and the siege at Wounded Knee, S.D.
Missoula Independent |
Andy Smetanka |
01-06-2005 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Susan Sontag (1933-2004)new
Essayist and novelist Susan Sontag was the indispensable voice of moral responsibility, perceptual clarity, passionate (and passionately reasonable) advocacy: for aesthetic pleasure, for social justice, for unembarrassed hedonism, for life against death.
The Village Voice |
Gary Indiana |
01-05-2005 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Tags: 9/11, novels, Sarajevo, courage, Death Kit, In America, Six Day War, Susan Sontag, The Volcano Lover
Music to Our Eyes: Books That Rocknew
Six of the more intriguing books about music released late in 2004 are reviewed. They include Benjamin Nugent's shallow look at the life of Elliott Smith and an entertaining overview of British indie-rock in the '90s.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
01-04-2005 |
Nonfiction
A Feast of Diet Books, From Atkins to Okinawanew
Although any smart health professional will tell you dieting is a waste of time, regimens for losing weight will never lose their appeal. The latest onslaught of diet books features everything from a vegan lifestyle to the ever-present low-carbohydrate approach.
The Georgia Straight |
Gail Johnson |
01-04-2005 |
Nonfiction
Audioshave: What's Lost in the Abridgmentnew
Nobody really likes abridgments of audiobooks. The listeners who don't mind them are generally unaware of how much they're missing.
The Village Voice |
Lawrence Block |
01-03-2005 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
The Past Is Present: A Look Back at COINTELPROnew
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed Freedom of Information Act requests asking for government files on the surveillance and questioning of nonviolent activists involved with anti-war, environmental and free-speech groups. Do Americans really want to return to the days when peaceful critics become the subject of government investigations?
INDY Week |
Jon Elliston |
01-03-2005 |
Nonfiction
Young and Uninformednew
David T.Z. Mindich looks at why young people are tuning out the news.
Sacramento News & Review |
Kel Munger |
12-30-2004 |
Nonfiction
Our True Storiesnew
Ten of the best non-fiction works covered by the Phoenix in 2004, including books by Bob Dylan, Art Spiegelman, Alain de Botton, and Rachel Cohen.
Boston Phoenix |
Phoenix reviewers |
12-29-2004 |
Nonfiction
Personal and Political Conundrumsnew
A selection of fiction that Phoenix reviewers liked this year, including novels by Orhan Pamuk, Philip Roth, Edward St. Aubyn, and Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum.
Boston Phoenix |
Phoenix reviewers |
12-29-2004 |
Fiction
Dennis Cooper Steps Into a Publishing Voidnew
The Sluts brings to life a world that may be unfamiliar to a lot of people: one of hardcore gay sex that walks to the edge of brutal sadomasochism, often jumping in.
New York Press |
Jeff Koyen |
12-22-2004 |
Fiction
Tags: Sex, Little, Alex Kasavin, bottoms, Dennis Cooper, Peter Sotos, Selfish, The Sluts, tops, Void Books
Twilight of the Gods?new
Off his game, but we hope not out of the competition, Philip Roth can't sustain the premise of his audacious historical rewrite.
Seattle Weekly |
Tim Appelo |
12-22-2004 |
Fiction
Cartoonist Creates Art From the Ordinarynew
Our Movie Year contains some of the heaviest personal material Harvey Pekar has offered yet. It examines how overwhelmed he was by the prospect of long-delayed success.
New York Press |
Paul Buhle |
12-20-2004 |
Nonfiction
