Books

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Friday, November 6 2009

The Death of Conservatism by Sam Tanenhaus

Tanenhaus elegantly argues that the American conservatism might be at low ebb, but that should not be expected to last. Nor should liberals (as prone to premature gloating as their rivals) even want it to happen.

Thursday, November 5 2009

The Music Room by William Fiennes

Those who suffer from epilepsy, their families and friends, can only throw light at this neuro-spectre, as Fiennes does, showing us Richard in all his damaged Richardness, a man who truly haunted a castle.

The Boy Next Door: A Novel by Irene Sabatini

Sabatini’s book exudes an authenticity and warmth that can’t come from an author’s imagination alone, but from a lifetime of listening and observing.

Wednesday, November 4 2009

The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd

A brooding, melancholy variation on the theme of Mary Shelley's classic novel.

India Exposed: The Subcontinent A-Z by Clive Limpkin

British photojournalist Clive Limpkin has a unique view of modern India in 100 illustrated essays from "Army" to "Zebu".

Tuesday, November 3 2009

Going Away Shoes and Ferris Beach by Jill McCorkle

One can’t help but draw a parallel between McCorkle’s work and the stories of A. M. Homes – just without the controversy or big gross-out that Homes reaches for.

Monday, November 2 2009

Swords from the Desert and Swords from the West by Harold Lamb

Heavy on history but with enough action to give aerodynamic lift, Lamb’s prose exemplifies and occasionally transcends the pulp genre.

Sunday, November 1 2009

Only the Super Rich Can Save Us! by Ralph Nader

Neither fiction nor fact, Nader's sprawling novel is another venue for the same political ideas we've heard, not an opportunity for creativity.

Friday, October 30 2009

Ultraviolet: 69 Blacklight Posters From the Aquarian Age and Beyond by Dan Donahue

Ultraviolet is a unique, informative and thought-provoking experience. And if I stare at these pages long enough, maybe they'll start to move.

Thursday, October 29 2009

Invisible by Paul Auster

Paul Auster is a spellbinding storyteller, sometimes thanks to, and other times in spite of, his post-modern narrative trickery.

Wednesday, October 28 2009

Automats, Taxi Dances, and Vaudeville by David Freeland

Freeland dreams of a New York that once was and never can be again, a city of pleasures now buried under strata of concrete, commerce, and neglect.

more Features

Wednesday, November 4 2009

Leaving Las Vegas and Leaving for Good

Using Ben in Leaving Las Vegas as a gauge to measure myself against, my life wasn’t anywhere close to as bad as it could be, but people who thought they had better control of their drinking than me still fuck their lives right up, so....

Nicholson Baker’s Enthusiasms and Passionate Obsessions

Nicholson Baker writes from his enthusiasms, which are many and ever changing. Among other things, his books have focused on sex, John Updike, public libraries, and pacifism and World War II. His latest, The Anthologist, is his love letter to poetry.

Monday, November 2 2009

How Far Is Too Far?: Navigating the World of Young Adult Fiction

In the world of "edgy" young adult fiction, there's a tendency to either bury real world consequences, or exploit the darker material for all it's worth. But where does that leave the young readers grappling with the content?

more Columns

Friday, October 30 2009

Can Tyler Perry’s ‘For Colored Girls’ Resurrect BAM?

Film adaptations from black masterpieces -- and the Chitlin Circuit -- are rejuvenating America's Black Arts Movement.

Thursday, October 29 2009

In from the Fog: Monstrous Fishermen in Popular Culture

To paraphrase Nietzsche, when fighting monsters one should be careful not to become one, but that’s a major reason why many people fish: to slay the proverbial dragon.

Wednesday, October 28 2009

A Ghost Story of Dubious Origins

No matter the vercity of the tale, The Haunting in Connecticut has just enough creep quotient to keep me engaged, especially since I grew up a few miles from the house.

more Blogs

Friday, October 30 2009

Graphically Speaking: These Ghosts Haunt Me Still…

Tuesday, October 27 2009

Monday, October 19 2009

Re:Print: The Gargoyle

Friday, October 16 2009

Tuesday, October 13 2009

Sunday, October 11 2009

Friday, October 9 2009

Wednesday, October 7 2009

Monday, October 5 2009

Friday, October 2 2009