Thursday, December 17 2009
Commonwealth by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri
In this culmination of the trilogy that began with Empire and continued with Multitude, Hardt and Negri map a space neither private nor public, a realm outside the clutches of global capital.
Box 21 by Anders Roslund, Borge Hellstrom
Box 21 teaches a hard truth, forces us to admire people we cannot like, to see when we'd rather turn away.
Wednesday, December 16 2009
The Roman Forum by David Watkin
This insightful exploration of the seat of Roman power reveals a deeper, richer historical narrative than one might imagine.
High Society: The Life of Grace Kelly by Donald Spoto
In keeping with his subject's favorite accessory, Spoto's book wears white gloves
Tuesday, December 15 2009
Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro
The stories reflect both the saturation and the irony indicated in the title: The world of this book is simply the other side of the coin, or the opposite of happiness.
No Impact Man by Colin Beavan
Both the book and Beavan are likable because he's unabashedly naive, and we can share his journey, not just read a polemic.
Monday, December 14 2009
The Stooges: The Authorized and Illustrated Story by Robert Matheu
If the goal is to provide a biographical sketch for the casual fan and some eye candy to peruse while getting high and listening to Funhouse, this easily succeeds.
Look at the Birdie: Unpublished Short Fiction by Kurt Vonnegut
A collection of previously unpublished works that Vonnegut wrote in the '50s or thereabouts.
Friday, December 11 2009
Communities of Play: Emergent Cultures in Multiplayer Games and Virtual Worlds by Celia Pearce
Pearce’s book illuminates the power of play and the impact of culture, and puts a spin on our perception of the immigrant experience.
The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy, and the History of Comic Book Heroines by Mike Madrid
In costume, men retain their adult status, e.g., Batman and Superman. But their female counterparts, no matter how well suited-up for battle, are always 'girls'.
Thursday, December 10 2009
What Would Susie Say?: Bullsh*t Wisdom about Love, Life and Comedy by Susie Essman
Part stand-up routine and part autobiography, Susie Essman offers her unfettered opinion on how to live and laugh while you're doing it.
Under the Dome by Stephen King
Not even The Stand had so many major characters come to gruesome ends.
Wednesday, December 9 2009
Photography Degree Zero: Reflections on Roland Barthes’s Camera Lucida by Geoffrey B
The areas from which Camera Lucida is approached are pleasingly varied, ranging from psychoanalysis to Buddhism, and figures such as Freud, Benjamin and Proust are brought into play.
The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk
Just as Dostoyevsky did in critiquing a Russia that looked outward to Europe rather than inward to find its soul, Pamuk portrays an upper class that takes its cues from the West, while threatening to dislodge itself from its native culture.
Tuesday, December 8 2009
The Interrogative Mood: A Novel? by Padgett Powell
If Padgett Powell's new book is a novel, in some Dada sense of the word, it looks awfully similar to a list.
Free for All by Kenneth Turan, Joseph Papp
A lively if somewhat arbitrary history about the hero behind so much of what we know as modern American theater.
Monday, December 7 2009
Saint John of the Five Boroughs by Edward Falco
This is another dilemma of postmodern realism in fiction: the culture which insists that everything is important saturates the form of the novel itself.
1989: The Struggle to Create Post-Cold War Europe by Mary Elise Sarotte
Fall of the Wall, 1989: A brilliant account of a Europe transformed.
Friday, December 4 2009
Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon
Chabon's conservative leanings are couched, perhaps paradoxically, in a hope that all children will develop into liberated adults.
The Khaarijee: A Chronicle of Friendship and War in Afghanistan by J. Malcolm Garcia
If you’ve ever wondered how you might experience Afghanistan, then this is the book for you.
