Thursday, April 18 2013
In ‘Benediction’, Kent Haruf Once Again Writes with Brief but Perfect Grace
In Kent Haruf’s fifth novel, Dad Lewis' final summer has just begun. Most of his family has rallied round. But not his son.
Wednesday, April 17 2013
After Reading What Goes On ‘Behind the Kitchen Door’, Maybe We’d Better Eat In Tonight
We eat out to enjoy ourselves, to celebrate, or just to escape our own kitchens, now and then. But these stories of real restaurant workers and their lives will forever change the way you think about eating out.
Tuesday, April 16 2013
‘Smart Casual’ Tells You What Happened to Your Maitre D’
Documenting the sea change in fine dining from hidden kitchens and floral arrangements to celebrity chefs and free range everything: we've come a long way, baby.
The Dark Knight Is Finally Defeated by ‘Batman: Night of the Owls’
“Night of the Owls” is bad in almost every conceivable way. It’s derivative, thoughtless, and boring, a by-the-numbers crossover in which the same story is told over and over again until the last page.
Monday, April 15 2013
‘Frank Zappa and the And’ Takes Us Deep Into Zappa’s Universe
Zappa himself might have appreciated this work, which doesn’t attempt the usual tricks of trying to create or dispel a myth but instead focuses on the character of its subject, the richness of his work, and the beauty of his mind.
On the Long Haul Rather Than a Short Thrill: ‘I Do and I Don’t: A History of Marriage in the Movies’
This is an abundant survey of a modest genre. Marriage movies may not always be sexy, but they endure.
Friday, April 12 2013
‘NOS4A2’ Is Joe Hill’s ‘Carrie’
What sets NOS4A2 apart from a great deal of work in the horror genre, not withstanding its magic realist, almost Graham Joyce-esque touches, is that it's a work with smarts along with its adrenaline-rushes.
Thursday, April 11 2013
Big Data Is Your Future, and ‘Big Data’ Is Your Field Guide
Big data will change many things, but the road will not be linear, nor the miracles without misuse. Viktor Mayer-Schönberger and Kenneth Cukier define, demystify and bring big data into perspective.
In Pursuit of Penmanship: Philip Hensher’s ‘The Missing Ink’
How’s your handwriting these days? Would your significant other recognize your signature?
Wednesday, April 10 2013
The Lessons Contained in ‘The Little Way of Ruthie Leming’ Are Many and Heartfelt
Moving and emotionally complex, The Little Way of Ruthie Leming is a book about nothing less than the human condition.
Baudelaire’s Paris and Calasso’s Baudelaire: ‘La Folie Baudelaire’
Rambling across decades and art forms, Roberto Calasso finds room for jokes about Belgium and digressions on mistresses and breasts.
Tuesday, April 9 2013
‘Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald’ Captivates the Reader in the Best Possible Way
Novels fictionalizing real women are a growing market niche. Z surprises by being good.
‘Woke Up Lonely’ Is an Uneven, Sometimes Frustrating Novel
This is a story of a cult leader that tries too hard (the story, not the cult leader).
Monday, April 8 2013
‘This Explains Everything’ Doesn’t, But It Does Make You Think
Like anthologies of short stories or poetry that coalesce around a theme, the question of "deep, beautiful and elegant theories" forms the thread that wanders from interpretation to interpretation.
There’s a Lot to Admire in ‘I Would Die 4 U’, and a Lot to be Wary of, as Well
I Would Die 4 U is a fascinating curiosity, filled with great ideas, mixed messages, and a woefully ignored thesis. It's great for fans, good for casual observers, but mere trivia for just about anyone else.
Friday, April 5 2013
Not Even Bugs in Booze Can Diminish ‘The Drunken Botanist’s’ Charm and Wit
From the agave that makes our tequila to the lime we use to garnish said tequila, Amy Stewart’s beautifully styled and written book provides history, facts, and (perhaps most importantly) recipes for all things potent and potable.
Thursday, April 4 2013
‘Beautiful Souls’ Is a Thought-Provoking Study of Going Against the Grain
The four people profiled in Beautiful Souls all share something in common besides their ability to clearly see right and wrong in a world gone mad around them.
An Attempt to Rescue an Historian from Oblivion: ‘Adam Ferguson in the Enlightenment’
Iain McDaniel's work is a serious scholarly effort to assert the importance of a once significant historian.
Wednesday, April 3 2013
In Search of Lost Time: André Aciman’s ‘Harvard Square’
André Aciman's enjoyable, beautifully written novel tells about the highs and lows of academic life and adjusting to the rhythms of America as a foreigner.
Menace and Meh: Patrick McEown’s ‘Hair Shirt’
Patrick McEown excels at creating the rich imagery of nightmares and memory, but the waking relationships between the characters is tedious.
