Friday, January 20 2012
Colbert’s ‘And Nothing but the Truthiness’: Now THAT, Alanis Morrisette, Really IS Ironic!
‘If you believe it enough, despite evidence to the contrary, then it’s true.’
Thursday, January 19 2012
Is Scandal Alone Enough for a Good Thrill Anymore? Alan Glynn’s ‘Bloodland’
'Bloodland' creates a cover-up of a cover-up, but forgets to tell us why we should care.
Mobile Ka-Ching: ‘The Impulse Economy’
This how-to manual for the business community prepares marketers and retailers for the coming age of the mobile economy.
Wednesday, January 18 2012
It’s Hard (Not) to Be Human: ‘What It Means to Be Human: Reflections from 1791 to the Present’
If in the past few decades, humanist inquiry has examined the disfranchisement of women, non-white populations and non-heterosexual individuals, the last few years have witnessed a significant shift in focus to subjects that have traditionally been described as non-human: automata and objects, for instance, and as here, animals.
‘Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage’: A Well-Known Topic Well Worth a Revisit
Hazel Rowley’s investigation into this most unusual presidential couple will have you glued to your chair, oblivious to the dying Christmas tree or niggling New Year’s Resolutions involving the gym.
Tuesday, January 17 2012
‘The Complete Record Cover Collection’: Vibrant Musical Illustrations from R. Crumb
A must-have collection for any Robert Crumb fan, this is a beautifully-produced collection of his album covers and other music-related work.
Warts and All: Mike Doughty’s ‘The Book of Drugs’
Former Soul Coughing frontman Mike Doughty's new memoir is unflinching, hilarious and honest, but not without its flaws. That said, it's still one of the best books you'll read this year.
Monday, January 16 2012
Bill Maher’s ‘The New New Rules’ is Nothing New
Maher is an insightful social critic, but his shtick runs thin over a book with far too much needless filler.
In ‘The Day Before Happiness’, Naples Hosts a Poetic Story of an Orphan Coming of Age Post WWII
Erri De Luca’s writing is a tender poetic narrative, treating things (Naples, the air itself) like characters, and weaving together a story comprised of waves of feeling instead of orderly plot points.
Friday, January 13 2012
More Popular than Jesus Christ: ‘Padre Pio’
Padre Pio does not come across as particularly likable; understandable, given his medical condition and the psychological complexity of his temperament, itself endlessly analyzed.
‘Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman’ Is a Magical Journey About an Amazing Woman
"I must acknowledge the extraordinary pleasure I have had in the company of the remarkable woman who has been my subject," writes Massie, "After eight years of having her a constant presence in my life, I shall miss her."
Thursday, January 12 2012
A Contradictory Man, A Contradictory Text: ‘Lennon: The Man, the Myth, the Music-A Definitive Life’
Lennon: The Man, the Myth, the Music—The Definitive Life contains an exhausting amount of information and critical opinion, but it is definitely not definitive.
Radicalizing the Musical and Racial Landscape: ‘Norman Granz: The Man Who Used Jazz for Justice’
Tad Hershorn pens the history of a man who situated himself in the middle of a burgeoning cultural movement and ignited the art.
Wednesday, January 11 2012
PJ O’Rourke Takes a Holiday from Relevance in ‘Holidays in Heck’
Legendary humourist PJ O’Rourke probably could stand some nice normal-type family vacations more than most. Whether they're good for his writing career, on the other hand, is a fairly open question.
‘Balzac’s Omelette’: Wherein Appetites Take Many Forms
Desire, hunger, rage and envy are knitted together into this complex web of humanity and Normandy hams, Provençal stews, and Ostend oysters punctuate the experiences.
Tuesday, January 10 2012
‘The Sense of an Ending’: A Jury of His Peers
A sense of an ending to Julian Barnes's Booker Prize-winning novel is ours to create.
Nadifa Mohamed’s ‘Black Mamba Boy’ Is an Oddly Airless Epic of Perserverence
As this fearless child travels from Yemen to Somalia to Eritrea, to Sudan and Palestine and eventually Egypt, the reader is swept away as well, absorbing the sensory impressions of each place in turn.
Monday, January 9 2012
A Stroll Down a Bloody Memory Lane: ‘The Hammer Vault’
Hammer was a company unafraid of pushing the limits of both bloody gore and sexual suggestivity, and many viewers have recoiled in delight and/or revulsion at one or another of the company's efforts.
Freud’s Couch, Scott’s Buttock’s, Brontë‘s Grave’ Is a Bit Cheeky, but Conservative
Given the chance to write any kind of book on literary culture, this Cambridge professor chooses dead, white male established figures, oh – and the Brontë Sisters (everyone’s token girl writers!). No boundaries broken here.
Friday, January 6 2012
The Malleability of Memory In Julian Barnes’ ‘The Sense of an Ending’
Julian Barnes' Man Booker Prize winning novel combines expertly crafted narrative with a unique depth of philosophical inquiry and psychological complexity.
