EDF book review, recommendations, etc - the mbillie edition

[Subfallen]

But when Pessl doesn't aspire to any deeper sensibility than a schoolgirl's for 500 pages, I'm not exactly impressed. Great literature doesn't leave the difficult questions and exposition of giant concepts "to the reader", as Pessl does. (Quite literally in this case!)

Stylistically she is at least entertaining, which is why I finished the book. As for the plot, I wasn't even annoyed that she doesn't tie up the "loose ends"...not a good sign! A compelling story spring-loads its secrets with tension---we need them resolved.

[mbillie1]

Let's not hate guys. More reviews coming later on tonight, as I've finished a few more books...

Sedaris - <u>Naked</u>
Smith - <u>White Teeth</u>

[mbillie1]

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Oh, and:

<u>Being and Time</u>. Martin Heidegger (trans. Macquarrie &amp; Robinson)

Unreadable, first 300 pages are surreally trite throw-away,

Final Rating: 0/5 Stars

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this is awesome [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] lol

[Subfallen]

Good god, I just read the NYT review of Calamity Physics. WTF? Either Pessl is giving sexual favors to the NYT review staff or I am insane.

From the review:

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You could compare this road-tripping duo to Humbert Humbert and his Lo...

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Um, yes, you could, because both are viatic narratives; but that's the ENTIRE analogy, so...basically, what is WRONG with you?

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[Pessl's] prose...floats and runs as if by instinct, unpremeditated and unerring. A forgettable man is casually summarized as "an extra packet of salt one misses at the bottom of a bag of fast food"; teachers at Blue’s school have "the kind faces of mice"; lonely days "shuffled by like bland schoolgirls"; and a boy’s voice is "stiff as new shoes."

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"Instinctive" and "unerring"?? Pessl's stampeding metaphors are the WORST part of her prose, banal in their very garishness. Let's take a look at the subtlety of metaphor in a true master such as, I don't know?, NABOKOV:

"And as we pushed westward, patches of what the garage-man called 'sage brush' appeared, and then the mysterious outlines of table-like hills, and then red bluffs ink-blotted with junipers, and then a mountain range, dun grading into blue, and blue into dream, and the desert would meet us with a steady gale, dust, gray thorn bushes, and hideous bits of tissue paper mimicking pale flowers among the prickles of wind-tortured withered stalks all along the highway; in the middle of which there sometimes stood simple cows, immobilized in a position (tail left, white eyelashes right) cutting across all human rules of traffic." (Lolita)

You have actually read Nabokov in the last decade, right Ms. Schillinger? You sure you didn't just watch the movie? Wow.

[mbillie1]

Ok well, we get it - you didn't like Calamity Physics, let it go.

[Kimbell175113]

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Ok well, we get it - you didn't like Calamity Physics, let it go.

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Hey, so far it's his highest-rated book in this thread.

[Dudd]

So, I've started reading again, might as well post my thoughts here.

<u>Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets</u> -David Simon

If you've watched The Wire or the show based off of this book, Homicide on NBC, you'll know what you're getting. Simon trailed the Baltimore homicide unit for a year in the late 80's, and this is the day by day account of that year. It really is a fascinating book, both telling the tales of detectives who are consumed by 'stone whodunits' and lucky ones who solve case after case, stringing together a perfect year of one 'dunker' after another. You really get a sense for how the unit works, how idiot criminals can get talked into admitting their guilt when simply keeping their mouth shut would have gotten them off. Anyone with the slightest interest in the subject matter should read it, it's simply outstanding.

<u>Can I Keep My Jersey?</u> Paul Shirley

If you've ever wondered what a completely self involved basketball player thought about while sitting at the end of the bench, this is the book for you. Shirley played ball at Iowa State and then bounced around Europe, minor league ball, and eventually NBA garbage time. You'd think this would be pretty interesting, but the entire book pretty much revolves around Shirley pointing out how much smarter he is than the rest of his teammates, how stupid people who believe in religion are, how tough it is to be a white basketball player, and how much Europe sucks for being different than the US. You'd think that someone who accepted a job in Siberia in the winter for something like 30 grand a month would realize that it would be cold there and would be able to not constantly complain about it, but he does. Since he pretty much hates most of his teammates, there are no interesting stories about crazy NBA parties. I think the craziest thing he did was go to a concert the night before a game because he figured as the 12th man, it wouldn't make a difference if he was slightly tired. The few semi-interesting stories he has about fights in the locker room, he changes the names to protect those involved, which pretty much ruins the whole NBA insider part since I could easily come up with a story involving random people shouting at one other. Stay away unless you really like basketball.

[Neko]

I just finished Mirukami's Wind up Bird and South of the Border.

I really enjoyed both of these books. Mirukami's writing is really unique. It is simple yet has a dreamy kind of feeling too it, tough to explain.

Wind up Bird chronicle had lots of interesting characters and plot lines but the ending, or lack there of, put me on life tilt for a couple of days. I really felt like everything was coming together, and then the book just ends with lots of questions left.

South of the Border was amazing. Not really much to say about it...just a really stunning book about one mans life and it's the first book I've read it in one sitting in a long time.

[mbillie1]

Awesome, I'm glad you liked the Murakami!