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The Worm
Forgives the Plough
is actually made up of two seperate books; While Following
the Plough and Down to Earth. His writing is somewhere
between E.B.
White and Henry
Thoreau. From learning the ropes
of being a farmhand or just appreciating nature, Collis has
a unique and tender voice that is as comfy as a warm quilt
on a cold night. (finished
08/01/03)
 Fante/Mencken:
A Personal Correspondence 1930-1952. H.
L. Mencken, the famous journalist
and editor of the American Mercury, and John
Fante, the novelist/screen writer,
"never met, but they communicated through letters over
a 22 year period beginning when Fante was 21 and Mencken was
50." I found it a really good read. There were problems
though, the was a bit short and I believe this was because
they didn't really correspond
there were no letters between them from 1941-1950, none in
1939 and really only one letter in August of 1930. That makes
it a seven year exchange. I also can't figure out why Fante
insisted on lying to Mencken about his age, it served no purpose
that I can see other than as an attempt to make himself look
more mature than he was. As I said I liked it but in the future
I'll stick to full collections of these author's letters separately
or just stick to Bukowski's.
(finished 11/01/03)
Superbad:
Stories And Pieces I'm
reminded of Donald
Barthelme's shorter works and a little bit of Eric
McCormack. What I'm curious about is where his stories
come from. What begins the blooming, what triggers the transformation
from concept to finished story. Some tales I'm sure were worked
on in a traditional manner (? - whatever the heck that is)
but others seemed inspired by news stories, dreams, and even
Russian novelists. I really enjoyed this book. (finished
18/01/03)
 The
Falls by Peter
Greenaway. The Violent
Unknown Event; the proliferation of new languages; the wierd
connections to birds, flight and the number 92; this book
was a brilliant idea beautifully rendered and kept me confused
but curious through out. It seems to me that Greenaway has
many great ideas that when translated into the book format
they become fascinating examples of the written word. I have
just got my hands on his book entitled Gold and hope to start
it soon. (finished 23/01/03)
 Alva
& Irva by Edward
Carey. Alva and Irva is
not at all like Carey's brilliant first novel, Observatory
Mansions.
This has a different feel altogether, not any less dazzling,
mind. I was reminded of Mervyn
Peake, Bruno
Schulz and Robert
Walser. Carey is a crisp and dazzling writer worth reading.
A mix of travel book, memoir, and biography the novel tells
the tale of the twins Alva and Irva, the people of the Entralla,
the earthquake that changed all their lives, and the city
the twins built that made them famous.
(finished 04/02/03)
 I
picked up Andrew
Vachss' new novel The
Getaway Man because I finished the novel I was reading
and needed something to eye-ball on the subway. It's a catchy
little ditty in the vein of one of my favourite novelists
Edward
Bunker (although not as brutal). At no time during reading
did I think I was reading anything other than genre. The writing
was thin and as such left the story a bit threadbare throughout.
I have to admit that I'm curious about Vachss' reputation,
he's supposed to be a gritty crime noir writer of the highest
caliber and all I found was a mediocre story poorly told.
(finished 07/02/03)
 Box
of Matches by Nicholson
Baker. I've been a fan of Baker's for a while now. As
soon as I heard the book was out I made sure it was in my
collection in good time. "Emmett has a wife and two children,
a cat, and a duck, and he wants to know what life is about.
Every day he gets up before dawn, makes a cup of coffee in
the dark, lights a fire with one wooden match, and thinks.
I wasn't disappointed, the book is beautifully written, so
much so that it is a calming read. Baker has a wonderful ability
in describing details, personal and yet universal. I caught
myself smiling many times during reading as I would come across
yet another of his observations that triggered memories of
my own experiences. A really beautiful book. (finished
13/02/03)
 The
Moronic Inferno: And Other Visits to America by Martin
Amis. The voice of Martin Amis is intelligent, humorous
and just a tad smug. It doesn't take away the brilliance of
these essays. If anything, I always believe if an essays makes
you want to go out and discover the topic further, then it
has done its job. Published around 1991, the Moronoc Inferno
covers a variety of subjects including the Atlanta child murders,
John Updike, Truman Capote, Brian de Palma, Gore Vidal, Joan
Didion etc. (finished 28/02/03)
 Collateral
Damage: The Zodiac Mindwarp American Tour by Mark
Manning. Mark Manning's (AKA Zodiac
Mindwarp)
book covers the American Tour
for the bands lastest album, I
Am Rock.
As with his other books
Fucked
by Rock and Crucify
Me Again his
voice remains consistent and scathing. His humour, as ever,
fully intact. The only difference here is his consideration
of America. The tour took place before the dust had settled
from the 9/11 attacks and Manning doesn't hold back his opinions
on what the problems with the states are. He shares what some
people from Britain think of Americans, and more specifically
America.
Aside
from the cultural commentary is the bands drunken, orgiastic
exploits that stray pretty far from reality. Now middle-aged
the band starts off with the relaxed power drinking they are
known for and slowly escalates to things that might have (but
no way could have) happened. He doesn't lie about what goes
on, he simply explains (as he did in
FBR)
that
after the months on tour coupled with quantities of alcohol
and drugs consumed, well, his memories may be skewed. This
allows him sufficient room to enlarge and decorate reality,
and with it the myth of Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction.
Definately not for everyone. (finished 05/03/03)
 The
Ice Palace That Melted Away: How Good Design Enhances Our
Lives by Bill
Stumpf. Stumpf's book is
beautifully written and full of wonderful ideas that range
from the interesting to the bizarre but he never strays from
his initial concept -- to improve the quality of life. This
can be achieved according to him if we keep in mind the importance
of civility in design.
(finished 07/03/03)
 Master
Class: Scenes from a Fiction Workshop by Paul
West. This is a book that
has to be kept around and perused at ones leasure. It contains
a wealth of concepts and information that isn't normally housed
in books on writing. At times I admit I was lost as to what
was being discussed but at other times I was in awe of the
ideas being conveyed. This is a great book on writing and
if you are interested in following the path of word-tossers,
I suggest you keep a copy around.
(finished 30/03/03)
 My
Own Devices by Corey
Frost. The short stories
in this book are, at times, amazing. I like those rare moments
in the act of reading that I become drawn so far into the
novel I feel the story going on around me. In the story entitled
1996 Rehabilitated, I was right there with him, sick,
sweaty, seemingly near death. At other times I wasn't so connected
or moved. The Acknowledgement Page (or Knowledge Mints as
it's witily referred) is placed three or four stories from
the end to be...I don't know, post-modern maybe. Sadly
it wasn't cooly intellectual it was just ridiculous.
Do not get me wrong though, the shining moments far outweigh
the few places where the polish is missing. Get it and enjoy.
(finished 03/04/03)
 Ice
at the Bottom of the World by Mark
Richard (pronounced Re-shard'). As soon as I started reading
these stories I was instantly aware of being in the presence
of a great writer. It was also brought home to me again how
much I love the southern writers. The book is emotionally
heftier than its size lets on. His stories are beautifully
controlled and executed, a student of writing could learn
a lot by studying Richard's work.
(finished 17/04/03)
 Un
by Dennis
Lee. I love writers who experiment with the word, who
stretch and twist letters, slap them together, mold and forge
them. Where meaning no longer hovering along the surface as
we're used to. Lee's new book is hypnotizing. I carry a small
notebook with me where-ever I go to jot down sentences and
words that fascinate me, keepsakes to pour over later and
steal at my leisure, Un contains so many memorable word combinations
and matings that I think I'll just carry it with me as a reference
point. Here is the opening poem...
|
inwreck
|
In wreck, in dearth,
in necksong,
godnexus gone to fat of the land,
into the wordy desyllabification of evil—small
crawlspace for plegics, 4, 3, 2, 1, un.
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If like me, this sets the hairs aquiver
on your arms, if you have no use for the Mother Gooseries
of other poets, find this book.
(finished 17/04/03)
 Charity
by Mark
Richard. I experienced my first gyro
while attending college. During a lunch break I crossed the
street from school and ordered one from a local food establishment
called Gus'. Gus claimed (as did the many magazine clippings
pasted haphazardly around the shopfront) to have the best
gyros in town. I decided to give one a go, it was so good
I ate another two before the day was through and at least
one a day for the rest of the shool year. When I get the taste
for something I gorge on it (this explained my lordly girth
at graduation). I was presented with the dilemma of what to
read after finishing Richard's Ice at the Bottom of the
World, you know that feeling of not wanting to lose the
great taste a writer has left you with (and sadly Richard's
books are anorexic little things). Thankfully my good friend
Rob found the second collection of short stories and passed
it my way as I was finishing Ice[...]. As with gyros,
I became a glutton and forced this book down right quick.
The stories in Charity have an ever so slightly different
flavour to them than his first book but this still possesses
his unique talent of story telling. Here
is an essay he did for Bold Type. Here
is an interview with him. Here
is one of the stories. (finished
19/04/03)
Motel
Chronicles by Sam
Shepard. There is a beauty in
Shepard's writings. Each vignette is only a page or two but
captures moments of wonderful clarity. I found memories of
my own triggered again and again as if his stories dowsed
my own tales out from the high weeds of my brain. I found
the tales fascinating and had to put the book down to counter
my tendency to binge. I would be interested in finding his
Great Dream of Heaven to continue the remembering. This
may be a new favourite book. (finished
27/04/03)
Hammerklavier
by Yasmina
Reza. As
I began to sort through The
Stack I came upon this book. It took only a page or two
to draw me into these vignettes. I'm not sure whether I agree
with the negative reviews I found at the Complete
Review but who am I to question the good folks there.
I agree with them in one area, Yasmina sounds quite the snob.
What are you gonna do? I never thought that Bukowski and me
would be best of friends either. It doesn't change the fact
that there is some quality writing in this book. (finished
01/05/03)
20
Lines a Day by Harry
Mathews. For those that know my
reading habits know that I am a fan of the OuLiPo
writers (esp. Perec
& Mathews). Exercises, like those in this book give me
the grins. Although it does fall under the definition of a
writing constraint, it does so quite loosely. In my own writing
I’ve also worked at times in this baggy-panted OuLiPo-esque
and as well as offering a challenge it's a stimulating method
of wordwork. Stendhal demanded of himself vingt lignes
par jour, génie ou pas. Mathews hits genius more
than anything else. I find he won’t let me relax, I have
to concentrate else I’ll miss some shining bit of wordosity.
I can already tell this book will snuggle next to Perec’s
Species
of Spaces and Other Pieces on the shelf reserved for books
of my heart. (finished
17/05/03)
The
Subject Steve by Sam
Lipsyte. I really enjoyed this
book and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the
likes of Chuck Palahniuk. I've read a bad review that spent
a lot of time discussing how difficult this book was to read
and I’m still baffled at that. I find Lipsyte a sharp
writer that kept me grinning and taking notes. I have begun
my search for Lisyte’s first book, a collection of short
stories entitled Venus
Drive. (finished 14/06/03)
Diary:
A Novel by Chuck
Palahniuk.
My
biggest complaint was that the main character seemed like
a marionette carried along by the events of the story. Palaniuk’s
other books were more interesting because the characters always
attempted to escape their fated path and were always hauled
back in; Misty Marie Kleinman (the main character in question)
is story-whipped and her complete acceptence of her place
in the flow of events made her little more than a cardboard
chit. I don’t like putting down Chuck’s books as
I’m a big fan but Diary, although better than Choke,
is still a weak production and a step back in quality from
Lullaby.
(finished 11/07/03)
Blackbox
by Nick
Walker.
When I finished this book all I could think about was how
well the “6 degrees of separation” aspect of it
worked. Walker uses a panoramic style which follows a number
of characters all involved in the death of an air-stowaway’s
death to explain any more than would be to give too much away.
Suffice it to say it is wonderfully written, I have already
placed a special order in for his new book entitled Helloland
which will be out soon. So to wrap it up, this book will definately
make my top 10 list this year.
(finished 26/07/03)
Venus
Drive by Sam
Lipsyte.
Like Lipsyte’s novel Subject Steve Venus Drive is well-written
and witty. I’ve been lucky lately, coming across
one writer whose voice speaks to you and seems to be created
for you specifically is a great feeling. I’ve found a
couple this year and this guy has some of my favourite lines
from a book this year. Perhaps I’ll put a page of catchy
lines from the books read this year. Anyway, high praise for
this book, read it, if you can find it.
(finished 02/08/03)
Tomie’s
Chair by Josephine
Foo.
An indefinable work by Foo, a Chinese native of Malaysia who
immigrated to the United States in the mid-1980s. Inspired
by the 1996 mixed-media installation “Arrival” by
Tomie Arai at the Lower East Side Printshop, New York City.
According to some the book is an allegory of outward and inward
movement; whatever, Ms. Foo’s written voice is
delicate and precise. I spent the morning in my favourite
chair reading this book--silently; I spent the afternoon reading
it again aloud. Simply wonderful. (finished
06/08/03)
Invisible
Frontier: Exploring the Tunnels, Ruins, and Rooftops of Hidden
New York by L.B.
Deyo & David “Lefty”.
L.B “Laughing Boy” Deyo and David “Lefty”
Leibowitz take turns narrating the different explorations
and like all projects not all of the Jinx attempts actually
succeed but they go as far as possible at that particular
moment. It is a fascinating and well-informed book. I particularly
enjoyed the historic background to the areas they entered.
I wish I had a rating system it'd be up there somewhere.
(finished 14/08/03)
Autobiography
of Red by Anne
Carson.
What an amazing writer. Her voice is strong, crisp, and cleansing.
It’s getting to be more and more of a rarity in books
to find the quantity of quality per page, the absolute confidence
in the sentences and the vividness of the imagery. When I
finished the book I was in the delicate position of having
to find a book that follows well; not always an easy task.
It looks like I may be doing a run of Anne Carson books. But
you won’t find me complaining if this is the path I take.
(finished 18/08/03)
After
the Quake: Stories by Haruki
Murakami.
This was a book I had sitting beside my desk at work. Every
now and then I’d open it during a break and read a couple
of pages and then, well, I just sat down and finished it.
As with Anne Carson’s translation of Sappho, I don’t
really know if it captures what Murakami was aiming at but
it doesn’t matter. A sure sign that the translator did
a good job is not noticing the translator’s “hand.”
So the book itself consists of a collection of short stories
that although are not themselves related, all revolve around
the Kobe earthquake in some way. What I really enjoyed about
the work was the simplicity of the writing and the originality
of the stories. (finished
29/08/03)
If
Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho by Anne
Carson.
I came to reading this book through quite a bizarre route.
As may be known to some of you out there I work as a receiver
in a book store and one of the benefits if that I get to look
at a lot (read: A LOT) of books. I came across Carson’s
new book during the week and was hypnotized by the way the
text looked. By this I mean by the way that Carson dealt with
the missing fragments of Sappho’s texts. Her use of square
brackets while functional were visually dynamic and I suddenly
had to read the book. So now
I’ve read it (thanks to Miss Leah) and it was as fascinating
to read as it is to look at. I have had very little exposure
to Sappho’s writings and for me it is a double pleasure
coming from Anne Carson’s pen. I am always in the same
position when it comes to translated works; I can’t really
judge if Carson’s version accurately reflects what Sappho
planned but I will say one thing -- it read beautifully and
I just loved the flow of the words. (finished
05/09/03)
And
Our Faces, My Heart, Brief as Photos by
John
Berger.
I find that Berger’s writing style really flows beautifully
and blends wonderfully with the style of the book. I do find
myself a bit lost at times, trying deperately to find some
sort of interconnectedness. It took a while but I finally
realized that the best way to enjoy the book was to let the
words flow. Berger is at his best when he lets the letters
run rapid and cool. (finished
14/09/03)
After
Nature by
W.G.
Sebald.
My favourite chapter was the one on Grünewald. I’ve
said it over and over again, I wish I could read these books
in it’s original language. There is something about Sebald
that reminds me of the David
Markson. I don’t know if it’s the slight of
hand, the delicateness in delivering facts. Whatever it is,
I'm really enjoying the experience. (finished
19/09/03)
The
Beauty of the Husband: A Fictional Essay in 29 Tangos by
Anne
Carson.
This was another brilliant book by Anne Carson. Luckily I
never claimed this would be an area for critical reviews as
I found nothing to criticize in the work. If anything I ass-kick
myself over and over for procrastinating on my own work. Carson
has the ability, consistantly, to make me smile, shake my
head, and plunder sentences into my notebook for future ideas.
(finished 21/09/03)
How
to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining
Guide to Reading Between the Lines by
Thomas
C. Foster.
Sometimes you read a book that makes you look at all other
books differently; this could be that kind of book. I have
read a critique of Foster’s book saying after finishing
it you will either love the guy for opening your eyes to the
multi-facetted ways of reading a text, or hate him for making
you think to much. For me, well, I’m just happy that
I have been given some of the tools to make understanding
a book easier. (finished
01/10/03)
On
Boxing by Joyce
Carol Oates. I’ve
always been a big fan of boxing; I understand and appreciate
the difficulty in explaining why. In this exsquisitely handled
work Oates goes beyond describing her enjoyment of the sport,
she goes into why it is fascinating to a lot of people in
a way that doesn’t make us fans out as idiots who equate
the event to a colosseum event and drool at the first sign
of blood. The essay on Mike Tyson was really interesting as
a time capsule of a time when “Iron Mike” was young
and indestructable and had yet to aquire the reputation of
his later years. (finished
20/10/03)
Far:
A Novel by Victoria
Lancelotta. I have been waiting
for this book ever since I finished Lancelotta’s collection
of short stories, Here
in the World. There is a beautiful darkness in her writing,
like ink-hued honey. I don’t completely agree with reviews
comparing her writing with Didion,
if I had to pick someone it would be Joyce
Carol Oates or Padgett
Powell. A truly dark tale wonderfully tale.
• Read a story
by Victoria Lancelotta (“Festival”)
• Read another story
by Victoria Lancelotta
(“The Guide”)
• Read an interview
with Victoria Lancelotta
(finished 26/10/03)
If
The River Was Whiskey by
T
Coraghessan Boyle. Boyle’s
writing is wonderfully controlled and wildly imaginative.
I’m just over halfway through and unlike authors like
Saunders and Marcus Boyle doesn’t rely on schtick writing.
He has a full arsenal at his disposal, from where I am now
in the book I don’t see a week spot in this guy. If you
know what it is, don’t tell me, I don’t want to
hear about it.
• Read an interview
with T.C. Boyle
• Read another interview
with T.C. Boyle
• Boyle discusses
his literary roots
(finished 03/11/03)
In
the Land of Pain by
Alphonse
Daudet. When I first picked up
this little gem I was expecting something along the lines
of the Romanian/French E.M. Cioran’s On
The Heights of Despair, instead I found a lighter, but
no less intense, investigation into extremes of human condition.
Daudet’s inate sweetness comes through even as he defines
the sharp and ever-new boundries of the physical pain he lived
with. A fascinating read.
• Read the short story The
Siege of Berlin by Daudet
• Read the short story The
Last Class—The Story of a Little Alsatian by Daudet
• Read the short story The
Child Spy by Daudet
• Read the short story The
Game of Billiards by Daudet
• Read the short story The
Bad Zouave by Daudet
• Read the short story The
Nabob by Daudet
(finished 04/11/03)
The
Beetle Leg by John
Hawkes. With books like “The
Beetle Leg” I am made brutally aware that I am not that
strong of a reader. I found it diffficult to read but thoroughly
enjoyed it anyway. The only way I could explain the frustration
I felt, coming to the end of a chapter say and not understanding
three-quarters what I read, would be to say it would be similar
to gazing over the orgasmic greens of Eden while having two
controlled jets of air continually blowing into your eyes.
Not unlike my first reading of Faulkner’s Sound
and the Fury, I believe that a second reading would be
more than beneficial.
• Read an interview
with John Hawkes
(finished 12/11/03)
Final
Girl by Daphne
Gottlieb. I have to admit that
it was a complete fluke I came across this book.The title
and cover image caught my eye, the jacket copy lured me in
and the writing blew me away. I’ve read some comments
about men being afraid when they read Gottlieb’s work.
This is the emotional response of a moron; her work washed
over me and I loved it. The idea that a woman is this in control
of the power, man. Yeah, she’s got it. Amazing work.
• Read Gottlieb’s poem Personal
Ad
• Read Gottlieb’s poem Her
Submissive Streak
• Read Gottlieb’s poem Somewhere,
Over
• Read three
poems by Gottlieb
• Read Gottlieb’s poem Nocturnal
Missions
• Read three
poems by Gottlieb
(finished 16/11/03)
Men
on the Off Hours by
Anne
Carson.
I am getting to the point in my reading that at this point
in my reading life Anee Carson may well be one of my favourite
(if not favourite) writers. Her lines are incandescent. I
have read some reviews of her where a “critic” throws
a target with a badly rendered drawing of Ms Carson on it
and begins taking shots. The disparity between views makes
it clear to me that she difficult to classify. All I can say
is, as with other works of hers that I’ve read, I find
myself completely drawn into the reality she creates.
• Read excerpts of some of her work here
• Read an excerpt of Men in the Off Hours here
• Read another excerpt of Men in the Off Hours here
• Read a short interview with Carson here
(finished 16/11/03)
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