Saturday, February 26, 2011

The Austin Chronicle Music Anthology: The 80's

Sometimes what Kester's reading impacts what Kester's listening to. Here's an example. Here's another.

2-26-11

Fiction/Memoir/Biography/History
  • The Austin Chronicle Music Anthology by Austin Powell
  • Galore by Michael Crummey
  • The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
  • The Upright Piano Player by David Abbott
Philosophy/Theology/Sociology
  • After You Believe by N.T. Wright
  • The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth by Alexandra Robbins
  • The Importance of Being Foolish by Brennan Manning
  • The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Re-Reading
  • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  • The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

2-22-11

Fiction/Memoir/Biography/History
  • Galore by Michael Crummey
  • The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
  • In Search of Mercy by Michael Ayoob
  • The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
  • The Upright Piano Player by David Abbott
Philosophy/Theology/Sociology
  • After You Believe by N.T. Wright
  • The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth by Alexandra Robbins
  • The Importance of Being Foolish by Brennan Manning
  • The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Re-Reading
  • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  • The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Close Your Eyes

    Dan Chaon has this thing he does where he builds tension in a situation without referencing, specifically, what it is that we should be tense over. He creates a certain atmosphere, a certain tone, a certain feel that's there even if a character is just having a cup of coffee. The feeling is often inexplicable; a foreboding that's never as direct as foreshadowing, though we know that something is wrong. It's difficult to do, and Dan Chaon does it great.
    So does Amanda Eyre Ward. This is the first book of Ward's that I have read, but it will not be the last. In Close Your Eyes, Ward tells the story of a woman, Lauren Mahdian, whose murdered mother and murderer (maybe?) father overshadow her entire existence. While the event is long past, it makes its presence consistently felt, even when Lauren is just sitting in a restaurant or driving around town. Ward's talent is that she doesn't have to constantly remind us "remember this character's mother was murdered" and yet we never forget it. The story makes us anxious, almost claustrophobic, but in the best way, the way that Hitchcock used to do.
    If you're looking for a story with memorable characters, a gripping plot, and a mysterious mood; pick up Amanda Eyre Ward's Close Your Eyes.
    And then, if you haven't read it already, pick up Dan Chaon's Await Your Reply.

2-17-11

Fiction/Memoir/Biography/History
  • Bright's Passage by Josh Ritter
  • Galore by Michael Crummey
  • The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
  • The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
Philosophy/Theology/Sociology
  • After You Believe by N.T. Wright
  • The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth by Alexandra Robbins
  • The Importance of Being Foolish by Brennan Manning
  • The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Re-Reading
  • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  • The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

Sunday, February 13, 2011

2-13-11

Fiction/Memoir/Biography/History
  • Close Your Eyes by Amanda Eyre Ward
  • The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
  • The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
  • The Savage City by T.J. English
Philosophy/Theology/Sociology
  • After You Believe by N.T. Wright
  • The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth by Alexandra Robbins
  • The Importance of Being Foolish by Brennan Manning
  • The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Re-Reading
  • The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Don Quixote (Edith Grossman translation)

    I have finished Don Quixote and it is a bittersweet thing to have done. Bitter in that I won't soon read a book that is as good, sweet in that I have finally finished it, after two failed attempts.
    The story was never the problem, nor the characters; both have been favorites since I first discovered it as a graphic novel over 20 years ago. Still, when I first attempted to read Cervantes' original work in high school (and again in college), I found it cumbersome and finally gave up.
    Little did I know that this was not Cervantes' fault, but his translators'. It was Edith Grossman who made his prose come alive in English, and I will be forever grateful. She brings out the absurd wackiness of the story as well as the graceful subtleties of the text. One of the funniest and saddest books that I have ever read and one that I heartily recommend each and every one of you read.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

The Informationist

    Early buzz from publishers, reps, and reviewers is that Taylor Stevens' The Informationist is the next Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and that its heroine, Vanessa Munroe, the next Lisbeth Salander. That's all well and good and I understand how marketing works, but this seems like a mistake and here's why; to compare Stevens with Steig is to sell Stevens short.
    On the surface, both books feature a physically strong and mentally tough heroine with a past. Both Munroe and Salander are survivors and both have survived some heinous history. That's where the comparisons between the two books end. While I enjoyed Larsson's stories, Stevens' writing is more taut in every sense of that word; tense, trim, and tight. No words are wasted, every sentence is sharp, and the plot never stops moving for a second. While Larsson may be the talk of today, Stevens is sure to share status with Ludlum and LeCarre. 
    Fans of adventure and intrigue need look no further for their next thrill. Taylor Stevens' The Informationist is a must among readers this Spring.

2-10-11

Fiction/Memoir/Biography/History
  • Close Your Eyes by Amanda Eyre Ward
  • Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
  • End Zone by Don DeLillo
  • The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville
  • The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
  • The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
  • The Savage City by T.J. English
Philosophy/Theology/Sociolology
  • After You Believe by N.T. Wright
  • The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth by Alexandra Robbins
  • The Importance of Being Foolish by Brennan Manning
  • The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Re-Reading
  • The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

    Monday, February 7, 2011

    2-7-11

    Fiction/Memoir/Biography/History
    • Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
    • End Zone by Don DeLillo
    • The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
    • The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
    • The Savage City by T.J. English
    • Shadow and Claw by Gene Wolfe
    Philosophy/Theology/Sociology/Mathematics
    • After You Believe by N.T. Wright
    • The Importance of Being Foolish by Brennan Manning
    • The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
    Re-Reading
    • The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen