Louisiana Lucky (2020) by Julie Pennell

 1,001 Novels: A Library of America

Louisiana Lucky (2020)

by Julie Pennell

445 East Main Street, New Iberia, Louisiana

Louisiana: 5/28

  A definite low point in my recent 1,001 Novels: A Library of America, I checked out the E-book from the library on vacation because it seemed like an easy job and indeed, I finished Louisiana Lucky in about an hour, mostly because I didn't read it very closely.  I try not to be a snob about my reading habits- this entire project is testament to my good intentions, but there is no denying that the three lottery winning sisters from this novel are some of the least interesting American's I've come across, and Julie Pennell is writing for an audience of suburban housewives- and not the interesting kind.

 The three sisters win a substantial lottery jackpot, rescuing them from lives among the lower bourgeois of this part of the world.  One sister spends the entire book upgrading her wedding from a ramshackle DIY affair to something worthy of a bridezilla episode.  Another sends her two kids to a snooty private school and suffers from a cold welcome.  The third- a respected local print (lol) journalist, takes advantage of her found fame to move to television journalism, which is a hard transition.   Louisiana Lucky is certain to be a bottom three title in this chapter of the 1,001 Novels: A Library of America project.

Show Review: Chappell Roan & Angie McMahon @ Corona Capital CDMX

 Show Review

 Chappell Roan & Angie McMahon

 @ Corona Capital CDMX

  I knew, after Chappell Roan drew 80,000 people to Pasadena and I didn't read a single complaint, that she was for real.  I'm not a Chappell Roan fan in the way I'm a Charli XCX fan- a topic which has gone unaddressed on this blog, but I, like everyone even tangentially aware of the market for popular music in America/UK/EU, have witnessed her rise in awe.  It's helped that Chappell shares a booking agent with Margo Price, so I've seen the Instagram stories and had conversations about it as it's been happening.  Surely, I would have gone to the Pasadena shows but my partner was travelling.  

  This was my first time in CDMX, and I'll spare readers the details.  Angie McMahon, who my partner manages, was on the bill and it was my partner's birthday week, so I was there.  The festival was top to bottom impressive, just as well run as anything in the United States.  The obvious comparison is with Coachella, if Coachella was the ONLY festival of its kind in the entire country.  The crowd was incredible- something I'd heard many times in the past but was witnessing for the first time.  Specifically, Angie McMahon, playing an early time slot that would have been a classic Coachella death trap, drew a respectably sized, rapturous crowd that left everyone feeling great. 

  After her set I caught some of Mogwai and half of the Alabama Shakes- a rare instance where insight gained from the 1,001 Novels: A Library of America project gave me a real-time boost of appreciation for a different artist.   We watched the Chappell Roan set from her "family" box- I had a view of her very appreciative Dad for most of the set.  I am here to say that the Chappell Roan live show is flat-out incredible, and watching it being well received by a Mexican audience that shares few, if any of the same cultural influences was nothing short of astonishing.   The two major comparison I heard first timers making afterwards were to Queen and Lady Gaga....which seems like solid company.   All my questions were answered by this performance.  All Hail Chappell Roan!

Helm (2025) by Sarah Hall

 Book Review

Helm (2025)

by Sarah Hall

  The New York Times review of Helm by Sarah Hall was enough to get me to check out an E-book copy from the library.  I'm a fan of ANY novel that stretches the format of the novel in any direction and a novel about a specific, named wind in the northeast of England qualifies in that department.  Hall picks out different characters over time:  A prehistoric shaman-ess, a 19th century scientist, a contemporary teenage girl with a mental disorder, and places them in relationships with Helm, who has their own, distinct, narrative voice.  It makes for engaging reading.