tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280207122024-03-19T01:47:48.958-07:00VANISHED EMPIRESDedicated to classics and hits.catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.comBlogger485125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-31504587135731852472024-03-18T09:53:00.000-07:002024-03-18T09:58:17.596-07:00The Blackboard Jungle (1954) by Evan Hunter1,001 Novels: A Library of AmericaThe Blackboard Jungle (1954)by Evan HunterNew York: 35/105The Bronx: 6/7 Quite frequently I check out one of these 1,001 Novels: A Library of American books as an Audiobook for a library and find the experience simply excruciating. I really learn about my own prejudices based on my positive/negative reactions- as clear an example of the "catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-85417911584454874212024-03-18T05:00:00.000-07:002024-03-18T05:00:00.238-07:00Ruby (1976) by Rosa GuyAuthor Rosa Guy1,001 Novels: A Library of AmericaRuby (1976)by Rosa Guy515 Malcolm X Boulevard, HarlemNew York: 34/105Harlem: 3/14 Ruby is another YA title from 1,001 Novels: A Library of America. This is the standard YA plot of a young woman who is trying to "get out of her bedroom" and into the wider world but faces difficulties. Here, the narrator is the daughter catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-22426873540100437112024-03-15T12:20:00.000-07:002024-03-15T12:20:00.579-07:00You Glow in the Dark (2024) by Liliana Colanzi Book ReviewYou Glow in the Dark (2024)by Liliana ColanziTranslated by Chris Andrews I was intrigued with the New York Times book review that described this book by Bolivian author Liliana Colanzi as being suffused with an "Andean Cyber Punk" ethos and read its 144 pages on the Kindle app on my phone over the weekend. It's a set of connected short stories based around the catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-75337827531806888352024-03-15T11:49:00.000-07:002024-03-15T11:49:09.361-07:00Foxfire 5 (1979) by Eliot Wigginton Book ReviewFoxfire 5 (1979)by Eliot Wigginton There is an elaborate scene in Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy where the Glanton gang is being pursued by Native Americans in the desert. They are out of gunpowder and facing certain doom. The character of the Judge leads the group to a nearby dormant volcano, where he creates gunpowder with the help of guano (bat poop)catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-64062924380004561982024-03-15T05:00:00.000-07:002024-03-15T05:00:00.201-07:00The Catfish Man: A Conjured Life (1980) by Jerome Charyn 1,001 Novels: A Library of AmericaThe Catfish Man: A Conjured Life (1980)by Jerome CharynNew York: 33/105The Bronx: 4/7 I can't remember this ever happening before, but I could not find a single review of this novel on the internet. I used Google Books and found a reference to a review that appeared in Kirkus Reviews but that review is not online. The New catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-47381697190542559352024-03-14T05:00:00.000-07:002024-03-14T05:00:00.134-07:00Spidertown (1996) by Abraham Rodriguez Jr. 1,001 Novels: A Library of AmericaSpidertown (1996)by Abraham Rodriguez Jr.New York: 32/105The Bronx: 3/7 Spidertown is an extremely tedious bildungsroman about a teenage crack runner (don't call him a dealer!) living in the South Bronx in the 1990's. As a criminal defense attorney working in federal court, I've spent many working days reviewing the text messages and catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-14364035897700170792024-03-13T15:59:00.000-07:002024-03-13T15:59:28.915-07:00Show Review: Angie McMahon @ The Crocodile Seattle, WA Show Review:Angie McMahon@ The Crocodile Seattle, WA3/11/24 It used to be there was lots of mystery about the path from local band obscurity to stadium headliner. Most artists started by playing local shows in local venues, then you would record a "demo," then you would look for a label or manager or both, then hopefully a booking agent, put out an album, do a van tour of catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-56585275390719706722024-03-13T05:00:00.000-07:002024-03-13T05:00:00.133-07:00How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent (1991) by Julia Alvarez1,001 Novels: A Library of AmericaHow the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent (1991)by Julia AlvarezThe Bronx, NYCNew York: 31/105The Bronx: 2/6 How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent is an example of a book from 1,001 Novels: A Library of America that was both something I didn't like AND easily recognizable as a good book despite my personal preference. Alvarez is widely catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-44561937820954383712024-03-12T05:00:00.000-07:002024-03-18T10:57:30.420-07:00Trust (2022) by Hernan Diaz 1,001 Novels: A Library of AmericaTrust (2022)by Hernan DiazChelseaNew York: 30/105Manhattan: 4/34 Trust is last year's Pulitzer Prize winner. I convinced my book club to read it before the award was announced. Here is my post about it from August of 2022:Book ReviewTrust (2022)by Hernan Diaz There is always a bit of lull for me in the readingcatdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-7454212864570200572024-03-11T05:00:00.000-07:002024-03-11T05:00:00.157-07:00Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) by Truman CapoteAudrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. 1,001 Novels A Library of AmericaBreakfast at Tiffany's (1958)by Truman Capotethe Upper East SideNew York: 29/105Manhattan: 3/34 If you haven't started watching The Feud: Capote vs the Swans, this is your sign to start. Capote has endured as an iconic figure in American popular culture based on his combining a couple of catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-49568387952080180302024-03-09T05:00:00.000-08:002024-03-09T05:00:00.139-08:00Valley of the Dolls (1966) by Jacqueline Susann 1,001 Novels: A Library of AmericaValley of the Dolls (1966)by Jacqueline SusannNew York: 28/105Manhattan: 2/34 Not sure when, exactly, I read Valley of the Dolls, but it was after I saw the film, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, so we are going back twenty years. Maybe in law school or maybe just after. Valley of the Dolls isn't a particularly good book, but itcatdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-83619479593607784592024-03-08T05:00:00.001-08:002024-03-08T05:00:00.136-08:00Outer Dark (1968) by Cormac McCarthy Book ReviewOuter Dark (1968)by Cormac McCarthy You can divide Cormac McCarthy's bibliography into three periods. First period- Southern Gothic with this book, his first book, The Orchard Keeper (1965) and the two books after this one, Child of God (1973) and Suttree (1979). After that you've got the southwestern period- starting with Blood Meridian in 1985 catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-27191673453187213532024-03-07T17:34:00.000-08:002024-03-07T17:34:00.137-08:00Catcher in the Rye (1951) by J.D. Salinger1,001 Novels: A Library of AmericaCatcher in the Rye (1951)by J.D. SalingerNew York: 27/105Manhattan: 1/34 I wanted to start the Manhattan category- get on the board- so to speak, and there is no more obvious a choice than Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. I've heard second hand that this book is falling out of favor in secondary school because it scores a zero on catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-29189946542287507392024-03-07T11:16:00.000-08:002024-03-07T11:16:00.161-08:002021 Books: Jan-June 2021 Books: January through June In 2021 I was done with the 1,001 Books project, and the 1,001 Novels project hadn't yet been published, so there is a lot of contemporary fiction and a conscious attempt to read women authors in the aftermath of the "me-too" movement. Pretty uninspired work between January and June, though things picked up in the back half of the yearPublished 1catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-63534763549602320402024-03-07T08:37:00.000-08:002024-03-07T08:37:36.138-08:00No One Dies Yet (2023) by Kobby Ben BenGhanian author Kobby Ben BenBook ReviewNo One Dies Yet (2023)by Kobby Ben Ben This is a debut novel by an exciting new voice in literature, Ghanian author Kobby Ben Ben. No One Dies Yet was released in the UK last year, but the US edition just dropped. Set in 2019, Ghana's Year of Return, No One Dies Yet is many things at once: A fierce depiction of catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-66819569219323638122024-03-06T05:30:00.000-08:002024-03-06T05:30:00.163-08:00Invisible Man (1955) by Ralph Ellison 1,001 Novels: A Library of AmericaInvisible Man (1955)by Ralph EllisonNew York: 26/105Harlem: 3/14 I haven't been doing any re-reads for the 1,001 Novels: A Library of America project. I Invisible Man for the first time for the 1,001 Books to Read Before You Die project back in 2015. Back then, I was a little embarrassed I hadn't read it in school. Reading it catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-90079333479332225782024-03-05T11:30:00.000-08:002024-03-05T11:30:00.150-08:00Same Bed, Different Dreams (2023) by Ed Park Book ReviewSame Bed, Different Dreams (2023)by Ed Park American author Ed Park didn't do himself any favors with the reading public when he dropped Same Bed, Different Dreams at a length of 577 pages. Most of the readers I know- and I'm talking about serious readers of literary fiction, the type who might be tempted into reading Same Bed, Different Dreams, are going to catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-51812792181279861112024-03-05T05:00:00.000-08:002024-03-05T05:00:00.260-08:00Massacres of the Mountains (1886) by J.P. Dunn Massacres of the Mountains:A History of the Indian Wars 1815-1875 (1886)By J.P. Dunn jr.Archer House Press Near as I can tell this is a 1956 reprint edition of this 1886 classic, which I believe is the first "historical" effort to write about this series of events in something other than a histrionic, anti-Native fashion. Author J.P. Dunn Jr. was not a professional historian- catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-69327608255746572262024-03-04T05:00:00.000-08:002024-03-04T05:00:00.129-08:001,001 Novels Collected: Upstate New York1,001 Novels Collected: Upstate New York If we treat Upstate New York as a separate state it would be tied for number two behind Massachusetts (30), tied with Maine and ahead of New Hampshire (13), Connecticut(9), Rhode Island(9)and Vermont (7). While most of Upstate New York is super rural- including an northern third of the state that only got two books, the selections here catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-70027755062155881672024-03-01T10:06:00.000-08:002024-03-01T10:06:13.057-08:00Your Utopia (2024) by Bora ChungKorean author Bora ChungBook ReviewYour Utopia (2023)by Bora Chung I really enjoyed Cursed Bunny, the debut collection of short stories by Korean author Bora Chung, which was published in translation last year and was longlisted for the International Booker Prize and the National Book Award for Translated Fiction. I was eager to read Your Utopia, her new collection of short stories, catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-513812060259820072024-03-01T05:00:00.000-08:002024-03-01T05:00:00.146-08:00Golden Hill (2016) by Francis Spufford Book ReviewGolden Hill (2016)by Francis Spufford Fair to say I've been sleeping on English author Francis Spufford. I ignored his last book- Light Perpetual, because it just didn't sound very fun, but it did very well. Tons of people read it, and it landed on several year end best-of lists but I just couldn't get into it. I did, however, get very excited catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-71412346948653995042024-02-29T05:00:00.000-08:002024-02-29T05:00:00.134-08:00You Dreamed of Empire (2024) by Alvaro Enrigue Book ReviewYou Dreamed of Empire (2024)by Alvaro Enrigue I convinced my book club to read this book this month (March 2024)- I was very excited when I read the description- which is- a compression of the meeting between Conquistador Cortes and Montezuma, the Aztec emperor. This is a specific subject I often think about- a "Roman Empire" for me, to use the current catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-85444790186648241672024-02-28T05:00:00.000-08:002024-02-28T05:00:00.152-08:00Against Gravity (1996) by Lucy Feriss 1,001 Novels: A Library of AmericaAgainst Gravity (1996)by Lucy FerrissHudson River Valley, New YorkNew York: 25/105Upstate New York: 22/23 I will be so glad to see the back of the literary portrait of Upstate New York. What a grim place! A grim place, filled with stories about teenage girls either being murdered, getting pregnant or just being bored and catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-25613730096808455412024-02-27T11:56:00.000-08:002024-02-27T11:56:52.953-08:00Event Preview: Madline Goldstein x MVTANT Texas Tour 2024Madeline GoldsteinEvent PreviewMadeline Goldsteinwith support from MVTANTTexas Tour 2024 (Blackstrap Booking)3/8 Cine El Rey - McAllen, TX.3/9 The Cold Brew - Laredo, TX.3/10 Studio B - Corpus Christi, TX.3/15 Paper Tiger, San Antonio, TX. Madeline Goldstein and MVTANT are playing a run of dates in Texas to buff-out Madeline's SXSW appearance at the Italians Do It Better catdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28020712.post-17218326671217041712024-02-27T05:00:00.000-08:002024-02-27T05:00:00.168-08:00Mona in the Promised Land (1996) by Gish Jen 1,001 Novels: A Library of AmericaMona in the Promised Land (1996)by Gish JenScarsdale, New YorkNew York: 24/105Upstate New York: 21/23 Not a huge Gish Jen fan. I listened to the Audiobook of her 2020 Dystopia-lite book, The Resisters. I reread the review I wrote back then- reads very much like I was trying to be polite. It's currently over on Amazon with justcatdirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128097168215251657noreply@blogger.com0