Jake Silverstein – Nothing Happened and Then It Did: A Chronicle in Fact and Fiction
A writer’s quest through desert towns leads him to stories but not always success.
Category: book reviews
J. P. Barnaby – Little Boy Lost: Enlightened
My name is Brian Patrick McAllister, and I am going to hell.
J. Hoberman – An Army of Phantoms
An Army of Phantoms is an admirably researched, if somewhat rushed, tour of Hollywood history from the end of World War II through 1956.
Ito Junji – Uzumaki (Manga)
Uzumaki tells the warped tale of Kurouzu-Cho, a fictional town on Dragonfly Lake. This tasty little bit of nastiness lets audiences into a world where everything is ruled by the spiral. Our shy hostess is the lovely Kirie Goshima, who tells us the story of the strange happenings that occurred in her small town.
Ito Junji – Tomie (Manga)
Tomie, Ito-san’s first manga, is one of the most shocking graphic novels ever created. It’s not only a study in the dangers of lust, it also uncovers the true nature of humanity and how, perhaps, the seven deadly sins are nothing more than a look at the ugliest and most distressing parts of human nature.
Howard Shapiro – The Stereotypical Freaks
In the past few years, the world has witnessed the rise of Apple, the fall of Xanga, and the slow, insidious creep of Justin Bieber’s haircut — all things that have seriously altered the paths of teenagers everywhere. Despite the tidal changes in trend, however, one thing stays the same: High school sucks.
Henry Adams – Democracy: An American Novel
A society woman investigates the mechanics of power in 1880s Washington D.C.
Haruki Murakami – Sputnik Sweetheart
Otherwise known as SUPU-TONIKU no Koibito, Sputnik, mi Amor, or Sputnik Sweetheart, it tells the story of three people: the narrator, a primary school teacher who is in love with Sumire — a young woman trying to become a novelist — who falls in love with a married older woman named Myu, who is unable to love her back.
Haruki Murakami – South of the Border, West of the Sun
Al Sur de la Frontera, al Oeste del Sol tells the story of Hajime, who meets with a childhood friend he hasn’t seen in the last 25 years. Her name is Shimamoto, and Hajime is contemplating leaving his wife and daughters to be with her.
