Lethem’s style is vaguely reminiscent of Roth and Bellow. Might check out his other stuff…
Chronic City by Jonathan Lethem
Month: February 2011
Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It by Maile Meloy
Great collection of short stories!
The Humbling by Philip Roth
Manic depressive protagonist who to his credit tries very hard to regain his sanity, but without hope and redemption in the end.
Birthday Hemispheres
My lunch in Japan / My dinner in Mexico / My cake — Italy!
Note: A collage of treats for a birthday lunch, birthday dinner, and birthday cake — from the Far East to the Far West with a stop on the Continent in the middle for the sweetest part! All in a days’ work right here in the Midwest.
iPad Bashing
via slate.com
I can’t hate what I don’t know intimately, and yet, I can’t help but wonder how it couldn’t be a waste of time… any tablet for that matter that does not allow you the use of all ten fingers to fly at once means only one thing: you’re not using it to be productive, which can only be true if you are reading AND writing. And if you’re not doing that, well, then its not worth it. I can play all those games on my iPhone as well…
Ambrosia, Thy Name Is Tiramisu
That’s right– it IS the food of the gods! Completely DIVINE is what Tiramisu is. And the perfect cake for a special birthday for a very special person. Incidentally, the simplicity of the ingredients and assembly is nothing short of genius: ladyfingers (which essentially become the spongy layers of cake), mascarpone cheese, whipping cream, liqueur, and chocolate shavings. This one is not home-made, but Whole Foods does a fantastic job. See for yourself:
A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer
Great courtroom drama. Archer never disappoints.
Wild Nights!: Stories About the Last Days of Poe, et al by Joyce Carol Oates
Brilliantly crafted fictionalized accounts of the last days of some of history’s greatest writers. Oates is superb, as always, in inventing and reinventing people and events that demand your attention even as they disturb you.
If you wish to retain any lofty and grandiose views of these famous writers – Poe, Dickinson, Twain, James, and Hemingway – at least with respect to their personal lives, and in particular, to their end times, well then, this book isn’t for you. If you are willing however, to entertain, nay, perhaps even accept the view that greatness is not immune to feet of clay, well, then, pick it up, and prepare to be amazed by how brilliantly these short stories are executed, one by one.
