2004

Image of The Laying On of Hands: Stories

The Laying on of Hands

Alan Bennett

i picked this up browsing at the library. supposedly Bennett has an "extraordinary ear for dialogue." the three stories in this small book are all very funny, in a british comedy sort of way. in fact, the "Father! Father! Burning Bright" was originally a tv movie starring the author in 1982. i liked how the title story evolved, with certain characters identities being slowly revealed. "Miss Fozzard Finds her Feet" seemed to run around a lot without going anywhere interesting.

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27 January 2004

Published 2002
Image of Everything Is Illuminated: A Novel

Everything is Illuminated

Jonathan Safran Foer

i was a little dubious about this book after a co-worker was reading it and complained that it seemed the only reason this book was getting attention was because the author was born in 1977. it's the first fact noted in his bio, and perhaps that isn't the best selling point for a novel. though it is, admittedly, a pretty impressive work for a young writer.

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26 January 2004

Published 2003
Image of The Low East

The Low East

David Henderson

riding the train today, exiting to snow falling and slush sidewalks. appropriate to read this slim book of largely new york inspired verse.

new year rain and snow whirling down
something to watch outside the window

pleasing combinations of syllables, the city imagery, and references to the lettered avenues.

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18 January 2004

Published 1980
Image of My Year of Meats

My Year of Meats

Ruth L. Ozeki

this novel pulls together excerpts from Shonagon's The Pillow Book and some research on the use of hormones in the production of meat (as well as medicine) as a backdrop to the story of jane, a documentarian who takes a job producing a japanese tv show about american wives and their favorite meat dishes.

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16 January 2004

Published 1998
Image of Blankets

Blankets

Craig Thompson

i thought i would be with this book—which clocks in at nearly 600 pages—for at least a few days. but then it turned out i could have breezed through it in one long sitting. it's hard to put down and the art often takes advantage of the full page, so it reads pretty quick.

the coming-of-age story is well-constructed; even amid the jumps back and forth between childhood and adolescence it keeps a steady forward pace. the art is incredible, graceful and lush without becoming florid.

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06 January 2004

Published 2003
Image of A Farewell To Arms

A Farewell to Arms

Ernest Hemingway

bare prose and war-themed story, i didn't really expect to get drawn into the characters but did in the end. interesting how the story existed so much in its present; so little of the characters' backgrounds were illuminated and no future was hinted at by the end. enjoyed the descriptions of mountains but wasn't sympathetic to the dude until pretty late and predicted the denouement—which being the very end of the book made the whole thing seem so abrupt. italy in the summer? "dusty."

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05 January 2004

Published 1929