BoD: CivilWarLand in Bad Decline
Peopled by quirky people in odd situations, George Saunders’ CivilWarLand in Bad Decline presents a demented near-future. The single thread through all these situations, through the future amusement parks and decaying towns, are real people, often broken, usually vulnerable, and always memorable. Just a couple of examples: In The Wavemaker Falters, the narrator faces his…
continue readingBoD: The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas
Drawing praise from luminaries such as Arthur Miller, Davy Rothbart’s new short story collection The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas is definitely a title to check out. Creator of Found magazine, Rothbart’s collection is being lauded in GQ where the critic states “our favorite story concerns an aspiring rap-opera writer who has a confrontation with…
continue readingBoD: No Plot? No Problem!
Contrary to what some folks may have you belief, man does not live by high art alone. Yes, Mahler and Mozart are irreplaceable components of our civilization. But I would argue that so are Motorhead and Motley Crue. Hot dogs are just as important in our world’s cuisine as foie gras. And when it comes…
continue readingBoD: Sky Burial
Book Sense is a national marketing campaign on behalf of the independent bookstores of America. It is both a local and national effort to spotlight the knowledge and diversity of independent bookstores. One of the program’s key components is the Book Sense Picks series. Each month, a selection of eclectic new books is chosen by…
continue readingBoD: French Women Don’t Get Fat
I have no idea what this book is about… I went to Amazon and selected the top 100 selling books and then went to the end of the list. Number 100. I was hoping to find the literary equivalent of Mr. Irrelevant. You know, that athlete that is the last guy taken in the last…
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