pseudolibrary
I'm an eclectic reader.
Frog Music
I really want to pick this book up again. Things just got busy. Loved the wild west feel of it with the 2 main characters running into each other in a bicycle collision. This is juxtaposed against a future-jump in which one of them is murdered (yikes!). Love the look into old-school San Francisco.
The Martian
It's a great book despite all the math problems. Yes! There will be math and jaw-dropping fatal situations on Mars. If you like space travel, potatoes and math, this might be your new favorite book.
The Cardboard House
Dreamy and depressing prose poems. Adán has a pretty negative opinion about women. Nonetheless, it's a beautiful portrait of a boy's city.
Blood Father
It's all motorcycles, severed fingers + AA meetings. Like NIGHT OF THE IGUANA meets THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY.
 - Caryl Churchill)
Top Girls (Modern Classics)
I loved the reading last night. The first act feels like the female version of Reservoir Dogs - the rest is like the British sitcom As Time Goes By mixed with a little Sam Shepard. Great stuff.
Dismantled: A Novel
Tess is Lady Macbeth! The horror and suspense of this, combined with the slightest tincture of the supernatural, make this book awesome. And, unlike Stephen King, Jennifer McMahon writes believable female characters.
This Is Not Your City
Stories about love and loss, mostly. I like how she incorporated the supernatural - the past lives in the story of a woman who loses her baby. The story "At the Zoo" could almost be a Sam Shepard play (dysfunctional family + alcoholic family + kid almost getting lost at the zoo). The love stories of "World Champion Cow of the Insane" and "The Lion Gate" succeed because they're honest, the characters slightly impoverished, their emotional lives feel undramatized. Lovely collection. "Embodied" is my favorite story.
The United States of Paranoia: A Conspiracy Theory
You have to read the endnotes: "It's the Declaration of Independence. Do I really have to cite the Declaration of Independence?" Hilarious. But seriously, the author researched conspiracies from America's colonization to 9/11 and the Tea Party. He wanders off, devoting a lot of time to The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but delivers a comprehensive look at some American history through the lens of conspiracy theories. I like how he approached conspiracy theories as a form (even analyzing some Jay-Z lyrics). I'd recommend this to history buffs and English/film majors alike.
Cave-In
I wonder why the artist changed colors throughout the book. It was neat to see the outlining change to blue when the cave-man discovered water. The mummy was so sweet - he deserves his own spin-off. Cute end page art of the mischievous rat. Can't wait to see what Brian Ralph will come up with next.
Incidents in the Night: Volume 1
I would want to visit Lhom's bookstore - crazy mountains of books. The book takes a weird long turn into the Noah/Utnapishtim myth, which I found tiresome. But the book's a cliff-hanger, so I'll definitely finish the series when the next books come out.
No One Else Can Have You
Judge a book by its cover. Go for it. I mean how cute is a hanging moose in needlepoint? It's like Agatha Christie meets Freaks & Geeks. I couldn't put it down. I didn't see the ending coming! Really great reading - hope this becomes a series of mysteries.
East of West #1
The art is gorgeous. I love the way the Golden Gate bridge looks in the alternate world. At worst, this series could just be a little too Cowboy Bebop; but at best, it's worthy of an apocalypse of Stephen King proportions.
A Princess of Mars
OK, it's old school, and you never quite figure out what the heck went on in that cave in the desert, but there's something to be said for old-fashioned brawn. It's like one of the old episodes of Star Trek. Epic, a little silly and also strangely heartwarming. I would totally buy a stuffed animal version of Woola. Martian dogs rule.
Briarpatch
Bay Area! Fantasy! Mythology! Immortal bad guys! How much more awesome can this get? It starts with cultish-suicides off the Golden Gate and morphs into a Philip K. Dick-esque romp in parallel worlds. I think the Wendigo is my favorite.
Currently reading
Golden Son
Lumberjanes, Volume 1
Reference and Information Services: An Introduction, Fourth Edition
