Thursday 22 October 2009 at 1:27 pm
So, I kind of flipped through this book, and the pictures alone (even if they're poor reproductions) are pretty awful and worth a look. But I wasn't really "into" James Lileks tone. He's kind of mean, excessively snarky, and sometimes he just tries to hard. But that's why there's that phrase, "Don't judge a book by it's cover, or even a few out of context pages." Because when taken as a whole, these rooms deserve to be made fun of, even if it is a little harsh, Lileks is almost unabashedly snarky, and for all the times he tries to hard, there are 4 other times when he hits the nail on the head. This is also not a book to be enjoyed alone. In fact, when I came across it, a group of giggling teens were laughing/enjoying it together, probably making their own snarky, slightly mean comments. So find some friends and enjoy the sometimes bizzare, always ugly homes and room designs of the 70's.
Wednesday 21 October 2009 at 11:02 am
Felix Feneon isn't the name of a YA author that you've never heard of. He's not even a YA author. Or even someone most people have heard of. However, his strange collection of bite-sized news stories seems oddly timely. Nowadays, even if we watch 24-hr news channels non-stop, we still get our stories in short bursts or news tickers along the bottom of the screen. That Fenon, and most newspapers in France, had sections that featured these "Three Line" news pieces, in 1906 seems almost prophetic. Fenon has quite the heyday, mixing morbid humor with straight-faced journalism, to make for an enjoyable read. And it's the morbidity, and timelessness, of this collection that I think will make interesting to some older YA readers, those who can sift through the uneven nature of the stories. Maybe if just to read a couple and chuckle at the novelty/oddity of the collection. But, if I'm being honest, swallowing small doses of this book is the best way to take pleasure in it. I think reading a few lines, putting it down for a few days, then repeating will open up the style and humor and make the collection that much more accessible.
Also, I know introductions, especially to literary works, can often be quite boring, but Feneon was an interesting character, and Luc Sante's introduction may actually be the best part of the book.
Give Feneon a chance. I mean, he gives new meaning to the term "short story." It's not like this collection is going to take up a whole month, or weekend. You could probably read it during musical practice, or math class (not that I'm recommending reading during math class. Or musical practice, for that matter.)
Tuesday 20 October 2009 at 12:25 pm
So when you check out the blogosphere as much as I do you find yourself intrigued by certain
internet memes. Among my favorite has always been the Book Soundtrack, because I love listening to music and thinking, "This would be great in a movie." So I've always wanted to put together my own book soundtrack, but I just couldn't come up with a book or a list of songs that I was excited about.
However, Genesis Alpha by Rune Michaels mixed suspense, videogames, murder and interesting ethical dilemmas caught my eye. And made me believe I could finally make a cool book soundtrack. This soundtrack is based on personal preference and uses certain songs to set a certain tone/mood. Anyway, check it out.
Other cool places to find book soundtracks:
Largehearted Boy's Book Notes Readergirlz
Tuesday 20 October 2009 at 11:24 am
Maybe it's a little early to get excited about a book that comes out April 6th, 2010. But then again, it's
JOHN GREEN. In YA Land
John Green is a giant amongst men. He's funny, smart, clever, and super accessible. And his newest book, my favorite
John Green book for the record,
Paper Towns was just nominated the best book in the
Teens Top 10. And his co-author for this outing is another popular YA author,
David Levithan.
The book itself sounds like a fun, trippy story that involves two seperate people named Will Grayson and an "epic production of history's most fabulous high school musical." Um, John Green + David Levithan + High School Musical=YES + PLEASE + THANK YOU!!!!!
