Don't Smell the Floss

Read 3/20/10 - 3/23/10
4 Stars - Strongly Recommended
Pgs:182

Many thanks must go out to Matty Byloos. He is the author of the short story collection entitled "Don't Smell the Floss", and he so wonderfully sent me a copy to review.

As many of you may be aware, I have recently found a new appreciation for the short story. It allows an author more 'play' space to let their imagination run farther and faster than a full length novel would. It grants them the opportunity to try out multiple POV's and story lines, showing the reader exactly what the author is capable of. Some collections of short stories are tied closely together - Ben Tanzer's eBook "Repetition Patterns" links his stories by placing them all in the same town, living on the same streets, shopping at the same stores. Others, like "Please:Fiction Inspired by the Smiths" share a similar theme, and are a mish-mosh of stories written by multiple authors.

Matty's collection demonstrates his flexibity as a writer. While his stories share no common location or obvious surface theme, there is definitely a darker, seedier, and sometimes humorous vein of humanity connecting them beneath the skin. Trading one POV for another, each stand alone story bears it's teeth and demands to be noticed.

In "One Day, Letter From Ghost Leg", Byloos explores the twisted world of Apotemnophilia - or the obsession of self demanded amputation - and the effect our narrators particular fixation has on his leg. "A Brief History of the Tupperware Party" introduces us as the freakishly hairy character of the story, in which our mind is capable of no thoughts other than how hideously hairy and beastly we are. The hero in "Stories Leading up to, and Some Including E. Leon Spaughy" learns to come to terms with a talking skunk that has been following him around town for months. And in "My Friend the Pornographer", we meet a young man on the set of his first camera shoot for a porn film, and watch him fall hopelessly in love with it's star.

As I experienced "Don't Smell the Floss", I found myself wondering, at times, how much of Matty's message I was really getting. I admit that some of the stories went a bit above my head, but I didn't let that bother me. I sat back and let the stories tell themselves. And I thoroughly enjoyed them. Matty has a way of making the strangest, most bizarre situation seem like something that could happen to you or someone you know.

Read this book. You know you want to. You can hear it calling you.

For more information on Write Bloody Books, the publishing company, click here. This is their first published work of fiction.

Keep an eye out out for an interview with Matty Byloos, coming soon.

I'm a Host on Sally Weigel's Blog Tour

Hooray! I will be participating in my very first virtual author blog tour next week!



Sally Weigel, author of the eBook "Too Young too Fall Asleep", will be visiting a total of 10 blogs over the next two weeks. I am her second stop - so swing by on Tuesday, March 30th to see what Sally has to say about her new e-release. In the meantime, check out CCLaP's website for additional blog tour information, and to download her book.

The End of Publishing?

This is a powerful video that is causing a lot of buzz within the book publishing industry. Be sure to watch it all the way through. I love it!

Free eBooks at eBookNewser

Click here to get a free ecopy of what eBookNewser is giving away!

Robots Will Be the Death of Us!

Read 3/16/10 - 3/19/10
3-4 Stars - Recommended to readers familiar with genre/ Strongly recommend
Pgs:180

Funny thing about robots. You never know when they are going to attempt to kill you and rule the world.

David Simpson created a world in which his characters can remain forever young, never suffer physical pain, download intelligence upgrades, and simply think something to make it happen - all with the help of mini robots called Nans, that lived inside of them.

Flying instead of walking, interplanetary travel, setting your body to awaken you and put you to sleep, never having to watch a loved one die... It was heaven on Earth.

Until James and his crew of terraformers return home after a day of working on Venus to discover everyone, every last upgraded human that is, dead. Sticking together and in search of the Purists - a group of humans who choose to live natural, normal lives - James and his team take on the greatest battle of their lives: Fighting the Artificial Intelligence (AI) to save the world and the galaxy.

I really enjoyed this novel. Being a fan of science fiction, both old and new, I found myself comparing this dystopian, futuristic tale to stories like "I, Robot", "Minority Report", "The Day the Earth Stood Still", and "AI"... as it seems to be influenced by bits and pieces of each. Technology - the very thing we create - being the one thing that ends up threatening our very lives. An artificial intelligence that develops a sense of self, that wishes to exterminate it's creators, that sees us as an infestation, a nuisance.

Don't let the 3 stars fool you. I am simply recommending this novel to people who are already fans of Sci-Fi. With characters that can fly through space and use their mind's eye to create a force field around themselves, and mini-robots that live inside you, heal your wounds, and report any evil or extramarital thoughts and intentions.. I can see how this novel may not be to every one's taste.

For those of you who enjoy a good old fashioned man vs robot/mainframe story with great twists and turns, this book is absolutely for you!!

Many thanks to David Simpson for sending me this copy to review. He is currently working on a sequel to "Post-Human" and is also in the process of turning this novel into an e-comic!! Check out more information here.

Author Interview w/ Kelly Lydick

Kelly Lydick is the author of Mastering the Dream, an experimental novel that incorporates many different forms of writing to tell the story of Marie - a mentally disturbed young woman who slips down into the confusing world of depression and attempts to pull herself back out. (See my review here.)

Here is a little about Kelly (copied from her Goodreads Author description):
"Kelly Lydick received her B.A. in Writing and Literature from Burlington College (VT), and her M.A. in Writing and Consciousness from the New College of California (San Francisco). Her photography has appeared in Vista Magazine, Photographer’s Forum Annual, Photographer’s Forum College Annual, and the Queen City Review. Kelly pioneered the ‘Storyboard Wall’ photography project, a permanent display for the Arizona Lost Boys Center. Her writing has appeared in Twittering Machine, the Burlington College Poetry Journal, the New College Review and ditch. Kelly’s work has also been featured on NPR and KQED’s The Writers’ Block. She is the author of the chapbook We Once Were (Pure Carbon Publishing, AZ), and the experimental fiction novel, Mastering the Dream."

According to your bio on Goodreads, you have quite a resume working for you! Which accomplishments are you are most proud of?

The two things I enjoyed the most were the Storyboard Project and the publishing of Mastering the Dream.

Working with the Arizona Lost Boys Center on the Storyboard Wall was really amazing. That was such a great project! It was really a chance for the ‘Lost Boys,’ the Sudanese refugees living in Arizona, to once again become part of a community after having experienced the devastation of war in their country. Many of the boys had been separated from, or had lost members of their family. It helped the boys feel like they belonged again, it let them know that people care about their lives as individuals. It gave them a community when everything they had ever known had been stripped away. It was heartbreaking to hear some of these stories.

And it was also a chance to help people here in the United States to better understand what the experience of being a refugee can be like. As an educational piece, I really felt that it was important for the Lost Boys to share their stories with the community.

Mastering the Dream, because that was a long time coming. I think I was working on this book before I even realized that I was working on this book! To me, Mastering the Dream is in its own way a heavy read. There’s a lot going on with the material in the book and in the way the material is presented. So it feels really great to have all this material in one manuscript, in one story, that—in an experimental form—is really working. It feels great to see the work in a tangible form, and for it to be available for folks to check out.

I really love being able to present my work in person, and to be able to talk with folks about the book, or just about writing and art in general. I love answering questions about the book, and dialoguing with folks about their insights or interpretations that have come from reading it. Publishing Mastering the Dream in its final, printed form has provided me a number of opportunities to present to folks and discuss the topics in the book, and that has been really wonderful.

What was the strangest job you have ever held?

The strangest job I ever held was working at the mall. I think I was 18 or 19. I took a job as one of those consumer marketing people—the people with the clipboards—who ask if you want to take a survey, or try a new shampoo, or eat some crackers that are not yet available at the grocery store.

No one wanted to take the survey, or try the shampoo, or eat the crackers. One guy even yelled at me in expletives. I only worked there for one day.

Who was your role model growing up? Who is your role model now, and why?

My role models growing up were my Grandma and my Mom. My Grandma because she was a visual artist—an oil painter—and she played the piano. She was really creative and I loved anything that had to do with using your imagination. I would play in her spare room—her art room—with art supplies, every kind of glue, confetti or oil crayon, anything I could get my hands on. I could sit in there for hours. Or I would go into the living room where my grandparents had their piano. I began learning to play when I was 5 years old. I loved anything musical or artistic from a very young age.

And my Mom because she was always doing some kind of social work or non-profit work, or charity kind of work. She was always working to help people, and was always working to improve things, which I admire.

Now, I’m not sure if I have any one role model per se. There are a number of folks whose work or achievements I admire or appreciate, or whose life experiences are exceptional examples of what we are all capable of. Some of them are: Anne Frank, Beethoven, Arlene Blum, Shirley MacLaine, Sara Presler, Dennison Smith, Paul Miliotio, Leonard Crow Dog.

How did the idea for Mastering the Dream come about? Does it hold any personal significance for you or is it purely fictional?

Mastering the Dream, I think, is a difficult work to pin down. Officially it’s listed as ‘poetry’. I refer to the work as experimental fiction, but I use this term loosely because I see post-modern, or post-post-modern, or contemporary writing and art, as being in a really interesting place right now. We’re kind of ahead of the curve, so it will be interesting to see 20 years from now what this era of work will be ‘termed’.

Mastering the Dream really is an amalgamation of poetry, memoir (including dreams I have had), and fiction—but it’s as if the genre doesn’t yet exist, so what do we call it? I’ve defaulted to experimental fiction because the aim of the work—to experiment—to break boundaries, to create new forms, is difficult to describe—even if the form is very intentional. Specifically, this work exists within its own framework, and I wouldn’t expect any other book to look like it, or read like it.

When I entered the program at the New College of California, which is now California Institute of Integral Studies, I was working on a project—a fictional work of a more traditional structure. But part of my reason for choosing the Writing and Consciousness Program was that I really wanted to hone my work in experimental form. I’ve always been drawn to experimental form.

I was about halfway through the program and the fiction piece I was working on—which was to be a novel—wasn’t developing the way I would like it to, and I needed a fresh take on my own work. So one of my instructors said to try this exercise in working with characters: have your character write a letter to him or herself, and see where that goes. That way I could work on character development for what would be my novel and thesis.

That exercise opened up so many other new possibilities, that I just ran with it! I quickly realized that I had, unknowingly, already been compiling material in various forms for what would become Mastering the Dream—and that then became the thesis for my graduate degree, instead of the original project I had intended to submit.

I have a strong interest in science, I always have since I was a kid—especially astronomy and geology. Dreams are also a really important part of my life—I’ve been journaling about my dreams for years and years. I’m extremely interested in dreams and psychology, specifically Jungian and transpersonal psychology, and how these modalities can help bring new meanings to our experience of life.

I have also been working with a Rabbi, Michael Shapiro, for quite some time, attending his classes and going to meditation, and that piece had a lot to do with the framework for Mastering the Dream. His work is amazing—it really brings the complicated parts of Jewish mysticism into a practical, accessible form, which is great.

And so, when I started with these writing exercises, the letters, I began to see the connections forming, across disciplines of knowledge and in my personal experiences. I also began to notice how science and dreams and mysticism are really not that different, fundamentally. They are different facets of expression and speak a different language, or are expressed in different ways. Humans, we use a specific set of linguistic terms to describe these things, to put things in a box, to keep them apart. The mystical, that’s all part of the same entity.

So, part of what takes place in Mastering the Dream is a means through which to envision the connections that are inherently present—in science, in esoteric studies, in the life one lives, in psychology and dreams—connections that are sometimes overlooked.

And the larger theme or idea is really that there are two (or potentially more) realities functioning at any given time: the reality of the life we live, what we can see, feel touch; and the reality of the qualities present in our lives that we can’t see—the esoteric, the metaphysical. The ‘waking’ life and the ‘dreaming’ life. With Mastering the Dream I was really working to bring out the understanding that these realities are working simultaneously; the realm of duality as well as the realm that is beyond duality.

What was the writing and publishing process like for you? What reactions, if any, did people have to the style in which the story was written?

Both the writing and publishing processes for this work happened very quickly. As I mentioned, the work was my thesis for my graduate degree, but I didn’t actually begin putting material together until the last semester of my studies. Then after graduation I did some work revising and sent it out for publication. The manuscript was accepted shortly thereafter.

Before the work was published, I brought a small excerpt into workshop at the grad program, and I don’t think folks were really able to grasp the work. That being said, I think that Mastering the Dream is really meant to be read cover to cover—at least that was my intention. The form is very deliberate. Assembling the pieces of this story was a process in and of itself. I think that expecting folks to understand what I was trying to accomplish, by asking them to only read a small excerpt, was maybe not so realistic! I do know that people were intrigued with what I was presenting, so that felt positive.

At the same time, I think the fact that folks weren’t really grasping what I was trying to do with Mastering the Dream ended up being more fuel to my creativity. It was as if—if they didn’t “get it” or if they didn’t understand what I was doing with the work—then I must be on the right track. I know that seems really strange to say, but that was how I felt at the time. It was like “the muse” was speaking its own language! So I think it was more a matter of following my own intuition and trusting my own creative process, knowing that the project would come together cohesively by the time I was done.

I ended up finishing the manuscript in not quite nine months, and the publication process was about a year long, once it was accepted for print.

I am lucky to have a great publisher, Mary Burger, who is also a great writer. I think she has a keen eye, and I’m grateful for having the opportunity to work with her. And in working with her, on behalf of Second Story Books, I was able to benefit from her editorial skills in a way that didn’t feel invasive, or seem like she was trying to change the work in a substantial way. And that, as an artist, I really appreciate. Her seasoned experience with work like this, experimental work, poetic work, shows she was really concerned about preserving the work in its original form. I feel like that’s a pretty perfect scenario. I would not have wanted this manuscript heavily edited, and it wasn’t.

Now that the book is in print, it’s exciting that folks want to know more about the form of Mastering the Dream. I think it’s important to dialogue about art forms, new art forms, because everyone has an opportunity to learn something. I love to hear about the experimental work that other folks are publishing, and learn about others’ creative processes. I’m grateful that my work can now also be part of that conversation.

What are you reading right now?

Right now I’m reading The Next American Essay, which is a new read for me. I’ve also returned to two books I’ve read previously: Jorie Graham’s The Dream of the Unified Field, and Michael Cunningham’s Specimen Days.

I also have a book on Jewish meditation that I browse through almost every night before I go to bed. Almost every night.

Which 5 books would you save if your house were to catch fire?

I love this question! If my house were on fire, I’d save:

1) This hardcover coffee table book I have on the Austrian artist, Friedensreich Hundertwasser. This book is a compilation of his paintings and architecture over the years. Hundertwasser is one of my favorite artists. The Path From You Back to Me is my favorite painting.

2) Another a coffee table art book, on Antonio Possenti. He’s an Italian artist, a contemporary artist still living in Italy, and this book is also a compilation of paintings and drawings. I purchased this book when I was at the Uffizi in Florence, and I’ve never seen it here in the states. Possenti reminds me a bit of Van Gogh and that post-impressionistic sort of style, but in a lighter, happier way.

3) I have an old copy of Anias Nin’s House of Incest. It’s a copy from the 50’s and it’s illustrated with these interesting black and white photos by this artist Val Telberg. Telberg’s photos look like they were developed in some kind of overlay process, and appear like an overlapping montage of multiple images. It’s a very interesting work. I like the idea of illustrating written work with photographs, especially black and white photographs. This book I bought at an antique store years ago, and I’ve never seen another copy again.

4) I have an old hardcover book on Shirley Temple that my grandpa gave to me. I think the exact title is The Illustrated Shirley Temple, the cover has a blue background. This edition is from the 40’s or 50’s. When I was a really little girl, I liked Shirley Temple. This book has sentimental value to me.

5) A book called Reincarnation: The Phoenix Fire Mystery. Another gem I picked up at a used bookstore. It’s an edition from the early 1970’s, so the cover is still reminiscent of that 1960’s psychedelic, rock n’ roll kind of design. It’s a hardcover with a black dust jacket and bright red and orange and white, and it has an interesting Phoenix on it. It’s an anthology of belief systems on reincarnation from cultures around the world.

What is your take on eBooks and eReaders, both as an author and reader?

Hmmm…I think I have mixed feelings about eBooks and eReaders. As someone who is concerned with the environment, I really like the idea that these devices can save paper, save trees.

As an author, eReaders and eBooks have the potential to allow readers more access to your work, so that’s always a good thing.

I don’t have and eReader now. As a reader, there’s something about the tangibility of a book that I really like. I have, however, downloaded quite a few eBooks onto my laptop for my own use, and I really like that accessibility. Google books has a great electronic library. I also find eBooks really great for any kind of research.

I think at this point, some books I would like to read electronically, and some books I still really want a printed copy.

I will be interested to see how these electronics evolve over the next few years. I’ll definitely continue reading eBooks for the time being, but I’ll hold off on purchasing an eReader until the holographic editions are released.

What is your favorite quote or piece of advice?

For me I’ve noticed things like this tend to change with time. Right now it would be advice about focusing and living in the present moment. Not being too caught up in the past or the future.

What authors/books/websites would you recommend to our followers?

There are so many to note! Here are some of my favorites…

Specific books:
All My Friends are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman
The Architextures by Nathaniel Tarn
Paper City by Nathalie Stephens
The Word ‘Desire’ by Rikki Ducornet
My Favorite Apocalypse by Catie Rosemurgy
If There is Something to Desire by Vera Pavlova
Red Ant House by Ann Cummins
Always Looking Up by Michael J. Fox
Super Flat Times by Matthew Derby
The Camino by Shirley MacLaine
Nadja by Andre Breton
The Balloonists by Eula Biss
As She Climbed Across the Table by Jonathan Lethem
Scavenger by Dennison Smith
Monster Spotter’s Guide to North America by Scott Francis

The following authors: Christopher Moore, Ray Bradbury, Bob Kaufman, Kelly Link, Kurt Vonnegut, Nick Flynn, Jerome Rothenberg, Noam Chomsky, Sherman Alexie, Audrey Niffenegger, Neeli Cherkovski, Joy Harjo, Melissa Pritchard, Amy Reed, Neil Gaiman, Edie Meidav, Jonathan Carroll, Aimee Bender, Mordecai Richler, Daphne Gottlieb, Nazim Hikmet, Carole Maso, Carl Jung.

Writers as lyricists and musicians: Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell, Ed Vedder, Don McLean, Conor Oberst, Paul Simon, Jason Mraz, Ani DiFranco, Van Morrison. These I like to read without listening to the accompanying music; they can really be read as poetry.

Magazines and Journals:
Indiana Review, Columbia Poetry Review, and New American Writing are really good print literary journals. Also Make (out of Chicago), Adbusters, BOMB, The Sun, Parabola, National Geographic, Versal, Filling Station, Crazyhorse.

Websites and online journals:
ditch, the poetry that matters, Mad Hatters’ Review, Hot Metal Bridge, GlitterPony, Word Riot, Like Water Burning, Luna Park, The Splinter Generation, Sleeping Fish, Neon, Born Magazine, Exquisite Corpse, Jacket Magazine, NOO, Switched on Gutenberg, shady side review.

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review your experimental fiction novel. It was a very interesting and creative journey. And thanks for participating in this interview.

Thank you! I enjoyed answering your questions!

If you wish to learn more about Kelly or her work, check out her website http://www.kellylydick.com/

Book Reviewers Beware!!!

When the internet bug bites, I sometimes find myself bouncing from blog to blog to see what everyone's buzzing about.

Today I stumbled across Michelle Kerns at the Book Examiner and her creative little dig at the cliches used by lazy book reviewers. You see them all the time, those great big empty words that tell you nothing about the book. Words like "Riveting" and "Compelling" and "Epic".

Take a peek at the Book Review Bingo game she created.



Click on her link up above to print out the cards and play along with your fellow book lovers. The object of the game is to see how many reviews you need to read before you can get BINGO first. If you find that BINGO's are no great challenge, shoot for "blackouts"!!

Michelle's warning to all book reviewers: "watch yourself... Get lazy and use those clichés with caution. I will find you. I WILL."

Love is for the Birds

Read 3/13/10 - 3/16/10
3 Stars - Recommended to readers familiar with genre/author
Pgs:208

Thanks to the incredibly awesome people over at Harper Perennial for forwarding me The Bird Room for review.

It was a quickly paced, bizarre story about an unemployed self conscious young man named Will, who finally finds love with Alice, only to have his heart broken because he can't leave well enough alone.

Told from Will's point of view, we are plunged head first into his dark and twisted mind. We are cringing at the unchecked jealousy over his best friend - also named Will. We are watching as he pushes Alice away from him and straight into the other Will's arms. We are shaking our heads as he dives into the deep end of Internet porn, through which he discovers Helen - the "actress" with an invisible "sister".

While it was easy to read, it was somewhat confusing. We are thrown into the story at the halfway mark and flip-flop between the present and the past. There were times when I was reading a chapter and could not be quite sure if I was in the current moment or a past moment.

The painfully damaged characters make this novel enjoyable. You can find bits and pieces of yourself in just about all of them, if you are honest with yourself! Some of Will's neuroses made me laugh - There was a moment when Will and his girlfriend are having dinner with his best friend Will, and he drives himself crazy imagining them touching their feet together under the table. He follows his girlfriend after work because he is sure she is visiting her ex-boyfriend behind his back....

Not something I would recommend to everyone. At times dark, funny in parts, and heavily layered in lust and sex and pornography.

Shutter Island - The Book vs. The Film

Read 3/10/10 - 3/13/10
5 stars - Highly Recommended
Pgs:369

I never pass up the chance to read a good ole fashioned thriller. And with two of my Goodreads groups voting in Shutter Island as their March group reads, and with the film releasing into the theaters, the timing was just too perfect!

From page one, this novel of a US Marshall arriving on Shutter Island (a prison designed to hold and treat the most mentally unstable patients) to investigate the disappearance of a female inmate is a true page-turner.

Believed to be home to unspeakable illegal experiments on the minds of the patients there, Shutter Island can only be reached by ferry, and is surrounded by electric fences and sheer rock cliffs that would destroy any attempt to escape.

Teddy Daniels has been researching this island. He is certain it is holding the man who killed his wife and he is determined to find him and uncover the evil goings-ons, while searching the island with his partner Chuck for the missing Rachel Solando.

Collecting evidence and interviewing the staff and patients turns out to be more difficult and weary than he had planned. The more questions he asks, the more Teddy believes that things are not as they appear, and that the Doctors of Shutter Island are trying to make him insane.

It's a story that is filled with cryptic clues, and crazy twists and turns. One that makes you question everything you see and hear, and will have you rereading previous pages to rethink what you thought.

Of course, having finished the book, I had to go and see the film. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Teddy Daniels, and I was pleasantly suprised at how well he portrayed Teddy Daniels.

The film followed the novel very closely, which is always a wonderful thing for a book lover like myself, since I cannot help but compare the two. Of course, no film covers every inch of the book. For me, the most important thing is that it not leave too much on the cutting room floor.

Here is where Shutter Island - the film - failed me. (If you have not yet read the book or viewed the movie, advert your eyes, I may spoil some things):

* In the book, we know Teddy's full name is Edward Daniels. We are also privvy to his wife's maiden name. In the film, this information is never fully disclosed. If you read the book, you understand why that is important.
* In the book, Rachel Solando's cryptic note "The Law of 4" had some additional codes to it. These codes are also very important to the storyline. However, in the film, we only see "The Law of 4; Who is 67". We never discover the meaning behind "the 4", as we do in the book.
* Since the film does not show the additional information on Rachel's note, it also does not contain the rock piles that are part of Rachel's code in the book. A shame, really.
* Finally, they added an additional line to the end of the film that adds one last twist. For me, changing the ending of a book to please an audiance is just cowardly. I am sitting on the fence here because this change did not ruin the film... just puts a different spin on things.

The things I loved about the film (again, look away lest you be spoiled):

* The knowing glances - when patients are being asked about Dr Sheehan, or Andrew Leiddis, and when Teddy talks about how insane criminals should not be treated kindly to Dr Cowley.
* The landscape and the buildings were practically characters themselves in the film. Seeing them on screen added an additional layer to the story.
* Not to mention that the cast was phenominal. Watching Teddy question his own sanity... Seeing the compassion and concern in Dr Cowley's eyes...

Read the book. See the film. I would defintely recommend reading the book before seeing the film, though.

Other films that do justice to the books they are based on:
High Fidelity ; The Princess Bride ; Angel and Demons ; The DaVinci Code ; Blindness ; Where the Wild Things Are ; About a Boy ; Bringing Out the Dead

What Kind of Reader are You?

I found this fun little quiz over at A Few More Pages - and thought this was ABSOLUTELY the kind of reader I am!! Check out the quiz here, and let me know what kind of reader you are.

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader   You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

My Newest Additions

It's time to introduce you to my newest additions. These review copies have been appearing on my doorstep, all shipped by very generous authors, and have been added to the top of my to-be-read pile.

They are listed here in the order they arrived, which is also the order they will be read:(Descriptions taken from back covers and goodreads)

Post-Human by David Simpson
It's a vision of what our world will look like in the future, in which microscopic robots reset your celluar clock, keep you young, and allow you to download intelligence, strength, and eyesight. Everything we dreamed was supposed to come true. Until a group of 5 terraformers return to Earth from outerspace and find every human being gruesomely murdered. Welcome to the post human era.

Don't Smell the Floss by Matty Byloos
It's a collection of short stories that are broken up into two sections: Love Stories for a Contemporary Audience and Post-Traumatic Dreamscapes. With titles like "A Brief History of the Tupperware Party" and "My Friend the Pornographer", I can't help but think I will enjoy this!


Banned for Life by D.R. Haney
He and his novel were recommended to me by Greg Olear. The book centers in on New York and LA. Punk Rock music. And the culture wars of the 80's and 90's. It's been reviewed as a "rock'n'roll novel that truly rocks". A man is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of someone he barely knew... The first sentence is an attention getter- "It all began with a fuck".

The Life O'Reilly by Brian Cohen
Exploring the flaws of being human and the imprtance of controlling one's own destiny, this book reminds us of how precious life is and how quickly and tragically it can change. An emotional and unforgettable tale that will challenge your expectations of the modern love story.


I think it goes without saying that I am very thankful for the opportunity to read and review these novels. And for the generosity of the authors who so willingly sent them to me!

Dead People Don't Send Postcards

Read 3/6/10 - 3/9/10
4 Stars - Strongly recommend
Pgs:256

Thanks to HarperPerennial for sending me this review copy of "Postcards From a Dead Girl" by Kirk Farber.

I was not really sure what to think when I first saw the cover of this novel - with it's lone man standing in an apartment window watching postcards rain down from the sky. But after reading the first few paragraphs, I knew I had a great little book in my hands.

I'm a sucker for a fucked up lead guy. And oh boy is Sid fucked up. Here's his deal: He currently works as a telemarketer for a travel agency. He's a hypochondriac who is so obsessed with mud baths that he trys to recreate one in his own backyard. His dead mother talks to him through a 1967 bottle of wine. And he is receiving one year old postcards of exotic locations from his deceased girlfriend in the mail. He is unravelling fast, and while his sister attempts to hold him together at the seams, even she can't save Sid from completely falling apart.

Witty. Humorous. Strange. Tragic. Farber's book is all of these things and more, and sometimes all at the same time. It's one of those storys where you wish you crawl inside the text, inside where the characters are living, and shake some sense into them. Help them to get the closure they need in order to quit making such a mess of thier lives and begin the long journey of moving on.

Speaking of closure... The postcards were the one thing I never got any closure on. Read the book to find out what I mean. And maybe we can discuss your take on them. After all, the entire story circles around those darn little peices of paper!

"To Be Read" Tuesday

"To Be Read" Tuesdays is really just my way of sneaking a peek at your night-stand, coffee-table, book-shelf... where ever it is that you stack your piles of newly purchased unread books! And of course, returning the favor by allowing you a peek at mine...

I went shopping at Borders today, for the first time in a very long time, armed with a list of books I desperately wanted and the giftcard my brother and his fiancee gave me for my birthday.

Borders used to be like a little corner of heaven for me. Browsing the shelves used to make me giddy. Thumbing the book spines used to make my heart sing. But as I've grown and matured as a reader, the more I wander the shelves there, the more depressed I become. The books I want now are not normally stocked on their shelves.

The good news is that I did manage to find 4 new shiny novels to bring home during this trip. Take a peek:

Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood
I have heard so much about this novel that I just could not pass by it any longer. Not to mention the fact that Atwood released it's follow up "The Year of the Flood" this year. Being a fan of apocalyptic fiction, I am excited to finally own it. Now to figure out when to read it!!


Crooked Little Vein - Warren Ellis
I first saw this book on a Goodreads members book shelf, and thought the storyline was something I would enjoy reading. It's gotten very mixed reviews, which is always a hook for me. I can't wait to see which side of the fence I will be on.


If On A Winter's Night A Traveler - Italo Calvino
This one was added to my pile because many of my Goodreads Friends have read it, and THEY give it mixed reviews, which is an EVEN BIGGER HOOK for me!! I have not read any books written in second-person before, so this should make for an interesting read if for no other reason.


The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Victor Hugo
One of those timeless classics that should be on everyone bookshelf. The setting, the story... I have always meant to pick it up and read it, but couldnt justify spending the money on it when I had so many other books to buy. And it's one of those novels that is never at a booksale.

Post what's new on YOUR to be read pile and link me back to it by leaving a comment here.

Creating a Book Cover

As I was browsing articles on Galleycat.Com, I found this video - How to create a book cover - which condenses a 6 hour long process of creating a book cover into a mere 2 minutes for your viewing pleasure. Of course, not all book covers are created from scratch in photoshop like this one. But it gives you a peek into the creative process, and again, leaves me yearning something awful for a job in publishing.

Does Font Matter?

Well, according to this video - Type Matters"> - found on Penguin.com, it most certainly does!

I don't think I have ever really paid attention to the font choice of the books I read. While I have never turned a book away based solely on font, I am aware that some type fonts are generally easier on the eye than others.

Watching the video (linked above) gave me a better understanding of the publishing process. The Typographers make each text sound alive, don't they? Some are snobby and stuck up, some are playful and fun, they can even be sexy and alluring.

I was surprised that I recognized many of the fonts they discussed. This, of course, will lead to a new book obsession for me - how the font fits the novel it was chosen for.

Do you have a favorite font to read? to write in? Post a comment and let me know.

By the way, this makes me yearn something awful for a job in publishing...