All Consuming : rocketChips does all her own stunts

Knusperflakes!

nobody@allconsuming.net (rocketChips does all her own stunts) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:51:20 GMT

My boss turned me on to this. Goddamn if I never met a more tasty cornflake. The packages that say “Knusperflake” oppose to Cornflake tend to be tastier, although I can’t place exactly why. Perhaps a complete psychological thing.

A story about "The Elsewhere Society"

nobody@allconsuming.net (rocketChips does all her own stunts) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:16:32 GMT

The Elsewhere Society

by Dalton Conley

I received the galley for this
(perks of working in a book shop…woo hoo!) and it looked interesting, but already Conley’s infatuation with creating new words is a little irritating. Weisure. Work and leisure. Convesment. Consumption and investment.
I’m annoyed and I’m only on page 36.
Grr.
Perhaps I should try a novel.

Meh. (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (rocketChips does all her own stunts) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:08:40 GMT

Violence

by Slavoj Žižek

I dig Žižek, I really do, but Violence wasn’t cutting it for me. He’s easy to follow once you get his thought process down, but there were times where he was just trying too hard to make connections – jumping from Christianity, to Monty Python, to Freud…I mean, c’mon. Everything was connected but the segue’s weren’t the prettiest or most direct. Still an interesting read though, so I suggest picking it up if social commentary is your bag – otherwise, you’re not missing out on anything.

Why I recommend "The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression"

nobody@allconsuming.net (rocketChips does all her own stunts) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:46:48 GMT

The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression

by Amity Shlaes

I seem to gravitate towards history books written by journalists (Kapuściński, Chandrasekaran) perhaps because the writing is style is very factual with just enough “humanity” to make it personal. Shlaes gives a very erudite accounting of events leading up, during, and ending the Great Depression. With keen observations and almost a luminous foreshadowing of current situations, Forgotten Man is an excellent read.

Why I recommend "All This Time"

nobody@allconsuming.net (rocketChips does all her own stunts) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:14:19 GMT

All This Time

by Heartless Bastards

The voice of Erica Wennerstrom is utterly hypnotic – deep and slow as syrup. All the songs on this record share a simliar dream-like, hazy feeling. A definite play for humid summers, or days by the water.

Why I recommend "Stairs and Elevators"

nobody@allconsuming.net (rocketChips does all her own stunts) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:13:52 GMT

Stairs and Elevators

by Heartless Bastards

Gritty garage rock sound, with a deep female vocal lead. Think Detroit Cobras meets Black Keys with some Greenhornes thrown in for good measure.

If a chain gang were to form a band... (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (rocketChips does all her own stunts) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:29:47 GMT

Ida the Spider and the American Dream

by The Five Points Band

Imagine if Tom Waits, Johnny Cash and Robert Johnson were doing shots of moonshine in a some backwater shack in the bayou writing songs and playing music for weeks on end – that is The Five Points Band.

Why I recommend "Paul Chan: The Shadow and Her Wanda"

nobody@allconsuming.net (rocketChips does all her own stunts) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:26:14 GMT

Paul Chan: The Shadow and Her Wanda

by Paul Chan

How many times can you read a children’s book that has footnotes? Or references Goethe and The Wu-Tang Clan within the first three pages? You most certainly can with The Shadow and Her Wanda. Awesome squared.

Why I recommend "The Way Back Home"

nobody@allconsuming.net (rocketChips does all her own stunts) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:54:17 GMT

The Way Back Home

Absolutely wonderful. Jeffers is my new favorite children’s illustrator of the moment. Way Back Home has the sweet simplicity of his other books with gorgeous illustrations and a nice little story. He refrains from writing in a child-like way, where many other children’s authors write in a form that is a step above baby-talk (which is completely annoying). And my absolute favorite thing about this book is the continuity (read Lost and Found before this book.)
And I hear he lives in Brooklyn to boot…now I just need to track him down to do a reading in my store. ::insert giddy squeals::

A story about "No End in Sight"

nobody@allconsuming.net (rocketChips does all her own stunts) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:57:30 GMT

No End in Sight

by Charles Ferguson (III)

Interesting and offers a lot of information, although it doesn’t go as in depth as I wanted it to. With the amount of people they had at their disposal they could have had the definitive review of the US-Iraq debate. The film presents a lot of facts, but at times just rests on those instead of delving into cause and effect and trying to find the story behind everything. I think it would have benefited greatly if they made it into a series, but at about 90 minutes it’s still a decent survey. For further information you can read “Hubris”, “Assassin’s Gate” and “Imperial Life in the Emerald City.”

Listenable, yet not quite rock-to-able... (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (rocketChips does all her own stunts) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:33:36 GMT

Attack and Released

by The Black Keys

So I really wanted to NOT like this album – just for the whole Danger Mouse collaboration and fears that a Black Keys song could be the next Gnarls Barkley “Crazy” plague. But my fears were assuaged a few songs in. Some reviewers have said that they had hit a wall with their past few albums – but in my eyes they have steadily brought that bluesy-garage-rock sound that I have come to crave from them. This album strays a little away from that by touches of futuristic sounds, and a lot more doses of those lovers-lament songs. At times the whole low-fi, distorted sound that has been their signature on past recordings feels a little forced on this album. I almost want to record it onto a tape and pound it out of the 6-inch speakers of my 1997 JVC boombox just to get a true “quality-crap” sound.

All in all – a good album from The Black Keys, but I do hope for their next album they go back to recording in Dan’s basement.

A story about "Night Wraps the Sky: Writings by and about Mayakovsky"

nobody@allconsuming.net (rocketChips does all her own stunts) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:08:44 GMT

Night Wraps the Sky: Writings by and about Mayakovsky

by Vladimir Mayakovsky

I just started this and I don’t know if my opinion is swayed by my blind admiration for all things Mayakovsky – but I am completely enthralled with the few new translations I’ve read so far. I’ve scoured used book stores all over looking for texts by/about him – so hearing this was in the works got me all giddy. Of course, any translations lose something – but I think poetry more so, and especially with writers like Mayakovsky who use words in a unique way. He is the sole reason I am inclined to learn Russian – so I can enjoy him unfiltered.

Why I recommend "Kelly's Heroes"

nobody@allconsuming.net (rocketChips does all her own stunts) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:53:13 GMT

Kelly's Heroes

by Brian G. Hutton

For those lazy Sunday mornings where you want a nice war movie, without all the pesky historical accuracy. I mean c’mon – Sutherland was a borderline hippie for nut’s sake!

A story about "The Dirty Dozen"

nobody@allconsuming.net (rocketChips does all her own stunts) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:39:08 GMT

The Dirty Dozen

by Robert Aldrich

- Although I cried at the end of “the Dirty Dozen.”
- Who didn’t?
- Jim Brown was throwing these hand grenades down these airshafts. And Richard Jaeckel and Lee Marvin were sitting on top of this armored personnel carrier, dressed up like Nazis…
- Stop, stop!
- And Trini Lopez…
- Yes, Trini Lopez!
- He busted his neck while they were parachuting down behind the Nazi lines…
- Stop.
- And Richard Jaeckel – at the beginning he had on this shiny helmet…
- Please no more. Oh God! I loved that movie.

Bonus points if you can name what movie that was from.

A story about "Uncertainty: Einstein, Heisenberg, Bohr, and the Struggle for the Soul of Science"

nobody@allconsuming.net (rocketChips does all her own stunts) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:10:42 GMT

Uncertainty: Einstein, Heisenberg, Bohr, and the Struggle for the Soul of Science

by David Lindley

::putting on my best announcer voice::

In this corner, hailing from a Swiss patent office, the undisputed father of Relativity – Einstein.

And in this corner, a young physicist hailing from Germany, the challenger of relativity – Heisenberg.

Watch (or read rather) as these two duke it out (well less “duke” and more debate, hypothesize, analyze and test) amongst their peers (meaning really smart scientist dudes) about cause and effect, momentum and position all in effort to understand our Universe better, and what do they come up with…Uncertainty.

A story about "Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War"

nobody@allconsuming.net (rocketChips does all her own stunts) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 16:34:17 GMT

Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War

by Michael Isikoff

I’ve read enough history to know that there are two-sides to every story…so I am open to reading (and looking forward to) the “counter-argument” to this book. And I’m not talking about a passing two-line synopsis in certain person’s autobiographies – I want nitty-gritty facts.

The thing that was interesting to me about this book was all the politics that surrounded journalism. I mean I knew it was there, but it’s borderline outraging the barriers put up between people and the facts we should be privy to. Even more so when the barriers are put up by people who’s JOB it is to bring us the facts.

Where the writers went a little astray is when they started adding a little too much emotion when presenting what they knew as fact.

A story about "Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone (Vintage)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (rocketChips does all her own stunts) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 16:22:38 GMT

Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone (Vintage)

by Rajiv Chandrasekaran

A sober and somewhat removed telling of life within and surrounding the Green Zone in Iraq during the first years of US occupation. I commend Chandrasekaran for trying to remain “journalistic” in the sense of just reporting facts and remain unbiased – but having witnessed what he did – how could you not form opinions. There are personal touches in the writing which adds to the telling (like his discovery of a pizza place just outside the Green Zone).

A story about "Volume One"

nobody@allconsuming.net (rocketChips does all her own stunts) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:53:45 GMT

Volume One

by She & Him

M. Ward + the bright-eyed Zooey = fun times.
Nice, mellow, but upbeat collection of songs to have around for sunny Sunday mornings. Listening to it makes me want to skip…with a basket-full of flowers.

A story about "Stiff"

nobody@allconsuming.net (rocketChips does all her own stunts) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:27:17 GMT

Stiff

by Mary Roach

Decay and atrophy may not be your choice of cocktail party banter – but I would venture to guess that Roach may have been known to absentmindedly go a little to in-depth about gibbeting during soirees. But her writing style and humor are completely engaging which make queasy subjects actually enjoyable.

Why it's taking me forever to finish consuming "Notes From Underground"

nobody@allconsuming.net (rocketChips does all her own stunts) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 21:19:11 GMT

Notes From Underground

by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Meh. It’s not that this is a bad story by any means, it’s just characters like the Narrator in this story grate on my nerves. And truth be told I actually haven’t finished this book but I’ve started it about half a dozen times, and it’s a skinny little thing too so I don’t know what I refuse to finish it—because I do know it’s all subconscious.

A story about "Ponette"

nobody@allconsuming.net (rocketChips does all her own stunts) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:52:52 GMT

Ponette

by Jacques Doillon

It’s so painful to watch this film – Ponette, the little girl, loses her mother in a car accident but survives it herself, because of which she becomes withdrawn. I felt myself squirming in my seat a lot because all the disenchantment and grief is right there in the open. It shows how this little family deals with loss and it doesn’t tie it up in a pretty little bow at the end – which I like.