All Consuming : shimmer

A story about "Ghostwritten"

nobody@allconsuming.net (shimmer) — Wed, 25 May 2005 04:59:10 GMT

by David Mitchell

Very impressive in the end. The final chapters struggled a little under their own weight, but only because they were so amitious. Definitely worthwhile.

A story about "If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things"

nobody@allconsuming.net (shimmer) — Wed, 25 May 2005 04:59:09 GMT

If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things

by Jon McGregor

The poetic style is what pulled me through the story. A bit overdone at times, perhaps too convinced of how remarkable its own ‘remarkable things’ are, but the minimalist approach to character and plot largely works. Until the ending, at least, which was shockingly at odds with the quality and freshness elsewhere in the novel.

A story about "Me++ : The Cyborg Self and the Networked City"

nobody@allconsuming.net (shimmer) — Wed, 25 May 2005 04:59:09 GMT

Me++ : The Cyborg Self and the Networked City

by William J. Mitchell

My students will read this for a set of linked courses, so I’m reading it, too.

A story about "The Bridge of Sighs: A Novel"

nobody@allconsuming.net (shimmer) — Wed, 25 May 2005 04:59:08 GMT

The Bridge of Sighs: A Novel

by Olen Steinhauer

A fellow Emersonian. Also a good read, reminding me of Kerr’s Bernie Gunther novels.

A story about "Baby No-Eyes (Talanoa)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (shimmer) — Wed, 25 May 2005 04:59:07 GMT

Baby No-Eyes (Talanoa)

by Patricia Grace

Reading this for a course in 4th world literature.

A story about "Death of a Nationalist (Soho Crime)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (shimmer) — Wed, 25 May 2005 04:59:07 GMT

Death of a Nationalist (Soho Crime)

by Rebecca Pawel

A good story, and surprising in it’s pro-fascist protaganist (which is not to say that the character’s sympathies are the author’s). The historical/political aspects are more convincing than the obligatory mystery novel romance. The writing doesn’t get in the way but it isn’t pushing any envelopes, either, and suffers to a point from constant (and unneccesary) motion from one character’s POV to another.

A story about "Once Were Warriors"

nobody@allconsuming.net (shimmer) — Wed, 25 May 2005 04:59:07 GMT

Once Were Warriors

by Alan Duff

Reading this for a course in 4th World literature. I’ve seen the film a couple of times, but haven’t read the novel before.

A story about "Gould's Book of Fish: A Novel in Twelve Fish"

nobody@allconsuming.net (shimmer) — Wed, 25 May 2005 04:59:07 GMT

Gould's Book of Fish: A Novel in Twelve Fish

by Richard Flanagan

Flanagan is a favorite of mine, and I’ve meant to read this for some time.

A story about "Land of the Golden Clouds"

nobody@allconsuming.net (shimmer) — Wed, 25 May 2005 04:59:06 GMT

Land of the Golden Clouds

by Archie Weller

Reading this for a course in 4th World literature.

A story about "Mao II: A Novel"

nobody@allconsuming.net (shimmer) — Wed, 25 May 2005 04:59:04 GMT

Mao II: A Novel

by Don DeLillo

I nearly stopped on the same page I did the first time I tried reading this. The descriptive prose is gorgeous, but the artificiality of dialogue and character became overwhelming after awhile. As the events of the story became more concrete, the language rendering them became more obtuse. Also, given what’s happened in the years since publication, DeLillo’s assumed connection between writers and terrorist seem awkward and a bit aggrandizing.

A story about "About Grace : A Novel"

nobody@allconsuming.net (shimmer) — Wed, 25 May 2005 04:59:03 GMT

About Grace : A Novel

by Anthony Doerr

I hope to go back to this one, but the story and characters seem meant to be more remarkable than they actually are. The exalted mundanity became overwhelming in time, which may be why Doerr’s short fiction is more successful.

A story about "The Twenty-Seventh City: A Novel (Bestselling Backlist)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (shimmer) — Wed, 25 May 2005 04:59:02 GMT

The Twenty-Seventh City: A Novel (Bestselling Backlist)

by Jonathan Franzen

I may go back to this, but the narrative voice is so cold to the characters that it’s hard to care about their lives or the increasingly overblown plot.

A story about "McKay's Bees: A Novel (Phoenix Fiction Series)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (shimmer) — Wed, 25 May 2005 04:59:02 GMT

McKay's Bees: A Novel (Phoenix Fiction Series)

by Thomas McMahon

McMahon weaves together the looming 1850’s issues of Darwinism, slavery, and civil war well, and the scientific and historical elements of the novel are engrossing. Still, with all those elements the brief novel feels underdeveloped in the end—everything could have used more elaboration.

A story about "Cloud Atlas: A Novel"

nobody@allconsuming.net (shimmer) — Wed, 25 May 2005 04:59:01 GMT

Cloud Atlas: A Novel

by David Mitchell

Gorgeously written, and unlike many critics I don’t think that Mitchell’s ventriloguism is either hollow or schizophrenic-as much as the novel apes muliple genres, there’s a dominant, unifying voice. However, Cloud Atlas is so similar in both execution and themes to Ghostwritten that it isn’t as impressive as it would be without that earlier novel. Perhaps that’s the trouble with experimentation-while more familiar styles mask their own similarness under convention, the innovator is expected to produce a vastly different work each outing.

A story about "Beowulf: A New Verse Translation"

nobody@allconsuming.net (shimmer) — Wed, 25 May 2005 04:59:01 GMT

Beowulf: A New Verse Translation

Reading this in preparation to teach a course on monsters next fall.

A story about "Langrishe, Go Down (Irish Literature)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (shimmer) — Wed, 25 May 2005 04:59:01 GMT

Langrishe, Go Down (Irish Literature)

by Aidan Higgins

I’ve been meaning to get to Higgins for a long time, and was reminded to by an old copy of the NY Review of Books recently.

A story about "A Kiss from Maddalena"

nobody@allconsuming.net (shimmer) — Wed, 25 May 2005 04:59:00 GMT

A Kiss from Maddalena

by Christopher Castellani

A bit treacly, so far; hopefully the story will pick up as it continues.

A story about "Ordinary Wolves"

nobody@allconsuming.net (shimmer) — Wed, 25 May 2005 04:59:00 GMT

Ordinary Wolves

by Seth Kantner

Gorgeous writing about land and nature, and an honest, unsentimental story of native culture. The narrator’s emotional turmoil is a bit heavyhanded, but overall a rewarding read.

A story about "Life of Pi"

nobody@allconsuming.net (shimmer) — Wed, 25 May 2005 04:59:00 GMT

Life of Pi

by Yann Martel

Shipwrecks and wild animals, what’s not to like? The religious conceits of the novel never pay off in any significant way, but the story is still a pleasure.