Continent September 21, 2010Jim Crace is quite the writer. This being his debut outing, it’s even more impressive for its ability...
Absurdistan June 20, 2010I always go into the reading of absurdist fiction with a skeptical eye. Absurdist in the way that...
Chronic City March 9, 2010I very rarely get super-excited after reading blurbs. Even the word “blurb” sounds like a baby slipping under...
Atmospheric Disturbances January 15, 2010If you’re a true nerd like me, you download the Slate book club podcast. If you’re even a...
The Lay of the Land December 23, 2009Having read both The Sportswriter and Independence Day (although not in the correct order) it only made sense...
The Intuitionist September 5, 2009I’ve heard this type of fiction called “fantastic realism” in recent years. Although I’m not sure that really...
Night August 6, 2009The first thing I did when picking up this book is rip off the Oprah sticker from the...
Kafka On the Shore May 27, 2009Fantastic realism I think they call it. Or mystic concretism. Maybe trippy groundedness? However you classify Murakami, this...
The Ministry of Special Cases April 29, 2009Aw god make the depression stop! I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into when...
The Castle in the Forest March 25, 2009I’ve read several Norman Mailer books over the years, and I’m always amazed at the pure amount of...
Post Office March 8, 2009While somehow pulling an A- in college in philosophy 101 without ever cracking a book, I remember precious...
Theft January 20, 2009Peter Carey is quickly becoming one of my favorite storytellers. The guy can spin a yarn with the...
Falling Man December 29, 2008As with most of what DeLillo writes, he seems to put some distance between himself and his subjects....
The Fixer December 10, 2008You’d think I had some sort of Russia fetish what with all of the books I keep seeming...
Blindness November 12, 2008I must admit that I first became aware of this book because of the movie whose commercials reminded...
House of Meetings October 14, 2008Why are people allowed to be despicable in wartime? Why are all of man’s base desires and impulses...
Christine Falls September 15, 2008I can’t believe that an author would go through the painstaking process of writing a novel and then...
The Yiddish Policemen’s Union September 4, 2008There has never been a doubt that Michael Chabon is a good storyteller. Wonder Boys and The Amazing Adventures...