Ugh, I don’t think I’m going to hit 2 1/2 Cannonballs this year, and it will be Mark Leyner and his Sugar Frosted Nutsack that I will curse if I don’t (still slogging through that one). The delightful little Out Stealing Horses, however, is utterly blameless. It took me an evening to read, with its terse narration and quick plot. A nice way to spend an evening. I picked up Out Stealing Horses at Half Price Books because 1) it was $1 and 2) I like horses. It turns out […]
Bringing Out the Dead by Joe Connelly
Joe Connelly, ex-medic, wrote Bringing Out the Dead based on his own experiences. And I’ll tell you, it’s a wild ride. Not really enjoyable, but a good read nonetheless. This book covers two nights, but it feels like weeks. The whole book has that effect, like you’re thrown for real into this insane ambulance ride, and you come out the other side confused, exhausted, and understanding Frank’s rapid decline. Frank Pierce has been an EMS medic for (I think) 5 years. Over the past 12 or 13 months, […]
American Gods By Neil Gaiman
I first read American Gods about 5 years ago. I loved it–I loved the characters, the little “Coming to America” interludes, how strange and sad the story was, everything. I loved how Neil Gaiman took one of the most stoic characters I’ve ever read — our man Shadow — who should have been boring in his utter acceptance of everything around him, but instead acting as a sounding board for the reader. Shadow absorbed all the insanity around him, took the view of “well, this is my job”, and moved on. […]
Shopgirl by Steve Martin
Wow, I just really, really didn’t like this book. The more I think about it, the more I just really didn’t like it. There didn’t seem to be a point, and the main characters were all wholly unlikable, but not in a “love to hate them” kind of way. More like, “wait, why am I reading this again?”…. “A girl who is willing to give every ounce of herself to someone, who could never betray her lover, who never suspects maliciousness of anyone, and whose […]