30 April 2009
the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay - michael chabon
michael chabon || the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay || 4.0/5.0
i'm always excited to learn about young and fresh writers. michael chabon definitely falls into this group - his body of work is still comparatively small, but all of his novels have been well-received and are together very promising.
the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay is incredibly creative, reaches to broad themes, and was a fun read. kavalier and clay are cousin comic book writers, jews in the period leading up to the onset of world war II. clay is a native new yorker, and is joined by his escape artist cousin kavalier, a refugee from prague.
their comic book adventures are just the start of their story, and the plot reaches through several decades. chabon covers so many distinct forms of loss that the book is heart-wrenching, but the cleverness of the writing balances the novel nicely. definitely recommend.
i'm always excited to learn about young and fresh writers. michael chabon definitely falls into this group - his body of work is still comparatively small, but all of his novels have been well-received and are together very promising.the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay is incredibly creative, reaches to broad themes, and was a fun read. kavalier and clay are cousin comic book writers, jews in the period leading up to the onset of world war II. clay is a native new yorker, and is joined by his escape artist cousin kavalier, a refugee from prague.
their comic book adventures are just the start of their story, and the plot reaches through several decades. chabon covers so many distinct forms of loss that the book is heart-wrenching, but the cleverness of the writing balances the novel nicely. definitely recommend.
27 April 2009
nashville marathon
when i started this blog, i had big plans to talk about things other than music and books. one of the things i imaged blogging on was running, but clearly that's not materialized - probably because, unless gifted with a humorous take on life, running is actually pretty dull.
that said, i've been running. this saturday i went to nashville and ran the country music marathon, my second marathon. it was pretty awesome, despite being awful. anyone who does long-distance running can probably relate, and i think the extreme of both experiences is what keeps us coming back. i'm hoping to run another full race either this late fall or early next spring.
nashville was great - its one of my favorite cities, and i love visiting. it was a joy to run through most landmarks, remembering my many previous trips to the city, and to think of those fun times with old friends.
my mixed review of race weekend:
PROS
-al gore sat behind me on the plane. seriously a life highlight. unfortunately i'm too timid to have talked to him, but i did eagerly listen to him talk to the woman sitting next to him. and he let me deplane first. awesome!
-nashville.
-cutting 15 minutes off my previous finishing time.
-surviving this race of doom, and knowing that i will likely never run in as difficult conditions again.
-awesome shirts!
-seeing finishers all over town and watching line-dancing at crazyhorse (dancing being clearly out of the question).
CONS
-it was close to 90 degrees when i finished, meaning just over 5 hours in the blistering heat.
-headwinds? i thought this was just a problem in biking - i was wrong. the wind was nice at first to keep us cool, but it was pretty ridiculous at times.
-did i mention the 90 degree thing? i'll confess to treadmilling it when the thermostat passes 70, so i definitely was out of my element.
-hills, hills, hills.
-super-sunburned face because i forgot a hat - oops!
-allergic reaction to my sunscreen & lingering hives that are driving me crazy.
-nine hours in the airport.
-having to watch the swine flu briefing in a crowded airport (more on that later).
life is sadly back to the old grind, except for the soreness and itchiness. i took a short run today, and after the initial pain and awkwardness, my legs feel a lot better.
everyone should run a marathon. seriously. talk to me about it, they're the best.
allergic legs:
that said, i've been running. this saturday i went to nashville and ran the country music marathon, my second marathon. it was pretty awesome, despite being awful. anyone who does long-distance running can probably relate, and i think the extreme of both experiences is what keeps us coming back. i'm hoping to run another full race either this late fall or early next spring.
nashville was great - its one of my favorite cities, and i love visiting. it was a joy to run through most landmarks, remembering my many previous trips to the city, and to think of those fun times with old friends.
my mixed review of race weekend:
PROS
-al gore sat behind me on the plane. seriously a life highlight. unfortunately i'm too timid to have talked to him, but i did eagerly listen to him talk to the woman sitting next to him. and he let me deplane first. awesome!
-nashville.
-cutting 15 minutes off my previous finishing time.
-surviving this race of doom, and knowing that i will likely never run in as difficult conditions again.
-awesome shirts!
-seeing finishers all over town and watching line-dancing at crazyhorse (dancing being clearly out of the question).
CONS
-it was close to 90 degrees when i finished, meaning just over 5 hours in the blistering heat.
-headwinds? i thought this was just a problem in biking - i was wrong. the wind was nice at first to keep us cool, but it was pretty ridiculous at times.
-did i mention the 90 degree thing? i'll confess to treadmilling it when the thermostat passes 70, so i definitely was out of my element.
-hills, hills, hills.
-super-sunburned face because i forgot a hat - oops!
-allergic reaction to my sunscreen & lingering hives that are driving me crazy.
-nine hours in the airport.
-having to watch the swine flu briefing in a crowded airport (more on that later).
life is sadly back to the old grind, except for the soreness and itchiness. i took a short run today, and after the initial pain and awkwardness, my legs feel a lot better.
everyone should run a marathon. seriously. talk to me about it, they're the best.
allergic legs:
the accidental tourist - anne tyler
anne tyler || the accidental tourist || 2.5/5.0
thanks to an nine-hour stay in the lovely nashville airport this past weekend, i was able to finally (and speedily) read this book, recommended by a very good friend.
in fairness, i think the fact that reading this book was the only source of entertainment available may have made me a little angry or frustrated at it, and hurt my score a bit. i can certainly attest to it being a quick read though!
the story was certainly good, and the book is well-reviewed. its a bit out of my usual style, however. in reviewing books here, i've started to better understand my own tastes in reading. accidental tourist is too... realistic for my tastes. maybe too mundane.
that said, the ended surprised me, and i haven't quite decided whether or not i'm glad at how the ending turned out. apparently its been made into a movie - anyone seen it?
thanks to an nine-hour stay in the lovely nashville airport this past weekend, i was able to finally (and speedily) read this book, recommended by a very good friend.in fairness, i think the fact that reading this book was the only source of entertainment available may have made me a little angry or frustrated at it, and hurt my score a bit. i can certainly attest to it being a quick read though!
the story was certainly good, and the book is well-reviewed. its a bit out of my usual style, however. in reviewing books here, i've started to better understand my own tastes in reading. accidental tourist is too... realistic for my tastes. maybe too mundane.
that said, the ended surprised me, and i haven't quite decided whether or not i'm glad at how the ending turned out. apparently its been made into a movie - anyone seen it?
23 April 2009
the vanishing point - mary sharratt
mary sharratt || the vanishing point || 2.5/5.0
while searching for a historical fiction to read, one of my book clubs chose this novel last month. we were hoping for a bit of mystery, and a bit of being taken back in time.
sharratt certainly succeeded in painting a picture of tough colonial life, but i was disappointed when the novel took a definite turn toward the romance angle. maybe i'm just turned away by romance novels, but i think her descriptions of passion on home-made bearskin rugs were a bit over the top.
with that exception, i enjoyed the novel. the historic nature kept things interesting, and the mystery kept me guessing. the main characters were strong women, and sharratt succeeds in impressing the complexity of each person. discussion in book club helped round some of the more flat individuals out, as we all related differently to each life.
while searching for a historical fiction to read, one of my book clubs chose this novel last month. we were hoping for a bit of mystery, and a bit of being taken back in time.sharratt certainly succeeded in painting a picture of tough colonial life, but i was disappointed when the novel took a definite turn toward the romance angle. maybe i'm just turned away by romance novels, but i think her descriptions of passion on home-made bearskin rugs were a bit over the top.
with that exception, i enjoyed the novel. the historic nature kept things interesting, and the mystery kept me guessing. the main characters were strong women, and sharratt succeeds in impressing the complexity of each person. discussion in book club helped round some of the more flat individuals out, as we all related differently to each life.
20 April 2009
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