Good title, GREAT author name

The Spanish Bow
by Andromeda Romano-Lax

...AND it survived the first chapter test!

'New Math'

Of all the things I never noticed about Roadhouse, which has to fall into the top five 'films to stop and watch when you have other things to do,' one fact blew me away. Dalton is reading Jim Harrison's Legends of the Fall before he is called away to the window by the noise of a party across the river. Whoa! How did that book make it into those hands?! Anyway, just thought this was worth mentioning, as Harrison's most recent novel, Returning to Earth, will come in paperback in the fall. You, whomever you are, owe it to yourself to pick this one up in hardcover while you can. It's worth it, trust me.

Musical Interlude II

J and I went to see Colin Hay last night play solo/acoustic at the WOW Hall here in Eugene (where, you can be in the beer garden with maybe 12 other people, and have the lead singer of the Pixies sitting a few seats away, mostly unrecognized and undisturbed). Tix felt a bit $ when we bought them ($25), but I'd pay more than that to see him again. Listening to him, I realized that he is the anti-Sting. Both were in groups that were at their peak in 1984, and both served as the primary songwriter in said groups. Then, Sting found tantra and his music slowly slid into 'adult contemporary' hell. Colin's music, though, still has the same power that it once did. And, unlike the Bee-man, his voice is still as strong as ever. I'd much rather hear the raw, six-string version of 'Overkill' than the jazzy dumbing down of 'Roxanne.'

Colin is gregarious and funny onstage between songs, and truly thankful to be doing what he is doing. Check out his MySpace page to hear a few samples... two standouts from the show were 'Beautiful World' and 'Waiting for my Real Life to Begin.' And, of course, 'I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over' played on a twelve-string was incredible.

And Sting? Get ready for the merchandising that will come with the $ Tour. I've been pitched a bunch of books, and hope like hell I won't see Police action figures in the toy aisle at Target.

Apropos of Nothing

A Miracle of Catfish was too good. If'n I ever choose to read an unfinished novel by a deceased author in the future, I'd prefer it to be sub-par. Brown's last novel had me so wrapped up that I was fairly 'ticked when it ended. Think about the great books you've read that left you wanting more -- at least those books were finished thoughts. That said, I found Miracle to be one of the best 'finds' of the season.

Looking ahead, I'm sad to say the fall season seems to be a bit thin. There are a few books that have caught my eye, but nothing big yet. I've still to receive a good number of catalogs, so the fingers are still crossed. In years past, this kind of season has meant we've discovered some new talent, and I certainly hope that is the case in '07.

In lieu of a book today, I'm linking to one of the coolest small publishers out there. Milkweed is a non-profit press dedicated to making a "humane impact on society." They first came to my attention when I read Seth Kantner's Ordinary Wolves, and I've loved everything they've done since. Oh, and everyone I've met that works there is cool too...

Just started...

Crashing Through by Robert Kurson. I listened to the audio of Shadow Divers, and enjoyed it waaaay more than I should have, considering it concerns a missing WWII submarine. I wasn't sure the subject matter here, about a blind man suddenly given the chance to see, was going to do it either (for some reason, I just kept thinking it sounded too much like a really lame movie starring either Val Kilmer..., or Richard Gere (no link to put here, but surely he made one of these, no?!)) but Kurson can make anything read like a suspense novel.

Dark River by John Twelve Hawks. The first book, The Traveler was good enough that I'll read the sequel. Where this story goes will heavily influence whether I REALLY liked the first one. I CAN say, with conviction, that the nom-de-plume and the idea that the author lives off the grid for very real and dangerous reasons is a silly marketing tool.

etc.

My friend Steve sent me this link yesterday. I laughed hard. (Warning... possibly offensive material on the left hand side of the linked page)

A Miracle of Catfish is every bit as good as everything I've heard.

My brother writes songs, and this one has been stuck in my head now for going on 3 months straight. I'm justifying putting it on my book blog because the title matches the name of the greatest YA fantasy trilogy of all time. So there.

A 'Toon

I write the occasional column for the PNBA newsletter. I tried for the longest time to write about the prolific nature of a certain kind of author. Instead, I realized a cartoon could say it all. They never published this, but I've always rather liked it, in that I've never actually done a cartoon before or since...

Oh, and if you click on the image, it's a LOT easier to read.

Southern Fiction

Having moved out to the Pacific NW six years ago (holy crow, has it really been that long?), I have intentionally stayed away from so-called 'southern fiction.' I was surrounded by it, beaten about the head by it, and generally not all that impressed by it when I was in Virginia. In reality, it was probably just a reaction to the Faulkner I was forced to swallow in high school. I kept hearing about Larry Brown's posthumous unfinished novel, 'A Miracle of Catfish,' so after the ninth subversively proverbial 'plate of shrimp' moment, I decided to give the south another try. You know what? 60 pages in, and the character development and the authentic voice of this novel have me itchin' to know what happens in each of the emerging story lines.