Words for Nerds

Now THIS is why university presses are such a vital part of bookselling, and why schools like the University of Oregon should be ashamed to have let their presses fold. Where else can you find a scholarly examination of a completely imaginary language?! LOTR fans can even afford this now that it has pubbed in paper...

Books & Booze

In using whiskey (American, so the e stays...) to describe Larry Brown's writing, I unwittingly assigned my brain the task of linking other authors and books to alcoholic beverages. This will continue for some time until I have enough entries to do either a menu or a newsletter! First up, Martin Millar's The Good Fairies of New York, is much like an Irish whisky -- edgy, raw, and full of promise. As an added bonus, this novel is the first place (outside of baby name books)I've seen my daughter's name, Ailsa, in print. Too bad she can't read this for another decade or so!

p.s. Buy this now, if you can. The new cover on the re-print is awful (see the link...)

More Brown (Browner?)

I followed up A Miracle of Catfish over the weekend with Fay. Yet again, I am in awe of Larry Brown's storytelling. Somewhere on the hardcover jacket his style is described as 'Grit Lit,' but that's really more a nod to his subject matter than to his writing. Fay (the book AND the character) travels the edge of a razor -- frenetic in pace and inevitable in violence. I cain't hardly drink Jack Daniel's, but these books are the literary equivalent of that particular southern masterpiece.

The opposite of Chick Lit, I suppose

I Just Want My Pants Back by David J. Rosen

I read this last night, and it was actually pretty enjoyable. Pretty much exactly what I'd imagine living in NY city would be like just out of college. The story moves along quickly, and there are some truly funny parts. Rosen slips a few times with the pop-culture references and the obvious metaphors, but that can be overlooked in the grand scheme of things. I imagine RH will market this pretty heavily to the MySpace crowd, and it will be a hit with folks who are devoted to that culture of social interaction.

Lame

Saw this on the shelf on Friday and laughed. The NY Times Bestseller List is lame and easily manipulated by the major publishers, and this book comes from a staple on that list. A book entitled 'How I Write' needs a co-author?! Priceless.