I just finished Ryan Boudinot’s Blueprints of the Afterlife. It’s one of the most original and convoluted stories I’ve read in recent years; like David Mitchell meets William Gibson. There are some beautiful sentences lurking in this story: Like a rivulet of suffering feeding into the tributary, this new source of sad humanity bled from… Continue reading New York Alki
Tag: Books
Why I Love American Psycho
I’ve always loved Bret Easton Ellis‘ American Psycho. Loved the book (even though any chapter titled Girls is almost impossible to read). Loved the movie; even staying in one Friday night to watch it on tv. But I’ve never been able to properly explain why. Despite being the best social satire to emerge in the last… Continue reading Why I Love American Psycho
The Modern Arabic Novel
Back in January, the New Yorker had a great article reviewing the state of the modern Arabic novel. It’s worth reading as, I’m guessing that, like me, you know absolutely nothing about Arabic novels – and there’s a lot to know (and a lot of it is very subtle). If you want to skip the… Continue reading The Modern Arabic Novel
Piety & Punk
I just finished reading The Tawqacores (taqwa = piety) by Michael Muhammed Knight. The book is referred to The Catcher in the Rye for muslims. It was fascinating to read an ex-Catholic Muslim convert try and lay out his view of what Islam could be and use punk as a metaphor to do so. (The… Continue reading Piety & Punk
Changing Times
I just finished reading John McPhee‘s Oranges. It’s a fascinating book (and an easy read at 149 pages). One of the interesting passages concerns Indian River, Florida. Indian River is where the best oranges in Florida come from (they commanded a $1/box premium in the Northeast – and that was in the 1960s). It’s also… Continue reading Changing Times