Lucy, Daughter of the Devil

I love this show.

The Pocket Book Review Busts Out

I have a review on Bookslut of Claudia Smith's "The Sky is a Well." There's other cool stuff on Jessa Crispin's lit zine this month, including a story about a BBC reporter's return to her home country of Sierra Leone, and an interview with Jim Shepard, whose new collection comes out September 25th.

Life Lists

I have a new essay on the Nervous Breakdown site. Thanks for reading!

Trying, Trying . . .

I have a new essay up at the Nervous Breakdown.

Update!

I write in Praise of Stephen Elliott's Poker Report.

I interview Roy Kesey for Hobart.

I am quoted in Esquire: How About a Little Hope?

Update

OK, so I don't update this blog very often. I know this greatly disappoints my three readers. But today -- glorious day! -- is different. Today I check in to update Ye Olde Blogg. Here is the rundown:

Sarah Vowell Was My Soul Mate is on The Nervous Breakdown

Judas Breaks His Silence is on the Opium website.

And finally, I put a movie on You Tube that I made several years ago, called Quimby Explodes

Please enjoy.

For those who have read this far, some recommendations. First, the New York Times has struck blogging gold in Paper Cuts, the new blog by Times book review editor Dwight Garner. It's lively, funny, and the behind-the-scenes look at the Book Review you always wanted.

Second, I admit to having a love-hate relationship with reading. I love to read, and I'm always plowing through something or other, but so many books just aren't particularly great. They are good, but they don't offer the transcendent experience that can make reading a truly special experience. Well, thankfully, there are exceptions, and "In the Shadow of the Sun" by Ryszard Kapuscinski is one of them. I read "The Soccer War" earlier in the week, and while that book is very good, "Shadow of the Sun" is a masterpiece. It recounds Kapuscinski's twenty years of adventures in Africa as a foreign correspondent for Poland's state newspaper. The adventures and Kapuscinki's writing are amazing. And, best of all, it's a $15 Vintage paperback. The best kind of book.