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Archive for October, 2011

Oct 31

640px-David_Foster_Wallace
16 Comments

David Foster Wallace: An Editor’s Nightmare

It’s been awhile since we talked David Foster Wallace on the blog, and I kind of miss it.

So, even though I’ve long since finished with Infinite Jest, I thought I’d revisit Mr. DFW today and take a look at an entertaining letter he wrote to an editor at Harper’s Magazine. His letter is in reference to an essay he wrote for Harper’s about Franz Kafka.

Remember the grammar quiz that DFW gave to his college students? He’s a grammar nazi if I’ve ever seen one, but DFW also proves that you have to know the rules to break the rules. And you also need to be able to explain your reasoning to your more-than-likely Grammar Nazi editor.

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Oct 28

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18 Comments

Getting Spammy With It: Volume 2

In this series of posts, I make fun of the ridiculous spam comments that found my blog. And there are many of them.

I tried this once. Kind of enjoyed it. So why not try again? If you hate this nonsense, feel free to curse me and throw digital tomatoes. Just don’t throw heirlooms at me. Those things are expensive.

Remember, these are actual comments that my WordPress spam filter saved me from. But here I am posting them on the blog anyway. How stupid.

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Oct 27

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16 Comments

Toni Morrison And The Art of Visual Writing

I’m a sucker for visual writing. When an author helps me really see a scene in my head, it’s easy for me to stay with the plot and care about the characters.

With Beloved, Toni Morrison creates absolutely beautiful visuals. If Morrison was a photographer, she’d be Ansel Adams. She’s good.

Take a look at this passage from Beloved. Sethe, the female protagonist, has just given birth to a child.

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Oct 26

Twilight-Poster
21 Comments

Is Stephen King A Twilight Fan?

Uh, doubtful.

But maybe I’m wrong. You tell me.

Is the mind behind The Shining, Shawshank Redemption, The Stand, and a gazillion other books a Stephanie Meyer fan?

What do you think?

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Oct 25

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17 Comments

Can Oprah Act?

I haven’t seen Beloved, the movie. Don’t really plan on watching it, even though I’m currently moving through the Toni Morrison book and really enjoying it.

For those of you who have seen the movie, I’m curious to know whether or not Oprah’s got skills. Her acting in the movie trailer didn’t necessarily blow me away.

The character of Sethe is such a powerful, meaningful role, I’m honestly surprised that a non-actor was chosen for that part.

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Oct 24

killmockingbird
31 Comments

Authors Best Known For Their First Novel

I’m jealous of authors who manage to write brilliant first-time novels.

I’m not a novelist, and I honestly have no plans to be one. But how do these authors knock it out of the park on their first attempt?

It’s a recurring theme throughout this project. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been doing preliminary research on a book and realized it was the author’s first novel.

Here are just a few examples:

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Oct 21

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10 Comments

Your Search Questions Answered, Volume 5

Well, it’s that time again. Time to respond to the many wacked-out search terms that found my blog via interweb search engines like Google.

Reminder, these are real search terms in all of their unedited glory. If you’re new to this series, here’s the archive. Read to your heart’s content.

Let’s get started:

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Oct 20

poltergeist
13 Comments

What Happens When Poltergeist Meets Uncle Tom?

You get Toni Morrison’s classic novel, Beloved. Book #29.

So throughout this project, I’ve chosen to go into a lot of these novels “cold.”  In other words, outside of my quick and simple preview of the book, I don’t dig into a lot of detail and backstory before I start reading.

I’m already familiar with some of the books, but, in many cases, I don’t know much at all about the novel I’m about to read. To name a few that started with me being totally ignorant: Gone With The Wind, Catch 22, I, Claudius, The Blind Assassin.

Add Beloved to that list.

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Oct 19

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14 Comments

Next Up: Beloved

Hello Toni Morrison.

Beloved is another powerful book on the list that deals with racism, discrimination, and slavery. Elements of some, or all three, have appeared in Gone With The Wind, To Kill A Mockingbird, Go Tell It On The Mountain, and The Sound and the Fury, just to name a few.

I haven’t read any of Toni Morrison’s books. And, to be honest, I’m pretty much going into this book “cold,” without much knowledge of what to expect. Thankfully, I haven’t seen the movie either, so I won’t have to picture Oprah as the main character.

Some quick facts about Beloved and Toni Morrison:

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Oct 18

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8 Comments

Book #28: The Moviegoer

Coming off reading The Sound and the Fury, I really needed a novel like The Moviegoer.

Reading Walker Percy is a relaxing experience. This book made me feel like I should be sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch of an old house in the Deep South. I’m not sure what it is, but The Moviegoer has a sepia-toned feel of nostalgia to it, unlike any other I’ve read.

But here’s the thing about The Moviegoer. There’s not much of a plot in the traditional sense.

It’s about a 29-year-old New Orleans stockbroker named “Binx” Bolling who spends his time going to movies and chasing the ladies. Though somewhat successful in his career, Binx is more passionate about “the search”—hunting down the ever-illusive meaning to life that we all search for.

He frames it this way:

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