"Utopia of a Tired Man" is worth the price of the whole book, but the whole book itself is priceless! Borges is amazingly amazing!
Wonderful book about a wonderful writer!
A book to savor. A remarkable exercise in memoir. Funny and heartbreaking in equal measure.
One of my favorite books when I was a kid!
What a remarkable and wonderful book! Saunders didn't write a novel, he wrote a meditation on what it means to be alive, to love, to be human. And he manages to make Lincoln more human than he already has been portrayed. Saunders is brilliant!
I don't like zombies, but this was pretty clever.
A good, but somewhat derivative book, very similar to Ray except for being primarily in the first person and being stories told about others, less about the narrator/protagonist. Still, a lot like Ray in many ways: characters, situations, etc. But you get into Hannah for his language and story be damned. This was a fun ride, not as fun as the first time and too much like its predecessor, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Harlan is still at the top of his game! A wonderful collection!
Good set of stories. “Mother Rooney Unscrolls the Hurt” a sequel/prequel to Geronimo Rex, (believe Hannah said it was the 1st story of his he liked, that took); weird stories of a future South that could be included in any Post-apocalyptic anthology. Funny stories about JEB Stuart and other Southern men.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
An interesting collection of stories, some real, some not, (well, “Idaho” is probably the only real story); most of these stories are somewhat fragmented, as though they were belonging to a greater whole--maybe I’m expecting another Tennis Handsome. The film treatment, “Power and Light,” written for Altman would’ve made a good Altman film and isn’t a bad read in its own right. All in all, I liked it.
An interesting collection of stories, some real, some not, (well, “Idaho” is probably the only real story); most of these stories are somewhat fragmented, as though they were belonging to a greater whole--maybe I’m expecting another Tennis Handsome. The film treatment, “Power and Light,” written for Altman would’ve made a good Altman film and isn’t a bad read in its own right. All in all, I liked it.
Ray by Barry Hannah
Wild, wild book, (he says in his best Carson imitation), not the most likeable character, but the way Hannah uses language is linguistic acrobatics. Fun, fun, fun!
1st chapter is story “Return to Return” from Airships, 2nd chapter is “Midnight and I’m Not Famous Yet,” also from Airships, both reworked. Not bad overall, but just okay at the same time. Felt like a fix-up, which it sort of was with the use of those two stories, but seemed to meander too much.
Long, (over 300 pages), bildungsroman. Secondary character Fleece more interesting and likable than main protagonist, Harry. Other secondary characters interesting, but are kept far in the background. Harley Butte should have had equal time as Harry, but then it wouldn’t have been a coming-of-age novel. Very different in style than what Hannah would later produce.
Overly long novel, doesn’t know if it’s a mystery or a satire of academic life, should’ve been shortened by 40 pages; it’s no wonder Hannah didn’t want it reprinted.
A sad, beautiful, funny and lovely book! Highly recommended! We're a lesser people now that Buddy Nordan is no longer with us.
Wow! Gaiman knocked it outta the park! Brilliant!
From 1996: I haven’t laughed out loud while reading a book in quite a while and I really wish I had read it before now. There are obvious comparisons to “Hitchhiker’s,” but I think Gaiman and Pratchett aren’t as silly as Adams. Most of what they talk about is honest to goodness theological questions many people have about Heaven and Hell. And it’s a damn sight more funny than any C.C.D. classes I’ve ever taken. I’ve already recommended it to my wife and a co-worker and can’t wait to hear what they think about it. The ending could have ended sooner than it did, but that’s just picking nits.
What Do You Care What Other People Think?: Further Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman
First ed. 1988, Norton, ISBN 0393026590
Matthew Scudder is a fascinating character! Can't wait to see what happens next.
Wow! That's it. That's all I've got. I'm now a Joy Williams fan!