The saga of Xanther and her cat continue in “The Familiar, Volume 2: Into the Woods,” by Mark Z. Danielewski. But questions arise when her father Anwar takes them to the vet. The vet tells Xanther that her puff of white fur isn’t a cat at all, but a dog. It isn’t just born, but very old. It also belongs to someone else. Continue reading The Familiar, Volume 2: Into the Forest, by Mark Z. Danielewski @NYJB
Michèle Audin’s debut novel “One Hundred Twenty-One Days” is a story about mathematics and love. Continue reading Translation Tuesdays: One Hundred Twenty-One Days by Michele Audin
This week I review a specialist text on the interconnection between architecture, urban planning, religion, and politics. Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: The Subversive Utopia, by Yasir Sakr
Life in the Folds by Henri Michaux is “a masterpiece of concision and pain. . . . a literary achievement . . .” Continue reading Forgotten Classics: Life in the Folds, by Henri Michaux @ NYJB
This week I review the 1997 classic “Pagan Kennedy’s Living: A Guidebook for Aging Hipsters,” where the Queen of ‘Zines offers advice and lifestyle tips. Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: Pagan Kennedy’s Living: A Guidebook for Aging Hipsters, by Pagan Kennedy
The worlds of anime, Reddit, and kitchenware collide in this new work by Michael Sean LeSueur Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: Pixiegate Madoka, by Michael Sean LeSueur
Like SpongeBob SquarePants? Like Phineas and Ferb? Then you’ll love “Underworld: From Hoboken to Hollywood,” by Kaz. Continue reading Underworld: From Hoboken to Hollywood, by Kaz @ NYJB
The Argument David Bowie’s recent death has closed a page on music history. On a more personal level, Bowie has been a constant in my life for decades. Beyond mere 80s nostalgia (Labyrinth) or 90s nostalgia (Lost Highway, Outside, and Earthling), Bowie has been instrumental to me personally as a taste-maker. He led me down strange avenues and provided the raw material for discovery and aesthetic experimentation. Embryo My fascinating with David Bowie began early. I can still remember the first Bowie album I bought, sometime in the Nineties. It was a CD of Tonight (1984), an album even Bowie … Continue reading Critic’s Notebook: David Bowie and the Physiology of Taste
This week I review a rollicking metafictional postmodernist romp that involves philosophy, drinking, and squirrels. Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: Voltaire’s Excellent Adventure: The Broken Boarder: Gatsby, Booze, and Hot Philosopher Action! By Martin D. Gibbs and Arthur Graham
“Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace,” by David Lipsky offers a unique look into the mind of an amazing writer. Continue reading Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace, by David Lipsky
The Driftless Area Review 