Little Brother, Doctorow (Y) It was good, but not great. At the end he recommended the books that inspired him and I think they were all better overall than this book. Not that it isn’t worth reading, but it’s not an all time great. Three stars. Little Vampire, Sfar Collecting Little Vampire Goes to School, […]
Top Gear Series 10. Does what it says on the tin. Well, strictly speaking, it approximates what it says on the tin. It’s Top Gear, certainly, with all the features you expect, but the episodes have inexplicably been cut down by roughly ten minutes each. Frequently, this results in the loss of the “news” segments, […]
From “Manual of library economy, 3d and memorial ed.” by James Duff Brown, an anecdote about (I believe) Brown himself: Quiet as he was in many ways, he was of a social disposition, a trait which found an outlet to some extent at the Library Association, of which he was a councillor from 1890 to […]
I just flipped through a book (first of many, the peril of weeding the 900s), Cause: Reconstruction America, 1863-1877. Many of the illustrations are taken from Harper’s Weekly, a leading illustrated newspaper of the time: so interesting! But I especially liked this caption, so packed with information: The New Orleans Tribune, founded in 1864, was […]
As you might expect, there’s a Flickr pool. I mention this in part because Google seems to have decided we’re evil, and I’m hoping to persuade their algorithms otherwise by getting back to our roots.
Nose Down, Eyes Up: A Novel, Markoe. Yes. I love Merrill Markoe. I’ve been a fan of her work since the mid 80s, when I figured out how much of what I found funny on a then-favorite show was her responsibility. That said, I did not love this book as much as I wanted to. […]
Children of the Streets, Ellison. Yes. After reading a bunch of early and less-known Zelazny, it has been interesting to read this early and somewhat less known Ellison. In both cases, the writer’s strong voice preceded the truly great writing. This is clearly early Ellison, both of a different time, and from a less-practiced writer: […]
From The New York Times, August 1, 1897, page 1. HARPOONED A POLICEMAN Remarkable Result of Mr. Peter Drapp’s Rat Chase in a Fifth Avenue Store. USED SHEARS AS A MISSILE Perforated the Calf of Gilligan’s Leg and Caused Him to be Sent to the New York Hospital for Repairs. There was a surprising disturbance […]
Constantine. Okay. I was surprised that this comic book adaptation starring Keanu Reeves was watchable. It’s not good, but it’s a decent sound-system workout, the cast is uniformly competent, the effects hold up nicely, and even the mountains of exposition were handled surprisingly gracefully. I expect the shots I found most annoying were taken from […]
From the Wikipedia: Although it was written and directed by an American and was filmed in Miami, Florida, Porky’s was funded by a Canadian production company, which means that it is classified as a Canadian film. Porky’s is the highest-grossing Canadian film of all time in domestic box office. In October 2006, Bon Cop, Bad […]