4 posts tagged “december 2006”
Rewinding a couple of months... let's see where I was.
In November and December...
Books read: 8
Pages read: 2416
Pages YTD: 4389
Favorite for Nov/Dec: Jonathon Harr's The Lost Painting
Least Favorite: Matthew Skelton's Endymion Spring
December was a slow month due to working retail and moving one town over. Pretty sure it's the only month I've had under 1000 pages.
Title: Little Miss Sunshine: The Shooting Script
Author: Michael Arndt
Genre: Film Reference
Format: Quality Paperback
Publishing Info: Newmarket (February 6, 2007)
List Price: $19.95
ISBN: 1557047707
BINC:
Page Count: 120
Summary: Brazenly satirical yet deeply human, Little Miss Sunshine introduces the Hoovers, whose trip from Albuquerque to Redondo Beach, California, to a pre-pubescent beauty pageant results not only in comic mayhem but in death, transformation, and a moving look at the surprising rewards of being losers in a winning-crazed culture. A runaway hit at the Sundance Film Festival, where it played to standing ovations, the film strikes a nerve with everyone who's ever been awestruck by how their muddled families seem to make it after all. (amazon)
Best Bit: Oh, Frank. Ohhhh, Frank.
Quick Review: Well, it's hard to separate it from the movie, so I'll just say... if you liked the movie, the script is a pleasure to read, and the few extras included beyond the script are also interesting.
Author: Michael Arndt
Genre: Film Reference
Format: Quality Paperback
Publishing Info: Newmarket (February 6, 2007)
List Price: $19.95
ISBN: 1557047707
BINC:
Page Count: 120
Summary: Brazenly satirical yet deeply human, Little Miss Sunshine introduces the Hoovers, whose trip from Albuquerque to Redondo Beach, California, to a pre-pubescent beauty pageant results not only in comic mayhem but in death, transformation, and a moving look at the surprising rewards of being losers in a winning-crazed culture. A runaway hit at the Sundance Film Festival, where it played to standing ovations, the film strikes a nerve with everyone who's ever been awestruck by how their muddled families seem to make it after all. (amazon)
Best Bit: Oh, Frank. Ohhhh, Frank.
Quick Review: Well, it's hard to separate it from the movie, so I'll just say... if you liked the movie, the script is a pleasure to read, and the few extras included beyond the script are also interesting.
Title: Killing Yourself to Live: 85% of a True Story
Author: Chuck Klosterman
Genre: Pop Music Reference
Format: Quality Paperback
Publishing Info: Scribner; Reprint edition (June 6, 2006)
List Price: $14.00
ISBN: 0743264460
BINC:
Page Count: 245
Summary: Klosterman follows up on 2003's Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by expanding on an article he wrote for Spin about driving cross-country to visit several of America's most famous rock and roll death sites, from the Rhode Island club where more than 90 Great White fans died in a fire, to the Iowa field where Buddy Holly's plane crashed. Along the way, Klosterman opines on rock music, never afraid to offend—as when he interprets a Radiohead album as a 9/11 prophecy or reminds readers that before Kurt Cobain's suicide, many preferred Pearl Jam to Nirvana. The quest to uncover these deaths' social significance is quickly overwhelmed by Klosterman's personal obsessions, especially his agonizing over sexual relationships. He applies semifictional techniques to these concerns, inventing an imaginary conversation in the car with three girlfriends that becomes the book's centerpiece. (amazon.com)
Best Bit: Klosterman's tales about drug use always fascinate me and sort of horrify me at the same time. Also, his dedication to picking CDs for the massive amount of time he will spend in a car makes me feel better about myself.
Quick Review: Well, it's hard to live up to the genius of Fargo Rock City and Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs. While the idea is a great one, the book fails to form a cohesive whole. That doesn't mean, however, that it stops being entertaining.
Final Grade: B
Author: Chuck Klosterman
Genre: Pop Music Reference
Format: Quality Paperback
Publishing Info: Scribner; Reprint edition (June 6, 2006)
List Price: $14.00
ISBN: 0743264460
BINC:
Page Count: 245
Summary: Klosterman follows up on 2003's Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by expanding on an article he wrote for Spin about driving cross-country to visit several of America's most famous rock and roll death sites, from the Rhode Island club where more than 90 Great White fans died in a fire, to the Iowa field where Buddy Holly's plane crashed. Along the way, Klosterman opines on rock music, never afraid to offend—as when he interprets a Radiohead album as a 9/11 prophecy or reminds readers that before Kurt Cobain's suicide, many preferred Pearl Jam to Nirvana. The quest to uncover these deaths' social significance is quickly overwhelmed by Klosterman's personal obsessions, especially his agonizing over sexual relationships. He applies semifictional techniques to these concerns, inventing an imaginary conversation in the car with three girlfriends that becomes the book's centerpiece. (amazon.com)
Best Bit: Klosterman's tales about drug use always fascinate me and sort of horrify me at the same time. Also, his dedication to picking CDs for the massive amount of time he will spend in a car makes me feel better about myself.
Quick Review: Well, it's hard to live up to the genius of Fargo Rock City and Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs. While the idea is a great one, the book fails to form a cohesive whole. That doesn't mean, however, that it stops being entertaining.
Final Grade: B
Title: Cell
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Horror
Format: Mass-market Paperback
Publishing Info: Pocket Star; Reprint edition (November 21, 2006)
List Price: $9.99
ISBN: 1416524517
BINC:
Page Count: 449
Summary: In Cell King taps into readers fears of technological warfare and terrorism. Mobile phones deliver the apocalypse to millions of unsuspecting humans by wiping their brains of any humanity, leaving only aggressive and destructive impulses behind. Those without cell phones, like illustrator Clayton Riddell and his small band of "normies," must fight for survival, and their journey to find Clayton's estranged wife and young son rockets the book toward resolution. (From amazon.com)
Best Bit: Everything about Tom McCourt of Malden, MA. I think Tom could actually be my second favorite King-character, after Nick from The Stand.
Quick Review: Um, it's actually basically The Road by Cormac McCarthy, but better. YES. I SAID IT. Stephen King should have obviously won the Pulitzer Prize.
Final Grade: A
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Horror
Format: Mass-market Paperback
Publishing Info: Pocket Star; Reprint edition (November 21, 2006)
List Price: $9.99
ISBN: 1416524517
BINC:
Page Count: 449
Summary: In Cell King taps into readers fears of technological warfare and terrorism. Mobile phones deliver the apocalypse to millions of unsuspecting humans by wiping their brains of any humanity, leaving only aggressive and destructive impulses behind. Those without cell phones, like illustrator Clayton Riddell and his small band of "normies," must fight for survival, and their journey to find Clayton's estranged wife and young son rockets the book toward resolution. (From amazon.com)
Best Bit: Everything about Tom McCourt of Malden, MA. I think Tom could actually be my second favorite King-character, after Nick from The Stand.
Quick Review: Um, it's actually basically The Road by Cormac McCarthy, but better. YES. I SAID IT. Stephen King should have obviously won the Pulitzer Prize.
Final Grade: A
