Outgoing Signals

Stuff I've Been Reading: CivilWarLand in Bad Decline

nobody@vox.com(M-----l) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:58:55 -0400

I'm a tiny bit ashamed to admit how late I am in getting into the writing of George Saunders. I read Pastoralia last year and recently finished up his first short story collection, CivilWarLand in Bad Decline. Both were amazing and I really ne...

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SIBR: Books I read but didn't actually understand because I'm not as smart as I thought I was

nobody@vox.com(M-----l) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:03:12 -0400

I graduated from a decent college and have gone on to tackle some of the toughest novels in the English language. I like to think I'm a relatively intelligent guy. I like to think I'm a good reader. Well, it turns out that I'm a lot dumber than...

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Stuff I've Been Reading: A Monthly Column (7/08)

nobody@vox.com(M-----l) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:26:48 -0400

BOOKS BOUGHT: Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic--Alison Bechdel Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron--Daniel Clowes Fight Club--Chuck Palahniuk (for $1) The Escapists--Brian K. Vaughan The Enchantress of Florence--Salman Rushdie BOOKS READ: The Life &...

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Stuff I've Been Reading: A Monthly Column (6/08)

nobody@vox.com(M-----l) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:14:09 -0400

BOOKS BOUGHT: McSweeney's #27--Dave Eggers (editor) The Bostonians--Henry James The Baron in the Trees--Italo Calvino Invisible Cities--Italo Calvino Civilwarland in Bad Decline--George Saunders When You Are Engulfed in Flames--David Sedaris Sw...

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SIBR: The Uncollected Works of J.D. Salinger (part 2)

nobody@vox.com(M-----l) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 12:58:28 -0400

Here are my synopses and comments on the second half of The Uncollected Works of J.D. Salinger. The post concerning the other eleven stories can be found here. I spoil the endings of quite a few of them, so tread lightly if you think you're goi...

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SIBR: The Uncollected Works of J.D. Salinger (part 1)

nobody@vox.com(M-----l) — Fri, 30 May 2008 18:25:41 -0400

I used to spend a lot of time in libraries poring through old issues of The New Yorker and Saturday Evening Post in search of J.D. Salinger's uncollected stories. These are the 22 stories the author published and then let disappear from circulat...

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Stuff I've Been Reading: The Rest of May

nobody@vox.com(M-----l) — Mon, 26 May 2008 16:47:02 -0400

For Whom the Bell Tolls--Ernest Hemingway It was never my intention to read For Whom the Bell Tolls, or any other Hemingway books, for that matter. I read A Farewell to Arms and The Sun Also Rises years ago. They were enjoyable books, but they...

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SIBR: Zombies, Cartoons, Vonnegut, & Crimes Gone Wrong

nobody@vox.com(M-----l) — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:57:36 -0400

The Apocalypse Reader--Justin Taylor (editor) As the name would suggest, The Apocalypse Reader is a collection of 34 short stories dealing with the apocalypse. Justin Taylor defines the term very broadly, so readers will be disappointed if they'...

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SIBR: Books from the Computer-Free Weekend

nobody@vox.com(M-----l) — Mon, 05 May 2008 23:21:14 -0400

I stayed away from the computer last weekend and spent most of my extra time reading. It's amazing how much I could get through when I wasn't checking my e-mail every twenty minutes. I finished up Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest, read McSweeney'...

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Stuff I've Been Reading: A Monthly Column (4/08)

nobody@vox.com(M-----l) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:19:41 -0400

BOOKS BOUGHT: The Adventures of Augie March--Saul Bellow The Pillars of the Earth--Ken Follett (audiobook) If on a winter's night a traveler--Italo Calvino BOOKS READ: Tree of Smoke--Denis Johnson If you know me in the real world, I've probably ...

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