The Last Werewolf...

Of all the books I read in 2011, The Last Werewolf is the one that haunted me the most. It still haunts me. Beautifully written, sincere and yet, sometimes, cynically executed it's a novel that holds nothing back and most certainly is not for the faint of heart.

More than anything, Glen Duncan's novel feels like an indie pop album full of pining, sometimes lonely music that is always lovely even when it rocks hard. It's one of those books that has so many wonderful lines, you don't know which one to love best.

somewhere around 102 (give or take a page)...

So I finally reached a point in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo where I want to keep reading (page 102ish, in the movie tie-in paperback edition)...I still don't see what all the excitement is about, but I no longer find the novel boring...

It appears, though, that there is a small, but steady group of us who are not, nor ever have been, swept up in dragon fever:

read more here

New Yorker article on the popularity of The Dragon Tattoo

Carver

Reading "They're Not Your Husband" by Raymond Carver and so wanting to scream...He seems as sexist and brutal (emotionally) towards woman as Phillip Roth is. This story, in particular, bothers me so much that I feel like I'm going to cry.

The main character, out of work, seems to be taking his lack of self-esteem and his unemployment out on on his wife, whom he convinces (rather mercilessly) to lose weight, at the expense of her health.

I think of the double standards when it comes to weight and women. Earlier in his collection Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? there is "Fat," a short about an obese man who is the object of sympathy and understanding rather than scorn and hatred.

Ultimately, I think the man in "They're Not Your Husband" is seen as a fool by both his wife and her co-workers at the coffee shop where she works. But, still, the attitudes toward women and weight really bothers me :(

There is a crispness to Carver's writing and an oddity to almost every selection I've read so far that is definitely intriguing and I find his characters (in some cases) as compelling and ill-behaved as those you'd find in a Shirley Jackson story.

Spoilers below!!

As over-the-top and often uneven as American Horror Story has been all these weeks, I am really going to miss it. In the most recent episode (for me, at least) it wasn't my beloved Jessica Lange (okay, 'beloved' is pretty much over the top, I know) who stole the show but Connie Britton (whom I've grown to really like a lot as an actress!).

At the very end when Vivien (Britton) has died and appears to her daughter (has she been in the room the entire time?) to comfort her I found my heart melting just the slightest.

How ironic that in death Vivien is now at her strongest and can find the kind of relationship she always wanted with her daughter. When Violet tells her, "I'm so sorry you lost your baby" and Vivien replies (in this wonderfully soothing voice): "I haven't lost my baby." I wanted to cry.

I felt like the show had its first genuinely peaceful (almost happy) moment. Clearly, Vivien is telling her daughter that she's her baby and that she's going to be there for her. One of THE best moments on any tv show this season!!

I'm kind of sad that next week's the season finale. I've not always been a fan of the writing, but there's no doubt American Horror Story has a great cast and some fine moments in acting (hoping Jessica Lange is nominated for an Emmy)


 
also related to AHS:   Would you buy the house?

...don't take this the wrong way...

After four previous attempts I have finally passed the point in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo where I had given up because I found the early parts boring.

My friends really want to see the upcoming American film version so I decided the fifth time would be the charm and I would get through this novel.

Finally (!!) I find myself intrigued enough to keep reading, but at the same time I also continue to be kind of baffled by its amazingly huge popularity. The plot is certainly compelling, but the writing feels lackluster and the people rather passionless.

Still, there is one line from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo that rings so true with me and makes me think of how I wish I'd behaved in situations where I meant well, but most likely drove someone crazy.

One of the characters tells Lisbeth Salander (the girl with the dragon tattoo): "I understand that you don't want anyone interfering in your life and I'll try not to do that. But is it okay if I continue to like you?"

It's the perfect thing to say to someone whom you want to know you admire and care about, but will never ever act in any kind of ill-received way. Or, at least, it seems that way to me :)

...a musical blast from the past that very few probably remember...

I love that you can track down things from your past online and buy them. Years and years ago I really dug this album called X2 by a little-known duo called Times Two.

The album did not do well at all and the two guys behind Times Two faded into musical obscurity, but somehow (back in 1988) they kind of got to me with their one hit wonder, "Strange But Two" and their odd remake of Simon and Garfunkel's "Cecilia."

Recently I bought the cd version from a private seller on Amazon. I wanted it in compact disc form so I could download it onto my iPod. And strangely enough, I found all of the songs as endearing and appealing as I did when I was a kid.

Yeah, songs like "L.O.D. (Love On Delivery)" and "Only My Pillow Knows For Sure" sound kind of silly now, but, really, there's an honest kind of pain on the slow tracks that tugs at your heart unexpectedly. And the upbeat titles ("Romeo" and "Jet") are fun and airy and so upbeat and innocent-sounding you can't help but smile.

...taking a break for a little bit...

be back soon :)