Friday Review - Moving, Shaking
This week Rachel finished Tokyo: A Certain Style by Kyoichi Tsuzuki:
"This is the coffee table book for people who live in apartments the size of SUVs. Since we just moved this past week, I stumbled upon this book again (which I'd never really finished reading) and felt much better about all of our clutter around our new house. Seeing the way real people live in Tokyo (without the Zen gardens and the minimalist rooms you see in Japanese decor books) is fascinating and inspiring. It's just room after room packed with books, clothes, CDs, pots and pans, organized to the hilt or not, students, professionals, families, all juggling their lives between their tiny personal space and their possessions."
Lauren read Playing Right Field by George Tabb:
"George is a long time contributor to Maximum Rock 'n' Roll. His columns are always very funny and enjoyable to read. This book reads just like the essays and details the life of George as a child, following him until 10th grade.
With only a few Jews in his ritzy Connecticut suburb, George is taunted and beat up, known to most as "pussy" or "Jew". Though a sad tale, George's ability to make you laugh at the most horrible things (like an abusive father and a one armed kid that kicks his ass) is what makes this book amazing. Very similar to David Sedaris but punk rock."
Benn read Guilty by Karl Stevens:
"I'm a sucker for good cross-hatching. I find it mesmerizing, especially since when I try it, it just makes whatever I cross-hatch look dirty. Karl Stevens is a clear master of the form, and that alone makes GUILTY fun. The characters are like those annoying, post-college twentysomething sitting at the table next to you when you're out for a Saturday breakfast at a local diner/cafe. You know the kind that talk a bit too loud, and say annoying things? But that's part of the point here. Karl's characters are a loathsome lot, but at least they grow a bit. Everything looks so intense because of Karl's clear mastery over the lost art of cross-hatching. I'm a sucker for good cross-hatching."
"This is the coffee table book for people who live in apartments the size of SUVs. Since we just moved this past week, I stumbled upon this book again (which I'd never really finished reading) and felt much better about all of our clutter around our new house. Seeing the way real people live in Tokyo (without the Zen gardens and the minimalist rooms you see in Japanese decor books) is fascinating and inspiring. It's just room after room packed with books, clothes, CDs, pots and pans, organized to the hilt or not, students, professionals, families, all juggling their lives between their tiny personal space and their possessions."
Lauren read Playing Right Field by George Tabb:
"George is a long time contributor to Maximum Rock 'n' Roll. His columns are always very funny and enjoyable to read. This book reads just like the essays and details the life of George as a child, following him until 10th grade.
With only a few Jews in his ritzy Connecticut suburb, George is taunted and beat up, known to most as "pussy" or "Jew". Though a sad tale, George's ability to make you laugh at the most horrible things (like an abusive father and a one armed kid that kicks his ass) is what makes this book amazing. Very similar to David Sedaris but punk rock."
Benn read Guilty by Karl Stevens:
"I'm a sucker for good cross-hatching. I find it mesmerizing, especially since when I try it, it just makes whatever I cross-hatch look dirty. Karl Stevens is a clear master of the form, and that alone makes GUILTY fun. The characters are like those annoying, post-college twentysomething sitting at the table next to you when you're out for a Saturday breakfast at a local diner/cafe. You know the kind that talk a bit too loud, and say annoying things? But that's part of the point here. Karl's characters are a loathsome lot, but at least they grow a bit. Everything looks so intense because of Karl's clear mastery over the lost art of cross-hatching. I'm a sucker for good cross-hatching."
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