I’d seen the movie and I’d read other DuMaurier, and I’m not sure why she’s not better known; all the stories are quite suspenseful and only dated in the charming way.   It’s an excellent …

I want to kick Judge Burnett in the shins.   Great book, though — very well written.

I can’t recommend it enough.   Cometbus started out as a punk-show ‘zine and evolved into a sort of Samuel Pepys-type chronicle by the pseudonymous Aaron Cometbus, and his writing is direct and funny and …

Should have been more interesting than it was — it was evocative in parts, but often, Solomon is very clearly trying to be lyrical, but falls into cliches and works against herself.   The writing …

You might remember Barry Glassner from Bowling for Columbine; I’d had his book on my wishlist for a while, but after seeing the movie, I motivated and bought it, and it’s very good.   It’s …

Read it in one day.   I got the feeling from the Behind The Music on David Cassidy, who came off as twelve-steppily full of himself all “I’m a survivor!”, that the book would be …

It’s very good, particularly since Cobb isn’t a player I had much interest in, beyond wondering why the hell nobody stood up to his crazy ass in twenty-odd seasons and traded him or suspended him …

The prose is a bit choppy in places, but it really carries you along — O’Nan is very skilled at giving a sense of the chaos and terror without overwriting.   He’s also quite good …

Interesting, although I don’t agree with some of the implications and I don’t love that it refuses to draw any conclusions.   I think it’s generally agreed at this point that Hauptmann didn’t act alone, …

It’s very good — but the Plimpton oral history gives you a better sense of him, and you don’t need both.   (7/1/06)