Published: 2012 (Penguin) Setting: The World, Maxwell’s Summary: Jesse Jarnow’s book on the history of Yo La Tengo (YLT) blends the rise of Indie Rock and the rise of Ira, Georgia, and James. Their respective rises often happened in tandem and in parallel spaces, YLT was just over the river from the main scene in NYCContinue reading “Big Day Coming: Yo La Tengo and the Rise of Indie Rock-Jesse Jarnow”
Category Archives: Literature
The Nineties-Chuck Klosterman
Published: 2022 (Penguin) Setting: Chuck Klosterman’s Mind Summary: Chuck Klosterman recaps and dissects the Nineties as a feeling, not as a stated fact in his newest book, The Nineties. Weaving cultural analysis, political commentary, and personal experience Klosterman paints a picture of the Nineties with a deft hand and an inquisitive mind. Klosterman is interested in how theContinue reading “The Nineties-Chuck Klosterman”
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking-Malcolm Gladwell
Published: 2005 (Little, Brown and Company) Setting: Gladwell’s Brain Summary: Blink is a study about “thin slicing”, how we make snap decisions, when we are most used to making them, and what they mean. Gladwell produces economic and psychological case studies which explore the phenomenon of seconds and the decisions we make within them. Police shootings, marbleContinue reading “Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking-Malcolm Gladwell”
After Dark-Haruki Murakami
Published: 2004 (Kodansha) Setting: Tokyo Summary: A dark night full of mystery, love hotels, and Denny’s brings an entangled web of insomniacs together in this short novel by Haruki Murakami. Mari is a college student about to go to Beijing as a foreign exchange student, who runs into a young man named Takahashi who she has met onceContinue reading “After Dark-Haruki Murakami”
Kafka on the Shore-Haruki Murakami
Published: 2002 (Shinchosha) Setting: Tokyo, Takamatsu, Kochi Summary: Kafka Tamura is a 15-year-old boy with an Oedipal curse hanging over his head. He is supposed to kill his father, and sleep with his long-lost sister and mother. He runs away from home to escape this fate, from Tokyo to Takamatsu, and along the way he meets his “sister”Continue reading “Kafka on the Shore-Haruki Murakami”
Don’t Put Me In, Coach-Mark Titus
Published: 2012 (Anchor Sports) Setting: Columbus, Ohio Summary: Mark Titus’s rollicking adventure as a walk-on superstar for the Ohio State Buckeyes is one worth following. He benchwarmed, pranked, and shit his way to minor fame as the most interesting walk-on in college basketball. Titus’s humility and humor shine, and his keen awareness of the flow ofContinue reading “Don’t Put Me In, Coach-Mark Titus”
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs-Chuck Klosterman
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs-Chuck Klosterman Published: 2003 (Scribner) Setting: Chuck Klosterman’s Mind Summary: Chuck Klosterman’s collection of essays touches on born-again apocalyptic literature, Celtics vs. Lakers, why the Dixie Chicks matter, and the pretentiousness of rock critics (him included). Klosterman tries to put on paper what he (we) really thinks about the world around usContinue reading “Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs-Chuck Klosterman”
Sputnik Sweetheart-Haruki Murakami
Published: 1999 (Kodansha) Setting: Tokyo, Greece Summary: This short novel packs a powerful punch of longing and desperation. The narrator “K” chronicles the torrid and star-crossed love affair between Miu, a 40-year-old Korean woman who has pure white hair, and Sumire, the woman he loves. K’s backstory isn’t so important, this novel is about Sumire and Miu. SumireContinue reading “Sputnik Sweetheart-Haruki Murakami”
The Wind-up Bird Chronicle-Haruki Murakami
Published: 1994 (Shinchosha) Setting: Manchuria, Tokyo Summary: Toru Okada has a serene marriage with his wife, Kumiko, and their cat Noburu Wataya. Toru is unemployed and unaware that he out of touch with his wife. He meets a teenage girl, May Kasahara, who is obsessed with death but has an interest in Toru that takes center stage overContinue reading “The Wind-up Bird Chronicle-Haruki Murakami”
Fargo Rock City-Chuck Klosterman
Published: 2001 (Scribner) Setting: The North Dakota in Klosterman’s Mind Summary: Chuck Klosterman’s s debut book prompts the reader to journey back to the 1980’s, a time where Klosterman was obsessed with hair metal and everything that came with it (boozing, virginity, aimless drives). Klosterman is both sharp and vulnerable when he ponders the artistic, commercial,Continue reading “Fargo Rock City-Chuck Klosterman”
Will Reviews Things 