Since I became an Amazon Prime customer the books have been stacking up at Moose manor. Much to read over the holidays and into the New Year. Here’s the stack that stares at me each morning:
Dexter Filkins – The Forever War
Buy The Forever War here
Roberto Bola̱o Р2666 A Novel
Buy 2666: A Novel here
David Browne – Goodbye 20th Century: A Biography of Sonic Youth
Buy Goodbye 20th Century: A Biography of Sonic Youth here
Lewis Hyde – The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World
Buy The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World here
John Berger – From A to X: A Story In Letters
Buy From A to X: A Story in Letters here
Julian Barnes – Nothing To Be Frightened Of
Buy Nothing to Be Frightened Of here
Margaret Atwood – Writing With Intent: Essays, Reviews, Personal Prose: 1983-2005
Buy Writing with Intent: Essays, Reviews, Personal Prose: 1983-2005 here
Jayne Anne Phillips – Machine Dreams
Buy Machine Dreams here
Machine Dreams is a book that I am revisiting and on opening it up again I realized that in the books’ foreword, Phillips quotes from Laurie Anderson’s “O Superman” lyrics –
“And the voice said:
Well you don’t know me,
but I know you
And I’ve got a message to give to you.
Here come the planes
So you better get ready. Ready to go. You can come
as you are, but pay as you go …
They’re American planes. Made in America.
Smoking or non-smoking.
Written in 1984, Machine Dreams is about the re-shaping of America’s contemporary myths. The narrative moves through the 50′s, 60′s and 70′s toward the disaster that is the Vietnam War. Yet those lyrics of Anderson’s remind me not of Vietnam but of 9/11. They are eerily prescient..
I’d love to read that SY bio when you’re done…
December 24th, 2008 at 6:14 pm@nate … of course good buddy..
December 24th, 2008 at 7:08 pm2666 is amazing, unbelievably so. you’re going to love it. have you read any of his other stuff? i really dig distant star quite a lot.
December 28th, 2008 at 11:17 am