Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for December, 2011

Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm–Babymouse Burns Rubber [#12] (2010)

Posted in Cars, Cats, Children's Books, Cupcakes, Fears, Funny (ha ha), Graphic Novel, Jennifer L. Holm, Matthew Holm, Mice, Short Books, Star Wars, Woody Guthrie on December 21, 2011| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: WOODY GUTHRIE-“The Car Song” (1944).

Several years ago when I was first buying music for our kids, I found a number of Woody Guthrie discs.  I always liked Woody Guthrie in theory (this guitar kills fascists and all that).  But I was unfamiliar with his children’s music.

I was surprised by his stuff for one major reason (Besides the fact that he looks like Sean Penn).  This was later confirmed by his son Arlo when Arlo tried to work with his father’s masters: Woody didn’t really believe in rhythm or conventional timing or anything like that.  And that’s fine, but when it’s combined with the primitive recording equipment that Guthrie had access to, these songs sound, shall we say, rough.

Of course, Woody is mostly known for his excellent lyrics (This Land is Your Land).  So it’s especially funny to hear “Car Song” in which the first verse (according to Woody’s official site) is:

Brrrm brm brm brm brm brm brm, brrrm b’ brrrm,
Brrrm brm brm brm brm brm brrrm b’ brrrm,
Brrrm brm brm brm brm brm brrrm b’ brrrm.
Brrrm brm brm brm brm brm brrrm.

Arlo has said that Woody wasn’t exactly a good dad, but it’s clear that Woody expressed his love for his kids in song.  And this song is a fun and silly one that any kid can enjoy (as long as they don’t mind the really raw recording quality).

[READ: December 4, 2011] Babymouse Burns Rubber

This is the last Babymouse book that I had to read before getting caught up with all of the books (except for 2011’s Christmas book, which is the most recent release!).  It’s number 12, and it continues the later book’s excellent streak.  I was a bit concerned about the book when it opened because it begins with a NASCAR fantasy and I don’t watch NASCAR.  But as with most of the opening fantasies, it doesn’t bear on the actual plot of the book.

This book features a lot of screen time for Babymouse’s friend Wilson (it’s always good to see him and nice to see him get so much attention).  We quickly learn that Wilson is the go-to man when something breaks.  More to the point, he’s the go-to man (or ferret, I guess) that Babymouse goes to whenever she needs something (homework help, fixing a bicycle, whatever).  And Wilson is happy to help (what are friends for?).

When Wilson fixes Babymouse’s bicycle (again–Babymouse is a terrible driver) Wilson shows off his new car!  This car is one for the downhill derby–he’s wanted to race for years and he’s finally old enough to participate.  When Babymouse hears that there’s a race which she could actually enter she gets very excited and wonders what she’ll wear.  Wilson points out that she actually has to build her car first.

Of course, Babymouse can’t build anything, so she asks Wilson for “help.”  And more help and more help.  But now Wilson’s car needs work of its own.  Oh, and let’s not forget that in this year’s race is three-time derby winner Chuck E. Cheetah (nice) who is likely going to win again this year.  (more…)

Read Full Post »

My Most Favorite Christmas Songs [Updated and Expanded for 2011]

Posted in Barenaked Ladies, Brian Wilson, Canadian Music, Christmas Album, Consumerism, David Bowie, Paul Debraski, Radio, Toys, War, Weekend Edition on December 20, 2011| 1 Comment »

I used to not like Christmas songs very much.  Mostly because they;re unavoidable at the holidays but also because if you subject yourself to radio and mall versions, you get a really really bad selection of tunes.  The lowest common denominator of low denominators.

Sarah is a huge fan of Christmas music (even intentionally putting on Magic ninety-eight point threeeeeeeeee) during the holiday season (which may indeed be 50/50 when it comes to music and commercials and which tends to play quite a bit off my least-favorite song list, but they at least mix it up).  And, buying some of our own Christmas music (including alternate versions and new songs) has really helped get the monotony out of our mix.

This is a list that I created in 2008 and I see that it hasn’t really changed much at all.  There are some albums that we have recently acquired which I haven’t digested enough to see if they rank here or not.  But perhaps by the end of the holiday I’ll have a new post about new favorites.

Sarah’s comments are in red.  And, interestingly, she has created her own favorites list on her site.  Let’s see if anything has changed for her.

So, here’s my favorite Christmas songs circa 2008. (more…)

Read Full Post »

My Most Hated Christmas Songs [Updated and Expanded for 2011]

Posted in "Weird Al" Yankovic, Arthur Christmas, Beck, Bible, Canadian Music, Children's Books, Christmas Album, David Bowie, David Sedaris, Eartha Kitt, Holidays, Johnny Cash, Judas Priest, Lauren Hill, Run D.M.C, The Beach Boys, The Flaming Lips on December 19, 2011| 2 Comments »

Sarah suggested that I update my most hated and most favorite Christmas songs list as it has been THREE YEARS (!) since I last posted it.  I haven’t changes the list at all, but I have updated the comments (with one retraction!).

In my original post, Sarah chimed in with her two cents.  And I’m going to leave her original comments.  If she has changed her mind (she told me yesterday that she liked a song that she never liked before, she’ll have to do the updating herself).

Here’s my two new additions for this year.  Oh and by the way, in the original post, I mentioned a couple of songs that I didn’t include in my list because we don’t own copies of them.  And while that is fair, I feel compelled to mention them this year.  (more…)

Read Full Post »

Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm–Babymouse: Mad Scientist [#14] (2011)

Posted in Cats, Children's Books, Cupcakes, Fears, Funny (ha ha), Graphic Novel, Jennifer L. Holm, Mad Scientists, Matthew Holm, Mice, NASA, Sci-fi, Science, Set at School, Short Books, Star Trek, They Might Be Giants on December 18, 2011| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS-“Science is Real” (2009).

Indeed, I do love They Might Be Giants.  I love how their Here Comes series went from letters to numbers to science.  When you hear news of science being questioned from all sorts of places, it’s nice to have some super catchy songs to reinforce science fact.

“Science is real. From the Big Bang to DNA.”  It’s a great way to open an entire album full of interesting scientific knowledge (from the band who covered “The Sun is a Mass of Incandescent Gas,” which gets updated here into a more accurate lyrical song).  My kids love this album, and it makes me proud when they sing along to the great catchy, short songs contained within.  I especially love that the lyrics don’t eschew fun for truth:

I like the stories
About angels, unicorns and elves
Now I like those stories
As much as anybody else
But when I’m seeking knowledge
Either simple or abstract
The facts are with science.

This is a rocking guitar song, fun for the whole family.  Sing it with me…  “Science is real!”

[READ: December 4, 2011] Babymouse: Mad Scientist

I’m almost caught up to the Babymouse series!  This one even came out this year!!  There’s only the Christmas one left–wonder if I’ll be able to get it from the library in time.

This book also introduces a new character, Squish.  I actually found out about Squish before Babymouse, because I received a prepub of the first Squish book.  And now I get to see Squish’s origin story.

This was a really enjoyable book.  After reading the two music-themes ones, I was wondering if the Holms could keep up the interest for 14 books, but they really brought it back with this one.

After some funny jokes about science experiments (and the state of her room) we get a good fantasy sequence set aboard the USS Cupcake (with an unexpectedy funny Star Trek joke from the homeroom teacher).

And now they have a new science teacher (after the experiment went awry with their previous science teacher).  Mr Shelldon is obsessed, and I mean obsessed with molds.  He wants the class to enter the science fair (and encourages them to do research on molds!) (more…)

Read Full Post »

Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm–Babymouse: Rock Star [#4] (2006)

Posted in Cats, Children's Books, Cupcakes, Fears, Funny (ha ha), Graphic Novel, Jennifer L. Holm, Matthew Holm, Mice, Muckaferguson, Set at School, Short Books, They Might Be Giants, Tori Amos on December 17, 2011| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS-“John Lee Supertaster” (2002).

I love They Might Be Giants.  And I love their kids’ records.  This was their first one, No!.  It’s got that awesome craziness of TMBG but lyrically, it’s more “educational.”  Unlike the Here Comes series, No! is not overtly educational (I mean, check out the nonsense that is “Violin”), but the themes are all smart.

“John Lee Supertaster” is about a supertaster.   Supertasters are people whose tastes buds are crazily sensitive and so everything tastes even more powerful than what most people taste (that can be good and bad).

The song opens with an introduction that tells about Supertasters and about a real life supertsatser who John Flansburg met.

The song is a cool, funky song, with funk bass and a great guitar solo.  It’s a short song (two minutes including all of the introductions) but it’s a very cool one.  It’s catchy (I dare you not to sing along) and informative.

I also just learned that it’s all true.  According to the TMBG wiki: “The real John Lee is a man from the band Muckafurgason, whose album was produced by John Flansburgh.”

(And it rocks, too).

[READ: December 10, 2011] Babymouse: Rock Star

This Babymouse book came before Babymouse: The Musical and it’s possible that the Holms used up all of their great music ideas in this plot.  I enjoyed it quite a bit (maybe it’s because I like rock more than musicals?).

The story opens with a fantasy of Babymouse as a rock star with everyone chanting her name…until it is revealed that the chanting is actually coming from her brother Squeak.  When Babymouse gets to school, we learn that she plays flute in the school band.

She is in the second to last seat (because the screech from her flute cracks the polar ice caps and causes elephants to stampede).

After a cool Pied Piper dream sequence, Babymouse learns that Penny, a poodle who was embarrassed earlier by Felicia Furrypaws on the bus, will happily teach Babymouse how to play better (especially if it embarrasses Felicia).  The next several pages show Babymouse in her full-on fantasy mode as a music video star (which includes a Tori Amouse cover version of her hit song–nice touch).

Penny teaches Babymouse to relax.  She has practices it enough so she knows the music, she just has to feel the music (good advice).  Suddenly the hills are alive with the sound of music.

Babymouse appears in the next school band performance and she has a small victory for herself (which is always nice to see in a Babymouse book).

This was an enjoyable continuation of the series.

Read Full Post »

Michael Dahlie–“The Pharmacist from Jena” (Harper’s, January 2012)

Posted in Adventure, Concept Albums, Death, Drugs, Harper's, Marriage Trouble, Michael Dahlie, Sex, Short Story, Suicide, The Sword, Thin Lizzy, Violence on December 16, 2011| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: THE SWORD-Warp Riders (2010).

I have heard some great things about this disc from The Sword–that it was old school metal who usually sang about swords (duh) and sorcery but were warping into the future on this disc.  I put the disc on and was blown away by the opening track, the instrumental “Acheron/Unearthing The Orb.”  It sounds very 80s metal: heavy guitars, and great riffs coupled with tremendous solos.  The second song opens just as strong but then something weird happened.  I hated the lead singer’s voice (my discussion of their previous disc came to the same conclusion).  It doesn’t do ANYTHING that 80s metal should do–it’s neither growling nor yelly nor operatic.  In fact, once the vocals kick in, the song takes on a distinctly non-metal feel.  More specifically, it feels like heavy classic rock from the 70s.  The guitars are still heavy as anything, but the melody and vocals change things.

I really didn’t like the album all of a sudden, until I listened a few times and accepted that this blend actually worked.  Once I acknowledged that it wasn’t what I thought it would be, I wasn’t disappointed by it anymore, and I was able to really enjoy it.  “Tres Brujas” has a simply wonderful sing along chorus that I can’t get out of my head.  And it continues in this vein–heavy riffs (the guitars on “The Chromancer 1: Hubris” and “The Chromancer II: Nemesis” (love the names!) are really heavy) and surprisingly catchy choruses. 

The biggest surprise comes with the song “Night City” which sounds like, well, like Thin Lizzy.  The macho riffs, the swagger, the lyrics, it’s all Lynott.  And once I realized that, I really understood what The Sword was all about, and the disc has been in heavy rotation ever since.  I don’t mean to say that I had to analyze the disc to “get” it, but once it all clicked, it clicked really well.

[READ: December 13, 2011] “The Pharmacist from Jena”

This is my first story from Michael Dahlie and I have to say that I was hooked from the start. 

The story is set in 1912, when the narrator was sent from his home in Stockholm to Winslow, Indiana.  He was sent to work with his uncle as a pharmacist’s assistant. 

It’s in the second paragraph, after the exposition, that things take off: “My uncle was a passionate lover of cocaine and had situated himself in such a way that he supplied nearly all the nearby interested parties.”  He was also renowned as a great “voluptuary and eroticist.”

There is a real plot, which gets established late in the story, but in the beginning, the story is all about the narrator’s adjustment to this life.  How his aunt seemed to believe he was a girl and decorated the room accordingly.  How his uncle had a fight with a bear (long story) in that very girl-themed room (long story) and how the room was soon, no longer girl-themed.

One thing I really liked about the story was the narration.  Like: “At the time I was living in Winslow, it was fashionable for wives of wealthy men to suffer from mental disorders.”

His uncle experimented with shock therapy, but he mostly used it for erotic experimentation.  The end of the shock experiments occurred when a local husband found out what the good doctor was doing (from the burns that his wife received at the doctors hands).  (more…)

Read Full Post »

Margaret Atwood–“Stone Mattress” (New Yorker, December 19 & 26, 2011)

Posted in Adventure, Canadian Content, Canadian Music, Constellation Records, Death, Elizabeth Anka Vajagic, Katie Moore, Land of Kush, Margaret Atwood, Marriage (Happy), Molly Sweeney, New Yorker, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, The Who on December 15, 2011| 2 Comments »

SOUNDTRACK: LAND OF KUSH’S EGYPTIAN LIGHT ORCHESTRA-Monogamy [CST066] (2011).

The Land of Kush makes music that I would describe as challenging to Western ears.  Sam Shalibi has always played middle eastern music (he’s a master of the oud) and he has usually incorporates it with varying degrees of poppiness into a western style.  The LoKELO is one of the most overt blendings of the two styles.

Land of Kush pretty much throws all rules into the wind.  My first listen to this record I thought it was just too all over the place to be any good.  But after really digging in to it…man, is it solidly cool.

The first track “The 1st and the Last” has a robotic voice reciting a modified lyric of “Helter Skelter” which seems to be called Helter Smegma (“When I get to ass I go back to top….you may be a dancer but you ain’t no porno.”)  The more you listen to the voice, the more you realize the lyrics are just really vulgar and obscene.  This creepy computer voice is layered over the top of a middle eastern keening female voice.  (I’m sure there’s a name for this kind of singing, but I don’t know what it is).  There’s beautiful middle eastern music in the background, but the combination is very unsettling.  Then there’s 2 minutes of simple oud instrumental.

The song morphs into the 17 minute “Scars.”  “Scars” opens with a hypnotizing middle eastern melody and sultry vocals from Elizabeth Anka Vajagic.  After about 7 minutes, the computerized voice comes back.  At the 11 minute mark, the music stops and Vajagic comes back with some solo vocals–she has a very beautiful voice.  The song ends with a somber string section (which I assume is not a violin).

Track 3, “Boo” is listed as an improvisation of clarinet and contrebasse based on “Scars.”  I don’t really see the connection and although I like imrov, I actually prefer the written out pieces on the disc.

Track 4 is the 9 minute “Tunnel Vision.”  It opens slowly with Katie Moore’s delicate voice singing over acoustic music and bird sounds.  At about 7 minutes, a wild saxophone solo kicks in.  It’s low and bassy and very different from the rest of the song, as is the tempo, provided by some wild drums.

“Fisherman” brings back the computer voice (“How I love to fuck a dyke…” this is the easiest to understand and probably the dirtiest.  It really seems like lyrics from another song, but I can’t find it online–although  listening closely there is some spin on “Magic Bus” going on (“stick in the test tube to impregnate you–too much magic bus…I’m so nervous because all the while–too much magic bus–you don’t know you’re going to pop out a child”)).  After about 3:15, the song proper starts.  This is my favorite song of the bunch.  Ariel Engle’s vocals are transcendent.  I’m still not even sure what she’s singing about but her voice is amazing.  There’s an intermission of computer voice which rewrites the lyrics to “Total Eclipse of the Heart”–think x-Rated Weird Al than anything else.  And then at the 9 and a half-minute mark, Engle returns with an amazing vocal line over a great baritone sax riff.  And when Engle starts wailing, it is amazing. I could listen to that section for ten minutes easily–shame it’s only two.  But there’s another beautiful middle eastern string solo at the end of this song too.  Must be the oud.

“Monogamy” opens with a slow and steady drumbeat while Molly Sweeney sings a fascinating alphabet (B is for Beelzebub…F is for the fucking that you did, outside).  There’s a cool chorus to this recitation, it’s another real highlight of the disc.  The middle section sounds a bit like Pink Floyd’s “Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict”

The final track is “Like the Thread of a Spider.”  It is a slow acoustic song with vocals by the people of the Syrian Arab Republic. It’s a beautiful somber ending to an exciting disc.

This is not for everyone; it’s not even for most people.  But if you’re looking for something adventurous, try this out.  It’s challenging and rewarding.

[READ: December 14, 2011] “Stone Mattress”

I haven’t read a Margaret Atwood piece in a while and this one was totally worth the wait.

It’s a very simple story and it opens with a wonderful grabber: “At the outset Verna had not intended to kill anyone.  What she had in mind was a vacation, pure and simple.”

Verna decided to go on a trip to the Arctic.  We learn through the course of the story that Verna chose the Arctic because although she is older, she’s still quite fit–not bathing suit in the Caribbean fit, but certainly arctic wear fit.  And since she’s just lost her 4th husband, she’s sort of on the prowl again.

As the story progresses we learn a bit about Verna’s history.  She’s been married four times, and in each case her husband has died–never under suspicious circumstances, although, maybe, Verna’s medical knowledge could have assisted in saving (or dispatching) them.  But that’s all the past.  She’s a wealthy older woman now.  (more…)

Read Full Post »

Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm–Babymouse: The Musical [#10] (2009)

Posted in Annie, Cats, Children's Books, Cupcakes, Duplex!, Fears, Funny (ha ha), Glee, Graphic Novel, Jennifer L. Holm, Matthew Holm, Mice, Musicals, Phantom of the Opera, Set at School, Short Books on December 14, 2011| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: DUPLEX!-“Freaky Rhesus” (2005).

This strange littles song comes from the Duplex! album called Ablum (no typo there).

I’ve been aware of the disc for a while, but never had a chance to listen to it.  Duplex! is a kind of Canadian indie supergroup for kids (although I actually don’t know music from the bands that the members are originally from).  I’m going to investigate this album a little more, but for now, I’ve got this song to enjoy.

This is a simple keyboard/drum melody (it sounds like a simple kid’s song), although there is a funny clarinet melody).  This might be like a weak They Might Be Giants song, except the lyrics are kind of fun.

Yes, it is about a monkey in the zoo.  The chorus is particularly funny:

here’s where the story gets a little boring
he only ever had one wish
he was dreaming of bananas all the time bananas
especially the Cavendish
which he ate and he ate and he ate until he finished.

This ablum came out before the huge spate of children’s music by indie folks, and perhaps it’s a little weak.  But it’s sure more interesting than Kidz Bop.

[READ: December 4, 2011] Babymouse: The Musical

I do admit to wondering what this book could have in terms of plot.  I mean, there’s going to be a musical and something will go wrong, right?  True.  Very true.

The plot seems a little thinner than most of the Babymouse books, but that’s more than made up for by the wonderful flashes to famous musicals.

Normally I try to mention the specific allusions in the dream sequences, but man, they are just all over the place here: from Phantom of the Opera to High School Musical (no Glee though, this book came out first).  (more…)

Read Full Post »

Martin Amis–“Laureate of Terror” (New Yorker, November 21, 2011)

Posted in Book Reviews, Charles Dickens, Christian Bok, Corporate skewering, Death, Don DeLillo, George Eliot, James Joyce, Jane Austen, Martin Amis, Natural Disasters, New Yorker, Sex, Short Story, Ulver, Violence on December 13, 2011| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: ULVER-A Quick Fix of Melancholy (2005).

This EP came two years after Teachings in Silence (with a movie soundtrack and “greatest hits” collection in between).  This first track, “Little Blue Bird” is a simple soundscape with echoey keyboards.  When Garm starts singing, his most emotional side comes through (even if I really can’t understand him most of the time).

“Doom Sticks” belies its name and the EP title by being somewhat upbeat.  There are kind of squeaky keyboards that pulsate through the track.  After about a minute and a half, distorted drums keep a martial beat.  But it quickly morphs into a twinkly section that makes me think of the Nutcracker or some other kind of Christmas special.

“Vowels” is similarly upbeat (the music on both of these two tracks has a vaguely Christmastime feel somewhere in there–not that anyone would think these were in any way Christmas songs, or maybe it’s because I’m listening in mid-December).  For this, we get a return of Garm’s choral voice: deep, resonant and hard to understand (although I undertsand the lyrics are from a poem by Christian Bok).   But the poem quickly makes way for some dramatic staccato strings. 

“Eitttlane” begins with some menacing keybaords and staccato notes, creating a feel of a noir movie.  But when the vocal choir comes in, it gets even more sinister.

These Ulver EPs are really true EPs–stopgap recordings for fans.  Their larger works tend to be more substantial, but these EPs allow them to play around with different styles.

[READ: December 1, 2011] “Laureate of Terror”

Two authors I admire in one article, how about that!  In this book review, Martin Amis reviews Don DeLillo’s first collection of short stories and gives a summary of DeLillo’s work.

Amis opens the article by undermining my plans for this blog.  He states point blank than when we say we love an author’s works, we “really mean…that we love about half of it.”  He gives an example of how people who love Joyce pretty much only love Ulysses, that George Eliot gave us one readable book and that “every page of Dickens contains a paragraph to warm to and a paragraph to veer back from.”  Also, Janeites will “never admit that three of the six novels are comparative weaklings (Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park and Persusaion).  [I still hope to read all of the books by the authors I like].

Amis says he loves DeLillo (by which he means, End Zone, Running Dog, White Noise, Libra, Mao II and the first and last section of Underworld).  And he also seems to really like The Angel Esmeralda: Nine Stories,(well, much of it anyway), DeLillo’s first (!) short story collection

His main assement is that these pieces are a vital addition to DeLillo’s corpus.  (more…)

Read Full Post »

Junot Díaz–“Nilda” (New Yorker, October 4, 1999)

Posted in Cancer as plot device, Death, Glimmer Train, Humiliation, Junot Díaz, New Yorker, Set in New Jersey!, Sex, Short Story, Story, Ulver, Virginity (Loss of) on December 12, 2011| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: ULVER-Teachings In Silence (2002).

This EP is a collection of Ulver’s two previous limited edition EPs: Silence Teaches You How to Sing and Silencing the Singing.  It was originally released as a limited edition of 1000 copies, but has since been given wide release.  The two EPs that it replaced were officially retired (after print runs of 2000 and 3000 respectively).

“Silence Teaches You How to Sing” seems like perhaps Ulver has pulled a fast one.  The song starts with static…waves of static.  And you think, what, 24 minutes of THIS?  But after about four minutes, some quiet guitars layer through the static.  By 5 minutes a melody emerges, rather Twin Peaks theme-like.  Static resumes and then another wave of music bursts through and then, around 11 minutes, distant voices can be heard.  As the track nears the end you can hear a distant choir.  And by the end you’re listening so intently that you hear all kinds of things.

That was the only track on the first EP.  The second EP had three shorter tracks.  They are in a similar style to Silence, although there is more music.  “Darling Didn’t We Kill You” has a somber guitar melody and distant choral voices or a buzzing drone.

“Speak Dead Speaker” is more static (it’s easy to see why these two EPs were bundled together).  There’s more Twin Peaks style washes over the static.  I keep picturing the Pacific Northwest.  The last two minutes are a surprise cello version of the themes from the first 7 minutes.  It’s lovely and sorrowful.

The final track is a beautiful melody that repeats itself more and more quietly (with a wonderful loud funeral bell keeping time).  It repeats its cycle three times before ending.

Ulver continues to confound listeners.  Neither one of these EPs is really essential, but they are both interesting and really create a mood.

[READ: November 3, 2011] “Nilda”

This is the final uncollected story (according to Wikipedia anyhow) by Junot Díaz that I was able to access online.  There are two more stories “Invierno” (Glimmer Train 1998) and “Flaca” (Story, Autumn 1999) that I can’t seem to access online.  The rest of the listed short stories appear in Drown. 

This story is about longing and making the wrong choices.  Having read a bunch of Junot Díaz stories lately, this feels very much like a story he would write (I probably should have read Drown before I read these stories, but when I get to it, I’ll be able to confirm my suspicions).

In this story, Yunior, who is evidently the constant narrator in his earlier works (and in Oscar Wao) knows Nilda from school.  She was a friend of his–a kind of teasable friend–until puberty hit and her chest was to die for.  Unfortunately for Yunior, they were already friends, and she was off with other boys.

Indeed, Nilda was trouble more or less from the start–“brown trash,” he calls her.  Her mother was an alcoholic and Nilda was defiant.  She even spent time in a group home.  But she was nice and easy to talk to.  Dammit, why did she have to start dating Yunior’s brother Rafa? (more…)

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »