David Denby: Snark
This slim volume doesn't always succeed with its argument against the virtues of snark, but I definitely see where Denby is coming from. He wants a world where people think before they speak, where insults hit their target with wit, a sense of context and forethought. I know I thought more about how to temper my own snarky tendencies after reading this long essay, and at the very least, Denby's tome should spark necessary - and maybe even snark-free - discussion.
Hallie Ephron: Never Tell a Lie: A Novel of Suspense
Ephron's first solo fiction outing finds suspense in seemingly unlikely territory, but the suburban town where heavily pregnant Ivy and her husband David live proves to be most dangerous after a chance run-in with Melinda, an old high school acquaintance - and pregnant as well. Then she goes missing. And then the book becomes awfully hard to stop reading because Ephron is a page-turning expert who has plenty to say about the joys and pain of impending motherhood.
Ilana Stanger-Ross: Sima's Undergarments for Women
How could I not adore this? It's a debut novel set in Boro Park and features a mature woman who owns an undergarment shop that caters to those of all ages and ethnicities, but really shines an inward light upon her secret shame and empty marriage when a young Israeli girl, brimming with life, arrives to turn everything upside down. The conflicts are meted out in fine detail, and Sima - the aforementioned propreitor - is all too believable in what she holds back, how she feels and what she does, no matter how wrong-headed those actions might be. This book is a rare little bird that should have a chance to spread its wings widely and at great distance.
Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo: Roseanna (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)
The first of Sjowall/Wahloo's legendary series featuring Swedish police detective Martin Beck was recently reissued, giving me good reason to finally read what I'd meant to for years. It's astounding and a classic, as is the follow up THE MAN WHO WENT UP IN SMOKE, because the authors do not waste a single word. Economy and subtlety, not to mention a methodical approach to detection and clear opinions on the state of Swedish society, is on fine display. I'd read the other eight books now but I'm trying to pace myself.
Tanguy Viel: Beyond Suspicion: A Novel
This is a hard-bitten, unnerving piece of work, largely and unjustly overlooked by me until I stumbled across it in a bookstore and, thinking I'd read a few pages, finished most of it standing up and the rest in a nearby chair. There are two couples, a brother and a sister with respective partners. There are weddings and love affairs, secret schemes and violent twists. And there is betrayal, oh so much betrayal. Viel's writing is so crisp it practically singes with blackness, and his outlook is arch and bleak. I do like discovering new authors, don't you?
Hat tip to Jaime for pointing me to sections from D.A. Pennebaker's documentary on the original cast recording of COMPANY. Watching Elaine Stritch struggle with "The Ladies who Lunch" - then finally, finally, nail the recording - is really something special.
So perhaps you may have noticed that my output at Galleycat has increased quite a lot this week. That's because next week I'll be rather scarce, what with taking a much-needed long weekend (so the Weekend Update won't be posted till late Monday at the earliest, or not at all) and ThrillerFest beginning Thursday. As a result posting will be, to say the least, rather light for the next little while.
It's also summer, and I like my summer hours just like everyone else. So aside from bringing back August's Great Guest Blog Extravaganza - more details on that in a future post - I'm also lightening the load on Thursdays considerably by introducing a new, completely frivolous feature.
Welcome to YouTube Thursdays. What is it? Mostly me posting wacky, thoughtful, or otherwise hard-to-find clips made available through that fabulous, completely time-sucking feature. As I was saying to my brother last night, I wonder sometimes how the Internet got along without it - that's how popular and pervasive it's become.
To kick things off, here are Pitchfork's picks for the 100 Most Awesome Music Videos (link via Ed) which should suck away your time quite nicely. It sure did for me....
And for the rest of the afternoon, learn English with the Zuiikin Gals! (Here and here, also.)
