Good Morning

Book 52 - Dave Eggers "McSweeney's At War for the Foreseeable Future"

Dave Eggers "McSweeney's At War for the Foreseeable Future" (McSweeney's Quarterly)




I loved the cover of this issue, which was published back in the Fall of 2004. It has then-President Bush on the cover in a pathetic (and apparently wounded) pose apologising for the country being at war, along with commentary such as “we’re praying as fast as we can” on the spine.

There are some strong stories in this collection, particularly towards the beginning. One favorite was “The Doubtfulness of Water” by T.C. Boyle, chronicling a widow’s journey on horse from Boston to New York, which really transports us to 1702. Another was the nonfiction account of Xinjiang’s gerbil population explosion by Joshua Bearman, which, while not getting to the bottom of the situation in China because of red tape and the language barrier, does explore its history and related findings in a fun way.

There are many others worth noting, including “The Death of Mustango Salvaje” by Jessica Anthony, about a female matador, “Hadrian’s Wall” by Jim Shepard, about Roman’s life on the frontier, and “The Woman Who Sold Communion” by Kate Braverman, about a woman who reconnects with her bohemian mother after being fired. I also liked “How it Floods” by Pia Z. Ehrhardt, about domestic abuse during a hurricane, “A Child’s Book of Sickness and Death” by Chris Adrian, about a child who has grown up with regular visits to the terminal illness ward, and “Executors of Important Energies” by Wells Tower, which has some really fantastic prose.


Unfortunately, it bogs down towards the end with some stories that either average or skippable entirely. “That Which I Am” by Silvia Di Pierdomenico and the third act of “Soul of a Whore” by Denis Johnson stand out as stinkers. It’s subjective of course, and I appreciate the variety, creativity, and risk-taking that McSweeney’s represents. I also liked seeing the brief account of Eggers meeting an actual Timothy McSweeney in Galway, Ireland, as well as a letter from the man.

Book 52 - Dave Eggers "McSweeney's At War for the Foreseeable Future"

Dave Eggers "McSweeney's At War for the Foreseeable Future" (McSweeney's Quarterly)




I loved the cover of this issue, which was published back in the Fall of 2004. It has then-President Bush on the cover in a pathetic (and apparently wounded) pose apologising for the country being at war, along with commentary such as “we’re praying as fast as we can” on the spine.

There are some strong stories in this collection, particularly towards the beginning. One favorite was “The Doubtfulness of Water” by T.C. Boyle, chronicling a widow’s journey on horse from Boston to New York, which really transports us to 1702. Another was the nonfiction account of Xinjiang’s gerbil population explosion by Joshua Bearman, which, while not getting to the bottom of the situation in China because of red tape and the language barrier, does explore its history and related findings in a fun way.

There are many others worth noting, including “The Death of Mustango Salvaje” by Jessica Anthony, about a female matador, “Hadrian’s Wall” by Jim Shepard, about Roman’s life on the frontier, and “The Woman Who Sold Communion” by Kate Braverman, about a woman who reconnects with her bohemian mother after being fired. I also liked “How it Floods” by Pia Z. Ehrhardt, about domestic abuse during a hurricane, “A Child’s Book of Sickness and Death” by Chris Adrian, about a child who has grown up with regular visits to the terminal illness ward, and “Executors of Important Energies” by Wells Tower, which has some really fantastic prose.


Unfortunately, it bogs down towards the end with some stories that are either average or just skippable entirely. “That Which I Am” by Silvia Di Pierdomenico and the third act of “Soul of a Whore” by Denis Johnson stand out as stinkers. It’s subjective of course, and I appreciate the variety, creativity, and risk-taking that McSweeney’s represents. I also liked seeing the brief account of Eggers meeting an actual Timothy McSweeney in Galway, Ireland, as well as a letter from the man.

Streets Ahead

I was in town this morning doing my first stint on the checking of the postal location addresses in a certain street , making sure that the post office info is correct in terms of house number, number of occupancies in the location, whether a house has been turned into flats, or business addresses are correct against a database and making comments where there is obvious changes like change of name or vacant building and so on. I had 75 addresses to check. Excel sheet completed and uploaded for the research agency.

Tomorrow I may do the other street I have in Faversham and then three locations in Sittingbourne next week.

Luckily it was a dry warm but windy day.

Friday Night Jazz

Some jazz for a Friday night -

Dave Holland Big Band - Ario

Dave Holland Quintet - Lucky Seven

Chris Potter - tenor & soprano saxophones
Robin Eubanks - trombone
Steve Nelson - vibraphone, marimba & tambourine
Dave Holland - double bass
Nate Smith - drums

Kevin Eubanks - Spirit Talk

Kevin Eubanks (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Marvin "Smitty" Smith (vocals, drums, percussion); Kent Jordan (flute, alto flute); Robin Eubanks (trombone); Dave Holland (acoustic bass); Mark Mondesir (drums).

Enjoy

The Friday Five

1. What is one of your favourite things about your country?

2. What is your favourite thing to do on your country's national holiday?

3. What do you usually do for your country's national holiday?

4. What is your favourite national/regional ethnic dish?

5. Who is your favourite national hero and why?