Living in Motels

Hello,
Hope you all had an awesome holiday. I did. I cannot believe it is almost 2009. (That's just crazy! Where's the flying cars?) Good times ahead I hope. Cheers to you all. Happy New Years! I enjoyed Book Club tonight where we discussed Motel Life (see review below) and had a good time. If you want to have some fun and read interesting books we meet at Sam Weller's Books on the last Tuesday of every month at 6:30 pm. Come on by, it's a good time. Onward!

Reviews
What I Said and How I Lied
I first heard about this book after it won the National Book Award for YA titles. The title and cover were also intriquing. This book takes place in post-war America as Evie, a girl whose 15 going on 16, her mother and stepfather take a trip to Florida and gets caught up in mystery and romance. The first person narration is written in a snappy noir style that enjoyed immensely. It's written in a witty style that only emphasized the noir feel of the story. I was surprised to discover that this is more of a story about lost innocence rather than a clear cut mystery. Evie's slow discovery of the dysfunction in the adult world around her was heartbreaking. This is a great read which I enjoyed and highly reccommend.

Other Reviews
Becky's Book Reviews|YA New York|Ink Splot 26

The Motel Life
I had picked up this title upon the high reccommendation of a co-worker but I have been sitting on it for awhile. When it was announced as the book club choice for December I finally picked it up. Boy am I glad I did. Frank and Jerry Lee Flannigan have had a terrible of run of bad luck all their lives. Drifting along in Reno Nevada, the work lower class jobs in a rootless existence. When Jerry Lee commits a terrible crime it's Frank who is stuck cleaning up the mess. Reading this I noticed strong overtones of Steinbeck, Denis Johnson, and Kerouac. I loved the bond between the two main characters and it was devastating watching the effects of a life marked by failure. Like Of Mice and Men Frank is burdened by his need to take care of his brother. However, rather than become melodramatic Vlautin instead chooses a more detached ending that I don't think quite works. I guess I just wanted a little more story in my story. The main characters really don't change all that much. I think he easily could have delved more into the characters. Although it's a bleak story I did enjoy this story of flawed characters living desperate lives.

Other Reviews
New York Times|KQED|The Independent

The Reading List
Books
The Irregulars
Generation X

Comics
Trinity #29

Magazine
Newsweek

Check Out Count: Continues to Improve.

Comic Pull List: Batman #684, Batman Cacophony #2, Goon #31, Green Lantern #36, Incognito #1, Northlanders #13, Stand Captain Trips #4, Superman #683, Trinity #31, Wolverine #70

Happy New Years! Have a great week! See yeah in 2009! Book Slave.