Autumn is here, and while you're relaxing with that mug of mulled cider, catch up on the best of the week with our editors' picks.
In addition to our usual fine assortment of reviews and commentary, we've got Eric Clapton in three parts, an account of a trip to Pakistan in words and pictures, and evidence that the war on terror is on everyone's mind, regardless of which side of the political aisle one sits on. Cooking (and eating) comes to Sci/Tech, and the editors take over the sports section.
It's all good, all the time, and it's all here.
MUSIC
From Music Editor Connie Phillips:
Ian Woolstencroft walks us back through a time when our music came on large black discs and continues the journey with his masterful Music Review: Lloyd Cole - Antidepressant.
Jim O'Donnell asks the question, "If Clapton is going deaf from his own live music, what about all the fans who attended those same shows?" What follows in Part One, Part Two and Part Three of Concert Review: Eric Clapton Going Deaf? Attend 'The Silent Clapton Concert' is a detailed review of a recent show intermingled with memories and career observations.
From Asst. Music Editor A.L. Harper:
Tim Gebhart teaches us how to appreciate jazz legend John Coltrane in his Music Review: John Coltrane - Fearless Leader.
Big Geez doesn't listen to Roger Miller anymore when he's driving. And he takes the time to explain why in his Reckless Driving And The Sound Of Roger Miller
BOOKS
From Books Editor Natalie Bennett:
Mayank Austen Soofi has been left agitated and outraged by a negative response to A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. He sets out, in passionate but measured prose, to explain why this Indian epic is one of "the literary milestones of modern Indian literature in English".
C. Michael Bailey is looking further back in time, to the timeless story of the Holy Grail, and what he says is a fine exploration of the mystique — Labyrinth by Kate Mosse, who with "a craftsman's care, spins two tales of intrigue separated by 800 years". This was a review that certainly made me want to hunt out the book.
From Asst. Books Editor Gordon Hauptfleisch:
In the review of the Looking Glass Wars, Snarkattack compellingly and whimsically makes an intriguingly flipped-out re-telling of the Alice in Wonderland story more curiouser and more curiouser still, making a convincing case that "the book has themes that both adults and children will find enticing."
If the author of The Shark God "tells his story with a wry and highly observant eye," Tim Gebhart succeeds in his review much along the same lines. Tim deftly explores and explicates thematic elements of culture, religion, superstition and faith that surround, in one "of the year's best non-fiction books," the story of a man re-tracing the steps of his great-grandfather, a missionary in the islands of Melanesia in the 1890s.
Article comments
1 - DJRadiohead
Normally I thank the editor who selects my work. Since it's you, Sussman, and since your nomination is so gracious, I can skip that part.
2 - Ian Woolstencroft
Just being picked made my day but “masterful” that made my week. Thanks Connie!
3 - Snarkattack
That's so weird, I could have sworn I read this and didn't see my name before. But thanks awfully for the pick!
4 - Mayank Austen Soofi
Thankyou.
5 - S.T.M
Thanks guys .... it's always good to get the nod!
6 - Kathy
If you enjoyed The Looking Glass Wars, you might also enjoy this humorous but also serious look at the Bush Administrations policies, just revised in time for the 2006 elections:
Alice in Bushland, Fact and Fantasy of the Bush Administration, Alland Publishing