As someone who spends most of her time reading (and writing) literary fiction, I have a hard time writing about graphic novels. I am unsure of what metrics to use to measure their success or…
Posts tagged 2008 Books
All About Lulu
All About Lulu is so good that I am willing to forgive its author, Jonathan Evison, for being a little coy with the reader. This is saying a lot. Next to adverbs and Chuck Klosterman,…
The 10 Best Books I read in 2008
1. An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken:This was the best book I read all year. No hemming, no hawing, no second guessing — the best. McCracken’s memoir about giving…
The 7 worst books I read in 2008 reviewed in 10 words or less
Today Largehearted Boy keeps peppering his Twitter with links to newspapers publishing their best books of 2008 lists. I am making my own list and currently checking it twice. However, while making the list I…
The Gargoyle makes me sound like a stoner
Andrew Davidson’s debut novel The Gargoyle, is the kind of book that gives me nextbookaphobia. This is a condition marked by great fear of starting a new book because there is no way that it…
Just because it’s got vampires doesn’t mean it’s not sexist bullshit
Read Christa’s review Yowza! I was surprised by the rage Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight brought out of me. This was one of the most sexist novels I can ever remember reading, and I grew up on…
The Wordy Shipmates
I often like to call Sarah Vowell the Gen X Doris Kearns Goodwin or Stephen Ambrose. She’s a historian for our time, and unlike the Goodwin and Ambrose books I had to study in college,…
The best book I’ve read all year
I’ve been trying to write about Elizabeth McCracken’s memoir An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination for three weeks. I’ve read it twice and I’m still having a hard time finding the words….
Confessions to Philip Roth
Forgive me Philip Roth, for I have sinned. First of all, I’m confessing as though I was that kind of Catholic and according to that weird guy at Barnes & Noble you’re an atheist. So…
Dear Everybody
Dear Authors, Listen to me. If you were smart you would write interesting Largehearted Boy Book Notes essays about your book and include good music. I cannot count how many books I have read because…