The Return

Review : Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace David Lipsky Broadway Books 2010 What a trip that was, too!   Exhausting is the first word that comes to mind to describe this book, but in the same way a good workout at the gym might be exhausting.     I came to this book with little more than the knowledge that David Foster Wallace (DFW) wrote books, but because I had read one of those samples from an online retailer I went for it anyway.   Glad I did now.   Why? Because it’s like listening in a conversation between Lipsky and Wallace, both writers, both young, and both trying to get something from the other.   The maneuvering was fun to watch.   Insights into what it takes to make it in the book world were excruciating.   So if you think you can write this would be an excellent book to read to see if you can make it in that world.   Eye opening, to say the leas...

Review: Dataclysm: Love, Sex, Race and Identity---What Our Online Lives Tell Us about Our Offline Selves Christian Rudder Broadway Books 2014 Rudder takes a subject that could’ve made the Sahara look verdant and makes it not only enlightening but a good read.   This guy deserves some award for his service to readers like me.   In the meantime he’s showing us how similar and different we are as persons and groups of persons.    OK, we already know that---sort of, but he’s got the numbers to prove it.   Big samples that reflect the characteristics of the online users.   For those of us that managed to get through school without statistics as a requirement he explains what he’s done in ways that are understandable to us. This is not a beach read, page turner item but I don’t think the readers mind that too much.   He’s revealing how the information is gathered and used.   Some of it I knew about and so do you.   The stores tra...

Review: Doctor Who: The Drostens’ Curse A.L. Kennedy Broadway Books 2015 Dr. Who.   I hadn’t had any contact with Dr. Who in ages.   That needs to change judging from how much I enjoyed this book, and I intend to looks around for a few more of them.   Kennedy is not the only author to write a Dr. Who adventure, but she is the only one I’ve read thus far, and the others may have some competition here. The original version of this book appeared as a short story and now as a full length novel.   I don’t know if this would fit well in fewer pages.   The antagonist is worthy and Dr. Who must use all the resources he can muster just to survive in this one.   I’m happy with its current version which leaves plenty of room for more at the end.   Time will tell if more are forthcoming.    OK, maybe (probably) showing my ignorance here, but some of the rants that Dr. Who uttered in several places felt like commentary on the politi...