mattsg88
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Those are some good books -- and any list that has Le Guin, Moore, and Carter stands up very well.
I'd also recommend "Look at Me" by Jennifer Egan.
It's not a movie, but "Adventure Time" started streaming over the weekend as well.
Difficult to find fault with this list (even though I hate Geoff Dyer.)
Other great collections:
Marilynne Robinson's "When I Was a Child I Read Books"
John Crowley's "In Other Words"
Alex Ross's "Listen to This"
Susan Orlean's "The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup"
Tina Fey's "Bossypants."
" Although it’s a bit coincidental that Marnie’s interest in him only sparked up again on hearing about his newfound wealth."
I disagree, because Marnie's basically been pining for Charlie from the moment they broke up. I think she was more...honest (?) with herself after she saw him dating that other girl and she's been upset that he was able to make something of their breakup while she keeps spinning in circles. As VanderWoof points out, she sees herself as Charlie's girlfriend, and without that anchor or whatever, she can't really deal with herself. His new wealth doesn't hurt matters, but I think she just can't view herself away from him, and instead of trying to grow like the rest of them, she allows herself to comfortably fall back into the status quo.
I was thinking something similar about this when for whatever reason I was watching a few videos from the Red Hot Chili Peppers's back catalog, especially "Caifornication" and "Other Side." They were good videos by a band who could afford to have good videos made my them. And it just doesn't feel like a lot of bands put as much effort into them any more.
Remember when Backstreet Boys had that outer space adventure thing? Yes, the song is terrible and in any other context it would've been awful. Now you look at the boy bands and teenage heartthrobs and it's usually just them singing at a party. I think we're losing a certain...for lack of a better term, artistry, by cutting corners so much.
At least there are still groups who want to make something visually striking still, even if it just goes to YouTube rather than MTV.
I would also like to add to this list: the deceptively simple Vampire Weekend stuff.
Really good list: I'm excited and intrigued to some of these writers I haven't read year.
Karen Russell wrote a non-fiction piece about a matador last year, and her non-fiction has this same surreality and strangeness as her short fiction.
Has Jennifer Egan written for them? Because she's great as well.
And though I find N. K. Jemisin to be a bit...hotheaded and rash, I think she could offer some pretty interesting perspectives as well, especially because she has the whole fantasy thing behind her.
I love this book. It's not Pynchon's best novel (that would be "Mason & Dixon") but it's my favorite of his novels. And in my top three of all time.
Like John Crowley's "Little, Big" this is a book I have multiple copies of because the covers are so varied and wild. (I also think it's funny Frank Miller did a cover for this book, since Pynchon's political beliefs are completely separate from Miller'.)
Now everybody --
@JoeRichardson The goggles! The did nothing!!
Frankly, I'd rather have the movie cover than the normal cover with the blurb declaring SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE! printed on it. (You know, the ones that don't peel off.)
Of course you would put "The Hunger Games" on here. Because it's terrible. If you wanted a YA book, why not go with M. T. Anderson's "Feed"?
I agree with Zachary Mill. "Cloud Atlas."
Others that are also good: "Super Sad True Love Story," "A Visit From the Goon Squad."
My copy of Reich's "Music for 18 Musicians" is one track long, all nine movements just flowing together. It's hard to put on while in the car or something, but when it's on, it's spectacular.
I'm going to have to look more into some of these.
@thawking @Claredelune @JillShirley I think this guy has some good points on what gives hipsters a bad name: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3xe-Wxio1o
You know that book, "Stuff White People Like", where the author distinguishes between like Brooklynites and the bad kind of white people (gun-totin' Southerners, mostly)? I tink there's something similar within the hipster scene. And the worst kind of hipsters are the ones who like things ironically or once they become popular instantly hate them.
Flavorwire, I think, straddles the line between being hip and being the worst kind of hipster. I think it's a valid criticism, but one that's thrown around too much that it's in danger of losing pertinence.
Wait. We're not supposed to like Hannah now? That's just silly. (All right, sure, she's self-centered and oblivious to other people's problems, but she's adventurous and a defender of her friendships, even if she causes a bunch of the problems.)
She didn't quit her job. She just left for the day. Clearly, she planned on going back.
And I think she knew that he wanted to be Joshua and she insisted on calling him Josh because it irritated him so much. There was that smirk on her face every time. Like she was mimicking Charlie's girlfriend's use of the word "butthole" last week, to grate at Marnie. Another experience for Hannah.
This episode was well-directed. I'm still not sure how I felt about it overall. But it's a bottleneck episode if there ever was one.
I like Frank Ocean a lot. And I like "Forrest Gump" a lot. And I was excited to watch the performance, but the sloooooooowwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeedddddd down tempo kind of took all the energy out of the song, the sexuality, and a bit of the groove.
And when it comes to fun., I'm sure two years ago you were proclaiming how great they were. And then they get big, get success, and suddenly, Oh la de da. JillShirley had a good point, that you're basically being the worst kind of hipsters.
I look forward to not reading any of your write-ups when the new Vampire Weekend record comes up.
I dunno, Flavorwire, some of your choices seem so.... (And I'm talking to the entire site since Temple seems to want to use the royal WE so badly.)
I think Nolan could actually fashion a decent thriller out of "Gone Girl," likewise I think Fincher might be able to do something too, since as you point out, they're both game-makers, tinkerers, who enjoy setting things up and watching them fall into place. And Fincher's tone does match the bleakness of Flynn's novel.
But Harry Potter? Seriously. Joss Whedon? No. David Yates did a superb job. And the movies only just ended and you're already calling for a remake. Come on Flavorwire. (All right, I imagine I'm inferring things here, but still.)
Just feels like you all were sitting around thinking, Hmm I need to fill out more. SO Harry Potter.
Would it be too on the nose for Yates to be considered for "Jonathan Strange"? Because have you seen "State of Play"? He could do great with that.
You know who could do a fun "Wolf Hall"? Kathryn Bigelow. Hear me out: at it's core, the novel is a huge political thriller right? Dusty rooms and people trying to incriminate each other. And Bigelow, after "Zero Dark Thirty" has proven herself capable of crafting scenes where people are just talking to each other incredibly intense she could pull it off. It would also be simultaneously in and out of her comfort zone.
Finally, the Coens are so suited to Chabon it's crazy. I was bummed when their "Yiddish Policeman's Union" fell through.
Anne Hathaway was 27 times better as Catwoman than Fantine. But PRESTIGE PICTURES.
Also, the biggest snub I felt was no nomination for Looper's makeup job. Man.
Otherwise, I hope Tony Kushner is one more step closer to EGOT-ing now.
Yes! The Flame Alphabet's cover is the best part of that book.