Poorly written reviews of other people’s writing…

“Poachers” - Tom Franklin

Been picking my ass up from the floor for days after finishing this book. Read of the year for me, no diggity. Hilarious and hilariously violent short stories; all set in southern Alabama. Recommended for fans of Rick Bass (though Franklin is far more tragic/loser-based) and…..

“Ray” - Barry Hannah

Blueprint for the above style. Sort of.

“Choosing Death: The Improbable History Of Death Metal and Grindcore” - Albert Mudrain

I’m not just kissing ass cuz he’s one of my editors. Great book for anyone even mildly interested in the music and subculture of…….Florida in the early 90’s. No really; solid read. Get it now! Glen Benton (Deicide) really is an un-fun asshole who says “fuck” a WHOLE lot and delivers this classic quote (on continuing to create death metal after a gazillion years in the genre): “It’s hard, man, very hard to keep doing this, I though many, many times of letting it go. But what else am I gonna do, go work at Checkers?” No Glen, because the average Checkers employee would be scared shitless of a guy with an upside down cross branded into his forehead. Certainly he has a healthy crazy check waiting for him, right?

“Waiting For The Sun” – Barney Hoskyns

Re-read for research towards an article I was writing in late October. That makes two music books in a month. Wow. Ideal for people who are sick of rock books. The only history of Los Angeles music that needs to be on the shelf, “Waiting For The Sun” is witty and as thorough as one could hope. My first read through (two years ago) directed me to the writings of Mike Davis.

“Shutter Island” - Dennis Lehane

Once in, “Shutter Island” was impossible to break from. Powerful stuff for a “mainstream crime novel” (I bought mine at Target*, prior to a family trip with Moms). This one tanked hard, I suspect, as the world was waiting for another “Mystic River.” He’s supposed to be writing for The Wire this season, but I haven’t seen his credit yet.

Now reading: Kirby Gann’s “The Barbarian Parade” and Larry Brown’s “Joe.”

*Consumer Note: Target offers mass-market paperbacks at 2.00 off the cover price.