didn’t read as many as i wanted, and wasn’t blown away as often as i would have liked, but there were some good picks among the rabble.

a bit scattered, strange, and short, leaving not a whole lot to dig in to, but he’s obviously a talented writer. plus every now and then you’ll stumble into a really profoundly worded scene, where the narrator’s drug-addled haze parts for a moment of beautiful clarity; which is why i imagine people bother — with drugs, or this book.

ooooo, i could catch a lot of hell for this one, but as i’ve explained on here before, this book does a few things very well regardless of how you feel about its sometimes-pompous, frequently controversial author. despite his faults, he’s a clever and intelligent writer. as a catalog of the sins of organized religion, this may not be either an indefeatable argument or a definitive collection, but i found it thought-provoking and enjoyable end to end. something i can’t say for many of the few volumes of nonfiction i’ve been tempted into picking up.

how do you top a pulitzer-prize winning novel that ranks in among my favorites of all time? unfortunately, you don’t — at least not yet. even lacking the warmth of kavalier and clay, this was no small feat of it’s own, however. creating an alternate universe where alaska is given to the world’s exiled jews, and pouring into it a twisting noir tale with its own sense of chutzpah, was a decision i started out doubting. then by the end i realized i was not only sold on it, but have to recognize this chabon guy for being able to pull it off at all. kudos to him.

a few tips:

one, do not ever bother seeing the movie adapted from this book. it’s essentially a train wreck, trying to cram this wonderful, long, complex, disturbing crime story into a modern caricature of the noir genre. it botches several plot twists and is wholly unfulfilling, where the book pulls you in deeper and deeper as it gets darker and scarier and you can’t believe there’s yet another layer to uncover.

two, if you click on the picture right there, you can get it for less than four dollars, which is an insane bargain for such a crazy-good book.
you’re welcome.

i didn’t realize this would turn into a ‘worst screen adaptation’ contest as well as a ‘best of’ list, but everything i said for the last one applies here as well. what’s also to be noted is that i’d normally not count a graphic novel among the list, saving it for mention as merely the best comic i’d read. but this is a novel in every respect, and definitely the best-researched work of speculative historical fiction i’ve ever seen; the footnotes alone could be their own PBS special. not to mention it’s a fucking cool story about the world’s first modern serial killer, written by one of the comic world’s bonafide geniuses.

gotta love the kafka, don’t you? before reading this, my only reference for the term ‘kafkaesque’ was the metamorphosis, which i now realize was a bit of a stretch. not only was this a better read than the better-known classic — what with it being about a human all the way through, interacting with other humans, and not a giant bug shut up in his room — but the baseless (or is it?) prosecution of the protagonist drives home with clarity the term so often thrown around by book and film critic alike. it’s not long, it’s not difficult, but it’s powerful and enjoyable; the best kind of book to recommend to anyone and everyone into literature.

i’m noticing a theme here… jesus, god, yiddish, hell, and satan all popping up in this list is awfully peculiar. coincidences aside, though, what can i call this book but delightful. my first foray into rushdie’s work, i was immediately surprised and pleased by the playful use of language, the weaving together of several equally compelling parts of a single over-arching story, and the mix of allegorical fantasy with insightful realities. i quickly realized i was just now getting to know one of the great living writers, capable of scratching every book-loving itch in my body all in one work. i don’t throw around terms like ‘masterpiece’ often, but this is one i wholly recommend and will definitely be returning to again someday.

anyone worth their salt in comic fandom has already read the original years ago. heck, i did too. but getting it in this drool-worthy hardcover oversized absolute edition (an amazing birthday gift around this time last year) was a great reason to read it again, and remember why it gets all the acclaim. it could have been just a good batman story, or a commentary on the media, fear, government, and violence all on its own. but melding the two together, delivering a batman story that not only gets to the core of that character, but also has something to say about the world he (and we) live in, makes for one hell of a devastating work for what to some is just a collectible funny book.