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With his sixth novel, You Don't Love Me Yet, Jonathan Lethem continues to show off his dexterity with the form, following up the coming-of-age epic The Fortress of Solitude with a dreamlike, comic portrait of the Los Angeles art scene. Lethem craftily sets up his ruse with a letter of complaint from Falmouth Strand (a seemingly minor character) who warns us that the book we are about to read completely misrepresents the truth. Falmouth is a former installation artist who has turned from sculpting objects to "manipulating people's despair, pensiveness, ennui." For his latest project, he has posted signs around Los Angeles: "Complaints? Call 213 291 7778." The novel centers around Lucinda (the perfect, unwitting instrument for Falmouth's manipulation), a bass player in a would-be indie rock quartet with nearly enough good songs for a 35-minute set (if you don't count the two they don't like anymore). Lucinda has vowed to stop sleeping with the band's lead singer Matthew (for real, this time), launching a search for true love as drunken and misguided as the band's search for a decent name. She abandons her upscale barista gig to answer complaint calls for Falmouth's conceptual art piece. Before long, she finds herself drawn to a regular whose curious words are "like a pulse detected in a vast dead carcass" of daily complaints. By way of Lucinda, the "genius" complainer's words spark the band's next song, setting them on a shaky upward trajectory all too familiar in the art world. Various characters want (or don't want) to take credit for the song's apparent success, but who deserves it? The complainer who nonchalantly rattled off the words, Lucinda who wrote them down, the remaining band members who collaboratively put them to music, or Falmouth himself, who passively engineered the whole thing?
Fans of Fortress and Motherless Brooklyn may find this novel's levity too drastic a shift, but even though Lethem is having a great time here with wordplay, a motley cast, and Lucinda's sexual meanderings, You Don't Love Me Yet is anything but a simple entertainment. He plays with our notions of art and authorship, enjoying a bit of advanced cribbery himself as he experiments with Shakespearean antics and inexplicable love match-ups. At every turn, Lethem seems to be asking sticky questions: Can anyone create the consummate intersection of dream, desire, and reality that art (and great sex) embodies? Will it last, and should it? Can any one writer capture that moment with a few meager words? If they did, how long would it take for it to be reduced to meaningless slogan? --Heidi Broadhead
Book Description
From the incomparable Jonathan Lethem, a raucous romantic farce that explores the paradoxes of love and art
Lucinda Hoekke spends eight hours a day at the Complaint Line, listening to anonymous callers air their random grievances. Most of the time, the work is excruciatingly tedious. But one frequent caller, who insists on speaking only to Lucinda, captivates her with his off-color ruminations and opaque self-reflections. In blatant defiance of the rules, Lucinda and the Complainer arrange a face-to-face meeting—and fall desperately in love.
Consumed by passion, Lucinda manages only to tear herself away from the Complainer to practice with the alternative band in which she plays bass. The lead singer of the band is Matthew, a confused young man who works at the zoo and has kidnapped a kangaroo to save it from ennui. Denise, the drummer, works at No Shame, a masturbation boutique. The band’s talented lyricist, Bedwin, conflicted about the group’s as-yet-nonexistent fame, is suffering from writer’s block. Hoping to recharge the band’s creative energy, Lucinda “suggests” some of the Complainer’s philosophical musings to Bedwin. When Bedwin transforms them into brilliant songs, the band gets its big break, including an invitation to appear on L.A.’s premiere alternative radio show. The only problem is the Complainer. He insists on joining the band, with disastrous consequences for all.
Brimming with satire and sex, You Don’t Love Me Yet is a funny and affectionate send-up of the alternative band scene, the city of Los Angeles, and the entire genre of romantic comedy, but remains unmistakably the work of the inimitable Jonathan Lethem.
Customer Reviews:
Friends is better.......2007-09-01
Having suggested this book for our book club as "something different" based on a review in Entertainment Weekly, I have become the scourge of our group and have been banned from making any further suggestions for one year.
Seriously, reviewers are making this book out to be WAY more than it could have been, favorably comparing it to the genius of the television show "Friends"... NO.
Lethem has a definite style and a keen grasp of plot and pacing, however, the characters are not worthy of a story, uninteresting, uncompelling repulsive? shallow. Possibly, that is Lethem's point.
One book club member theorized that, riding the success of his last novel, he spent six heady months in the LA underbelly masquerading as a band groupie looking for material for another book and this is the result.
I don't necessarily agree, but I am not as insightful as my compatriots.
I am not about to write off Lethem and will definitely read his other, highly praised novels. I don't love this author yet.
Disappointing.......2007-08-28
I found it hard to like the characters, which I realize might have been the intention of the author, but I also found that I did not really care what happened to them. So, what would be the point of finishing the book? The plot was simply put, lacking.
Hard To Believe.......2007-08-06
I seem to more or less agree with all the comments on here. I found a lot of things hard to believe in this book. Lucinda and Carl's relationship for one. What was their attraction to each other? Why would Lucinda be interested in Carl?
Being a musician, I always hate reading fiction books about bands, because they're generally way off and sadly this one did the same thing a lot of other books have done. Get a band together, average musicians likely, and have them play their first show. And somehow they're a huge success, getting people to ask for an encore (and somehow know the name of the song - most PAs at even good clubs aren't good enough for people to really distinguish the words of a song from a rock band), and then get swarmed with offers for radio, management, and a record deal. It's not to say there aren't overnight successes, but nothing like this.
I've been in bands that had really good shows and went over well, but it was never anything like this and from years of following other bands (including ones who are quite successful) I know it's not true for them either.
Not Without Its Charms.......2007-08-02
It's mildly astounding that a writer possessing the formidable gifts of Jonathan Lethem could follow the brilliant one-two punch of Motherless Brooklyn and The Fortress of Solitude with such a decidedly minor work. Before I go any further, let me say that I am not the most objective reviewer for this book. I am interested in popular and unpopular music (and music is this novel's raison d'être), but more importantly, I think that Lethem is one of the most interesting authors around. So I suffered some of the pangs of feeling "let down" by a gifted writer that Lethem himself explored in his excellent collection of essays, The Disappointment Artist.
The premise of YOU DON'T LOVE ME YET is that Los Angeles is populated with groggy twenty-somethings who are rotating through various poses in search of musical and personal identity. Fair enough. But the slender scaffolding of characterization that Lethem erects here just can't sustain much in the way of meaning, momentum, or entertainment. The "humorous" subplot involving the kidnapping of a kangaroo is particularly ill-conceived, and as for satire, forget about it.
So why the high rating? Well, this is Lethem, after all. Even a page of unremarkable plot development usually yielded an insight, a play on words, or an errant thought revealing the talent of the scribe. Plus, since this is a quick read, I now have time to enjoy The Fortress of Solitude again.
Desperate? Get Used. .......2007-07-11
I have read and very much admired most of Jonathan Lethem's work. This book made me feel that the whole notion of a rock band is sunsetting, a relic of the late 20th Century, now slipping over the horizon into the gone world of history. Perhaps that was the intent. A brief summary is really all it takes to do the plot justice. An artist starts a public complaint line as a performance event. One Complainer rises above the pack and seduces a young & quirky rocker chick. For a day job, he fabricates slogans, viral word memes that sound like an unholy cross between Barbara Kruger and Erma Bombeck. The rocker chick & her cute friends in their 20's start a band in L.A., have sex with each other, get drunk, have sex with some other people, write quirky songs, play a loft party, and are somewhat willingly exploited, sexually & perhaps financially, by gray ponytailed, hippie capitalist types. Pace CRASS: so wot?
It's a very slightly diverting romp, with some witty dialogue, but the whole notion of a rock band's glamorous, decadent aura of "cool" is made to seem quite...posthumous, somehow. Like, there's not an original gesture they could make within the trope of "rock & roll," it's all been done before. Accordingly, the band quickly implodes after inspiring a brief frisson of exploitative lust, largely among the aforementioned graying ponytails. Really, on its face, this is an insultingly bad book. But to me it's obvious from his other books that Lethem is a kind of genius. So there has to be more to it than that, a lot more. Maybe this whole thing is a refugee from Lethem's id, a suckerpunch smackdown of the whole big stupid rock & roll thing? Or even a deliberate subversion of the tottering mausoleum of late 20th Century rock'n roll culture? A memorial service for cool?
Book Description
Carmen Bryan is no stranger to the rap world. Not only did she work at Def Jam and Capitol Records but she shares a daughter with hip-hop superstar Nas -- a relationship made extremely public through Nas's celebrity status, rap lyrics, and the ever-present media. Now, in It's No Secret, a strong, resilient Carmen bares all, telling her side of the story and leaving no detail unturned -- with the true candor and raw emotion of someone who has been there, done that, and survived.
From a clandestine relationship with Nas's biggest rival, Jay-Z, that stirred up the biggest feud in hip-hop history, to seeing her reputation in tatters and a once loving relationship with Nas fall apart, Carmen depicts her trying journey to become the strong woman and mother she is today. After years of turmoil that included drugs, sex, greed, and violence -- and abandoning what she had always prized above all, her freedom -- Carmen took a stand, focusing on herself. After years of pursuit by the media, Carmen sets the record straight in It's No Secret -- and has no regrets.
Customer Reviews:
listen up.......2007-09-14
I think it was a good book. I enjoyed it, the thing was I wanted to know more about NaS and not her, the only reason why I got it was b/c of him. since i'll never marry him I wanted to know what it would be like to be with him. I'll still take him though i know that. I read it in one day. but i do wish her the best. sometimes things dont always work out
not all that intersting.......2007-09-14
could have been better not interesting enough maybe if carmen slept around with more people this would sell more but not all that good so what nas beat her, both were guilty we all know nas was a male ho we know jay z is a male ho too we know kelis is a freak, hdell nas may have slept witrh beyonce before she started fooling with jigga what was her number doing in his pocket in hollywood and the music business everybody sleeps with everybody.
Strong Woman? No........2007-08-25
I sure am glad I got this book at the library and didn't pay any money for it because the time I spent reading it was a waste.
Strong woman? Not even close. Drama queen? Yep.
It is pretty easy to predict she will continue to live her life with the same behavior she describes in her book. Irresponsible.
BETTER THAN U THINK.......2007-08-23
THIS BOOK WOULD BE A FIVE STAR BOOK IF IT HAD COME OUT BEFORE SUPERHEAD'S BOOK.VERY INTERESTING
This Is Her Life Let Her Live.......2007-08-09
I will start off by saying I took along time to read this book. The reason being the reviews well I won't let that effect me again. This book
is a good read. I think the problem people have with it is because they are looking for another tell all like Karrine Steffans and this is not that type. She is telling the story base on her trial and tribulations in her life. Which happen to include some well known people. She is basically saying that her life is no differnt from anybody else she makes bad choices and she has to deal with it. I mean did anybody read her final words in the book where she says there are no victims or villians. Meaning everybody knew how the situations could turn out.
With that being said Everybody Get Over It.
To tell the truth people will probably be up set with Karrine new book if she doesn't drop enough names.
Average customer rating:
- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
- Pants on fire?
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
- History as Science Fiction
|
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
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They Cast No Shadows: A Collection of Essays on the Illuminati, Revisionist History, and Suppressed Technologies
ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Average customer rating:
- Good for fans of Photography and Music
- An intimate collection
- Spectacular Photos!
- Beautiful Photographs from a master, however unfinished
- Classical?
|
Annie Leibovitz: American Music
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Leibovitz, Annie
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ASIN: 0375505075
Release Date: 2003-10-28 |
Amazon.com
It looks like a gorgeous nostalgia trip to judge by the cover image alone. The photo is of an old school record player that lies unplugged, a white label test-pressing waiting on the turntable, while a band of paper wrapped around the cover announces the title in ye olde woodblock-looking type, American Music. A reading of the small type on the back cover reveals the image to be the very record and turntable left in Elvis Presley's bedroom the day he died, and the mind reels, thinking about whether the King listened to this record on that day or not, and who are the Stamps, anyway? An excellent selection of musician portraits interspersed with crumbly wooden jook joints and wide open fields in the South, American Music covers a wide gamut of jazz, blues, punk, country, hip-hop, rock and roll, folk and gospel musicians. And while most of the pictures were shot between 1999 and 2002, some go back to the early 1970s, when Leibovitz first became Rolling Stone magazine's chief photographer. Some of the artists are very well-known (Michael Stipe, Dolly Parton, Bob Dylan) and some of them are not (Jessie Mae Hemphill, Other Turner, Carlos Coy). Leibovitz really has a way of relaxing her performers, and this is a great part of her gift. Even when the pictures are so posed as to be ridiculous (like, what's Michael Stipe doing on that bedbug-ridden mattress—-the guy's a billionaire?), she catches her subjects at their most "real." They are lost in their music, or just doing some "real person" thing (look, there is Beck in his car—does Beck really drive his own car?). The presentation may be a little hokey, but this book is sure to please most any music fan. --Mike McGonigal
Book Description
The impulse to do
AMERICAN MUSIC, writes famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, “came from a desire to return to my original subject and look at it with a mature eye. Bring my experience to it…make it a real American tapestry.” Her ambitious idea became
AMERICAN MUSIC, a stunning collection of photographs of the musicians, places and people that enrich the landscape of American music.
As Rolling Stone’s chief photographer for over thirteen years, Leibovitz created a legendary body of work. Her portraits of some of the world’s most talented musicians capture more than the performer, they convey the art of making music. For
AMERICAN MUSIC, Leibovitz traveled across the country to juke joints in the Mississippi Delta, honkytonks in Texas, and jazz clubs in New Orleans “to take pictures in places that mean something.” In her signature style, she shares stunning portraits of American greats --
B.B. King,
Willie Nelson,
Bonnie Raitt,
Bruce Springsteen,
Beck,
Bob Dylan,
Mary J. Blige,
Jon Bon Jovi, S
teve Earle,
Ryan Adams,
Miles Davis,
Etta James,
Pete Seeger,
Emmylou Harris,
Tom Waits,
The Dixie Chicks,
Dr. Dre, The Roots and many more.
AMERICAN MUSIC includes a commentary about the American Music project by Leibovitz, short essays by musicians
Patti Smith,
Rosanne Cash,
Steve Earle,
Mos Def,
Ryan Adams, and
Beck as well as biographical sketches of all the musicians.
Customer Reviews:
Good for fans of Photography and Music.......2007-01-28
If you love the blues, or love photography this is a great book. While not specific to just Blues musicians this book just makes me think of good old delta blues. The prints in this book shine like they were hand printed by Annie herself. Theres a heart and soul driving this book from begining to end.
This is a more personal project for Annie Leibovitz and so doenst allway have her studio style inside.
That does not mean that each photograph is not amazing for they are, but some are a smaller more
candid world that Annie Leibotiz is capturing.
An intimate collection.......2005-08-08
I just saw this exhibit at our MoMA, and the work is outstanding. Some of the images are color, some black and white. There are a number of styles and artists, ranging from the very famous to those unknown outside of their small communities. The point is that these are images of musicians--it's that simple.
Sometimes, Liebovitz's work is witty, sometimes it is unflinching in its honest portrayal. There is vulnerability in the subjects of her black and whites because they are so close, often just the face of the subject. To term them "ugly" is simply wrong. It is rare to see behind the artifice of celebrity images and see performers without makeup and with their skin texture and pores visible. Some of the photos are taken in people's homes, or backstage rather than on a set. This lends considerably to the intimacy and honesty that she is trying to convey.
If you want shots of your favorite singer looking oh so pretty, go to their PR person. This is a serious body of work from a renowned photographer. It blends both her celebrity work with her own private interests in portrait photography for non-commercial audiences.
Spectacular Photos!.......2005-08-02
The catalog is gorgeous, the photographs are indeed spectacular. While the written entries were wonderful, they were too few and left me wanting more. I guess that's a good thing!
Beautiful Photographs from a master, however unfinished.......2004-11-17
In response to another review on this site, clearly if you think the book has "poor aesthetic quality" You know nothing of photography or art for that matter.
The people in this book are beautifully portrayed in silver and in color. Clearly the photographs were taken over a number of years, which shows the scope of the project.
The only thing that I find wrong with this project is that it may be unfinished. The book is called American Music. Cleary that is why there are mainly blues, rock and roll and hip, country/folk and hip hop artists. Obviosly everyone would like to see their favorite artists in the book and have the ones they dislike removed. I however feel that this is the artists choice, and we have to live with it. If Leibovits decides to put out a 'Part II' it would do all of us a favor.
The only reason why I don't give this a 5 out of 5 stars is that most of the photographs don't grab you by the face and demand your attention. The ones that grab me the most are the artists I folllow, so perhaps there is something in that. Some measure of knowlegde that must accompany the photographs. Buy the book anyways...and listen to more blues albums. I didn't check this review for spelling, HA!
Classical?.......2004-04-07
OK, think for a minute what it means deep down to chronical AMERICAN music.
That would be music that comes from the Delta and from Chicago and spread from there as essential Blues, Jazz, Rock and Roll and later forms of Pop. Classical came to us from Europe, what these artists represent are the outcome of truly American born music. I'm staggered that anyone would not make that connection..
And yes, we know that some may find Iggy Pop "ugly", but American Music isn't all about chicks that look like Britney Spears..
Book Description
“Have you ever wanted something so bad you was willing to crawl over bodies to get it? I mean, fiend for it so hard it didn’t matter who you hurt, how low you had to scrape, it was gonna be yours? That’s what music and balling did for me. They were the fundamentals behind my rise . . . and the perpetrators of my fall. They called me Harlem’s black prince–a rising star who carried street dreams on his back. But the streets, ya know. They got a way of coming for theirs. A method of sneaking up on you when you ain’t looking . . .”
Andre “Thug-A-Licious” Williams came up on Harlem’s meanest streets. But thanks to his nearly ankle-breaking hoop moves and explosive mic skills, he makes it out–and dominates the rap scene with chart-topping urban hits.
Thug has sexed all the hottest freaks and has a slew of baby mamas to show for it. But no matter how many women he takes to his bed, only one can claim his heart: successful beauty salon owner Carmiesha “Lil Muddah” Vernoy, his ride-or-die queen who has stuck by his side and guarded his back through thick and thin.
But Thug also has a nightmarish history with someone else. Pimp Williams, his older cousin and ex—partner in crime, is a cold-blooded killer who spreads havoc all over Harlem and will stop at nothing to get what he wants–even if it means betraying his own family, crushing Carmiesha, and forcing Harlem’s black prince down to his knees and back to his bloody beginnings.
“Urban erotica has never been hotter!”
–Nikki Turner, author of Riding Dirty on I-95
Customer Reviews:
No You Are Not The Only One...............2007-09-28
Who knows this is a damn good book. Of course the first and last chapters were the same. Real readers know all about foreshadowing and flashbacks and great writers know how to do this the way Noire did it. You need to read more often and more carefully before you start writing reviews. The beginning told you what happened on that fateful day of the NBA Finals, then the whole rest of the book flashbacked to how Thug's life led up to that day, then the last chapters told the resolution. It's a complicated writer's trick that Noire handled well. Some just ain't up on their read game enough to follow the genius of it. Muddah was a true rider and Thug was street grime and talent rolled up into one.
Am I The Only One...?.......2007-09-19
...who realized that Chapter 1 and 35 or 39 are basically the same with just a few small differences between them? It was weird and threw me off. I'm really starting to dislike this "urban" genre. Contrary to popular belief, many of us urbanites do know how to read and we DO know the difference between a good, interesting and well written book and the ridiculous typo-riddled, incomplete and CHEAP trash that these hood writers are trying to get us to buy!
Sorry had to rant. I do like Noire as a writer, but maybe I'm too nitpicky to have found this book enjoyable.
Noire does it again..........2007-06-27
I read Thug-a-Licious in two days; it was incredibly heartbreaking and entertaining at the same time.
In Thug-a-Licious, Noire paints a vivid picture of Harlem street life. Thug, Smoove, Pimp, and Muddah come from the same neighborhood. When Thug finally inches his way to fidelity, fame and fortune, the unthinkable happens. Muddah makes a decent living as an entrepreneur but is caught up with family issues. Smoove takes an honorable way out of the neighborhood. But Pimp is the one who chooses to continue in the life of the ruthless drug and crime game.
I can't wait to read another Noire book!
Noire IS Awesome hands down!!!!!!!!!!! .......2007-06-26
This book was really good. Thug boy let me tell you he will have your thong on fire wishing you could have some of him. WOW!!!!!!!!!!! \
Anyway I would suggest reading all of noires books before you read this one, it is not a sequel but the books do connect and I love that about noire books. She gives refernce to other characters in the old books.
I hated the way it ended for thug, I had to shed a tear for him because it was DA** shame. Go pick it up you won't be mad.
AWESOME!.......2007-06-24
I absolutely loved this book.The only bad thing was having it end.It was very good from the first page to the last page.This author definitely knows what she is doing.As previously stated, I just wish that her novels were longer,I really hate for them to end so soon.It's like having good sex,you don't want it to end.
Average customer rating:
- An easy, rewarding read
- A resonanting read
- a great gift from piano teacher: her favorite book
- An insight into Parisians not to be missed
- Discovering the passion for piano through Thad Carhart
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The Piano Shop on the Left Bank: Discovering a Forgotten Passion in a Paris Atelier
Thad Carhart
Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
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Binding: Paperback
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Piano Lessons: Music, Love, and True Adventures
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ASIN: 0375758623
Release Date: 2002-03-12 |
Book Description
Thad Carhart never realized there was a gap in his life until he happened upon Desforges Pianos, a demure little shopfront in his Pairs neighborhood that seemed to want to hide rather than advertise its wares. Like Alice in Wonderland, he found his attempts to gain entry rebuffed at every turn. An accidental introduction finally opened the door to the quartier’s oddest hangout, where locals — from university professors to pipefitters — gather on Friday evenings to discuss music, love, and life over a glass of wine.
Luc, the atelier’s master, proves an excellent guide to the history of this most gloriously impractical of instruments. A bewildering variety passes through his restorer’s hands: delicate ancient pianofortes, one perhaps the onetime possession of Beethoven. Great hulking beasts of thunderous voice. And the modest piano “with the heart of a lion” that was to become Thad’s own.
What emerges is a warm and intuitive portrait of the secret Paris — one closed to all but a knowing few.
The Piano Shop on the Left Bank is the perfect book for music lovers, or for anyone who longs to recapture a lost passion.
Customer Reviews:
An easy, rewarding read.......2007-08-10
If you need a break from heavy reading, this is a great book to consider. While it lacks a real story line, the book is nonetheless engaging and interesting, even for a "plot girl" like me. It was a breath of fresh air following Hardy and a book about Nazi Germany.
I wish the French phrases were footnoted, as I don't speak a word of French. Perhaps that was the author's way of making me feel excluded in the same way he was initially excluded from the atelier. Maybe not.
A resonanting read .......2007-07-22
I loved reading The Piano Shop on the Left Bank. Thad Carhart's rediscovery of the piano, set within a Parisian neighborhood, is the subject of this engaging memoir. Thad comes across the atelier in route to taking his children to school. Yet this piano retailer/repair shop is exclusive, and Thad is denied immediate access. Thad eventually gains entry rights and befriends Luc, the atelier's owner. Luc proves to be a great resource of piano lore, and Thad is a most apt pupil (not in the creepy, Stephen King way). Luc imbibes his passion for this instrument to Thad, replete with repertoire, an outline of the evolution of the piano forte, and a "comsumer reports" of sorts for the best and worst makers. Thad in turn shares this acquired wisdom with his readers, supplementing his memoir with references of books and articles on piano construction and history.
Thad had played piano as a child. While he had enjoyed playing for himself, he had never liked feeling pressured to perform. As an adult, Thad's renewed passion for piano is on his own terms. The second-time-around pianist will play for himself and for the sheer pleasure the instrument brings him. Luc "senses" which piano will make a good fit for prospective buyers, and he matches Thad up with a Stingl babygrand. Yet Thad's relationship with Luc and other frequenters of the piano shop does not end with the purchase of the Stingl; it only intensifies. Thad soon realizes that he no longer needs to contrive reasons to visit the atelier with piano shopping and maintenance issues. The atelier is an open door for Thad, along with other piano shop regulars who share a great passion for the piano and music in general.
Thad resumes his piano lessons and seeks out an appropriate music school for his two children (he eventually chooses the Schola Cantorum, where the likes of Claude Debussy once taught). Anna, Thad's piano teacher, reintroduces technique and solo repertoire not only to Thad, but to us the readers, many of whom, like myself, are dilettantes. When a piano-tuner recommendation goes dreadfully wrong, Thad must assure Anna that her piano is not beyond repair. Jos, an expert tuner of perfect pitch notoriety when sober and a case of tin ears when soused, had tuned Anna's piano while intoxicated. Fortunately, he is able to re-tune and repair the piano when in a better frame of mind. Both Luc and Thad admired Jos's skill and worried about his welfare. We the readers are left worrying about Jos's well-being after hearing about how this vulnerable man was manhandled when he was caught sleeping on a train w/o paying fare.
The book ends on a high note (okay, I couldn't resist the corny pun). We are introduced to Mathilde, Luc's girlfriend, in the latter chapters; she bonds instantly with the inner circles of the Atelier. This posse of piano lovers celebrate their shared passion and inspire the memoir's readers to rediscover their "forgotten passion."
As I wrote earlier, I really enjoyed and savored this book. I started piano lessons when I was 19, and took lessons on and off throughout college and teacher's training. I'm the first to admit that my practice habits were deplorable---a few hours before my lesson and maybe a half an hour after my lesson and the next day, followed by days of neglect and lost learning in-between my lesson times. Unfortunately, I can't afford to take piano lessons at present (dance classes are costly enough); yet I feel that now that I am more mature, I would be self-disciplined enough to stick to a regular practice schedule. Ahh well, I still love to hear piano music and especially love live performances. This book only helped to reinforce and expand my love for music and appreciation of this wonderful instrument.
a great gift from piano teacher: her favorite book.......2007-07-17
Wow! I received this book from my piano teacher as a birthday gift. She said it was her favorite book, and it's now a favorite of mine. The book is captivating in its tale of friendships built around music and the refurbishing and selling of pianos in France. The book is full of life experiences from stage frieght and quirky piano tuners to romance, anticipation and disappointment. The love of music is evident throughout, and well as the love of community.
An insight into Parisians not to be missed.......2007-05-19
A beautifully written book on an unusual subject;an atelier dealing in old, fine, pianos.The author provides a delicate,sensative and at times quite humorous insight into this world and in doing so gives a sympathetic understanding of the French.
I liked the book so much I ordered six copies so I could give them to friends.
Discovering the passion for piano through Thad Carhart.......2007-03-01
I enjoyed everything about this book. From the very first page I enthusiastically followed Thad Carhart through his journey. His thorough description of the music, his passion for providing such incredible detail of each piano enthralled and beckoned the heart of a piano player who had almost forgotten her passion. I must admit that his descriptions inspired my enthusiasm for my own beloved instrument and I have been playing and enjoying every note since I read this book. I went out and bought a copy (I would not part with mine) for a dear friend who has taken up the piano again after 25 years. She is ecstatic!!!
Average customer rating:
- Excellent Just Needs A Musical CD !!!!
- Encore! We want more!
- A great read aloud for kids!
- Jude's Review of Jazz Man
- This Great Book! (More and More Honors!)
|
This Jazz Man
Karen Ehrhardt
Manufacturer: Harcourt Children's Books
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0152053077 |
Book Description
In this toe-tapping jazz tribute, the traditional "This Old Man" gets a swinging makeover, and some of the era's best musicians take center stage. The tuneful text and vibrant illustrations bop, slide, and shimmy across the page as Satchmo plays one, Bojangles plays two . . . right on down the line to Charles Mingus, who plays nine, plucking strings that sound "divine."
Easy on the ear and the eye, this playful introduction to nine jazz giants will teach children to count--and will give them every reason to get up and dance!
Includes a brief biography of each musician.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Just Needs A Musical CD !!!!.......2007-04-23
I love this book! My son is 20 months and loves this book the rhythm of the words, the numbers, the clapping the sounds of the instruments. What would be excellent if there was an auditory accompaniment to the book. A taping of someone reading the book who can demonstrate the sounds or even better a taping that included musical instruments playing.
I know a lot of people would LOVE to hear it as well and it would be an excellent teaching tool. Please forward this to the appropriate individuals and if possible keep me updated on the release date of the cd. Thank YOU for writing such an awesome, entertaining and needed book!
Encore! We want more!.......2007-03-22
Oooh, this book made me what to rap and tap and beedle-di-bop! Which is quite somethin', since I don't have a musical bone in my body!
This is a great book-the text jives off the page and the illustrations thimp dumple thump right along. What a great way to teach kids about jazz legends!
Hats off to Ehrdhardt and Roth for a beautiful book!
Encore!
A great read aloud for kids!.......2007-03-07
I am an elementary school media specialist for grades 1 - 5. I read this book to my first and second graders. By the third jazz man they were chanting along with me. By the fifth man we were all singing along with the familiar song tune. They loved the scat phrases and repeated them over and over. What a bonus that these men are actual jazz legends. I highly recommend this book for a great musical read.
Jude's Review of Jazz Man.......2007-01-21
I'm 3 and my Grandmother Helene reads this book to me. She said that my Doctor Beth gave it to me and my sister Scarlett and the author signed it. That made me smile.
I really like this book. My grandmother sings me it and i like music and instruments and can name the saxophone and trumpet and drums.I like the pictures of the conga drums.
I usually say, " read it again" when she's done and I can almost pick out all the numbers now too. Jude Stulb, Pueblo Colorado
This Great Book! (More and More Honors!) .......2006-10-05
Note: Since writing the review below, I've discovered that "This Jazz Man" has received three (and counting) prestigious honors in the last month or so: A Nick Jr. Book of the Year for Children, one of the N.Y. Public Libraries Top 100 books to Read to Kids, and one of a very few named by National Public Radio as a best children's book of the year!
February 2007 Update: This Jazz Man is on the cover of the February "Crickets" magazine! In addition, it was shortlisted as a top book by the Cooperative Children's Book Center, and is being used as a teaching tool for a Smithsonian Museum (yes, that Smithsonian!) exhibit.
If you've bought this book, you and I share a certain nose for kids' books; if you haven't, you'll discover a book that's snappy and swinging, fun and informative. My original review follows.
"Doodly-doodly-Doot-doot! Toot-Toot!"
That's Karen Ehrhardt's delightful take on a Dizzy Gillespie trumpet line, and like the rest of this sparkling first book, every note rings joyous and true. In a somewhat daring move, Ms. Ehrhardt airs out the musty English poem, "This Old Man," with jazz-infused lyrics, and distills the essence of nine jazz giants: Louis Armstrong, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Chano Pozo, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Art Blakey, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Charles Mingus.
The improvisations in "This Jazz Man" are authentic and fun--the text is made for reading out loud! Listen to this evocation of Charlie Parker, for example:
This jazz man, he plays five,
He plays bebop, he plays jive,
With a Deedle-di-bop! Bebop!
Give the man a hand,
This jazz man blows with the band.
Within the 5-line format of the original song, the author conveys the sound and spirit of these artists, while keeping the tone light and understandable for her young, perhaps jazz-naive audience (about 3 to 7 years-old). Along with each Jazz Man's stanza are the sounds and rhythms of his performance -- depicted in text incorporated with each illustration. When drummer Art Blakey "plays solos with his sticks" and "beats with the band," the percussive sounds "Chikka-chee! Chikka-chee! Bubbuda-bubbuda-bubbuda-BOMP!" pulse over his vibrating cymbals. Following the `performance,' older readers (and adults) can learn more about Blakey -- his innovation of the "press roll" and his role in nurturing new talent -- in the book's afterward. Riffing on the customary introductions of band members at jazz gigs ("Playing 4, form Washington, D.C... Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington"), the book briefly spotlights the life of each Jazz Man.
Illustrator R. G. Roth complements Ehrhardt's narrative pictures with multi-media illustrations that are playfully retro yet fresh and child-friendly. Airy compositions help children see the relaxed, expansive pose of the smiling Louis Armstrong, the verve and rhythmic creativity of "Chano" Pozo (how many times have you seen him in a jazz book for kids?), the playful attack of Fats Waller, and the stature and majesty of Charles Mingus. Roth displays a repertoire of textures and soft, engaging colors, and makes subtle references to Birdland, the Newport Jazz Festival, and other venues along the edges of book's `stage. For the small fry, a cute and playfully elusive mouse plays hide and seek throughout the book. "This Jazz Man" has an exhilarating finale -- after each man plays (1 through 9), all of the jazz icons appear on stage together:
This jazz band, they play ten,
We beg them to play again,
With an "Encore, we want more!"
Give them all a hand"
These jazz men make one great band!
"This Jazz Man" gets it right, rhymes it tight, and entertains without misrepresenting. (To put this achievement in context, too many kids' "jazz" books really focus on the blues--usually the rural blues, seen through an awkward sentimentalism--or solely on dance. Sometimes they confuse eras, portraying any jazz singer as a combination of Bessie Smith, post-WWII hep cats, and 1950's beats, with a dash of oddly misplaced 1970's styles.)
"This Jazz Man" is a natural for school or library audiences, rambunctious group singing, the first efforts of beginning readers, or as a bedtime treat for toddlers. One doesn't need to know one lick about jazz to enjoy the musicality of the rhymes and the understated but compelling jazz portraits: They stand on their own. In addition, teachers can easily adapt "This Jazz Man" to language units, numbers and counting, music appreciation, art, solo and group singing. Older students may delve further into the lives and times of the musicians through Ehrhardt's rich yet compact biographical sketches in the afterward. (Offhand, I can't think of any book--for kids or adults--that so succinctly and eloquently describes each musician's significance.) For readers who'd like to sample the actual music, Ehrhardt recommends recorded works for each Jazz Man: a couple tracks for each musician, and even two feature films (available on video) that display Bojangles' tapping talents. (Perhaps in future editions of this book, the publishers could include a companion CD/DVD.)
With apologies to the author--though inspired by her:
This jazz fan, I count one,
"This Jazz Man" is lots of fun!
With a smile and a nod and an "ain't that grand!"
Let's give Ehrhardt a great big hand!
Book Description
Where is Joe Merchant? That's what his sister, Trevor Kane, the hemorrhoid-ointment heiress, wants to know. For Desdemona, Merchant is the missing link in her ongoing communications with space aliens. Tabloid journalist Rudy Breno only cares that Merchant gets bigger headlines than Elvis. And for renegade seaplane pilot Frank Bama, the mystery of the presumed-dead-but-often-sighted rock star is turning his life upside down.
In his debut novel, Jimmy Buffett cooks up an irresistible gumbo of dreamers, wackos, pirates, and sharks, as he leads Trevor and Frank on a wild chase through the Caribbean Islands to a place where anything can happen . . . and everything does.
Customer Reviews:
Not what I expected.......2007-08-16
I had just read, A SALTY PIECE OF LAND, by Jimmy Buffett, and because I LOVED it, I rushed to buy WHERE IS JOE MERCHANT? assuming it would be as good as it. It was definitely a disappointment. It was not the escape to paradise that A SALTY PIECE OF LAND was. This was quite graphically violent and unpleasant most of the book. Yes, it had a happy ending, but overall, the book was not at all what I expected. :(
Pure escapism at its' finest.......2007-07-21
If you aren't a parrothead yet, you will be after reading this book. Lots of improbable situations and skin-of-the-teeth escapes. If you're looking for the next great novel, this ain't it. But if you're looking for a great summer read, pick this one up ASAP!
More Buffet.......2007-06-13
Buffet is always great fun to read. Very easy reading with great twisting fun plot. We all need a little Buffet in our life.
Great Vacation Read.......2007-05-12
Neither my husband nor I could put this book down. We really enjoyed reading it. The ending was a bit disappointing for my husband -- he wanted a more conclusive ending with things wrapped up; I'm more accustomed to reading "series" novels where things are "never" wrapped up
.
"Where is Joe Merchant? A Novel Tale" is now in the stack with "A Salty Piece of Land" and "the Gun Seller" for rereading next winter when on vacation!
Great Read.......2006-09-24
This is the kind of book you want to read when you need to get away from life in the city. Jimmy Buffett can weave a tale and draws his characters so nicely that you feel you know them and describes places so well that I will feel like I'm experiencing deja vu should I ever see them.
Book Description
Orlandito “Dito” Montiel, son of Orlando, a Nicaraguan immigrant, and an Irish mother, grew wild in the streets of Astoria, Queens, pulling pranks for Greek and Italian gangsters and confessing at the church of the Immaculate Conception, gobbling hits of purple mescaline and Old English, sneaking into Times Square whore houses—“Kids from nowhere going nowhere.”
This is the quintessentially American story of a young man's hunger for experience, his dawning awareness of the bigger world across the bridge, and of the loyalties that bind him to a violent past and to the flawed and desperate saints that have guided him: Dito’s father, Antonio “our insane warrior hero,” Bob Semen, Frank the dog walker, Jimmy Mullen, Cherry Vanilla, Ginsberg and all the others, the drunks, coke-heads, junkies, the insaniacs like Santos Antonios who said, “Now Dito remember, in life you gotta be crazy.”
Customer Reviews:
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints.......2007-07-31
After watching the movie I expected a much better story, in the end it's nothing more than the life of a pseudo model, pseudo musician in NY, nothing interesting to tell.
See the movie but skip the book.......2007-04-18
I really liked the movie version of "Saints" for its gutsy portrayal of Dito's experience coming of age in Astoria. Unfortunately, the screenplay is far superior to the book. The book starts with Dito's early years but merely skims the surface and proceeds to a disjointed, sprawling narrative about Dito's adventures (mostly drunken or drug addled) as a punk rocker. He drops a lot of names but the story never goes anywhere. It sounds like he dictated this into a tape recorder and had someone transcribe his musings. And I'm not convinced he didn't make a few things up along the way. And, by the way, Yogaville is not close to either Farmville or Richmond and Raleigh, North Carolina is not a small town (if you read the book you'll understand the references). There's really no point to this book and after a while his stories are pretty tedious.
Music magazine quality.......2007-03-16
It's no suprise that Montiel's screenplay, while portrayed as a memoir, deviates significantly from this book that lacked the ingredients to create an adequate movie.
I'd never heard of Gutterboy, but reading Montiel's memoir reminded me of every other punker's -- Rollins, for example -- observations of the 80's punk/harcore music scene: discordant shows, odd characters, serendipitous record deals, and starstruck meetings with major celebrities.
Montiel repeats himself throughout the book, contriving to be like the beat writers he admires, but never getting it to sound genuine.
Father Angelo and Astoria.......2007-03-10
I just finished watching the movie.I got goosebumps.
I grew up in the neighborhood and moved out to Long Island about 6yrs ago.
I went to Immaculate Conception Grammar school and graduated in 86'
Dito captured Astoria down to the very minute detail
Too bad they didnt show Father Angelo in the movie. He was the best !
I hope the movie gets some awards, it was eerie watching your childhood caputured in such astounding detail by such a fine writer.
Excellent.......2006-11-02
Really enjoyed the book...........not to mention Dito was a neighbor of mine in Astoria.....
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The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel
Then We Came to the End: A Novel
How we Got Insipid
Falling Man: A Novel
After Dark
