Momaday, N. Scott. House Made of Dawn. 1968. New York: HarperPerennial, 1999. Palahniuk, Chuck. Survivor. 1999. New York: Norton, 2010. After my post yesterday about needing to support local businesses I decided to stop by the Central Book Exchange on my walk home from the office. I purchased two books that I have been meaningContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently”
Author Archives: danielshankcruz
Thoughts on Shopping and Lost History
This afternoon I was reading Elizabeth McNeill’s Nine and a Half Weeks, and of course I found the depiction of her relationship fascinating, but something else that struck me was her description of the various shops she and her lover visit on the weekends. The book takes place in the mid-1970s, and they go toContinue reading “Thoughts on Shopping and Lost History”
A Controversial List of Independent Bookstores
Hilary Davidson has an article on CNN.com today listing the “Best indie bookstores” in North America. I’ve never been to McNally Jackson in New York City before, so I’ll have to check it out the next time I am there. But while Davidson makes clear that her list consists of stores she has visited onContinue reading “A Controversial List of Independent Bookstores”
Book Acquired Recently: Stephen Beachy’s Some Phantom/No Time Flat
Beachy, Stephen. Some Phantom/No Time Flat. 2006. Portland: Verse Chorus, 2013. I received this diptych of novellas in the mail from amazon.com yesterday, and read Some Phantom immediately and No Time Flat this evening. Both are excellent; I read the first one (which I greatly enjoyed in part because it takes place in Salt LakeContinue reading “Book Acquired Recently: Stephen Beachy’s Some Phantom/No Time Flat”
Books Acquired Recently: English Soccer Novels Edition
King, John. The Football Factory Trilogy: The Football Factory, Headhunters, England Away. London: Vintage, 2000. Sampson, Kevin. Awaydays. London: Cape, 1998. I recently ordered these two books used from English bookshops via amazon.com. Sampson’s book is autographed, which is a nifty bonus, especially considering that I only paid $0.02 for it (both books originally retailedContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently: English Soccer Novels Edition”
The Environmental Issue With Digital Media
Steven Hyden has a fascinating article on grantland.com today about how digital downloads of music are quickly becoming a thing of the past as they are replaced by services such as Spotify. He notes that, while record aficionados will continue to buy physical objects (and one could also make this argument for those of usContinue reading “The Environmental Issue With Digital Media”
Books Acquired Recently: Poetry Edition
ellipsis 49 (2013). Strasko, Barbara Buckman. Graffiti in Braille. Cincinnati: Word, 2012. Friday night was the debut reading for this year’s issue of ellipsis, Westminster College’s literary journal. ellipsis is unique in that it is run by students, but accepts submissions for review from anyone, so it ends up publishing a good mix of establishedContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently: Poetry Edition”
A Fascinating Article About Internet Trolling
Today on Uni Watch, Paul Lukas has a thought-provoking interview with the site’s number one troll. I am still processing it–it is so interesting to see how the internet allows people to express themselves in idiosyncratic ways.
Books Acquired Recently
Ai. No Surrender. New York: Norton, 2010. Last Thursday I was grading some student essays about Martín Espada’s poetry reading on campus last month, and, as is often the case when reading student work, I was seized with an incredible desire to read literature (in this case poetry specifically) rather than reading writing about it.Continue reading “Books Acquired Recently”
Saying Goodbye To Old Friends
I have decided to de-accession some of my books in preparation for my upcoming move. This is a difficult decision because I love my books, not just for their content, but also for the history that they embody. My obsessive book collecting is one way to document my life. There are many books that IContinue reading “Saying Goodbye To Old Friends”
Daniel Shank Cruz 