Ann Patchett (and appreciating first lines)

You should read Ann Patchett.  Bel Canto is one of the best books I’ve read in many years.  The story of a hostage situation in an unnamed South American country, this novel is immersive and beautiful and completely original.  Another of Patchett’s novels, Run, is a less unique tale, focusing on a Boston family and [...]

small payday loans very cheap

READ MORE...

Pixar (or how to be creative without fear)

If you learn one thing from Pixar, it is how to write without fear.  The folks over there don’t care how their ideas sound to focus groups.  They know without a doubt that they can tell a good story and that’s what they do. I mean, look at their latest creation, Up.  I saw it [...]

READ MORE...

Lucinda Williams

Lucinda Williams’ voice will break your heart.  It doesn’t really matter what she is singing about — that breathy gravelly voice will take you down every time.  While you’re with Williams, you’ll spend a lot of time in cars and broken down homes, moving from city to city in the deep South.  It may crush [...]

READ MORE...

American Idol (yes, I watch the show and, in a more recent development, buy the music)

Hi, my name’s Mike and I watch American Idol.  I used to qualify that statement by adding quickly that I didn’t buy any of the music put out by former Idols.  But I can’t say that anymore.  In the last year, there has been an explosion in Idol music on the Ipod, including a major [...]

READ MORE...

Rivka Galchen, Mark Haddon, and Jonathan Safran Foer (or considering the auspicious debut)

There are a couple of things that I always do before reading a book.  Before buying it, actually.  First, I check out the Acknowledgments.  I’m always curious who writers thank.  And particularly who their agents are and if recognition was in order.  Next I’ll usually flip to the last page.  My wife is convinced that [...]

READ MORE...

14 Greatest Hits Albums That Help To Fill In Those Pesky Ipod Gaps Nicely

Let’s take off our purist hats for a moment.  I would generally agree that if you like a band or artist, you should buy whole albums, rather than only the most popular songs.  An album represents a certain period in that artist’s creative life, and therefore it should be respected as an intended whole.  As [...]

READ MORE...

Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris and The Air We Breathe by Andrea Barrett

On the surface, these two books don’t seem to have a lot in common.  Then We Came To The End is a postmodern romp through today’s office cubicle culture told with Ferris’ tongue firmly lodged in his cheek.  Barrett’s book, The Air We Breathe, is a historical novel set at a tuberculosis sanitorium in the [...]

READ MORE...

The Decemberists, Of Montreal, Sufjan Stevens (or how to limit your audience through song title choice)

Today I’ve got short takes on three artists I like that have a problem.  They are all prone to the esoteric and downright bizarre song titles.  (And yes, I know I live in a glass house, being someone whose blog titles tend toward the lengthy and parenthetical).  Still, there is a line between intelligently appropriate [...]

READ MORE...

My Self-Centered Ipod (as discovered after alphabetizing 5000 songs by title)

OK, so suppose that you are really bored and want to learn something new about your music collection.  Suppose that you wanted that something new you learn to be completely trivial and of no real consequence.  You with me?  Good.  Then, try this. Go into ITunes and alphabetize your entire collection by song title.  Yeah, [...]

READ MORE...

Picture of meMichael Landweber writes fiction. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife and two children. His stories have appeared in Pindeldyboz, Fourteen Hills, Barrelhouse, American Literary Review, Gargoyle and Fugue among others. He is an Associate Editor at the Potomac Review and can also be found writing and blogging about TV, movies and other fun stuff at Pop Matters. Mike's debut novel, WE, is forthcoming from Coffeetown Press.

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER:
FRIEND ME:
counter for
wordpress