A Modest Construct

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

Publisher: Back Bay Books

Year: 2001

Pages: 272

In Brief: “One gets the impression, when reading Sedaris, that they are privy to the gooey insides of a semi-dysfunctional family; the author is notorious for tellings stories about his family, even against their wishes, because it makes such good reading. His dad’s obsession with having musical kids, his sister’s practiced insouciance, &c. Mostly, though, I love Sedaris’ dry humor and staid delivery. He’s a writer who, by design it seems, is unintentionally funny.”

№11

Condensed Knowledge ed. Will Pearson & al.

Publisher: Collins

Year: 2004

Pages: 345

In Brief: “Despite its flaws, the book was a fun enough read. If nothing else, it should function similarly to Wikipedia: if you read a blurb that piques your knowledge, or that sounds suspicious, go research it. I know that happened with not a few topics in my case. In that respect, I suppose, the book has fulfilled its mission.”

№12

Our Dumb World by The Onion

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Year: 2007

Pages: 256

In Brief: “Some items got repetitive. Every entry in Africa, for instance, gave basically the same impression. The jokes were different, but the point the same. It is, in all likelihood, a valid point (i.e. many/most African nations are plagued by corruption, civil war, and poor infrastructure), but broad criticism delivered many times for individual constituents can get old. So can the tiny, tiny type, which began to give me headaches if I read too long.”

№13

Monkey Girl by Edward Humes

Publisher: Ecco

Year: 2007

Pages: 400

In Brief: “The context and implications of Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District are a whole series of blog posts in and of themselves (indeed, they’re a whole book, as this very entry proves), and it would be too tangential to get into them here. In any case, if you’re interested in learning more about this controversial trial, your choices are basically this book, a lot of scattered blog postings, or a few bitterly disappointed Discovery Institute press releases. Read Monkey Girl: it’s an excellent primer not only on the Dover case specifically, but the historical conflict generally, and its worthwhile reading for anybody.”

№14

Jesus Freaks by Don Lattin

Publisher: HarperOne

Year: 2007

Pages: 256

In Brief: “Lattin, a veteran reporter on cults and other religious stories, seems to have a great deal of sympathy for Rodriguez, including his eventual murder. I can understand the feeling: despite the immorality of Sue Kauten’s murder, I found myself positively rooting for Ricky to get at his mother, action movie style. But of course the ending is much more sad than that.”

№15

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Publisher: Anchor

Year: 2006

Pages: 496

In Brief: “Brown careens from cliché to malapropism to ridiculous dialog, a drunk behind the wheel of this jalopy of a book. I find myself at a loss of words to describe how utterly dreadful this book is. I think perhaps Stephen Fry has it right: ‘arse gravy of the worst kind.’”

№16

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams

Publisher: Del Ray

Year: 1999

Pages: 224

In Brief: “Really, what a load of rubbish. Why did Douglas Adams ruin a perfectly good trilogy with this? It’s like the straight-to-video sequels to famous movies that have none of the same actors and 1/100th of the budget. I’m reading them because I’m a completist, and maybe you’ll feel the some way, but if you’re a casual Adams fan, I’d stick to the first three and not bother.”

№17

Dr. Seuss & Mr. Geisel by Judith and Neil Morgan

Publisher: Da Capo Press

Year: 1996

Pages: 384

In Brief: “I won’t list the man’s whole life, of course: if you’re interested in it—and you should be really interested if you read this book—go ahead and read Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel. If you aren’t, maybe reading his Wikipedia entry would suffice, and you can spend the rest of the afternoon reading Oh, the Places You’ll Go!“

№18

Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan

Publisher: Del Ray

Year: 2006

Pages: 544

In Brief: “As a surface-level action novel, it was entertaining, if somewhat forgettable. As new blend of fiction archetypes, it is substantial. As a multi-faceted work, it falls tantalizingly short. I recommend it as worth a read regardless, and hope to see Morgan refine this strategy in future works (Altered Carbon is his debut novel).”

№19

Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams

Publisher: Del Ray

Year: 2000

Pages: 240

In Brief: “Mostly Harmless, like its immediate predecessor, felt like nothing more than a tribute to running gags: a lot of references to the popular first three books, with a tenuous connecting thread from which Adams attempted to prise a coherent plot. He failed. Sorry, but the book was rubbish. It left me cold on any one of a number of levels, slightly cheated, and wanting to go read something funny or substantial to wash the taste of failed satire out of my mouth.”

№20

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