In A Silent Hell, John Blacksad and his reporter pal Weekly head down to New Orleans and become involved in searching for a missing blues musician. Right off the bat, the look of this book is arresting. Bringing the Crescent city to life. From the rainy shadowed city scapes of the first book, we are thrust firmly into the Louisiana sunshine. And my, is it ever grand. The dappled sunlight, the bustling street and of course the color and chaos of Mardi Gras. Just ravishing. The […]
Nobody can live without a past
John Blacksad is a private eye, the real deal, straight out of a Dashiell Hammett novel or a delicious film noir. He’s got a complicated love life, an uneasy relationship with the local cops and, often, an eye for vengeance. Oh, did I mention that Blacksad is a cat? But see, it’s not the Disney or R Crumb kind of cat. He’s not a cat doing human stuff. John and the other animal characters in this book are humans (and all their quirks and foibles) […]
Complexity should be your excuse for inaction
For once, gleefully clicking “add to cart” on Amazon.com after consuming one-too-many sangrias has paid off! You see, I have been burned more than once by their “customers who bought this item also bought….” feature. I’ve learned to be wary. But the temperatures had climbed to the mid-nineties (unusual this early in the summer for my little burg in the Pacific Northwest), the cold fruity delicious wine flowed and defenses were down. I am so glad. I had the barest of inklings what this book was about, […]
Just that raw, pent-up coil
Who but Joan can step up to the mike, tough as fuck, with that gorgeous vampire-face-mask of a face and have that fucking voice come out? That voice-the one that recalls Lesley Gore and Suzi Quatro at the same time, the one that makes it feel like every door in your head flying open, the one that is so friendly and welcoming, yet, in it’s perfection, so hopelessly impenetrable? —-Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill I will say it up front: Joan Jett is one of […]
He didn’t want the magic to go away
Ashes in My Mouth, Sand in My Shoes, is a book of stories featuring Per Petterson’s recurring character Arvid Jansen as a young boy. Published in 1987, it wasn’t translated into English until 2013. I’ve eagerly followed Mr. Petterson’s career since reading Out Stealing Horses almost fifteen years ago. While these stories have some of the same simple beauty as his later works, it is clear from the outset that this work is that of a writer learning his craft. Some of the stories, there are ten in all, nearly […]
A heart, Captain Twain, is a big place
I came across this marvelous book at Barnes and Noble and was immediately captivated by it’s moody and wild artwork, then by the premise as I did more looking and sampling. I know the photo at right isn’t doing it true justice, but I hope it does convey some of the feeling and artistry. Sailor Twain, formerly Captain Twain of the riverboat the Lorelei, sits in a lowly tavern on the Hudson and is approached by a young woman, Camomille. She shows him an […]
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