The San Francisco Panorama

Nathan Heller of Slate called it "the most gorgeous newsprint object I have ever seen".

USA Today dubbed it "stunning".

Allison Arieff of the New York Times said the "Panorama very nearly brought tears to my eyes. Everyone I know who has seen it has been similarly overwhelmed and overjoyed."

Issue 33 of McSweeney’s Quarterly will be a one-time only, Sunday-edition-sized newspaper—the San Francisco Panorama.

Week Twenty, Book Twenty Six

Gary Benchley, Rock Star

by Paul Ford

Review:
Gary Benchley is a hip indie scenester stuck doing data entry in upstate NY. His fictional memoir opens as he moves to New York city with dreams of becoming an indie rock star. This was one of those books that starts off with a lot of laugh out loud moments and ends with you realizing this wasn't really a comedy after all. One might think this is a love story, coming of age novel or a tome to rock music. I think it is all of the above and more. I love the constant band references and the NYC music venues and bars that Gary visited. I could totally picture "the scene" that Ford was painting. I would recommend this to anyone who 1.thinks there life can be made into a music soundtrack 2.has been in a band and/or aspires to be 3.loves the NYC music scene. Rock on Gary!

Paul Ford sites to check out:

www.ftrain.com/

Gothamist: Paul Ford, Writer/Programmer

www.garybenchleyrockstar.com/glossary.html

See also: Harper's Magazine; NPR's All Things Considered; The Morning News.

Mohsin Hamid

This book is on my "To Read" list and I just had to post it due to all the media attention it has been getting via reviews and advertisements.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

by Mohsin Hamid

about the author:
Mohsin Hamid grew up in Lahore, attended Princeton University and Harvard Law School and worked for several years as a management consultant in New York. His first novel, Moth Smoke, was published in ten languages and was a winner of a Betty Trask award, a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway award, and a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. His essays and journalism have appeared in Time, The New York Times and The Guardian, among others. Mohsin Hamid currently lives, works and writes in London.
taken from :
RandomHouse.ca Books The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid



sites to check out:
village voice > books > The Reluctant Fundamentalist: Mohsin ...
Book Review: The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid ...
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid - Main - Harcourt
NPR : Mohsin Hamid and 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist'

Dancing to "Almendra"

Dancing to "Almendra"

Mayra Montero

Excerpt: Chapter One THE MESSAGE
On the same day Umberto Anastasia was killed in New York, a hippopotamus escaped from the zoo in Havana. I can explain the connection. No one else, only me, and the individual who looked after the lions. His name was Juan Bulgado, but he preferred to be called Johnny: Johnny Angel or Johnny Lamb, depending on his mood. In addition to feeding the animals, he was in charge of the slaughter pen, that foul-smelling corner where they killed the beasts that were fed to the carnivores. A long chain of blood. That’s what the zoo is. And, very often, life.

taken from: http://www.powells.com/

Suggestion: I do not know what is with me lately, but I have been recently intrigued by authors who are also newspaper columnists. I have read a few bios about the Cuban-born Montero and feel the need to check her out pronto! So if you have read anything by her, please shoot me a comment with feedback. Thanks.

About the Author
Mayra Montero is the author of a collection of short stories and of eight novels, including, most recently, Captain of the Sleepers (FSG, 2005). She was born in Cuba and lives in Puerto Rico, where she writes a weekly column in El Nuevo Dia newspaper. taken from: http://www.amazon.com/