Monday, October 23, 2006 at 8:51 PM
Really Bad Monsters
Shaw has been kicking my butt for not writing, so here I am. I would like to say thanks to him for the butt-kicking, even though I am not, and haven't been particularly inspired to write.
A few books have crossed the pathway of my eyes, but none of them made much of an impact one way or the other. The last one I got through was "How I Became Stupid" by Martin Page. The cover said it was an internationl cult classic, whatever that means. I kind of wonder about the use of "classic." Can anything be termed "classic" after two years? If a guy slips on a banana peel, someone could say, "Dude, that is classic." By all definitions it would be considered classic, but not particuarly original. So the catch-phrase "cult classic" is potentially a contradiction of terms, because many things that develop a cult following are highly original. But I digress...Anton, the main character, decides he is miserable because he is so intelligent. (There is a chapter about a suicide society which I concede was most entertaining.) After much soul searching, he decides to dumb himself down and gets a job as a stock broker. He makes tons of money but loses his quirky friends in the process. Desperate to get thier old friend back, they dip into the occult. I didn't really care much for the ending (and I do like happy endings), but the end was just too happy somehow.
In all truth, "How I Became Stupid" probably did more for me than what I did to myself the other day when I wasn't feeling well and watched lots of really bad monster movies like "Gidrah, The Three Headed Monster," "Megalon," and "Twilight of the Cockroaches." Even though it probably carries the potential to reduce my I.Q., I was pleased to discover some library in the system carries "Godzilla vs. Mothra."
On the book front, there is hope. Today I just got a copy of "The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror" by Christopher Moore. Click here for a really great review of this book. Hopefully, it will be worth writing home about.
By adriennelibrarian at 8:51 PM
A few books have crossed the pathway of my eyes, but none of them made much of an impact one way or the other. The last one I got through was "How I Became Stupid" by Martin Page. The cover said it was an internationl cult classic, whatever that means. I kind of wonder about the use of "classic." Can anything be termed "classic" after two years? If a guy slips on a banana peel, someone could say, "Dude, that is classic." By all definitions it would be considered classic, but not particuarly original. So the catch-phrase "cult classic" is potentially a contradiction of terms, because many things that develop a cult following are highly original. But I digress...Anton, the main character, decides he is miserable because he is so intelligent. (There is a chapter about a suicide society which I concede was most entertaining.) After much soul searching, he decides to dumb himself down and gets a job as a stock broker. He makes tons of money but loses his quirky friends in the process. Desperate to get thier old friend back, they dip into the occult. I didn't really care much for the ending (and I do like happy endings), but the end was just too happy somehow.
In all truth, "How I Became Stupid" probably did more for me than what I did to myself the other day when I wasn't feeling well and watched lots of really bad monster movies like "Gidrah, The Three Headed Monster," "Megalon," and "Twilight of the Cockroaches." Even though it probably carries the potential to reduce my I.Q., I was pleased to discover some library in the system carries "Godzilla vs. Mothra."
On the book front, there is hope. Today I just got a copy of "The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror" by Christopher Moore. Click here for a really great review of this book. Hopefully, it will be worth writing home about.
By adriennelibrarian at 8:51 PM
