Amy's Answering Machine - Amy Borkowsky

Do you hear little voices, telling you what to do, critiquing and nagging at all hours? You may be cracking up, or perhaps you've been listening to NPR playing some clips from Amy's Answering Machine (the cd). The author, Amy Borkowsky, has been stricken with one of the most interfering, worried and opinionated mothers on the planet. Over the last decade Borkowsky has been saving the messages her mother leaves on her machine:

Mom doles out advice on not eating sushi, not wearing a bathrobe in "gang colors" to take out the garbage, thoughts on Amy's single status and even makes panicked alls to Amy's ex (who Amy had not seen in 2 years) when Amy doesn't pick up the phone. Amy's Mom's heavy NY accent and Yiddish phrases only adds to the humor. Oy. Be sure to listen to the samples from the cd: http://www.sendamy.com

Notaro's books are the sort of books that I know I should slow down and save some for later, but it is just impossible. I zoomed through her collections of short, true, and embarrassing hilarious stories in a few days. Notaro chronicles her life of trying to hold down a real job, meeting the man of her dreams (and promptly breaking his toe), going through grocery store dumpsters with her grandpa for day-olds, getting her teeth stuck in candy apple while being laughed at by a mother and daughter and other mortifying events. She unapologetically lays our her life for her readers to pick through, laugh at and sympathize. I wouldn't recommend reading her books in a public place, you will find yourself giggling quietly under your breath like a nutter. But then again, Laurie probably would too.

Twilight- Gregory Crewdson

Crewdson's collection of photos are eerie, surreal and otherworldly. His mundane scenes of suburbia are turned into half-remembered nightmares. A bright stream of light shoots from a gardening shed, a group of people heap flowers into a mound, a woman floats in her half submerged living room. Creepy and eye-catching. More amazing is the amount of work spent creating these tableaus - often taking up entire city block.

http://www.guggenheimcollection.org/site/artist_works_172_0.html
http://www.artnet.com/ag/fulltextsearch.asp?searchstring=crewdson

In the my Sept. book list, I reviewed The Cabinet of Curiosities by Preston and Child. The majority of my time this month was spent reading the rest of their collection. Their plots, formulaic after a while, are still thoroughly enjoyable. Lots of concrete research went into the books and the numerous scientific and historic tidbits they weave into the plots give them much more meat than your average thriller; Anasazi pottery, the Antarctic Ice Limit, Italian regional languages, Native American weaponry and other diverse topics really add to the stories. Good reads, though prepare to lose a bit of sleep reading "just on more chapter."

Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer

Krakauer has fast become one of my favorite non-fiction/journalistic writers. A writer for various travel magazines, Krakauer has turned a number of his articles into full size books. Under the Banner of Heaven follows the trial of Ron and Don Lafferty, two Mormon brothers who believed God had ordered them to kill their brother Allen's wife and daughter. The book delves into the current Church of Later Day Saints, their attempts to distance themselves from their days of polygamy, splinter sects, Elizabeth Smart, Joseph Smith and men who talk to God, and have him talk back. A fascinating, insightful and disturbing read.

Also check out Into Thin Air, Krakauer's disastrous trip up Mount Everest.

My brother Evan got me a subscription to this fantastic magazine. Articles range from current digs in Iran, recently opened for the first time in 30 years , to an urban archeological dig being done through the floor of a room in a fully functioning motel. No one country or time period receives any special emphasis. Past memorable articles include: underwater excavations of ceremonial sacrifices into Mayan sinkholes, removing land-mines around the Plain of Jars in Laos, teaching Aleut fishermen to fish like their ancestors and ongoing problems with fakes and forgeries.

http://www.archaeology.org/