Jay’s Top 5 + 5 Books
(Dec. 16, 2010) The Professor by Terry Castle
By itself, the title piece, a self-deprecating coming-of-age memoir, would be one of the most engaging books of the year, but add Castle’s brilliant and idiosyncratic literary/cultural/personal essays and it becomes essential reading. She’s funny as hell too.
Long, Last, Happy by Barry Hannah
A posthumous overview of a great short story writer who never really got his due in his lifetime. Hannah’s stories are off-kilter, packed to the brim with incident, sometimes deranged, continually surprising, and full of piss and vinegar. Great southern storytelling that’s both down and dirty and beautifully lyrical.
Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
This near-future satirical dystopia describes a world where the economy’s collapsed, social media has eaten everyone’s brains, and reading is obsolete. Did I say it was the future? Heartfelt and hysterical.
A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Sprawling, savvy and acutely observed, Egan follows various players in the music business, from the San Francisco punk clubs of the ‘70s to the present in a shuffled scramble of chronology, multiple points of view and varied virtuosic style.
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booknotes
Lone Survivors: How We Came To Be The Only Humans On Earth
By Chris Stringer - Times Books
filmland
Paging Mr. Scissorhands
In their eighth collaboration, Burton and Depp have lost their magic
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Rock 'n' Roll Women: Portraits of a Generation
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Psychology’s Ghosts: The Crisis in the Profession and the Way Back
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Thinking, Fast and Slow
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Today
Ba-Dum-Chh Comedy Night
Comedy / 8:30 p.m. Cher-ae Heights Casino, Trinidad. Local blue comedy troupe makes with the funny. If you get offended, don't go! This month features Bay Area comedian Matt Gubser. cheraeheightscasino.com. 800-684-2464.
Eureka Mindfulness Group
wellness / 7:15 p.m. First Christian Church Eureka, 730 K St. Led by Cindee Grace. Topic: “Enlightenment On Your Own Terms.” Fragrance free, please. $3/$6 free will donation. 269-7044.
Once Upon A Time
dance / 7 p.m. Arkley Center for the Performing Arts, 412 G St., Eureka. North Coast Dance children's recital inspired by fairy tales. $12/$10 kids 12 and under. northcoastdance.org. 442-7779.
Fratello Marionettes
for kids / 6:30 p.m. Humboldt County Library, 1313 Third St., Eureka. Kevin Menegus and Fred C. Riley III present "The Vaudeville Follies," a marionette variety show presented in the spirit of the old time music hall. humlib.org. 269-1910.
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