ssemegran
Austin Public Library
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BoysBoys, eBookStories about Bullies, Jobs, and Other Unpleasant Rites of Passage from Boyhood to Manhood
by Semegran, ScotteBook - 2015eBook, 2015
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Added Aug 09, 2021
The Benevolent Lords of Sometimes IslandThe Benevolent Lords of Sometimes Island, Book
by Semegran, ScottBook - 2020Book, 2020
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Added Aug 09, 2021
To Squeeze a Prairie DogTo Squeeze a Prairie Dog, eBookAn American Novel
by Semegran, ScotteBook - 2019eBook, 2019
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Added Mar 12, 2021
The Benevolent Lords of Sometimes IslandThe Benevolent Lords of Sometimes Island, BookA Novel
by Semegran, ScottBook - 2020Book, 2020
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Added Dec 05, 2020
The Benevolent Lords of Sometimes IslandThe Benevolent Lords of Sometimes Island, eBook
by Semegran, ScotteBook - 2020eBook, 2020
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Added Oct 07, 2020
To Squeeze a Prairie DogTo Squeeze a Prairie Dog, Downloadable AudiobookAn American Novel
by Semegran, ScottDownloadable Audiobook - 2019Downloadable Audiobook, 2019
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Added May 18, 2020
BoysBoys, Downloadable AudiobookStories about Bullies, Jobs, and Other Unpleasant Rites of Passage from Boyhood to Manhood
by Semegran, ScottDownloadable Audiobook - 2018Downloadable Audiobook, 2018
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Added May 18, 2020
To Squeeze a Prairie DogTo Squeeze a Prairie Dog, Streaming AudiobookAn American Novel
by Semegran, ScottStreaming Audiobook - 2019Streaming Audiobook, 2019
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Added Apr 29, 2020
BoysBoys, Streaming AudiobookStories about Bullies, Jobs, and Other Unpleasant Rights of Passage from Boyhood to Manhood
by Semegran, ScottStreaming Audiobook - 2018Streaming Audiobook, 2018
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Added Apr 29, 2020
ssemegran's rating:
Added Mar 06, 2020
BoysBoys, BookStories About Bullies, Jobs, and Other Unpleasant Rites of Passage From Boyhood to Manhood
by Semegran, ScottBook - 2015Book, 2015
ssemegran's rating:
Added Mar 06, 2020
To Squeeze A Prairie DogTo Squeeze A Prairie Dog, BookAn American Novel
by Semegran, ScottBook - 2019Book, 2019
ssemegran's rating:
Added Mar 06, 2020
BoysBoys, BookStories About Bullies, Jobs, and Other Unpleasant Rites of Passage From Boyhood to Manhood
by Semegran, ScottBook - 2015Book, 2015
ssemegran's rating:
Added Jan 30, 2020
ssemegran's rating:
Added Jan 30, 2020
To Squeeze A Prairie DogTo Squeeze A Prairie Dog, BookAn American Novel
by Semegran, ScottBook - 2019Book, 2019
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Added Jan 30, 2020
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Added Jun 27, 2019
The Meteoric Rise of Simon BurchwoodThe Meteoric Rise of Simon Burchwood, Book
by Semegran, ScottBook - 2008Book, 2008
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Added May 21, 2019
BoysBoys, BookStories About Bullies, Jobs, and Other Unpleasant Rites of Passage From Boyhood to Manhood
by Semegran, ScottBook - 2018Book, 2018
ssemegran's rating:
Added May 21, 2019
To Squeeze A Prairie DogTo Squeeze A Prairie Dog, BookAn American Novel
by Semegran, ScottBook - 2019Book, 2019
ssemegran's rating:
Added May 21, 2019
To Squeeze A Prairie DogTo Squeeze A Prairie Dog, BookAn American Novel
by Semegran, ScottBook - 2019Book, 2019
ssemegran's rating:
Added May 21, 2019
ssemegran's rating:
Added May 15, 2019
ssemegran's rating:
Added May 15, 2019
Comment:
Streets of Laredo takes place years after the Hat Creek Outfit establishes a cattle ranch in Montana, the collective dream of Call and Gus and the men who work and tag along with the pair of close friends. I enjoyed Lonesome Dove immensely and looked forward to reading Streets of Laredo soon after completing the previous novel. Streets of Laredo is structured in a similar fashion to Lonesome Dove--in three parts--with the addition of an epilogue, and told with the narrative voice of Larry McMurtry--an empathetic, omniscient storyteller. And since Lonesome Dove is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, it's difficult to read Streets of Laredo without looking through the lens of the previous novel.
That being said, a couple of things become glaringly apparent very quickly. 1) Call and Gus were a jovial pair in Lonesome Dove and their banter and friendship was a highlight of that novel. Their pairing was that of an odd-couple: Call the quiet yet strong straight-man and Gus the inquisitive, romantic, and funny one. Without the presence of Gus in Streets of Laredo, we follow Call without his "better half" and his absence is truly felt. We do get a new sidekick in Brookshire, a Yankee, "salaried man" sent to hire and accompany Call to capture the young train robber Jose Garza. But Brookshire is a sorry replacement for Gus and his lack of history with Call hampers their camaraderie. 2) Without the collective dream of Call and Gus and the Hat Creek Outfit, Streets of Laredo narrows its scope to Call pursuing Garza, both of whom lack any apparent desire for their roles and McMurtry doesn't explain any motivation for either character to be where there are in this place and time.
Call's straight-man demeanor is not compelling without his sidekick Gus. Garza's "cold eyes" and hatred for his mother are the only pieces of information we are given about this cruel train robber, who comes off more like an evil caricature than a young man motivated to step out of his poor, adolescent circumstances. Why we are following this good guy / bad guy dynamic is not fully fleshed out, leaving us with the tropes and clichés of the typical Western genre, which is a shame following the greatness of Lonesome Dove.
About a third of the way into the novel, the narrator summarizes Call's feelings in a certain dilemma, which goes, "What mainly amused Call was the contemplation of how amused his old partner, Augustus McCrae, would be if he could see the crew he was riding out with on this manhunt. [Gus] had a well-developed sense of humor, too well developed, Call had often felt. Yet he missed [Gus's] laughter as much as he missed anything else in his life. Gus enjoyed the predicaments of his fellowmen, and would have laughed long and hard at the spectacle of Call, Brookshire, and lanky Ted Plunkert." I couldn't help but miss Gus, too, and he is a specter over the entire novel. All I could think about while reading Streets of Laredo was, "At least there's Lonesome Dove." Maybe I'll try reading two of the other novels with Call and Gus in their younger years: Dead Man's Walk and Comanche Moon.Streets of Laredo takes place years after the Hat Creek Outfit establishes a cattle ranch in Montana, the collective dream of Call and Gus and the men who work and tag along with the pair of close friends. I enjoyed Lonesome Dove immensely and…
ssemegran's rating:
Added May 15, 2019
Comment:
One of the best books I've read: powerful, imaginative, and gripping. The sentences are as sparse as the apocalyptic landscape of the story, accompanied by very little punctuation except for commas and periods. But the love of the father for his son shines through and the book had me in tears by the end. Masterfully written.One of the best books I've read: powerful, imaginative, and gripping. The sentences are as sparse as the apocalyptic landscape of the story, accompanied by very little punctuation except for commas and periods. But the love of the father for his son…
ssemegran's rating:
Added May 15, 2019
Comment:
Beautiful book with excellent reproductions of master cartoonist Will Eisner's The Spirit splash pages as well as pages from his graphic novels. Retelling of his place in comic strip history is thorough as well as critical of some of his artistic choices. An excellent read that is beautifully bound. Highly recommended.Beautiful book with excellent reproductions of master cartoonist Will Eisner's The Spirit splash pages as well as pages from his graphic novels. Retelling of his place in comic strip history is thorough as well as critical of some of his artistic…
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & ClayThe Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, BookA Novel
by Chabon, MichaelBook - 2012Book, 2012
ssemegran's rating:
Added May 15, 2019
Comment:
This novel was released in 2001, then subsequently won the Pulitzer Prize. I admired Chabon's previous books and I began to read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay a few years ago after reading Wonder Boys (I absolutely LOVED Wonder Boys). But I had to put Kavalier & Clay down at the time because, mostly, I didn't have the necessary attention span for it. There is a density and intricacy to Chabon's sentences that require a certain amount of reader fortitude; a distracted mind will not find comfort in his prose. This time around, I found this novel to be a very enjoyable read and a marvelous book. It certainly deserves the praise and accolades it has received.
Here's this novel's brief description: Joe Kavalier, a young Jewish artist who has also been trained in the art of Houdini-esque escape, has just smuggled himself out of Nazi-invaded Prague and landed in New York City. His Brooklyn cousin Sammy Clay is looking for a partner to create heroes, stories, and art for the latest novelty to hit America - the comic book. Drawing on their own fears and dreams, Kavalier and Clay create the Escapist and Luna Moth, inspired by the beautiful Rosa Saks, who will become linked by powerful ties to both men.
If you are familiar with this era of the Comic Book Golden Age (1930s – 50s), then some of this story will seem a little familiar. Kavalier and Clay serendipitously propose and create a comic book hero called The Escapist for a disinterested businessman. He agrees to publish their comic book after learning of the popularity of Superman and the like and has them sign a boilerplate contract where their creation belongs to his company. This was commonplace at the time as a business practice. But when their creation becomes immensely popular, the creators are left out of the bulk of the wealth, having signed the ownership over to the company; many comic book creators during that time suffered the same fate, like Superman's creators Siegel and Shuster. Kavalier and Clay did make some nice dough as paid employees, but the owner received most of the fortune (millions of dollars). This part of the novel was meticulously told and Chabon's discussions with comic book legends Will Eisner, Stan Lee, and Gil Kane (as revealed in the novel's Author's Notes) bore great literary fruit.
After finishing this book, one of the more interesting aspects of the novel to me was Kavalier's background as an illusionist's understudy and the different levels this played out in the narrative. Obviously, his background in magic and escapism was an inspiration to the character of the Escapist. Chabon also reveals his great love for magic and sleight-of-hand, not only with enhancing Kavalier's personality and mode of operation, but with writing this novel. A good third of the novel reveals Kavalier's adeptness at vanishing, whether for self-preservation or to get what he wants. But ultimately, it's Chabon's sleight-of-hand that propels the narrative. Many, many times, there were moments where I couldn't believe that something was going to happen to Kavalier or Clay, then find out in subsequent chapters that what I feared was going to happen actually didn't happen. But Chabon's coup de grâce, his grand finale—literally in the last sentence of the book—is the revelation that the title of the novel may not be about who you thought it was. It was an amazing feat of literary perfection.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is a fantastic novel and well-worth the read. Funny, endearing, magical, and exquisitely written, I highly recommend it.This novel was released in 2001, then subsequently won the Pulitzer Prize. I admired Chabon's previous books and I began to read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay a few years ago after reading Wonder Boys (I absolutely LOVED Wonder Boys).…
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