2009 Reading #86: Count Geiger's Blues
Books 1-10.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
Books 51-60.
Books 61-70.
Books 71-80.
81. Elektra: Assassin by Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz.
82. Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes From the American Indie Underground 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad.
83. The Dakota or Sioux in Minnesota As They Were in 1834 by Samuel W. Pond.
84. The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert.
85. The Flight of Red Bird: The Life of Zitkala-Sa by Doreen Rappaport.
86. Count Geiger's Blues by Michael Bishop. Given that Brittle Innings is one of my favorite books of all time, it's surprising that I haven't read more of Bishop's stuff before this. Count Geiger's Blues is an odd book. At times it reads like satire, and yet ultimately it's one of the more humanist books I've read recently. The two modes don't always mesh, but the novel is impressive in its conception: snobby Fine Arts critic Xavier Thaxton becomes unwittingly exposed to a large dose of toxic waste, following which he begins to develop some pronounced, um, allergies to the finer things. This leads to some broadening of his artistic horizons, and also--in a roundabout sort of way--to him briefly adopting the identity of the titular superhero. Bishop sets his story in the fictional Southern metropolis of Salonika, thus placing it in the comic-book tradition of Gotham City. But the book is also a social satire, an environmental critique, a commentary on Nietzsche . . . it's possible that there's too much going on here. When it works, it's great, but there are times when it's too self-aware and the moving parts are visible. An interesting but flawed book.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
Books 51-60.
Books 61-70.
Books 71-80.
81. Elektra: Assassin by Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz.
82. Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes From the American Indie Underground 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad.
83. The Dakota or Sioux in Minnesota As They Were in 1834 by Samuel W. Pond.
84. The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert.
85. The Flight of Red Bird: The Life of Zitkala-Sa by Doreen Rappaport.
86. Count Geiger's Blues by Michael Bishop. Given that Brittle Innings is one of my favorite books of all time, it's surprising that I haven't read more of Bishop's stuff before this. Count Geiger's Blues is an odd book. At times it reads like satire, and yet ultimately it's one of the more humanist books I've read recently. The two modes don't always mesh, but the novel is impressive in its conception: snobby Fine Arts critic Xavier Thaxton becomes unwittingly exposed to a large dose of toxic waste, following which he begins to develop some pronounced, um, allergies to the finer things. This leads to some broadening of his artistic horizons, and also--in a roundabout sort of way--to him briefly adopting the identity of the titular superhero. Bishop sets his story in the fictional Southern metropolis of Salonika, thus placing it in the comic-book tradition of Gotham City. But the book is also a social satire, an environmental critique, a commentary on Nietzsche . . . it's possible that there's too much going on here. When it works, it's great, but there are times when it's too self-aware and the moving parts are visible. An interesting but flawed book.