Book Review: "Stay Up With Me" by Tom Barbash

I'm not honestly sure where I heard about this book, but wherever it was, I'd like to say thanks. Stay Up With Me was a pretty terrific short story collection, sometimes moving, sometimes humorous, tremendously well-written, and incredibly compelling. Each of the 13 stories in this collection hit me in a different place; they made me think and made me feel, and I think I would love to read a full-length novel about the characters in most of the stories.

My favorite in the collection, Howling at the Moon, told the story of a teenage boy wracked with guilt over the death of his older brother, who finds himself living in the home of his mother's boyfriend, and not really understanding his relationship with his mother anymore. In The Break, a middle-aged woman struggles when her college-aged son starts a relationship with an older woman while he's home on break, and she feels compelled to interfere for reasons she can't quite name. The main character in Somebody's Son is a guy trying to con an elderly couple into selling their lifelong home in the Adirondacks, but he finds himself drawn to them. In Balloon Night, a man holds the annual party to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons get inflated that he and his wife throw, but tries not to reveal his wife has left him.

Other moving stories included The Women, in which a young man deals with the feelings provoked by his widowed father dating again, as well as his unresolved feelings about his mother's death, and Birthday Girl, which follows a woman faced with the fact that she accidentally hit a young girl with her car. The quirkiest story in this collection was Letters from the Academy, a compilation of one-sided correspondence from an instructor at a tennis academy to the uncommunicative father of one the Academy's most promising students.

A few stories I thought were a bit weaker, but by and large this is a consistently strong collection. I was blown away by Tom Barbash's writing style and his use of language and emotion.

I love reading short stories that make you feel sad when you're finished, stories that keep you thinking about the characters after they've ended. This is a really strong collection of stories, and I hope that people take notice, because he's definitely an author worth reading, and enjoying.

Movie Review: "Gravity"

At one point in Gravity, mission specialist Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) says, "I hate space." And given what she has to endure in this movie, you certainly can't blame her for that statement!

When the movie opens, Stone, a medical engineer on a special mission for NASA, and seasoned astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney, in full Buzz Lightyear mode), who is on his last trip to space, are doing some routine repairs on their spacecraft. You hear the constant chatter of communication with Houston (the familiar voice of Ed Harris at Mission Control) and those on the spacecraft, and Kowalski shares anecdotes that everyone has heard hundreds of times, yet there is a comforting familiarity to all of it.

And suddenly things change: Mission Control reports that a Russian satellite has exploded, causing of chain of debris to fly through space at high speeds. Kowalski and his crew are warned to abort their mission and return to their spacecraft immediately, but because of some glitches, it's too late—they are hit by the debris and the ship is lost. At first, Stone becomes untethered and finds herself hurtling through space, panicking, because she thinks (rightfully so) she might be lost forever. (This is the scene most people have seen in the movie's trailer.)

But thanks to Kowalski's calm guidance (and some pretty cool space acrobatics), the two are able to reconnect with each other and need to head toward a nearby Russian Soyuz spacecraft to get home. And then pretty much everything else goes wrong.

I wasn't sure what to expect from Gravity. I loved director Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men, so I know he has an amazing way of transfixing you both with action and emotion, but how could you sustain interest in a movie that's about someone lost in space? But obviously, this movie is about so much more—it's about courage, letting go, not giving up, and the amazing beauty of outer space.

So many movies these days are shown in 3D, and it makes little difference to the movie experience. (Ahem, Great Gatsby, ahem.) But with Gravity, the 3D effects are so brilliant, they truly enhance the movie. You honestly feel as if the space debris is flying at you. (Yeah, I ducked once or twice. Or maybe four times.) And the way things float in zero gravity—from pens and files to human tears—is visually brilliant but relevant to the story as it unfolds as well.

I love Sandra Bullock and while I may have am still grumbled a bit when she won the Oscar for Blind Side a few years ago, she gives what might be her strongest performance to date in this film. It's panic and emotion and bravery and reckless abandon, and it's absolutely mesmerizing. George Clooney is, as always, a presence—I remarked after the movie that it's still hard to reconcile the Clooney of today with the Clooney of Facts of Life or Roseanne—although I always sensed his star quality.

Is this a perfect film? No, not quite. I did roll my eyes a tiny bit at the continued chain of bad luck that Bullock's character was handed, and kept waiting for another shoe to drop every time. But it is a tremendously moving and visually brilliant film, definitely among the best I've seen so far this year. And this would be a much-deserved Oscar nomination for Bullock, that much I can say.

Movie Review: "Don Jon"

Can a guy who watches porn on a fairly regular basis (read: multiple times a day) be capable of having a "real" relationship? That question is at the center of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's tremendously entertaining and surprisingly sensitive directorial debut, Don Jon. (He also wrote the screenplay.)

As Jon Martello (Gordon-Levitt) says, "There's only a few things I really care about in life—my body, my pad, my ride, my family, my church, my boys, my girls, and my porn."

Jon is a cocky, good looking bartender in New Jersey completely satisfied with his life, which includes tough workouts at the gym, church on Sunday followed by dinner with his bickering family, and evenings at the local club with his best friends, where they rate the women on a 1-10 scale, brag about who they'll hit on, and then, inevitably, Jon leaves with a different beautiful specimen every night, never to call them again afterwards. (His friends don't call him "Don Jon" for nothing.) But the thing is, even though Jon almost always has sex with the women he meets, he still is drawn to the siren call of his laptop and the internet porn he watches. His porn habit satisfies him more than the actual sex he's having does.

One night he meets Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johansson, at her hottest) and he knows he wants her. But Barbara isn't fooled by Jon's game, and won't let herself just be another notch in his belt. She forces him to actually date her, to introduce her to his friends and family and meet hers. And little by little Barbara starts to change Jon, convincing him to go back to school, and to watch the romantic movies she so loves. Needless to say, Barbara is less than enamored of Jon's internet entertainment exploits (which, of course, he passes off as a one-time thing for fear of ruining their relationship), so he promises her he'll never do that again.

But as Jon does everything that Barbara wants him to, and starts integrating her into his Sundays with the family (the different reactions from his parents, played by Tony Danza and Glenne Headly, are priceless), he starts wondering if he likes being the "new" Jon. When he has the opportunity to see a different side of things, as he starts interacting with a fellow student, the troubled Esther (Julianne Moore), Jon begins to wonder whether he is capable of a real relationship given his, umm, attachment to porn.

Gordon-Levitt does a great job mining the central question of the movie, both for laughs and deeper thought. How could Jon pass up an opportunity for a relationship with Barbara? Don't relationships require people to compromise a bit? And with Johansson as the object of Gordon-Levitt's affection, you could certainly understand the dilemma. Both actors do a terrific job with their roles, making them more than just the stereotypical Jerseyites. And while Julianne Moore brings her usual sensitivity and intelligence to her small role, it felt a little tacked on, almost as the answer key to a difficult exam.

This is a fun, funny, raunchy, sweet, and good-hearted movie. While I'm more than comfortable admitting I have a bit of a Joseph Gordon-Levitt obsession, with Don Jon he proves that his talents go far beyond acting, and I look forward to seeing what's next for him in the writing and directing arenas.

Book Review: "Let Him Go" by Larry Watson

Winter is approaching in rural Dalton, North Dakota in the early 1950s. One day retired sheriff George Blackledge returns home from work to find his wife, the headstrong, stubborn Margaret, packing up the contents of their house and loading their car. She is determined to track down Lorna, their former daughter-in-law, who remarried following George and Margaret's son's death in a freak accident, and moved away with her ne'er-do-well husband, Donnie Weboy, and Margaret and George's young grandson, Jimmy.

Margaret is convinced that Lorna and Donnie aren't treating Jimmy well, and that he'd be better off if she could convince Lorna to give custody of the boy to George and Margaret. She tells George she's going looking for them with or without him. While George isn't sure that Margaret's idea is a sound one, especially given their advancing age, and he worries that she'll go off half-cocked, his duty is to follow his wife, so they set off into the badlands and head to Montana to find Donnie and Lorna, who have apparently returned to Donnie's boyhood home.

When Margaret and George arrive, they find that the Weboys are a family not to be trifled with. While Donnie isn't particularly intelligent or ambitious, his mother, Blanche, has held her family together every way she knows how, and she and her three sons, as well as her brother-in-law, Bill, turn to bullying, intimidation, and downright violence to get whatever they want. And what they want is for Margaret and George to return home to North Dakota, and consider their mission to retrieve their grandson finished. But of course, Margaret has different ideas, which sets the Blackledges and Weboys on a collision course that grows increasingly bleaker and more dangerous.

Larry Watson is a fantastic writer, and I've been a fan of his work since reading his first novel-in-stories, Montana 1948, in the early 1990s. His imagery and language are poetic, and his storytelling is compelling yet surprisingly simple. In Let Him Go he transports you to the early 1950s, to the strong connection between a couple married for years who have struggled with different issues, yet their bond is unshakeable. I wondered how Watson would resolve the clash between the two families, and what would ultimately happen.

Watson is one of those writers who can evoke feelings of nostalgia both with setting and imagery as well as his storytelling. But although the novel seems faithful to place and time, the story still feels tremendously current and was incredibly compelling. This really was a great book, a fast read, and another example of Larry Watson's strength as a storyteller.

Book Review: "The Rosie Project" by Graeme Simsion

This was such a sweet book. And I don't mean that in a derogatory way—this book kept me smiling and, clichéd as it may sound, warmed my heart.

Don Tillman is a genetics professor in Australia with social and behavioral tendencies that fans of The Big Bang Theory would find immensely familiar to those of Sheldon Cooper. Bullied as a child, he made the decision to live life as the class clown, so his (often unconscious) way of acting and reacting makes people laugh rather than question why he acts the way he acts. And while he enjoys his perfectly regimented life, with its Standardized Meal System (he eats the same thing on the same days each week) and its down-to-the-minute scheduling of exercise, sleep, shopping, and work, there is one problem. Despite having close friends Gene and Claudia nearby, Don is lonely.

"I am thirty-nine years old, tall, fit, and intelligent, with a relatively high status and above-average income as an associate professor. Logically, I should be attractive to a wide range of women. In the animal kingdom, I would succeed in reproducing. However, there is something about me that women find unappealing. I have never found it easy to make friends, and it seems that the deficiencies that caused this problem have also affected my attempts at romantic relationships."

Don has tried dating women, and many of those attempts have been, well, less than successful, leading to anecdotes he refers to as "The Apricot Ice Cream Disaster," for one. So he does what any other genetics professor would do—launches The Wife Project, complete with a 16-page, scientifically valid survey to filter out the drinkers, the smokers, the late arrivers, and those who might cause a reprise of The Apricot Ice Cream Disaster.

When Don meets Rosie Jarman, a beautiful bartender who smokes and arrives late, he knows immediately that she's not suitable for The Wife Project. But he's keen on helping her identify who her biological father is, since he has access to his university's lab to run DNA tests, and he has no shortage of plausible (and not so plausible) ways to retrieve DNA from potential candidates. And suddenly, Don realizes how much he enjoys spending time with Rosie, despite the fact he has no interest in her as a partner, and that she keeps causing him to veer away from his perfectly scheduled routine.

Even though The Rosie Project is fairly predictable, Don and Rosie's characters are so charming, so enjoyable, you want to keep reading their story. And while some of Don's behaviors may seem outlandish, again, if you've ever watched Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, you'll realize they're not quite as outlandish as you think. This book made me chuckle, laugh at times, and just kept me smiling throughout. Apparently the book has already been adapted into a movie in Australia, and it definitely seems screen-worthy.

Love cannot be controlled, and it is rarely, if ever, predictable. And neither are people. The Rosie Project is a tremendously enjoyable book that makes those facts immensely compelling.

Cool cover song of the week...

True confession time: as much as I consider my musical tastes to be eclectic now, growing up—especially in middle school and high school—I was almost strictly a top-40/pop type of guy. (It was the 80s, after all, so there's nothing wrong with that.)

It wasn't until I got to college that I started listening to so-called "alternative" music—The Smiths (and Morrissey), Roxy Music, Joy Division, etc. (I joked for a while that the moodier the music, the more I played it to irritate my classic rock- and heavy metal-loving roommates.) One of the songs that I remember being utterly mesmerized by was Roxy Music's More Than This.

Still am, actually.

I was amazed to find out that the song was actually recorded in 1982, and while it hit #6 on the UK charts, it didn't get any higher than #102 here in the U.S. Yet it's still a song that endures, and is probably more popular now than it was then.

I heard this version of the song by Norah Jones and jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter (from Hunter's 2001 album Songs from the Analog Playground) just the other day, and I was captivated by its dreaminess, its, well, Norah Jonesiness. Like many covers, I don't think it's as good as the original (nothing beats Bryan Ferry), but I like this version for what it is.

I'm reminded of the great scene in Lost in Translation (fantastic movie, BTW) where Bill Murray tackles this song:

Then, of course, there is the original.

Check out my previous Cool Cover Songs of the Week:

Borderline by The Counting Crows

How Deep Is Your Love by The Bird and The Bee

Life in a Northern Town by Sugarland, Little Big Town, and Jake Owen

I Don't Want to Talk About It by The Indigo Girls

Only You by Joshua Radin

Pure Imagination by Maroon 5

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by Blake Stratton

What a Fool Believes by Neri Per Caso

Poker Face by Daughtry

Back to Black by Ronnie Spector

I Will Survive by Cake

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by The Stereophonics

Rolling in the Deep by John Legend

Go Your Own Way by Lissie

Winner Takes it All by McFly

What a Wonderful World by Joey Ramone

Careless Whisper by Seether

I Walk the Line by Live

Dear Prudence by Siouxsie and The Banshees

Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm

Who Wants to Live Forever by Breaking Benjamin

Redemption Song by Chris Cornell and Audioslave

Love Me Tender by Chris Isaak and Brandi Carlile

All You Need is Love by The Flaming Lips

Lovesong by Adele

I Love It by Robin Thicke

Billie Jean by The Civil Wars

Across the Universe by The Scorpions

Can't Hold Us by Pentatonix

Wicked Game by James Vincent McMorrow

Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) by The Postal Service

Jolene by The White Stripes

Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) by Justin Timberlake

Book Review: "The Lowland" by Jhumpa Lahiri

"Subhash was thirteen, older by fifteen months. But he had no sense of himself without Udayan. From his earliest memories, at every point, his brother was there."

Subhash and Udayan are nearly inseparable growing up. They share the same room, enjoy the same things, study many of the same subjects. But what has always set them apart is that while Subhash is the dutiful, quiet one, never anxious to make waves or cause trouble, Udayan is a bit of a firebrand, always interested in pushing the envelope, and getting caught up in a sense of adventure.

As they grow up in the mid- to late 1960s, they attend separate colleges in India but both return home each day. However, while Subhash is devoted to his scientific studies, Udayan becomes more interested in the Naxalite movement, a rebellion which follows Maoist ideals, and pits rich against poor in an effort to eliminate poverty and inequality. When Udayan leaves home to follow the movement, Subhash decides to go to America to pursue his research studies in Rhode Island.

Through infrequent letters from his brother, Subhash learns how the Naxalite movement is growing increasingly violent and causing crackdowns across India. He also learns that, in defiance of the custom of arranged marriage, Udayan has married Gauri, a fiercely independent student, and moved back in with their parents. Then Subhash learns that tragedy has befallen his brother, so he returns to India to be with his parents. And it is there, as he tries to make sense of what happened to his brother, and what will happen to Gauri, that Subhash makes the most uncharacteristic decision of his life, one which has ramifications for years to come.

This is a book about the bonds of family and the connections (and lack thereof) fueled by different relationships. It's also a powerful meditation on all types of loss. Jhumpa Lahiri, who won a Pulitzer Prize and has written some absolutely memorable books, is a beautiful writer, with a tremendous lyricism to her words and a quiet power that emanates through her stories.

I'm sad to say that this book, however, just didn't grab me as all of her earlier books (Interpreter of Maladies, The Namesake, and Unaccustomed Earth) did. I don't know if the distance that each of the characters really kept from each other made me feel that same distance from them and their stories, or if I just never quite warmed up to the story, but for the most part, I never found the book entirely compelling. I read it hoping that something would grab me, but it never happened.

Jhumpa Lahiri is definitely a writer worth reading. If you've never read her books before, I'd encourage you to pick up any one of them—perhaps start with The Namesake—and prepare to marvel at her writing. But read those before trying her latest, so you really see how much she can shine.