Heroes of the new American dream

Reviews of ‘The Speed Chronicles,’ ‘Working Backwards from the Worst Moments in My Life’ and ‘Bohemian Girl’

Every year, I make the pilgrimage to L.A. to attend the festival and come home with loads of books. This year, I moderated a panel called “Fiction: Over the Edge,” which involved no small amount of reading.

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Wednesday, April 11,2012
The Floating Library

Hither and yon: three very different travel memoirs

Reviews of ‘Wild’ by Cheryl Strayed, ‘American Sniper’ by Chris Kyle and ‘The Book of Drugs’ by Mike Doughty

By Jim Ruland

For modern American travelers, there’s a giant latte and overpriced cinnamon bun waiting for us at every stage of our journey to remind us how easy we have it. Thankfully, there are those who seek out the road less traveled and report on what they find there.

Wednesday, March 14,2012
The Floating Library

Exploring the other side of luck

Reviews of the literary journal ‘Hobart’ and books by SDSU prof Harold Jaffe and Stewart O’Nan

By Jim Ruland

It’s that time of year when the “Luck of the Irish” is in the air. But what most of us forget is that the Irish have been fantastically unlucky.

Wednesday, February 15,2012
Art & Culture

In the belly of San Diego Opera's 'Moby-Dick'

The new opera takes the audience on a voyage and asks them to leave expectations behind

By Jim Ruland

How do you express the claustrophobia of life aboard a whaling ship and the limitless expanse of the ocean? How do you convey howling winds and towering swells? And how do you do it with more than 100,000 pounds of gear on the stage?

Tuesday, February 14,2012
The Floating Library

A pair of unconventional valentines

Amelia Gray's 'Threats' and Gregory Sherl's 'The Oregon Trail Is the Oregon Trail'

By Jim Ruland

While it’s somewhat sad that the valentine has turned into a tacky commodity sold by the dozen so that no classmate is excluded from cupid’s arrow, I still recall the thrill of receiving a note from a mysterious stranger.

Monday, January 16,2012
The Floating Library

Four books that revel in the flaws and foibles of the human condition

The Little Book of Big F#K Ups, Citation Needed, 10 Ways to Recycle a Corpse and Fact. Fact. Bullshit!

By Jim Ruland

If you’re like me, you’re probably sick of lists proclaiming the best and worst of 2011 and what to watch out for in 2012. As an antidote, consider these four books of lists that eschew the here and now in favor of a wider view. Conclusion: The human species has always been a mess.

Tuesday, December 20,2011
The Floating Library

Collections of short stories to hang by the fire with care

A review of books by Eric Bosse, Kathy Fish, Thor Garcia, Amelia Gray, Alan Heathcock and William Walsh

By Jim Ruland

This linked collection of stories opens with a mini-epic that’s like a mashup of James Dickey and William Faulkner and doesn’t let up from there.

Wednesday, November 23,2011
The Floating Library

Reviews of ‘Nowhere Near Normal,’ ‘The Family Fang’ and ‘Damascus’

Three books and three families even more screwed up than yours

By Jim Ruland

The only way to escape the absurdity of family drama is to avoid being born. One of the comforts of literature, however, is to remind us that no matter how great our suffering might be, there are those who have it much, much worse.
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Wednesday, October 26,2011
The Floating Library

Books that go bump in the night

A magical circus, a cursed movie and a collection of unusual treats

By Jim Ruland

I’m a sucker for scary stories. Spooky scenarios enthrall me: A group of kids dare each other to spend the night in the old house on the hill. Scientists at a remote station uncover something uncanny. While walking his dog late at night a man discovers his next door neighbor digging a hole in the backyard.

Wednesday, September 28,2011
The Floating Library

Entering the e-reader fray

Two summer books on the Nook—and two the old-fashioned way

By Jim Ruland

Whether it’s a Kindle, Nook or iPad, the electronic reader is here, and it’s probably here to stay. Even though one in six Americans now owns an e-reader, naysayers abound. I’m by no means an early adopter, but the emergence of the electronic book feels inevitable, intuitive and altogether sensible.

Reviews of ‘The Speed Chronicles,’ ‘Working Backwards from the Worst Moments in My Life’ and ‘Bohemian Girl’

Reviews of ‘Wild’ by Cheryl Strayed, ‘American Sniper’ by Chris Kyle and ‘The Book of Drugs’ by Mike Doughty

Reviews of the literary journal ‘Hobart’ and books by SDSU prof Harold Jaffe and Stewart O’Nan

The new opera takes the audience on a voyage and asks them to leave expectations behind

Amelia Gray's 'Threats' and Gregory Sherl's 'The Oregon Trail Is the Oregon Trail'

The Little Book of Big F*#K Ups, Citation Needed, 10 Ways to Recycle a Corpse and Fact. Fact. Bullshi*t!

A review of books by Eric Bosse, Kathy Fish, Thor Garcia, Amelia Gray, Alan Heathcock and William Walsh

Three books and three families even more screwed up than yours

A magical circus, a cursed movie and a collection of unusual treats

Two summer books on the Nook—and two the old-fashioned way

The Little Book of Big F#K Ups, Citation Needed, 10 Ways to Recycle a Corpse and Fact. Fact. Bullshit!