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Kickin' It: Fall Reading 2009
Topics: Greg Olear, Paolo Bacigalupi, Nina Lesowitz, Lara Starr, Tod Goldberg, Tom Formaro, Rachel Formaro, Mike Madrid, books, reading list, fall, best sellers, authors, Nick Belardes, Random Obsessions, Totally Killer, Supergirls, Frugal Foodie, cookbook, Erotica, fairy tales, Bakotopia, Citizen Journalism, Bakersfield, Mercado Nuevo, Mitzi Szereto
Posted by thenovelist Tue Nov 24, 2009 14:00:37 PST
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Kickin' It: Fall Reading 2009

By Nick Belardes / FaceNews, Bakotopia.com contributor

Fall has arrived in the southern Central Valley. The leaves have turned fiery, the air has a chill, and it’s darker earlier in the evening, making for great reading moments with a hot cup of cocoa in hand (or in some cases a six-pack of brew).

Of course I have a few suggestions that might help you with your reading choices:

Murder Gen X Style: If British novelist Nick Hornby were to fall into an American washer and dryer, out would tumble author Greg Olear with a big cigar (Not John Cusack as previously thought). Dive into “Totally Killer,” a necessarily shallow absurdist commentary of obsessive lust in 1991, a time when Generation X laziness could literally lead to murder while looking for gainful employment. Olear said his book is a total rewrite of a 1998 novel he wrote based on a screenplay he busted out in 1993 when he was a college student. “Some of the dialogue has survived,” he said. He even makes an appearance in his own book. His character’s name is an anagram of Greg Olear. The best place to read “Totally Killer,” Olear says, is “over happy hour highballs at the Yale Club, on an overcrowded 6 train at rush hour, or at Yaffa Café on St. Mark’s Place after the bars close. But if you’re not planning to fly to New York to read the book, I hear good things about Dagny’s (although it’s not open as late as Yaffa, alas).”

BUY: Totally Killer

Sci-Fi Social Commentary: Just because Paolo Bacigalupi’s riveting novel, “The Windup Girl” is a post-apocalyptic tale of the future, doesn’t mean it’s not relevant to today. Its social commentary asks the “What if” questions only a rare visionary like Bacigalupi can answer: What if there isn’t enough food? Where will the future’s energy really be stored? What could a simple piece of fruit mean to future cultures? I’ll say this much. You’ll squirm. And you’ll be as fascinated by the book’s sexy herky-jerky robot sexpot as I am. When I asked Bacigalupi what inspired the pleasure bot, he said, “I met a stewardess on a Japanese airline, and she moved with the strangest tick-tock stylized gestures I had ever seen. Both bizarre, and somehow arresting.” Since food and calories are also a major part of “The Windup Girl,” I asked Bacigalupi to describe a holiday meal in his story if it were to have one. “Most of the people in ‘The Windup Girl’ depend on food that is patented and owned by international calorie companies: SoyPRO, HiGro Corn, UTex Rice. Everything else has been wiped out by genetically engineered plagues. So I suppose the farang expatriates in my future Bangkok might end up with something like a SoyPRO Tofurky, if they were going to celebrate their holiday at all,” he said. The perfect place to read his tale? Bacigalupi said, “In a supermarket, at the nexus of our astonishingly clever and specialized calorie supply chains.”

BUY: The Windup Girl

Superhero Chicks: I’ve been wanting a book to compliment this male-dominated ego-driven world of traditional male superheroes. I found such a work in “Supergirls” by Mike Madrid, whose book shows off the most badass “imaginary” women on the planet. It’s hot. It’s also easily digestible and broken up into chapters by decade, dating back to the 1940s. I can’t blame Madrid for his fascination with female superheroes. These babes can do what all the invincible men can do without even smudging their makeup. And, there’s more than just the book if you dig yourself some superhero hotties. You can check out Madrid’s online decade breakdown of sculptures depicting the bombastic babes of comic book lore. Madrid says to slip into “your favorite wifi cafe, or on the bus with your iPhone,” when checking out the visual supplement. Of course I couldn’t end our conversation without knowing who the must-read superhero female is for this Fall. Madrid said, “My current fave female superhero is DC Comics' Power Girl, one of the original tough feminists of comic books. She not only smashes evil villains, but also tries to solve the world's environmental problems. Power Girl is strong, smart, sexy, and has a great sense of humor, which is something that comic books could use a little more of these days.”

BUY: Supergirls

Erotic Fairy Tales: Author Mitzi Szereto is onto something with “In Sleeping Beauty’s Bed.” And oddly, all she is doing is reverting back to what those Grimm guys screwed up. She’s putting the eroticism back into fairy tales. It’s all in her book, which is as historically revealing about the origins of fairy tales as it is sexually alluring in her dark rewrites of classics from around the world. I found each historical intro to her storytelling, fascinating. Now, Szereto has a most bizarre recommendation for an autumn read. Suggesting "The Goblin of Adachigahara,” she said, “It has an autumnal feel -- cold winds, woodfires, a goblin, and a bit of kink!" I read Szereto’s darkly imaginative rewrite of the Japanese classic. It’s got one of the creepiest little old ladies you’ll ever find in literature. Of course, I recommend grabbing your partner (wherever they’ll let you), and reading “In Sleeping Beauty’s Bed” out loud to each other. Szereto herself says, “It's perfect to read on the beach, tucked up in bed, or in front of a roaring fire. You can even read it on a train. Just think who you might meet while doing so -- perhaps someone who might make your fairy tales come true!"

BUY: In Sleeping Beauty’s Bed


Cookbook for the Frugal: When I met Lara Starr I watched a crowd of people line up for “The Frugal Foodie Cookbook.” People do love food and an inspiring cookbook, don’t they? The more I flipped through her book that she co-authored with Lynette Shirk, the more my mouth watered. (Watch her describe a Wafflewich!) I had the strange feeling this wasn’t some gimmick culinary collection, but a cookbook written in earnest that would really help those who care how much they spend on groceries and how their food tastes. Starr recommended an obvious place to tuck oneself away to peruse her work. “The perfect place to read my cookbook is during ‘down time’ in the kitchen. I always find myself with odd bits of time to fill while I'm waiting for water to boil or brownies to cool. I often use this time to browse through my cookbooks looking for new ideas and inspiration.”

SIDEBAR BONUS: I asked Starr to share a great frugal autumn recipe. She said, “The perfect Fall item from ‘The Frugal Foodie Cookbook’ is Squash and Sage Pasta. It's got perfect Fall flavors, and is quick, easy and delicious. And, chances are at least one of your Thanksgiving recipes will call for fresh sage, and you'll need a recipe to use the leftovers.”

SPECIAL SQUASH AND SAGE SAUCE HOLIDAY RECIPE:


1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped into ½-inch cubes

8 tablespoons butter

40 fresh sage leaves, stemmed

2/3 cup vegetable broth
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
salt and pepper, to taste
freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)


Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat in a large stockpot. Add the
squash cubes and sauté until tender, about 8–10 minutes. Remove the squash
from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside.



Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in the pot. Add the sage leaves and cook
until the edges start to curl, watching closely that the butter doesn’t burn.

Remove the sage leaves and set them on a paper towel to drain.



Add the broth and cinnamon to the butter and stir to combine. Add 1 pound cooked pasta and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the sage leaves and
Parmesan.

BUY: Frugal Foodie

Short Stories: “I find resort cities exceptionally odd.” That’s what Tod Goldberg, author of “Other Resort Cities” told me about how he came up with a theme for his compendium of intriguing and disturbing short stories that take place in resort city settings. Yes, I do love short stories and so should you. And I couldn’t agree with him more after working on Fremont Street in Las Vegas where I piled up more stories in four years that I’m willing to tell. Those were truly interesting as well as disturbing times. Like me, Goldberg has lived in Las Vegas. Goldberg added: “All the people you see [at resort cities] pretend to care about your well being and attempt to seem invested in your happiness, yet of course these people have real lives and real problems that have nothing to do with you. It’s not unlike being in a hospital, really: you think everyone is there because they want you to be well, but in truth most of the people are just there so they can afford to have a nice cable television package.” His prose is perfectly haunting, with a pace that will pull you into his characters and leave you with a similar feeling as if you just saw a great film. Of course when I asked him about a perfect place to read “Other Resort Cities” I imagined him saying, “Las Vegas,” just to be funny. Not the case. “A comfortable chair or while waiting for your probation officer to show up to your house. These are not mutually exclusive places,” he said.

BUY: Other Resort Cities

Self-Help ‘Thank You’: I agree when writer Nina Lesowitz says, “Living Life As A Thank You” should be read in bed, before you go to sleep. If you or your loved ones are experiencing any sort of crisis that can leave you bitter, then Lesowitz' book (she co-authored with Mary Beth Sammons) is a great aide for getting back on track in a positive and emotionally fulfilling way. (Watch an interview with Nina Lesowitz) “This book can help readers get in touch with the true spirit of gratitude and appreciation for all of our blessings,” Lesowitz said when I spoke to her about her book. And it is an important read for the wintry season. “In the Fall months, when we’re bunkering down for the winter and holiday excess, it is especially helpful to have a reminder of the importance of giving thanks for all that we already have instead of focusing on what we perceive we need,” she said. Lesowitz adds that grateful people are more appreciative of others. They take less for granted and give back. “During this Fall season, when so many people are unemployed or otherwise suffering, we need to be mindful of the abundance in our lives,” Lesowitz said. I agree.

BUY: Living Life As A Thank You

For Kids: “Alfonso, The Christmas Pumpkin” is a late addition to my list. Written by Rachel and Tom Formaro and illustrated by Michele Spremich, I tore through this book in a few minutes and found myself laughing out loud at the idea that Santa Claus might actually be a farmer with a pickup truck. I’m serious, folks. I was tickled. The story is about a talking pumpkin that would rather be minced in a Christmas pie than have its shell carved Halloween style with a candle smoking up its innards. I asked Tom Formaro about inspiration for the book. "Rachel and some friends and I were walking by a closed pumpkin patch on Halloween 2008. I looked at all the pumpkins that hadn't been picked, and said, 'Those poor pumpkins haven't got a face.'" According to Formaro, they started talking about the story that very night. He added that the best place to read "Alfonso, The Christmas Pumpkin" is "anywhere you can get a bunch of kids, a few pumpkins, and some animals (real or stuffed). And read aloud. You gotta wear a Santa hat, and you gotta do voices (that's why you have the kids around; otherwise it seems a little weird)."

BUY: Alfonso, The Christmas Pumpkin

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NICK BELARDES is the author of Random Obsessions: Trivia You Can't Live Without, which should be bought and shoved into Christmas stockings everywhere this holiday season. His fictional account of evildoing in Bakersfield titled Lords has also been an underground crowd pleaser.

Also printed in Bakotopia magazine, issue 69, 12-10-09

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Comment From: thenovelist

If anyone has any questions on any of these books, please post. I will get in touch with the author and get you a response. - Nick

Comment From: tformaro

Update on Alfonso, the Christmas Pumpkin: We just announced that we're donating a portion of each sale of the book to help a little girl with cancer. http://www.prweb.com/releas... We'd appreciate any help spreading the word. Thanks. - Tom

 

Comment From: thenovelist

Thanks for posting that info, Tom. It's helped the article get more views. I hope some people are buying Alfonso! Comment From: matt

Thanks Nick! You'll be seeing this in our next issue of Bako mag! Comment From: twinkie

Totally Killer seems like it's right up my alley. Thanks Nick. Can you ask the author if he thinks a laundr-o-mat full of crackheads and screaming kids would also be an ideal place to read it though? Comment From: thenovelist

I'll let Greg know he has a question. I would answer, but he's far funnier than me... heh. Comment From: totallykiller

Twinkie: I think said laudromat sounds like a good enough place to read my book. Just keep the crackheads and the screaming kids separated. ; ) Comment From: twinkie

Ok but sometimes it's hard to tell them apart. LOL Thanks for answering. Can't wait to read it!