Bad Book Marketing: Who is God, Really?

I caught this advertisement for The Shack by William P. Young on the N Train coming back from Queens. Maybe it was the liquor, but I almost fell on the floor laughing. I'm not sure what is funnier:

1. The headline, "Who is God, Really?" - based on the cover, I'm assuming he's Santa Claus (or perhaps Jason Voorhees).

2. The endorsements from Jeff Foxworthy and Kathie Lee Gifford. After all, when I want to know who God is (really), I'd turn to the guy who recycles the "You might be a redneck" routine and the woman who makes Rachel Ray seem sane.

3. Or that the book is actually called "The Shack." I think I know who God is. He runs an S&M getaway in Vermont.

Book of the Week: Lucky Man by Ben Tanzer

Full disclosure: I know Ben Tanzer (although we’ve yet to meet in person) and will actually be reading with him at Freebird Books in Brooklyn, NY on September 28.

Some books have a way of winning you over. I remember the first time I picked up John Fante’s Wait Until Spring, Bandini. It was not Ask the Dust. When the former was written, the author had not developed into the great teacher of Bukowski that can be found in the latter. And yet, as I delved deeper and deeper into Wait Until Spring, Bandini, my perception of the novel changed. While the book is not a definitive example of Fante’s greatness as a writer (Ask the Dust is his most memorable book for a reason), it has great heart, it has soul. The scene of Bandini’s mother and father laying in bed together in the first chapter just about made me weep. It was a beautiful piece of writing. I was won over.

Ben Tanzer’s Lucky Man also won me over. Perhaps because the book starts so unsuspectingly, providing no grand opening or sudden launch into the action. It starts with a conversation — between the four main characters and the reader who serves as an impromptu listener of their life stories. But I think there is a simpler answer. There isn’t an ounce of pretense in Tanzer’s writing, something lacking among a lot of my peers. You never get the sense that Tanzer is trying too hard to convince you of his writing skill. His dialogue fits his characters. The situations always feel real. All of this helps the reader settle in and go along with what at first seems like a standard coming-of-age story.

Once the book gets moving however, the story takes flight (as do the characters). Lucky Man reads like a 220-page long prose poem, told by the four main characters who speak directly to the reader in present tense. One often feels like they’re reading transcripts of reality show confessionals strung together. This is even taken to an absurd pretense when one of the characters has an unfortunate incident. But it is also the four perspectives of Sammy, Louie, Jake and Gabe that deliver a great sense of seeing the world of Lucky Man from all sides, or rather all camera angles. Along the way, there is a lot of humor and a ton of sadness. But Tanzer never uses the breakups, suicides, adultery, car crashes, drug abuse, or sudden death as cheap thrills. This is life in all its grimness.

Ultimately, the title is a grand joke. And that is what really won me over in the end. Lucky Man can be dark. And anyone who has read my work knows I have a penchant for the dark and strange and cynical. But the last page of Lucky Man nicely turns a dark, cynical outlook into a great punch line.

If you use any of the book sharing sites, here a links to the novel for each:
Good Reads | Library Thing | Shelfari

Vinyl Find: I Had A Dream Joe 12" Single by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

One of the joys of picking up a USB turntable is being able to instantly plug-in and listen to vinyl recordings. Which has got me back on the kick of picking up old singles and albums again. I found this gem -- a 12" maxi-single for Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' "I Had A Dream Joe" -- at Kim's Video down in the East Village. I almost opted for the 7" version, which only had two tracks with a live version of "The Good Son" on the B-side. But I'm glad I picked this one up instead which includes live versions of "The Mercy Seat," "The Ship Song," and a fantastic rendition of "The Carny."

Mark your calendars... a new reading.

On Sunday, September 28 @ 7 p.m., I'll be joining Chicago's own Ben Tanzer for a special reading at Freebird Books in Brooklyn to celebrate the release of his new book, Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine.

So really it's just a Mormon plot to recruit teenage girls?

I was wondering what the hysteria surrounding Stephanie Meyer's Breaking Dawn was all about. Now I know thanks to the New York Times.