Author Archives: williamjcobb

On Tom Perrotta's New Novel, With a Warning About the Last

Posted on August 27, 2011 by williamjcobb

So in today’s New York Times Book Review Stephen King reviews Tom Perrotta’s new novel, The Leftovers, and has this to say: “Perrotta began his exploration of the stress points between religion and secular American life in his previous novel, “The … Continue reading →

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On the Rise of the Fabulous Nothing Class, or As Some Have Phrased It, "Our Royal Wedding"

Posted on August 25, 2011 by williamjcobb

So I see this Kim Kardashian person mentioned (too often) in the news and do my best to ignore her, and see her best as the butt (pun intended) of jokes from the wry Larry David on Curb Your Enthusiasm … Continue reading →

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On Finishing Tim Flannery's "Here on Earth," in Contrast to Justin Torres's "We the Animals"

Posted on August 18, 2011 by williamjcobb

So last night I reached the end of Tim Flannery’s new excellent book of nonfiction, Here on Earth: A Natural History of the Planet, which I rate as one of the best books of nonfiction I’ve read since Timothy Egan’s … Continue reading →

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Sing, O Muse, of the Dougherty Gang

Posted on August 13, 2011 by williamjcobb

So there’s something kind of classical about the Dougherty Gang’s story—classically tacky, Florida-style. I probably wouldn’t love their tale as much if they had not been apprehended near my Colorado home base of Custer County. Here’s a good ole-fashioned yellow … Continue reading →

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On "Bloodworth," a Film Adaptation of William Gay's Novel "Provinces of Night"

Posted on August 8, 2011 by williamjcobb

So I finally managed to watch the film adaptation of William Gay’s “Provinces of Night” (the title is a line by Cormac McCarthy), which is titled “Bloodworth.” It’s actually quite good, one of those low-budget films with a terrific cast. … Continue reading →

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No Fence-Sitting Here: Republicans Are Anti-Environment, and That's a Major Difference

Posted on July 30, 2011 by williamjcobb

So Paul Krugman had a good piece recently about the issue of media fence-sitting, decrying those b.s. ‘journalists’ who repeatedly say, “Washington is broken! Both parties are to blame!” He then details just exactly how wrong the Republican and Tea … Continue reading →

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The Bears of Custer County & the Smell of Drought

Posted on July 28, 2011 by williamjcobb

Here’s an url to an article about bears in this morning’s NY Times: I can vouch for the accuracy of some its statements, especially about bear behavior in drought. Here in the southern mountains of Colorado we’re suffering a drought, … Continue reading →

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On Reading Tim Flannery's "Here on Earth" on an iPad

Posted on July 26, 2011 by williamjcobb

So I’m now reading Tim Flannery’s Here on Earth on my iPad, which is a curious and thrilling experience. Early on he’s discussing the works of Richard Dawkins and memes, of the spread of ideas, of how much faster cultural … Continue reading →

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"Tattoos Get You Sex" and Other Observations from the Western Frontier

Posted on July 24, 2011 by williamjcobb

So you have to be blind not to notice the popularity of tattoos in the West, and it must say something about this moment in time, this world in which we’re living. Basically it seems everyone in Colorado/Wyoming (the two … Continue reading →