Category Archives: Uncategorized

"The Place Beyond the Pines": True Grit or Truly Gritty, With a Nod to Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

Posted on May 6, 2013 by williamjcobb

So last night I caught the new Derek Cianfrance film The Place Beyond the Pines in St. Louis, once-great Gateway to the West, though the film should more fittingly be seen at a small cinema in New Paltz, New York, … Continue reading →

Posted in books/film, Film, Uncategorized | Tagged Film, The Place Beyond the Pines | Leave a comment

On What We Learn from Birds, as "The Bird Saviors" Appears in Paperback Next Month

Posted on April 21, 2013 by williamjcobb

So in yesterday’s New York Times there’s a good piece about what birds can tell us about climate, here. I’m definitely a birder, though I prefer the term “birdist,” and have my own style in BirdWorld: I don’t join herds … Continue reading →

Posted in Birding, books, Climate Change, The West, Uncategorized, Water Crisis | Tagged Birding, Book Reviewing, Climate Change, Cormac McCarthy, Good Fiction, The Bird Saviors, The West, Water Crisis, Wildfires | Leave a comment

Review of Jim Crace's "Harvest"

Posted on March 12, 2013 by williamjcobb

So my review of Jim Crace’s new novel, Harvest, appeared Sunday in the Dallas Morning News, here. I liked the book, mainly for its style more than its subject or story, which was taken to task in an interesting review … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged Book Reviewing, Fiction Writing, Good Fiction | Leave a comment

Review of "Oz: The Great and Powerful," Plus "The Paperboy" Meets "The Master"

Posted on March 10, 2013 by williamjcobb

So last night I stumbled into the new James Franco/Mila Kunis special effects love-a-thon Oz: the Great and Powerful, and could easily do one of those catty, snarky Hollywood send-ups that go, “It was like The Princess Bride meets The … Continue reading →

Posted in books/film, Film, Nicole Kidman, Pete Dexter, Uncategorized | Tagged Film, Nicole Kidman, Oz: the Great and Powerful, The Master, The Paperboy | Leave a comment

Snow Drought in Colorado & the I-Told-You-So Problem With Climate Change

Posted on March 3, 2013 by williamjcobb

So this year’s snowpack is pathetic in Colorado and other points West, which is a harbinger of a further summer drought, as detailed in the New York Times, here. Count me as one of those West lovers who are in … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, The West, Uncategorized, Weird Weather | Tagged Climate Change, Drought, The West | Leave a comment

On Reading T.R. Fehrenbach's "Comanches: The Destruction of a People" and Jared Diamond's "The World Until Yesterday": A World Without Laws

Posted on February 27, 2013 by williamjcobb

So while teaching Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian recently, I learned he’d been inspired by T.R. Fehrenbach’s Comanches: The Destruction of a People (1975), so I picked it up. Suffice to say it was a gripping read, as I had a … Continue reading →

Posted in books/film, Cormac McCarthy, The West, Uncategorized | Tagged Book Reviewing, Cormac McCarthy, Good Fiction, The Bird Saviors, The West | Leave a comment

"A Flag From the Poor Kid": A Christmas Essay

Posted on December 18, 2012 by williamjcobb

So a week ago I attended my daughter’s first community choir event for the Christmas season, at a Lutheran church no less. It was a lovely—even, dare I say, spiritual—event, a crowd of darling children singing (or not) Christmas carols in … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Education, Politics, The West, Uncategorized | Tagged Climate Change, Gun Control, Poverty, The West | Leave a comment

Three Ideas for "Real" Change: Support States' Rights on Marijuana, Mandate Solar Panels of New Home Roofs, Ban All Assault Weapons

Posted on December 16, 2012 by williamjcobb

So the Obama administration has one chance for real change right now, with a couple more that are much needed. I live in Colorado, which has legalized marijuana, but the Obama administration has yet to respond on exactly what they’ll … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Gun Control, Politics, The West, Uncategorized | Tagged Climate Change, Gun Control, Politics, The West | Leave a comment

Phillip Roth Hangs Up His Pen, While Kent Haruf and George Saunders Have New Books in the Offing

Posted on November 29, 2012 by williamjcobb

So on the literary beat there’s an interesting tidbit in the news this week (delayed, as you’ll see, from our attention), in that the great American novelist—he did name one of his books that: The Great American Novel (1973)—Phillip Roth … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Uncategorized | Tagged Book Reviewing, Good Fiction | Leave a comment