|
|
By Sean Clark, on June 30th, 2011 First haiku of summer:
.
not original
swashbuckling space opera
still a good, fun read
.
AL East doormat
Tampa went from worst to first
Keri tells us how
.
a Bob Mould bio
trail of rage and melody
A. Block gives thumbs up
.
so much promise lost
what’s with the Waterworld stuff?
such a boring book
.
finely crafted tale
way back Pulitzer winner
what is life’s value?
.
hands down a Great Read
narratively a wonder
so much cool art too
.
flash-fic chapbook set
accomplishes much with less
jab you with moments
.
not a mystery
but a competent thriller
more hits than misses
.
take it to the beach
pulp fiction by comic guy
a very fun read
.
Sambath knows her stuff
Cambodia: a blessed place
let’s help the poor Khmers
.
odd couple road trip
great short story idea there
novel not so much
.
slim, not too thorough
an atypical memoir
Convert sticks with you
.
simple book, not good
a memory-loss thriller
hype unwarranted
.
By Sean Clark, on June 1st, 2011 Hooray for Memorial Day, hooray for June, hooray for haiku.
hell of a Great Read
Nico almost gave all tens
check out this trailer
.
Jon Krakauer’s work
exposes Greg Mortenson
PS- Byliner
.
compelling stories
Finan has talent, craft lacks
watch for more from him
six years to cross pond?
veggie-sitting braindead wife
Mike hearts adjectives
.
writing shows promise
magical flourishes were
too heavy-handed
.
“criminally short”
Patton Oswalt is a troll:
funny one that writes
.
the jury is in
all vampire novels suck
no exception here
.
For Clemente fans
graphic novel’s a homerun
(Marcos bought a hat)
.
swashbuckling steampunk
who wouldn’t love flying whales?
set-up for book three
.
Nora’s first romance
confusing creepy uncle
otherwise, bland sex
.
debut story set
Glaser experiments here
and finds great success
.
well-written stories
a little too similar
lots of not talking
.
long a Sean favorite
classic Redwall adventure
RIP, B. Jacques
.
deWitt review 2
Nico was not disappoint
addiction Great Read
.
By Sean Clark, on May 1st, 2011 Reviews for April books in snappy haiku. Happy May Day! (Don’t die.)
.
Lippman’s got some charm
doesn’t really serve this book
no Edgar for you!
.
a nice mix of tales
handles suspense expertly
Oates is prolific
.
lives up to the hype
strong twenty under forty
all-around good book
.
not just Babe’s bio
tells one year in Yankee lore
McGraw steals the show
.
Nico did not like
but it stole the Edgar prize
suck it, Tana French
.
street fighting, boo yah!
of course it much more than that
memoir touches depths
.
evokes On The Road
Updike has a way with words
no brainer Great Read
.
sound little novel
gritty and atmospheric
the twist’s a let down
.
posthumous something
not a novel: artifact
bye D.F. Wallace
.
here’s a new Great Read
narrative poetry, woot!
Klein’s voice stands out strong
.
action scenes kick ass
not much else to talk about
no Edgar for you!
.
baseball book Great Read
strong memoir beneath the fun
what is a Garfoose?
By Sean Clark, on March 31st, 2011 
Baseball starts today and there’s fresh C4 haiku! How could today get any better?
.
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
judge by its cover:
well-written but the plot lacks
stands an Edgar shot
.
The Dream of Perpetual Motion
awesome sci-fi novel
hype actually lived to
steampunk-y Great Read
.
Remarkable Creatures
creatures take back seat
naturalism: the tale
superbly structured
.
The Universe in Miniature in Miniature
great writing in here
delivers on the funny
good humor is earned
.
Skippy Dies
catholic school boys
amuck in a brilliant book
like a brand new joyce
.
Swamplandia!
so much goddamn hype!
the literary darling,
russell disappoints
.
The Informationist
escape fantasy
Stevens is cult escapee
better off memoir
.
By Sean Clark, on March 1st, 2011 Short month, short poems:
.
Saunders is the man
these are funny and quite smart
best when portioned out
.
short story comics
harsh look at postwar Japan
no tentacle rape
.
stamp this a Great Read
Stalinist Russia thriller
well done all around
.
these stories are dense
McElroy writes very well
good luck keeping up
.
Nico’s guess: “cranked-out…schlock”
hardly touches potential
had the ball then dropped
.
fun demon story
evokes kitschy 80s films
narration is great
.
valiant indie book
blends poetry and fiction
has a lot to say
.
By Sean Clark, on February 1st, 2011 Happy haiku day!
.
eds. called in favors?
some stories far outshine peers
lacks maturity
.
great prose, great plotting
alas, there’s not much story
disjointed but good
.
nearly a Great Read
inventive, playful, yet dark
Shane Jones might matter
.
worthy of notice
protagonist really shines
a few plot threads fray
.
short yet powerful
Bolaño is a master
Savage Detectives
.
imaginative
Fowler writes with precision
collection that works
.
reads as if phoned in
please, Quirk, retire mash-ups
nothing new offered
.
poetry great read
won T. S. Eliot Prize
he sticks to his themes
.
month’s lowest scorer
gimmicky in the bad way
no shot at Edgar
.
not a funny book
Martin proves a great writer
a book worth reading
.
fairly unfocused
variety of poems
potential exists
.
By Sean Clark, on December 31st, 2010 Last batch of haiku for this decade. (Or did the decade begin in 2010?)
.
enjoyable book
it’s Gone Baby Gone‘s sequel
recycled; phoned in
.
quite a unique book
voice accomplishes great things
baby talk aggravates
.
Wilder writes with charm
don’t expect anything deep
a quick, pleasant read
.
normally a fan
Nico found this book quite bad
Vachss forgot what works
.
not by a poet
plays with theme, form, and focus
verse flirts with wisdom
.
colonialists?
Bush thinks himself a James Bond
bad book by bad prez
.
urban fantasy
a classic tale for children
good for grown ups too
.
nonfic with some flair
a neuropsych travelogue
Broks penned a Great Read
.
title is a lie
actually quite nuanced
a very quick read
.
fool falls for harlot
another great Nabokov
great plot, characters
.
By Sean Clark, on December 1st, 2010 Still full of turkey? Here’s a helping of dessert-sized reviews.
.
all of this for jeans?
maybe it’s a metaphor?
lacks that certain oomph
.
ooh? secret orders?
better than DaVinci Code
still, bit off too much
.
nine brutal murders
story built from courtroom docs
should’ve dug deeper
.
big in Alaska
half-Eskimo pilot guy
no narrative thread
.
combat is a drug
Junger gets a contact high
one of year’s best books
.
trods not much new ground
coming of age fantasy
genre fans should read
.
Connelly is awful
in a kind of funny way
still, the pages turn
.
debut short fiction
definitely a Great Read
ready for more Gray
.
By Sean Clark, on November 1st, 2010 Trick-or-treat! Here’s some fun sized book reviews:
not what it looked like
it’s a novel of ideas
that’s not exciting
.
a book of smart stuff
neuroscience for laymen
anecdotes intrigued
.
sci-fi/fantasy
post-apocalypse novel
sentient prison?
.
not a mystery
the pacing is the best part
that’s not saying much
.
plotless genre book
didn’t need the wasteland stuff
never finds a spark
.
Bigwig’s a badass
best rabbit book ever done
read it old and young
.
JNR review
lots of swords sheathed in women
Eric: slightly hooked
.
By Sean Clark, on September 30th, 2010 The number was getting old, so now it’s done away with. Here’s this month’s batch of tidily haiku-ed reviews:
.
Jones breaks no new ground
some stories strong, others, eh…
good enough encore
.
book like a painting?
atmospheric? yes. good? no.
Nico no likey
.
experimental
written in email/IM
sounds aggravating
.
by a local guy
not unlike The Giving Tree
but it’s not as good
.
character study
better than Per Petterson’s
it explores regret
.
gripping, harrowing
a crazy biography
did you see the film?
.
two books of poems
Dave did interview Gallo
what’s nostalgician?
.
worth all the flapping
sean read this in two sittings
great but not perfect
.
more of the same here
some things done better, some worse
don’t get psyched for more
.
Nabokov’s first book
carries some Proustian weight
good, but sober, read
.
|
|
