Category Archives: Books

The Best Books I’ve Read Since 2008

Posted on December 21, 2015 by fromabrooklynbasement

December is the time of the year for listmaking: All the critics name their best movies, songs, sandwiches, whatever, from the previous year. And since y’all know how much I love lists, I don’t want to get left out! Hell, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Welcome to Dubs Nation

Posted on November 15, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

The Golden State Warriors have been pretty much unanimously touted as the NBA’s most entertaining team so far this season. Last night’s epic 116-115 win over the Seattle Sonics Oklahoma City Thunder confirmed this, but before I talk about the … Continue reading →

Posted in Basketball, Books, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Taipei by Tao Lin

Posted on August 7, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

I can’t remember a work of fiction in the last couple of years that’s been greeted with a more deeply divided response than Tao Lin’s newest novel, Taipei. The novel received a rave review in the Times, but also was … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

An Indie Press Worth Your Time: Sunnyoutside

Posted on July 18, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

As I wrote recently, there’s a whole boatload of small, independent presses out there putting out great literature. These presses have become the backbone of the literary community and the home of most of the really interesting work being written … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Writing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Top 25 American Novels

Posted on July 17, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

If you’ve read this blog at all, you know that, like most people, I love lists. They’re silly and arbitrary, sure, but they give us a great excuse to debate with our friends about the things we love. One such … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Writing | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Ghosts of New York: Max’s Kansas City and the Fillmore East

Posted on July 3, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

I’ve long described New York as being like the girl you’re desperately in love with who doesn’t even know your name. It’s not personal; New York doesn’t stop for anyone, doesn’t care what anyone’s name is. It’s a place that … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

One of My Favorite Places: City Lights Bookstore and Vesuvio Cafe

Posted on June 25, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

Let me tell you about my favorite way to spend an afternoon in San Francisco: I walk up the easy slope of Columbus Ave, starting at the base of the Transamerica Pyramid, passing the copper green flatiron building owned by … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Drinks, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

An Indie Press Worth Your Time: Short Flight/Long Drive

Posted on June 18, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

There has been a lot of fretting in the last few years about the death of the novel, the death of the book. I’ve certainly had my own share of worries about this, given the way the major presses have … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Movie Review: On the Road

Posted on April 24, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

I’ve always loved Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. Most of the reasons for this should be fairly obvious: I’m an aspiring writer (is there any other kind?); I’ve bounced back and forth between New York and San Francisco several times, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Movies, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gone to Look for America: An Epic Road Trip (Part 5)

Posted on March 25, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

Previous Posts: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Day 9: The Hangover Ash Wednesday could easily have been one of those days I just stayed in bed and slept all day. Unfortunately, checkout was at noon and I … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Music, Road Trip, Travel | 1 Comment