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It's hard to recommend poetry. People enjoy poetry in the same way they enjoy music. It really is completely subjective. I'm finding it hard to say exactly why I find Sylvia Plath's poetry so wowing. The same things that make my jaw drop or give me pause may just make you go "Meh" or simply puzzle you. I dunno. Anyway, let me say just a couple of things and then I'll just leave it.

Her earlier poems are very carefully crafted and draw heavily upon mythology. Not to say they aren't good, but they lack a certain spontaneity. Her later poems, especially the poems that she wrote shortly before her suicide pack a wallop. Not a word is wasted. The images conjured and instant weight they pack is like a literary right hook. People just don't write like that anymore. Just like some can't tell time unless they use digital watches. (via amazon.com)

Updated Jan 4, 2009

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This Symbiotic Fascination: Charlee Jacob

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Possibly the most horrific vampire novel I have ever read --- I could not put it down. Welcome to the world of Charlee Jacob. She makes Stephen King look like Mary Poppins. In this book you will sample cannibalism, murder, torture, dismemberment, disfigurement, suicide, and coprophagy. I'm not kidding. Practically every page is filled with over-the-top, super-descriptive disgusting mayhem, but it is fascinating! I won't ruin it by telling you any of plot, but if you have the stomach for gore, I highly recommend it. (via amazon.com)

Updated Jan 2, 2009

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Charlee Jacob
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Parasite Rex Book

2 people recommended this item

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I have always had an interest in parasites. The ones that can dwell within, as well as the nasty ones that feed externally (i.e., mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, etc.) This book will tell you everything you want to know and NEVER wanted to know about how dangerous they truly are. Once you pick up this book, unless you just have a weak constitution, you won't be able to put it down. It's fascinating, frightening and an education in the bizarre.

Updated Dec 25, 2008

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The Best of Radiohead DVD

4 people recommended this item

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I almost hated to buy this DVD because it was put out by Radiohead's former bigwig record company, and I'm pretty sure they're against it for that reason. However, being a huge fan, I gave in a bought on Half.com hoping that somehow that profits would be filtered.

Anyway, the great the about watching this DVD is getting to visually follow the evolution of the band. The songs and videos get more complex, and I think better as the band progressed and eventually outgrew their record company and it's ideas.

I mean, some of the video concepts are more appealing to me than others, but there is a huge difference between "Anyone Can Play Guitar" and "Fake Plastic Trees" in terms of breadth and depth.

Among my favorites on this disc are: "Fake Plastic Trees", "Just", "Street Spirit", "Karma Police" and "No Surprises".

Updated Dec 15, 2008

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Beware of God: Stories by Shalom Auslander

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I became interested in reading this collection after listening to one of them on NPR's "This American Life", in which God appears as a large chicken. This may or may not be what you think. In any event, the satirical story was absolutely hilarious and clever. After the story was over, I was dying to hear more and ordered this book used on half.com.

The author was raised a Hessitic Jew and pulls no punches in this book. He isn't aiming at religious hypocrisy, but at sacred cows and the Almighty Himself. God also suffers migraines and stalks a modern-day prophet among other things in this book. It just gets better. Some of it was borderline cheesey, but Auslander manages to pull it all together in each of these potent and pointed works. (via amazon.com)

Updated Dec 11, 2008

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Young's Double Chocolate Stout

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4 people recommended this item

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Young's Double Chocolate Stout is the dessert version of a Guinness! Dark and rich in chocolate flavor. A true guilty pleasure for the beer and chocolate lover.

Commonly available in cans.

Updated Mar 3, 2007

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Lomography 3.0 LOMOLITOS Disposable Cameras

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2 people recommended this item

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Buy four and these snazzy disposable cameras are only $10 each!

Updated Dec 2, 2008

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Violator: Depeche Mode

4 people recommended this item

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This is my favorite Depeche Mode album of all time. I listened to it straight through and was hooked. It's a majestic album that is a departure from their previous pursuits and explores new aural worlds.

The album contains three massive MTV hits, the unusually guitar-oriented "Personal Jesus," the more typical but still obtuse "Enjoy the Silence," and the off-kilter and emphatic "Policy of Truth." Martin Gore's songs explore his usual themes of sex ("Blue Dress"), redemption ("Clean"), and desperation ("Waiting for the Night"), but the arrangements are more detailed and lush than on the band's spartan early albums; it's a new style that suits Dave Gahan's deepening voice well. VIOLATOR's commercial success may have brought turmoil to Depeche Mode's career and lives, but it remains one of the band's finest and (unlikely enough) truest albums. With VIOLATOR, the band pulls off the not unremarkable feat of becoming a household name without losing much of its soul.

Updated Nov 30, 2008

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Oldboy

6 people recommended this item

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It's been a few years since I saw this flick, but it left an indelible impression. It has also been on my DVD wish list ever since. There are many of my favorite elements in a film: revenge, over-the-top violence, excellent acting, unexpected plot twists and an f'd up anti-hero. There is also a very notable action/fight scene with a hammer, that is not to be missed.

I'm very picky about what I put into my DVD collection, so it isn't vast. However, I am saving a special place for 'Oldboy'.

Updated Nov 25, 2008