The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

This is a classic example of a Southern gothic novel. John Singer, a deaf and mute man whose closest friend is sent to a mental hospital, becomes a confidant for various outcasts--a lonely teenage girl, an alcoholic socialist, a black doctor who is estranged from his family--in a 1930s Georgia mill town. Each one seems to believe that Singer understands them as they pour their hearts out to him. He may be a good listener but he really cares only for one man, his hospitalized friend. It's been years since I read this but I still remember how dark and depressing yet powerful this novel is.

I bought this copy for about a dollar or two from one of those tables that are always set up near NYU. They always have the best stuff for next to nothing!

Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick

After Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (and who doesn't start with that one), this is the first novel by Philip K. Dick that I read. I think I picked it at random because I liked the title. The book takes place in an alternate, dystopian 1988 (the future at the time of writing), in which a pop star loses his identity overnight: his friends and lovers don't remember him and no one has ever heard of his music or TV show. It is as if he's never existed. The world has become a police state after the "Second Civil War," and everyone must carry ID cards or be sent into a forced labor camp.

This is one of Dick's better novels, though not my favorite that I've read (that would probably be Ubik). I've gotta say though, I really wish they'd repackage his entire line. They could do so much better.

Strange Pilgrims by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

This book of short stories is one of my favorites by Marquez, the legendary Colombian writer of magical realism. Each of the stories touches on the theme of displacement, the strangeness of life in a foreign land. The two that stand out the most in my memory are "I Only Came to Use the Phone" and "The Trail of Your Blood in the Snow." In the former, a woman's car breaks down and she hitches a ride on a bus to try to find a phone. The bus is on its way to a mental hospital and in a terrifying series of events she is mistakenly admitted as a patient. In the latter story, a woman pricks her finger on a rose thorn and she inexplicably bleeds from her finger for days as she and her new husband drive to France on their honeymoon. She is admitted to a hospital where visitation is only allowed on day a week, so her husband must spend an exasperating week, without any knowledge of her condition, before he can see her again. In both stories the characters are thrust into a situation beyond their control, and the result is maddening, for both them and the reader.

How to Make Books by Esther K. Smith

Every time I flip through this book, I'm inspired to try all of the projects contained within. Accordion books, cake box books, coptic binding--the list goes on.

The design of the actual book is pretty great: raw bookboard, the spine covered with yellow cloth tape, the title embossed to look like it was done with a letterpress.

I love the letterpress design motif used throughout. Above is a section of the opening pages of the book.

The projects range in complexity--and really, the individual styles of books themselves can be pushed and played with to various degrees. Above are the steps to making the simplest one--the instant book, perfect for zines, or a one-off book on the fly. Even the design of an instant book can vary from a simple folded sheet of paper to some really interesting designs with extra cuts and folds. The possibilities are seemingly endless.

There are some really great examples pictured to illustrate the many directions you can take these book designs--they really provide some valuable inspiration and stepping off points.

I took a bookmaking class in college so I have a bit of a background in it but I never made anything as awesome as what's pictured here. Just looking at them makes me want to grab a piece of paper and start folding and cutting and drawing and gluing.

The Holy Terrors by Jean Cocteau

This disturbing novel from French surrealist Jean Cocteau concerns two siblings who isolate themselves from the world as they grow up, out of touch with reality, enveloping themselves in the fantasy world they've created for themselves. But as they grow older, the fantasy is shattered when they try to involve others in their secret games.

The book is illustrated with 20 drawings by Cocteau.

My New York Diary by Julie Doucet

Graphic novelist Juliet Doucet tells the story of her six-month stint as a New Yorker in the early 90s. Her grotesque and artfully cluttered drawing style make her one of my favorite comic artists.

I also love how brutally honest she is, unafraid of portraying herself at her most vulnerable, unashamedly revealing her darkest secrets.

Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon

I read about 200 pages of this book before it occurred to me that I had no idea what was going on. So I started over, making sure to concentrate a little more--sometimes reading on the train can be distracting--and I loved it. I can't claim to have followed every single one of the many subplots and digressions, but overall I thought it was hilarious and brilliant. Pynchon is the best at naming his characters: Tyrone Slothrup, Ronald Cherrycoke, Tantivy Mucker-Maffick, and about 400 more. Definitely one to re-read some day.


This edition is another one of Penguin's "Deluxe Classics," with cover art drawn by Frank Miller. (the above is one of the flaps). It's not my favorite overall design in the series but I do like the front cover.