I’m impressed. At 73 pages, this indie novella is expertly constructed and tightly written and boasts a pitch-perfect ending. It isn’t for the faint of heart, though. It contains adult situations and the author himself calls it a “gross little story” (it’s only gross at the end though).
It would make an excellent X-Files episode and is reminiscent of the work of Stephen King (in the best possible sense). Can't wait to see more from Christopher Sweet!
Shy and awkward, Calvin Nickelsimmer has always been the black sheep in the family. All of that changes when Calvin discovers his new passion; creating decadent, almost intoxicating desserts. Nickelsimmer Sweets is born, with an enviable storefront on the trendiest street in Jubilee City.
Calvin's health inspector cousin-in-law Arthur is determined to learn the secret behind Calvin's success. He gets his opportunity to peek behind the scenes when he is assigned to perform the initial inspection of the Nickelsimmer Sweets shop. Putting his career and relationships on the line, Arthur does whatever it takes to discover Calvin's secret. But will…
This book really is a tremendous tour guide through the history of copyright and related subjects. And it’s more than just a history: it also makes a resounding case that we’ve taken the whole idea of copyright too far.
Initially this happened accidentally, in a series of unrelated legal rulings influenced by heavy lobbying, helped along by unfortunate choices of wording in legal judgments. But gradually it dawned on people that there was a lot of money to be made in intellectual property. And by lot, I mean A LOT.
Copyright used to be about protecting authors and their work. Now, it’s about a handful of corporations turning ideas into property and extracting as much money from that property as they possibly can for as long as they can.
The book Who Owns This Sentence will tell you how all that came about.
Copyright is everywhere. Your smartphone incorporates thousands of items of intellectual property. Someone owns the reproduction rights to photographs of your dining table. At this very moment, battles are raging over copyright in the output of artificial intelligence programs. Not only books but wallpaper, computer programs, pop songs, cartoon characters, snapshots, and cuddly toys are now deemed to be intellectual properties-making copyright a labyrinthine construction of laws with colorful and often baffling rationales covering almost all products of human creativity.
It wasn't always so. Copyright has its roots in eighteenth-century London, where it was first established to limit printers' control…
Cherry Whip is an elegantly constructed, superbly written novel about a young Japanese jazz prodigy named Hiroshi who visits New York and immediately falls ill, placing his budding career (and perhaps his entire life) in jeopardy. Executed with precision, compassion, and wit, Cherry Whip kept me turning the pages.
Hiroshi lives and breathes on the page. Neurotic but charming, I enjoyed his company. His misadventures, including a tragic subplot involving his older sister, are compelling and affecting.
Antman writes beautifully on every level: prose, theme, structure, and character.
Cherry Whip is out of print, which is a shame. It's a terrific book that deserves a much wider readership.
The poignant and hilarious tale of a Japanese musician's struggles with genius and illness in a vividly realized New York City.
From the back cover:
From the moment the deeply eccentric Hiroshi, a budding Japanese jazz genius, hits American ground, the ground starts hitting back with everything it's got -- just as he is to begin a high-profile gig that promises to make his career.
Hiroshi's experiences in New York are exhilarating and humiliating, thrilling and traumatic in equal measure. As the quirky, disaster-prone, and language- and music-obsessed artist struggles to recover both emotionally and physically from a paralyzing illness…
Adventures in the Radio Trade documents a life in radio. It's for people who love CBC Radio, those interested in the history of Canadian Broadcasting, and for those who want to hear about close encounters with luminaries like Margaret Atwood, J. Michael Straczynski, Stuart McLean, Joni Mitchell, and more. And it's for people who want to know how to make radio.
Crafted with gentle humour and thoughtfulness, this is more than just a glimpse into the internal workings of CBC Radio. It's also a prose ode to the people and shows that make CBC Radio great.
