sharp teeth (book of the month)

[lovejuice]

so this month is meg's.

"Sharp Teeth" by Toby Barlow (http://www.amazon.com/Sharp-Teeth-Toby-Barlow/dp/0061430226/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204076122&sr=1-1)


I wanted to pick something that reflected my personality a bit, but also something that's different and a bit wacky - something most of us wouldn't have read if it weren't for this.

"Sharp Teeth" is a darkly comic werewolf tale, all told through poetry. Don't worry, it's nothing complicated or hard to understand - it's pretty much normal prose, but arranged into stanzas which give it a sense of rhythm.

Hope everyone enjoys it.

[D_Davis]

This sounds cool.

I think I'll pick it up today.

[Benny Profane]

Who decides all these book of the month dealies. Is there another thread that I'm missing or is all done via PM.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Who decides all these book of the month dealies. Is there another thread that I'm missing or is all done via PM.

Just request to do next month. lovejuice is the man with the plan, so he'll have to give the okay.

[Benny Profane]

OK I request to do next month.

[Kurosawa Fan]

OK I request to do next month.

:P

He'll respond eventually.

[lovejuice]

OK I request to do next month.

alrighty. around the end of march i'll use my psychic power to read your mind and decide which book you pick. have been doing that with qrazy, kf, and meg, and so far no one has complained.

as a side note, my original plan is to fill in for april and force myself to read ham on rye. :P

[Benny Profane]

alrighty. around the end of march i'll use my psychic power to read your mind and decide which book you pick. have been doing that with qrazy, kf, and meg, and so far no one has complained.



So do I get to pick the book or what. You lost me.

[lovejuice]

So do I get to pick the book or what. You lost me.

of course. i'm just messing with you. :P i'll pm you at the end of march.

[Benny Profane]

of course. i'm just messing with you. :P i'll pm you at the end of march.

*bow*

thank ye.

[megladon8]

Jeez, I really hope people enjoy this. I'm getting a bit nervous now. I just thought it looked like something totally funky and offbeat that would mix things up a bit.

[D_Davis]

I started it tonight.

It's different.

Whenever an author goes for something different, I try to figure out if there is a reason beyond a simple gimmick.

So far, I haven't been able to determine this.

I am, however, only about 20 pages in.

[D_Davis]

This book is pretty good so far.

At first, I was wondering if the free verse served a purpose, or if it was simply a gimmick.

But then I realized that this is a very cynical approach to the issue, and I am not a cynic.

It's probably just an example of an author wanting to have fun, to experiment with words, and try something different.

There is nothing wrong with this.

My only real complaint is that I think there are too many names to keep track of, and that many of these characters seem to die without a moment's notice, it's as if the names are nothing more than anonymous pronouns.

[megladon8]

I began reading this last night, and I agree with you, D - I don't know that there's a "higher purpose" to the free verse style, other than giving it a nice rhythm.

I'm really enjoying it, though. It's certainly very entertaining so far.

[D_Davis]

I keep going back and forth on this.

Sometimes I like it, and sometimes I don't.

There really are far too many names to keep track of, and, even after more than 100 pages, I'm still not sure of the plot.

But at other times, a particular passage will strike me, or the atmosphere will shine through and I will dig it.

I guess you could say I am liking it on a micro level, but on a macro level it is leaving me cold.

[megladon8]

I'm feeling about the same as you, D.

There really are a lot of character names to remember - a tree or name-web page at the beginning/end of the book would have been helpful.

However, when the book is good, it's really freaking good. There are some incredible, visceral passages in there.

So far I'd probably mark it up as an interesting failure - I give props to Marlow for trying to mix things up, and provide readers with something unique. It may not work out perfectly in the end, but it's certainly something which I am glad to be reading.

[D_Davis]

I'm struggling with this.

Too many characters!

About 1/2 through, Barlow introduces three more characters...

In an interview I recently listened to, Barlow says that Sharp Teeth is the song of the dogcatcher. Now that sounds awesome. Too bad the dogcatcher gets lost in a sea of names...I can't even remember the last time Anthony has done anything of any significance.

It's too bad, to, because sometimes, this is really, really good.

But I am feeling my interest waining...

[megladon8]

So...

I'm really sorry to anyone who bought this and found it to be a huge disappointment.

I actually had to put it down and move on to something else.

I'll come back to it eventually, but yeh...sorry guys.

[D_Davis]

No need to apologize.

We took a chance, big deal.

I can't say that I hated my time with it, it just didn't capture me.

There are two main problems:

1. Too many characters.
2. Not enough time spent on the main character and the main plot

It feels like a collection of scenes, and not a cohesive story.

[lovejuice]

So...

I'm really sorry to anyone who bought this and found it to be a huge disappointment.

I actually had to put it down and move on to something else.

I'll come back to it eventually, but yeh...sorry guys.

you're honest enough to come out with it, and actually save me $22, so no need at all to apologize. :P

[megladon8]

I know it was a "chance" thing, I just feel that I picked a fairly high-risk book to begin with.

I just felt the need to apologize to anyone who plunked down a large sum (since it is a hardcover-only book right now) and was as disappointed with it as I was.

But hey, I guess that's half the thrill of the book club thing - there's always the chance that the book will suck, which makes the great ones seem all the sweeter.

[Kurosawa Fan]

The high price was the reason I didn't purchase it, but no need to apologize. Guess I won't read this at a later date.

[Winston*]

Forgot to post that I read this book back in March for this book club thing. Didn't like it much.