Title: Three Guys One Book

When We Fell In Love – Elwood Reid

Published on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:00:39

I first discovered Elwood Reid with his collection of short stories, What Salmon Know. It’s a tight collection of realist fiction from the margins of America. Elwood continues to write books, and recently delivered the fantastic DB, which gives a fictional account of DB Cooper and what a great mystery he really became by jumping out of that plane. The story follows Cooper after the jump and imagines his life had he lived, well, I mean we all know he lived, right? Elwood was one of my fir read more..

When We Fell In Love – Tom Rachman

Published on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:00:57

JR: At this point you’re all hearing about The Imperfectionists, or you should be. You can read my review here. As soon as I heard about Tom Rachman and his brilliant debut I contacted him and he jumped at the chance to contribute to our When We Fell in Love series. I’m thrilled to have Mr. Rachman here on the blog, and hope everyone picks up his novel, it will blow you away. Tom Rachman – When We Fell In Love Books were spectators at my house, lining the walls of every ro read more..

Paul A. Toth – Airplane Novel

Published on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:31:30

JR: Somehow Paul A. Toth and I became Facebook friends, and I don’t know how. At a very insecure moment I sent him a short story to read, and he gave me some great feedback, insightful and on the mark. Paul is a writer who doesn’t seem to do anything else, in fact, I don’t know if he ever leaves his computer. His novel about the World Trade Center, as I like to think of it, sounded more intriguing the longer I thought about it, and I think it will interest you, so here is the read more..

Howard Zinn 1922-2010

Published on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:03:13

JC – I want to take a moment to remember the fine historian Howard Zinn. I’m certain that many readers of 3G1B have read his work over the years, and The People’s History of the United States, among numerous other fine works, was one of the great readable histories of our country, long before Good Will Hunting gave it the legs to reach the masses. I had occasion to spend time with Howard once, many years ago. I was just graduated from college, working in a bookstore (what else, read more..

When We Fell In Love – Keith Dixon

Published on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:00:46

JE: All Keith Dixon does is write some of the tensest, most delectably dark character studies out there, in sentences strung as tight as piano wire. Check out Ghostfires, his 2005 debut, a wicked southern gothic-esque crime thriller, which pits father against son, amidst a sordid web of deceit and addiction. Keith Dixon—The book that made me a reader We had just moved to our house in rural Pennsylvania, which would make me about nine or ten years old, when I stole my brother’s copy of Where read more..

When We Fell In Love – Riley Michael Parker

Published on Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:00:46

JR: I met Riley after I inquired about his book, Our Beloved 26. He had done a reading with Patrick DeWitt, who is a friend of the blog. Riley seemed like a no bullshit guy, which was refreshing, to say the least. Once we started this series of guest posts, When We Fell In Love, I thought he would be perfect for it. -JR RMP: I have lived my life in books, have been an avid reader since my youth, and I have been affected by so many great authors – my behavior and outlook of any given year d read more..

When We Fell In Love – Caitlin Macy

Published on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:00:50

DH: Caitlin Macy’s collection, Spoiled, was one of the most delightful reads that I had last year. I still remember the plots of many of the stories which is a very good sign of how much I enjoyed them. They’re ingenious, early 21st-century stories, about the coastal upper class. There are two ways to consider what the word “spoiled” means. The more obvious meaning is of a character who has had it too good. But my favorite connotation is “spoiled” in the sense read more..

When We Fell In Love – Kyle Beachy

Published on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:00:19

DH: Kyle Beachy’s heartland debut, the coming-of-age novel The Slide, was published by the hyper-selective Dial Press in January of 2009. The Slide takes place in St. Louis and I joined a St. Louis Cardinals fan club while I was reading that book. I’m not even a baseball fan. But I was carried away by The Slide’s uplifting regionalism. Right now, Kyle is gearing up to teach a course in David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest. I was able to catch up with KB between semesters read more..

The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman

Published on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:00:56

Jason Rice: It’s a rare book that makes me want to start it again as soon as I’ve turned the last page.  To say I’ve fallen madly in love with The Imperfectionists is an understatement.  Over the last few weeks this debut novel has surprised and thrilled me, never left my side, and somehow renewed my faith in the daily newspaper.  I’ve even stopped myself from reading this book so I could make it last longer. The Imperfectionists, or the people who I assume to be imperfect, are in fa read more..

When We Fell In Love – Matt Bondurant

Published on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:00:01

JC: Matt Bondurant is the author of two fine novels. His first book, The Third Translation, is the story of a soused cryptologist in the British Museum is a funny and smart romp through the streets of London, and made me think of Harry Crews writing with an English accent. His most recent novel, The Wettest County in the World, is recently out in paperback. It’s the Depression-era story of the Bondurant family, bootleggers in Franklin County, VA, as revealed through the three brothers pers read more..