New Review at CS2

I have a new review of The Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde available at CommonSense2.com:
http://commonsense2.com/2011/09/book-reviews/the-complete-fairy-tales-of-oscar-wilde/
JPC

New Piece in CS2

My new review of Patti Smith's Just Kids and Judy Linn's Patti Smith 1969-1976 has just been published by CommonSense2.com. It is available here:

http://commonsense2.com/2011/08/book-reviews/just-kids-by-patti-smith-and-patti-smith-1969-1976-by-judy-linn/

JPC

New Review @ CS2.com

I'm happy to inform you of my new review at CS2 of Simon Winchester's recently published book "The Alice Behind Wonderland." You'll find a link to it here:
http://commonsense2.com/2011/07/book-reviews/the-alice-behind-wonderland-by-simon-winchester/

New Review

I'm happy to say that CS2 is back up and running. My first new review is Hallucinating Foucault by Patricia Dunker (1996).

Link to the Review:
http://commonsense2.com/2011/06/book-reviews/hallucinating-foucault/

More to come soon

J.

Last Update from CS2

A review of Steve Martin's novel The Pleasure of my Company:
http://commonsense2.com/2010/12/book-reviews/the-pleasure-of-my-company-by-steve-martin/
This will be the last review I will write for CommonSense2.com as the magazine is, unfortunately, shutting down. I would like to thank my friend Chuck Brown for giving me the opportunity to work as a reviewer for him, and hope that we can get together again real soon.

JPC

New Reviews

The first of the month means new publications at CommonSense2.com:

A review of Wild Nights by Joyce Carol Oates (Just in time for Halloween)
http://commonsense2.com/2010/10/book-reviews/wild-nights-by-joyce-carol-oates/

and
A review of In Rough Country also by Joyce Carol Oates
http://commonsense2.com/2010/10/book-reviews/in-rough-country-by-joyce-carol-oates/

JPC

New Reviews

In my newest pieces at CommonSense2.com, I review:

Helen DeWitt's The Last Samurai
http://commonsense2.com/2010/08/book-reviews/the-last-samurai-by-helen-dewitt/

The Book of Imaginary Beings by Jorge Luis Borges
http://commonsense2.com/2010/08/book-reviews/the-book-of-imaginary-beings-by-jorge-luis-borges/

and

Bech at Bay by John Updike, the final Bech book:
http://commonsense2.com/2010/08/book-reviews/bech-at-bay-by-john-updike/

JPC

Favorite Borges

Found this little number tucked away in my stacks; will review it in the new issue of CS2

JPC

New to Review

"Nox" by Anne Carson

My Next Reviews

JPC

Two New Pieces in CommonSense2.com

This month I have two new pieces in CommonSense2.com.

The first is a review of Alice Walker's poetry collection A Poem Travelled Down My Arm:
http://commonsense2.com/2010/07/book-reviews/a-poem-traveled-down-my-arm-by-alice-walker/
Alice Walker and I have had a troubled history (my review of her collection Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth is the only 100% negative review I have ever given), and so I found myself surprised when I enjoyed the new collection of poems. Indeed, I have great respect for Walker's recent work, which seems to be a return to form after a dry spell.

The second piece is titled "The McLaughlin Group (with Monica?)":
http://commonsense2.com/2010/07/cultural-criticism/the-mclaughlin-group-with-monica/
In which I attempt to figure out what Monica Crowley was put on the McLaughlin round table and beg Tony Blankley to come back.

JPC

New Projects

Working on a few new things which require my full attention and so I may be posting intermittently for a while. Having very little time what with running around, yet I shall have two new pieces in CommonSense2.com in the next issue and I am also planning four new pieces for the one after that, a double issue.

I'm looking into new things, new possibilities of publishing. I realize that I cannot keep publishing in just one place--I must expand my range as I writer.

As such, I may be coming and going. But, never fear, if I find something interesting, I'll let you know. I'll also keep posting links to new pieces when they appear.

JPC

New Review: Bech Is Back by John Updike

This is my review of John Updike's "Bech is Back", part two of the Henry Bech series and part three (or four, I haven't decided yet) of my series of Bech reviews.

http://commonsense2.com/2010/06/book-reviews/bech-is-back-by-john-updike/

JPC

My Best

I'm going to include here links to my favorite pieces of work that I've written for CommonSense2.com.



I've been writing for CS2.com since 2008 and it is my favorite place to write. The founder of the magazine, Chuck Brown, used to own a bookstore in Kutztown until he had to move out last year. Chuck Brown gave me my first ever job in the literary world and I will be forever grateful to him.



A short review of Cormac McCarthy's most recent play The Sunset Limited which I gave the subtitle "Est Cormac McCarthy En Attendant Godot?" http://commonsense2.com/2008/06/book-reviews/a-slow-train-comin%e2%80%99-the-sunset-limited-by-cormac-mccarthy/



A review of Gore Vidal's bestselling sin-sation Myra Breckenridge

http://commonsense2.com/2008/08/book-reviews/myra-breckenridge-by-gore-vidal/



Joyce Carol Oates' Beasts in the October 2008 issue (just in time for Halloween)

http://commonsense2.com/2008/10/book-reviews/beasts-by-joyce-carol-oates/

My Obituary for John Updike, titled "Writer at Rest":

http://commonsense2.com/2009/02/book-reviews/john-updike-writer-at-rest/

"With Love, From E. E. Cummings", my true story of love, loss and modern poetry

http://commonsense2.com/2009/06/essays/with-love-from-e-e-cummings/

And my favorite commentary, "Walt Whitman and the Mad Men"

http://commonsense2.com/2009/12/cultural-criticism/walt-whitman-and-the-mad-men/

JPC.

New Review

Here is my new review at CommonSense2.com, published on May 1st, 2010.

http://commonsense2.com/2010/05/book-reviews/the-professor-and-the-madman-by-simon-winchester/

It is a review of "The Professor and the Madman" by Simon Winchester, all about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary.

JPC