Andy Kaufman, the Rooster, and more

First, a Story: Rubies

Something lovely and strange from Maria Mutch on Necessary Fiction. I love the constant allusions to cuts with little pain, the lightly addressed second person, how multitudes of the narrator's life are hidden but present, a larger world seen only through the distorting and selective glass of these assorted vignettes.

The Rooster is here, the Rooster is here!

And now the real awards season begins with the announcement of the 2014 Tournament of Books, from The Morning News. And despite a year of training, of reading more new releases than in any previous year, I have read only two of the nominated books. Two! They were: Life after Life, by Kate Atkinson, and A Tale for the Time Being, by Ruth Ozeki. Both were wonderful, by the way. I will have more to say on this later.

Looking ahead

If December's for looking back, January is for looking ahead. In that vein, The Millions has posted their most anticipated literary books of the year. BookRiot has posted their 60 most anticipated YA books. 

non-fiction: Andy Kaufman

I used to watch Andy Kaurman when I was a kid. Watched may be the wrong word: I observed him, looking for clues to his human-ness, what lay underneath the strangeness of his persona. So I read with interest Margaret McCullen's very Andy Kaufman story on The Morning News, about the time she wrestled Andy Kaufman and how they became strange friends. Also appearing is Blondie, and a young cub reporter's favorite dress.

Sometimes in real life you get to know someone, a strange someone, and you keep waiting for the nervous persona to drop so you can meet the real person. And it's sad to realize that sometimes there is no person under the persona, that they're touched in some strange other-worldly way. It's just as sad when this happens to one of your childhood icons. But also it's beautiful in its own way.

Here's Andy spending time building a persona, on David Letterman's short-lived morning show.