GEOFF SCHUMACHER'S LAS VEGAS

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Schumacher Literary Hall of Fame

Here is a list of fiction writers who are among my personal favorites (with a representative book listed alongside). These are not the usual suspects, but some of the lesser-known writers I like. Richard Yates, "Revolutionary Road"; John Fante, "Ask the Dust"; Nelson Algren, "The Man with the Golden Arm"; Frederick Exley, "A Fan's Notes"; Charles Portis, "The Dog of the South"; John Williams, "Stoner"; Patrick Hamilton, "Hangover Square"; Richard Russo, "Empire Falls"; Richard Ford, "The Sportswriter"; Don DeLillo, "White Noise"; Jim Harrison, "True North"; Raymond Carver, "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?"; Willy Vlautin, "The Motel Life"; Michael Chabon, "The Wonder Boys"; Ian McEwan, "Atonement"; Colson Whitehead, "John Henry Days"; Orhan Pamuk, "Snow"; Junot Diaz, "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao"; Avram Davidson, "Vergil in Averno"

Recent reading: recommended fiction

The Secret of Lost Things (2006), Sheridan Hay; Absurdistan (2006), Gary Shteyngart; Five Skies (2007), Ron Carlson; Citizen Vince (2005), Jess Walter; On Chesil Beach (2007), Ian McEwan; We're in Trouble (2005), Christopher Coake; Returning to Earth (2007), Jim Harrison; The Lay of the Land (2006), Richard Ford

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Geoff Schumacher

What's a dogsbody?

It's British slang for "a worker who has to do all the unpleasant or boring jobs that no one else wants to do."

May 2005



Gitmo?

Tue, 05/31/05 4:00 P GMT-08
How do headline writers get "Gitmo" from Guantanamo Bay? Probably some military slang, but it seems like a stretch to use in the mainstream press. Hey, can we go back to calling legislators "solons" and basketball players "cagers"?
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New music

Fri, 05/27/05 8:04 P GMT-08
I've picked up several new CDs lately, based primarily on positive reviews. I haven't been overwhelmed by some of them, though. Here's a rundown: Very good: Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, Weezer, Antigone Rising. All of these are better than I thou
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TV potpourri day

Thu, 05/26/05 7:10 A GMT-08
"American Idol" results: You knew it was going to be close between Carrie and Bo, and you kinda knew Carrie was going to win. Which is fine, because she looks and sounds more like an "American Idol." Bo is very different from the image the show wants
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Las Vegas in 10 years

Tue, 05/24/05 7:05 A GMT-08
Probably the most interesting thing about Las Vegas is that it is constantly changing. I was going to say "evolving" but that might be too ambitious a word for what is happening. Las Vegas is expanding and always under construction, and that means ne
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Star Wars III

Mon, 05/23/05 6:51 A GMT-08
What's interesting to me is how horrible this movie is and yet it remains entertaining. It really is badly done — ridiculous dialogue, crudely constructed plot, Saturday morning cartoon-quality characters. It's Power Rangers with a special effects
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When you know something's changed

Fri, 05/20/05 6:24 A GMT-08
You know you are entering middle age or whatever when you seek out Dusty Springfield's "Dusty in Memphis" CD and listen to it avidly for several days straight, finding that you enjoy what can only be described as a classic "adult contemporary" sound.
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Kingdom of Heaven

Mon, 05/16/05 7:21 A GMT-08
Saw it yesterday. Pretty good movie overall. The big battle scene is shockingly similar to the Helms Deep battle in "Lord of the Rings," but fewer orcs and no wizardry (and Orlando Bloom in the role of Aragorn, not an elf). Liam Neeson is riveting as

Neil Peart: writer

Sun, 05/15/05 8:39 A GMT-08
I just finished Neil Peart's latest book, "Traveling Music," and it wasn't nearly as bad as you might expect from the Rush drummer and lyricist. "Traveling Music" is a combination of travel, memoir and music appreciation, and the combination works fo

Pieces of genius

Mon, 05/09/05 9:30 A GMT-08
In the annals of television history, has there ever been a show as consistently funny for as long as "The Simpsons"? Last night, there was a new episode satirizing apocalyptic culture, such as those "Left Behind" books. Homer, naturally, has a vis
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The Nevada Adventure

Fri, 05/06/05 6:51 A GMT-08
Soon I will embark on some travels around the state of Nevada doing research for my second book. I'm definitely going to Elko this summer, and probably the Reno area sometime in the fall (around football season naturally). This should be fairly fun,
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Downtown restaurants

Wed, 05/04/05 6:42 A GMT-08
Why the hell not? Here are some of the places I eat near my work in downtown Las Vegas: 1. El Sombrero: Old hole-in-the-wall Mexican place on Main north of Charleston. 2. Casa Don Juan: Newer Mexican place on Main south of Charleston. 3. Bagel B
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The slow death of daily newspapers

Tue, 05/03/05 7:28 A GMT-08
The Newspaper Association of America reported yesterday that average daily newspaper circulation declined 1.9 percent over the past six months. Sunday circulation dropped more: 2.5 percent. Scarborough Research echoes this trend, noting that fewer pe

Celebrities

Mon, 05/02/05 7:51 A GMT-08
Took a stroll through Wynn Las Vegas on Saturday morning with friend/colleague Scott Dickensheets. We'll both have articles on the place later this week, so no need to repeat what will be said there. But here's what I didn't put in my piece: 1. Gl