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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."

July 2008



My view today: The Packers are nuts

Sun, 07/27/08 8:15 P GMT-08
Green Bay Packers training camp starts tomorrow. Packers execs told Brett Favre this weekend that they don't want him to show up just yet. The point, it seems, is they're trying to work out a trade with either the Jets or the Buccaneers, thus

‘Phantom’ is well done but . . .

Sat, 07/12/08 6:37 P GMT-08
For reasons I can't readily explain, I'm not much of a theater person. I love the movies, but theater, no matter how well done, rarely leaves me breathless as it does many other people. That said, I have great respect for the talented writers
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‘Hancock' is novel and funny

Tue, 07/08/08 10:21 P GMT-08
The oddest entrant in the summer superhero movie sweepstakes is "Hancock," but it's also one of the best. Starring Will Smith, "Hancock" is the story of a reluctant superhero who tends to make a hell of a mess each time he fig