THE ECSTASY OF INFLUENCE, by Jonathan Lethem

A must-read for any hard-core Lethem fan (like me), I found this collection (basically a hodgepodge of individual critical works, ruminations and short fictional pieces) fascinating and enjoyable in the extreme. Having attended a lecture by Lethem in Singapore in November 2014 at which he spoke on  incorporating popular culture into his novels, reading Ecstasy was like a long footnote to his comments on that day. To say that his book's content was wide-ranging would be an absurd understatement yet it all somehow fits together as a statement of Lethem's aesthetic and political orientation. Much of it is very personal, and indeed, his statements about cultural artifacts (e.g., James Brown, Norman Mailer, Philip K. Dick, Bob Dylan, superheros, abstract expressionist painting, etc.) construct a mental universe that is fascinating and enlightening. Highly recommended reading.

For a review of the book by the NY Times, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/09/books/jonathan-lethems-ecstasy-of-influence-review.html?_r=0

MAP OF TULSA, by Benjamin Lytel

Map of Tulsa is the first novel by American writer Benjamin Lytal. It's a story of a young man who escaped a bored adolescence in Tulsa, Oklahoma for an intellectually vibrant student life in NYC and later returns to have a relationship with the unattainable girl he admired as a youth. He also comes to terms with his love/hate relationship with his hometown. The plot plays out both expectantly and surprisingly, and it's a strong, vivid story that is, while not absolutely routine, uses routine elements (girl, hometown, coming of age) well.

For a review of the book from NY Times, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/21/books/review/a-map-of-tulsa-by-benjamin-lytal.html