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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."

A first-quarter tally of best albums of 2009

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posted Mon, 04/06/09
It's early. A lot of year to go, and lots of albums still unheard (Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, Green Day, Wilco . . .). But this is what I've been listening to so far in 2009:

1. Dan Auerbach, Keep It Hid. The Black Keys guitarist/vocalist offers a little variety, to awesome effect.
2. J.J. Cale, Roll On. This old dude — best known as Eric Clapton's songwriter and collaborator — is really catchy and good.
3. Bruce Springsteen, Working on a Dream. Not great Bruce but very good Bruce.
4. Heartless Bastards, The Mountain. Love the stripped-down sound and the female singer's rich voice.
5. The Decemberists, The Hazards of Love. This progressive art rock album grows on me each time I listen to it. May ultimately rise in rankings.
6. U2, No Line on the Horizon. Some very good songs, some not-so-good songs. Overall: glad to have it.
7. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Self-titled. After his great first solo album, I had very high hopes for this one. It isn't awesome.
8. The Soundtrack of Their Lives, Communion. If two discs had been culled to one, this could have been a huge hit this year.
9. Justin Townes Earle, Midnight at the Movies. I have high hopes for Steve Earle's son but his second album is just okay.
10. The Derek Trucks Band, Already Free. This had all the makings of a classic, but it doesn't get there. We need more Derek Trucks guitar and less of the other stuff that dominates this album.
11. North Mississippi Allstars, Do It Like We Used to Do (live). Man, I thought this could become my favorite album for a good while, but again, it doesn't deliver on its promise. Two okay discs could have been trimmed to make one great one.

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