Books for People with Short Attention Spans

An alternative summer reading list for the concentration-challenged.

Diet DeLillo, Reduced Roth

Slim volumes from two major American writers make for provocative summer reading.

• by Art Taylor

Truth and Lies

Muriel Spark's darkly funny 16th novel, recently reissued, treats the paradox of truth in fiction.

• by Kim Church

Ghosts of War

Padgett Powell's most recent novel takes a postmodern look at the Civil War and the New South

• by J.M. Lucas

How I Came Into My Inheritance

by Dorothy Gallagher, (Random House, 187 pp., $22.95)

• by Haven Kimmel

The Means of Escape

by Penelope Fitzgerald, (Houghton Mifflin, 117 pp., $18)

• by James Morrison

Take the Cannoli (Stories from the New World)

by Sarah Vowell, (Simon & Schuster, 219 pp., $12)

• by Jennifer Strom

Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture

by Ross King, (Walker & Company; 194 pp., $24)

• by Kate Dobbs Ariail

The Trial of Henry Kissinger

by Christopher Hitchens, (Verso, 159 pp., $22)

• by Jon Elliston

The Forbidden Stories of Marta Veneranda

by Sonia Rivera-Valdés, (Seven Stories Press, 158 pp., $21.95)

• by Ruth Gierisch

History of Shit

by Dominique Laporte, (MIT Press, 160 pp., $20)

This Is Not a Novel

by David Markson, (Counterpoint Press, 188 pp., $15)

• by Matthijs E. Schoots

The Circle, Squared

Iranian director Jafar Panahi's new film is an audacious piece of filmmaking, but its overtly political message seems opportunistic; "Songcatcher" touches on North Carolina's mountains, its folklore and music.

• by Godfrey Cheshire
• Tags: Film Review, Songcatcher, The Circle

Kirsten Does

Kirsten Dunst shines in "crazy/beautiful."

• by Nathan Gelgud
• Tags: Film Review, crazy/beautiful, Kirsten Dunst

Equality I

Turtle totem

• by Chris Clemmons

Equality II

Temporary fixes

• by Meredith Henderson

Porch Quote

Dos Gardenias

Members of the Buena Vista Social Club bring classic Afro-Cuban jazz to the Triangle.

• by Sylvia Pfeiffenberger
• Tags: Music Feature, Buena Vista Social Club, Ruben Gonzalez, Ibrahim Ferrer

Appalachia, Hollywood Style

Although its intentions are good, "Songcatcher" simply doesn't ring true.

• by David Potorti
• Tags: Music Feature, Appalachia

Building on the Edge

How to, and how not to build a contemporary beach house.

• by Frank Harmon
• Tags: Arts Feature, beach houses

Rolling on the River

Durham naturalist "River Dave" Owen guides us down the Eno River.

• by Ristin Cooks
• Tags: Arts Feature, Eno River

Having Faith

A workshop in Durham reveals that for many black church leaders, the question isn't whether to mingle church and schools, but how fast.

• by Bob Geary
• Tags: NEWS: Triangles, church, schools, achievement gap

In dance

In the clubs

Zinestream

The best 'zines to take with you to the beach.

• by John Valentine

In the galleries

Plan 9 from Outer Space

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