ENTERTAINMENT

| Visiting Mrs. Nabokov and

Other Excursions

By Martin Amis BY DANA DENNIS

THIS BEING THE SECOND COLLECTION of essays by Martin Amis, one would expect a loss in the entertainment value of this collection as compared to the first. Luckily for myselfand you other potential critics, Visiting Mrs Nabokov and Other Excursions is a very amusing and entertaining publication.

Having lived a distinguished and eventful life, Martin Amis draws from a wealth of experience and knowledge to write on topics ranging from modern sex to nuclear obliteration to women’s tennis. Visiting Mrs Nabokov and Other Excursions also features interviews with Salman Rushdie, Madonna, John Lennon and yes, you guessed it: Mrs Nabokov.

This book is recommended reading for all, the main reason being its wide range of topics and a lesser reason being the readability of Martin Amis’ writing. Enjoy.

The Internet

Directory

By Eric Braun

BY BRUCE DAVISON “THE INTERNET IS THE COLLECTION of information services available on the interconnected computer network that connects the globe.” This concise definition is perhaps one of the best features of Eric

Braun's overwhelmingly useful (and at over seven hundred pages, overwhelmingly big) book, The Internet Directory (Fawcett Columbine, 1994).

Braun’s book is intended to serve as a resource for Internet users. It contains a brief introductory section on Internet concepts and definitions. A section on “Netiquette” or Internet etiquette follows. The book then, as might be expected from its title, presents chapters that are directories on the various services available through the wonder of wonders that is the Internet. These include E- mail mailing lists, Usernet Newsgroups, Internet-accessible library catalogues (like the Robertson Library), FTP (File Transfer Protocol) sites, gopher servers, electronic serials, electronic text documents, World Wide Web, Wide Area Information Server, and others. Don’t be dismayed if these terms are new to you, but try and find out what some of them are. The Internet is not coming, it has arrived.

The Internet Directory's chapters list different computers or services that are Internet accessible. The software, information, or news available on each service or on each computer is briefly described and its exact address is given. As a resource for looking up what is available, this book is a very useful tool(although news, services, and other residents of the Internet are increasing daily). If you want to find out where around the globe you can get information and software on anything from molecular biology to the muppets, UNIX to kite flying, Ren and Stimpy to current events in Bosnia on the Internet, then this book willat least steer you in the right direction.

As exhaustive as The Internet Directory's

listings are, though, if you're like myselfandnot -

really knowledgeable of Internet terms then it might be better to start with a more general guideto the Internet, its concepts and features. The Robertson Library has two such books.

They are: The Whole Internet User's Guide and Catalogue and Zen and the Art of the Internet. Both books can be found in the Library's reference section (which unfortunately means that they can’t be signed out). ;

COMING NEXT ISSUE: How to access various aspects of the Internet on and off campus, and some of the things you can do with it.

Lasher

By Anne Rice BY C.A. SCHNEIDER

ANNE RICE’S LATEST BOOK, LASHER IS A masterpiece of texture and character; unfortunately, it is sorely lacking in storyline. Lasher is the continuation of the Mayfair family epic, as begun in The Witching Hour. The book explores further the history of the Mayfair family and their connection with a mysterious spirit who serves them (when it wants to). The Mayfair witches are also connected with a very old and very secret research group who are determined to discover the truth about the Mayfair family and the spirit employed by them.

This book was a pretty good read even if there were spots where it really dragged. One of the major flaws of this book was the rather confusing and tenuous storyline. The story is all over the place and never allows the readers to figure out where exactly they are. On top of this the narrator changes every couple of chapters. There are too darn many different characters telling the story-- it is terribly confusing. The characters are rather entertaining, though, and as long as there is time to figure out who's who there’sa character for everybody; however, | would not recommend that any one read this book unless they've read the first one already; with so

many characters, a background knowledge is almost essential.

The Girl Wants To

Edited by Lynn Crosbie BY C.A. SCHNEIDER

THE GIRL WANTS TO IS A COLLECTION of feminist perspectives on the body and sexuality. This book brings together the erotic works of many authors in poetry, comics, photos and prose. The collection looks at all the different aspects of female sexuality and explores the concepts of self-image and self- worth through sexuality. The contributors range “from sex pioneers to 3rd wave fems”. The artists featured in this collection are from

all walks of life, musician to activist, each bringing her own experience into this portrait of women’s sexuality. The collection features many facets of female sexuality yet allows for more. It is not an exhaustive look at women and sex; however, it gives a clear overview of “the feminine mystique”.

NOTE: The A&E Editor and several other X-Press staff members wish it to be known that we have read selections from the book and we think it kicks ass. Check it out.

See yourself immortalized in print. Submit your poems, short stories or any other creative writing to Imaginations: ee

ene

[xpress january twenty-fifth 1994 page 12 |

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