Next book

PICASSO

1912-1914

Though perhaps too much for newcomers to the path-breaking artist, handsome and authoritative for those beyond introductions.

A scholarly but accessible survey of prominent pieces from the heart of Pablo Picasso’s (1881-1973) cubist period, rich in opportunities for visual deep dives.

By 1912, Picasso had already commanded attention with the cubist oil paintings through which he (along with Georges Braque) radically reimagined form and perspective. For the next two years, Picasso began experimenting with materials as well, dabbling with newspaper, grit, charcoal. Perhaps most famously, he produced two guitars, one in cardboard and another in sheet metal, that playfully and dynamically gave a 3-D treatment of his two-dimensional experiments. This app lets the user get up close to 15 pieces he made in this period. Finger swipes offer 360-degree views of the guitar, while the two-dimensional works can be seen, usually, under raking light (which reveals surface textures), ultraviolet light, infrared light and sometimes even X-ray. A handful of brief videos feature a Museum of Modern Art staff preservationist’s look into Picasso’s works (particularly the guitars) and their restoration. And a lot of restoration has been needed: As a young artist living in Paris, he used cheap materials, including glues that have broken down, and there are copious discussions of the efforts made on the artworks' behalf. Each piece is accompanied by an introductory essay and notes on its provenance and exhibition history, and casual readers may bristle at the heavily footnoted essays, which sometimes lapse into dry art-catalog–ese. But there are plenty of resources to help the newcomer, including a thorough glossary, and the writing is generally clear and often surprisingly engaging, particularly details on how these pieces traveled from the walls of Gertrude Stein or Nelson Rockefeller to MoMA. Combined with an assortment of supplementary photos, the app is a thorough appreciation of a vibrant artist on the brink of fame.

Though perhaps too much for newcomers to the path-breaking artist, handsome and authoritative for those beyond introductions.

Pub Date: July 28, 2014

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: MoMA

Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2014

Next book

REGRETTING YOU

The emotions run high, the conversations run deep, and the relationships ebb and flow with grace.

When tragedy strikes, a mother and daughter forge a new life.

Morgan felt obligated to marry her high school sweetheart, Chris, when she got pregnant with their daughter, Clara. But she secretly got along much better with Chris’ thoughtful best friend, Jonah, who was dating her sister, Jenny. Now her life as a stay-at-home parent has left her feeling empty but not ungrateful for what she has. Jonah and Jenny eventually broke up, but years later they had a one-night stand and Jenny got pregnant with their son, Elijah. Now Jonah is back in town, engaged to Jenny, and working at the local high school as Clara’s teacher. Clara dreams of being an actress and has a crush on Miller, who plans to go to film school, but her father doesn't approve. It doesn’t help that Miller already has a jealous girlfriend who stalks him via text from college. But Clara and Morgan’s home life changes radically when Chris and Jenny are killed in an accident, revealing long-buried secrets and forcing Morgan to reevaluate the life she chose when early motherhood forced her hand. Feeling betrayed by the adults in her life, Clara marches forward, acting both responsible and rebellious as she navigates her teenage years without her father and her aunt, while Jonah and Morgan's relationship evolves in the wake of the accident. Front-loaded with drama, the story leaves plenty of room for the mother and daughter to unpack their feelings and decide what’s next.

The emotions run high, the conversations run deep, and the relationships ebb and flow with grace.

Pub Date: Dec. 10, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-5420-1642-1

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2019

Awards & Accolades

Likes

  • Readers Vote
  • 401


Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
  • GET IT


  • New York Times Bestseller

Next book

DEVOLUTION

A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.

Awards & Accolades

Likes

  • Readers Vote
  • 401


Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
  • GET IT


  • New York Times Bestseller

Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z(2006).

A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.

A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.

Pub Date: June 16, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine

Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020

Close Quickview