Book Notes - Mary Miller "The Last Days of California"
by David Gutowski
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When Gutowski posts, he does so in a very casual way, offering little insight into the realm of his own opinions and letting music artists and novelists talk about their own compositions. In this post, his most noteworthy comment with regards to Mary Miller's novel lies in the italicized blurb of rambling gobbledygook, where he praises Last Days of California with words of splendor, focusing primarily on the wholesomeness of its characters. Then he relinquishes the stage to Miller herself, who talks not so much about the book, but provides a list of easygoing songs that fit the story. I have seen many authors do this before (mainly on tumblr, but that's beside the point.) On websites like 8tracks and Spotify, it is possible to stitch together playlists, and writers do this with precision to give their readers a glimpse of their story's mood. Some people just like listening to music while they read. It is in Miller's playlist that more rhetorical strategies surface, including but not limited to casual diction (Mary gives brief descriptions of what the songs remind her of, and my, are they easy to imagine yourself in), and a dreamy, almost lonesome tone. You can tell as you read her writing that Miller knows exactly how her book makes her feel. It is because of this that her music choice is so perfect, so fitting, of Last Days.
Gutowski, David. "Book Notes - Mary Miller "The Last Days of California"." largehearted boy. N.p., 23 Jan 2014. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.
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