NEWEST READS:
Eventide by Kent HarufEventide is the sequel to Plainsong, which I also really liked. These are slow books, portraits of people in a small western town and how their lives intersect. It's subtle and character-driven and enjoyable.
This book traces the fictional history of a Vermeer painting, from its modern day ownership to its inspiration when Johannes van der Meer painted it. A lovely and engaging story and quite a quick read. A nonfiction account of the life and voyages of the famous explorer, Captain Cook. The story of Cook's life at sea and interactions with South Pacific Islanders, like the Tahitians and Hawaiians, is so interesting, I couldn't put this one down. Munro is a much-celebrated author, and this collection of short stories illustrated that for me. Each short story had the depth of a novel, with Munro clearly grasping the internal demons and aspirations of each of her characters. The stories are unhappy, mostly, focusing on women and the effects of small changes and choices. A clearly talented storywriter. This is fluff, maybe good enough for the beach. I found this book in the Martha's Vineyard thrift shop, and it's a much older book that has three short stories about complicated relationships between men and women. The stories are about the internal struggles of Ford's complex characters - interesting for the depiction of human nature and emotions. This is the first book I've ever read by DFW, and it's a collection of his non-fiction essays and arguments. DFW has been heavily lauded these days, following his suicide, as the most talented writer of his generation, and I've completely bought in. His essays are brillant - he is funny, insightful, strange, and clearly an incredible serious writer and philosopher. The title essay is especially wonderful - it is his account of a Caribbean cruise he went on to write a story for Harper's, and DFW is clearly NOT the Caribbean cruise type. There was only one essay I didn't read because this was the first sentence: P.D. James is apparently a quite famous British mystery or thrill author, which I didn't realize when I got this one at the MV thrift shop. This was a page-turner of a story, though, and well-written - it would be a much better beach read than the Knitting Club! This book continued my love affair with Phillips, who also wrote Lark and Termite, for her incredible characters and heart-rending and poetic portrait of life and relationships. There were so many beautiful and simple moments in this book. That said, I found this so hard to read, as it's the story of a woman who has a baby and then spends the next year of her life caring for both her new child and her mother, who has terminal cancer. This was a strange one... a somewhat interesting, though thoroughly odd story, so I think I'd stick to his Wicked series, which are truly great.
In the 1960s the poststructuralist metacritics came along and turned literary aesthetics on its head by rejecting assumptions their teachers had held as self-evident and making the whole business of interpreting texts way more complicated by fusing theories of creative discourse with hardcore positions in metaphysics.
Don't let that turn you off though! This man was brilliant.
OLDER READS:
I've loved everything I've read by Claire Messud so far, but this one was half of a "miss" for me. The book is composed of two novellas, and the first one I enjoyed and the second one I honestly didn't. The end.
Lark & Termite by Jayne Anne PhillipsThis might be my favorite book of the year so far. The story follows four or five characters over three or four days, paralleling the stories of a father during the Korean war and his child about a decade later. It's engaging and emotional and gorgeously written. This should be the next book you read.
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth StroutThis book is a told in a series of short stories that all include the main character, Olive Kitteridge, sometimes in a leading role and sometimes in a very marginal role that gives you an alternative perspective on the kind of person she is. Olive is definitely not likeable, but she is interesting and strong and invokes moments of compassion. I really enjoyed the format and the story, not least because it takes place in a small town in coastal Maine, and the descriptions felt so spot on, that the whole story was very vivid to me - I was picturing the places described as places of my childhood and it made the whole thing come alive for me.
Schemers by Bill PronziniOK, this is so not my typical kind of book, but before my trip to Barcelona, Dan dropped me off at the library for a quick visit while he circled the block and I just grabbed this off the shelf thinking it would be quick plane reading. The author is supposedly a mystery grand master, and truthfully, this was totally entertaining.
Out Stealing Horses by Per PettersonI feel that I have to preface my comments on this book by saying that my mother loved it, and usually we agree on books. I appreciated the unique writing style and the descriptions of life on the land, but this never really grabbed me. The story is descriptive and slow and for whatever reason, I just didn't love it.
This is the third book in the fun Wicked series, which I love. Maguire builds on the story of the Wizard of Oz, starting with the Wicked Witch of the West, then her son, and now the Cowardly Lion. There are definitely fairytale elements in this story, but at the same time, it is an adult book, and Maguire has a dry wit that I always find entertaining.
It's amazing how much faster these 600 pages went compared to Creation! This was a fast-paced and entertaining story that I thoroughly enjoyed, although I have to say that I had some trouble understanding character motivations... Nevertheless, a great book.
This is the first book I've ever read by the renowned Gore Vidal, and I was floored. It took me 2 MONTHS to work through this 600 page book, but what an incredibly rich story. Creation takes place in the 4th century BC and follows a man in the Persian court as he travels as an ambassador to Greece, India, and Cathay (modern day China), trying to understand the mystery of creation through the teachings of Buddha, Confucius, and other famous philosophers of that day. The amount of research that had to precede even conceptualizing this book is mindboggling - it is history and philosophy and religion all wrapped up in an engaging story that has moments of wit and drama and court intrigue. I think this is what people are thinking of when they call a book a masterpiece. This isn't an easy beach novel, by any means. It is a seriously dense book that takes a long time to work through, but worth it.
Angelica by Arthur Phillips
I loved Arthur Phillips' first two novels - The Egyptologist and Prague - and I liked this one. The story follows a family in Victorian England; the mother thinks the house is haunted by a spirit and hires someone to help her expel it. The book is in Phillip's signature style of telling the same story from a number of different perspectives in such a way that keeps the reader guessing about what might have really happened. The Egyptologist does this absolutely brilliantly - it would make a fantastic book club book. So in short, Angelica is another beautifully written novel from Phillips, but if you were going to read one of his books... I'd go with The Egyptologist.
The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb
I've been waiting for Wally Lamb to come out with his next novel for years, and this was worth it. It did take me a little while to get into the voice of the main character since I found him a little off-putting at first (but you've got time with this 700+ pager), but once I was into it, I was into it - I read this book in three days! The story is based on real-world events, placing the main characters as teachers at Columbine High School during the infamous school shooting, and following the story of them both as one suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the shooting. This book made me cry several times - and that never happens. OK, just read it!
2008 READS:
The White Tiger by Aravid Adiga
Adiga's debut novel won the Man Booker prize, and it is a clever book that is structured as letters from an Indian chauffer who murders his master to the Premier of China. Funny at times and a different picture of India than some of the other books I've read recently from Indian novelists.
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
This book was all over the place last year, and I finally got around to reading it this year. The author lived in Paris during WWII, and was deported to and killed at Auschwitz. This book is her work-in-progress that was found after her death and published. The official reviews are so laudatory that I really wanted to love it, and while I appreciated it as an incredible picture of German occupation in France during WWII, it was just OK for me.
Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future by Bill McKibben
I've always wanted to read something by Bill McKibben, who is at my alma mater Middlebury, and this book changed the way I think about my life as part of a community, and what makes me happy. I think that is saying a lot. Two months later, I am still thinking a lot about the questions this book raised, and the kind of participant I want to be in my own community. This book does touch on local food, which is a pet issue for McKibben who once ate local--and only local--for an entire year, but extends more widely to the broader benefits of local life.
The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad
Sonali lent me this book in exchange for A Thousand Splendid Suns. It is such an amazing portrait of an Afghani family, I couldn't put it down. The author lived with this family for an extended period of time, adopting their customs and way of life, and writing their story.
The Last Life by Claire Messud
Dan gave me this book for my birthday remembering how much I loved The Emperor's Children last year. This book is definitely in contention for my absolute favorite book of the year, which makes Messud my favorite author two years running... The narrator is a 15 year old French Algerian girl, who recounts the story of her family who own a hotel in the south of France. It is an incredibly engaging story, beautifully written, philosophical but plot-driven. I just loved it. (As a side note, it turns out not everyone loved The Emperor's Children as much as I did, including my mother, so that's just a reminder to take my book advice with a grain of salt!)
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein
This incredibly well-researched book from journalist Naomi Klein draws links between economic and natural disasters and the forced advancement of the neoliberalist agenda around the world, and illustrates the similarities between human torture and neoliberalist policies (such as in the form of structural adjustment). It's a scathing criticism of Milton Friedman's Chicago School economics, and while controversial, is a really persuasive perspective and very readable. Not exactly a juicy bedtime novel, but very much worth reading.
Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules by David Sedaris
This book is a collection of short stories compiled by David Sedaris. I loved some of these, some I was lukewarm about, but all are written by incredibly talented and well known readers. I now want to read novels by Richard Yates...
Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo
I do enjoy Richard Russo--and I like that he's from Camden--but I did get a little bored in this character piece near the end. As you'd expect from Russo, it was a complex portrayal of small-town life and the characters were well developed, but... I don't know. I just lost interest, and it took me a while to finish.
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
I think I just had too high of hopes for this epic book. It was an interesting story, but I have to say that I didn't love it. I think Follett is a good storyteller, but I found the language and the writing a little more straightforward (e.g., Jack liked his sister...), and the characters less complex than I prefer.
Son of the Circus by John Irving
The incredibly imaginative and entertaining story of Dr. Daruwalla, and Indian relocated to Toronto, who writes action movie screenplays and helps to solve a murder mystery... This was just such a fun read.
Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund
By one of my all-time favorite authors (you must read Ahab's Wife, if you haven't already), this is the story of Marie Antoinette, based an actual historical research. If you like these kinds of old stories, the writing and the depth of character just absolutely blows Philippa Gregory or Karleen Koen out of the water.
The Gathering by Anne Enright
This book won the Man Booker prize in 2007 and is beautifully written. Definitely not an uplifting story, but an interesting depiction of grief and hidden memories.
Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid
An old find from a thrift shop, this is the story of a girl from the West Indies who comes to be a nanny for a well-to-do family; it's written from a really interesting and different perspective and a sort of character novel.
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
This is a great collection of short-ish stories and one novella by the author of The Namesake.
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
Dan gave me this one for Christmas this year, and I've finally finished it. Regardless of your religious beliefs, I think this is a really interesting read.
Peony in Love by Lisa See
This novel is by the author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which I really enjoyed, and this is another quick-ish read that's easy to digest. Maybe a good summer beach book!
Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen
This was an easy read about a high society family in the early 18th century in England. It went on a little long, but the story is so plot-o-licious that it didn't really matter. Good read for a beach vacation, an airplane, a lazy Sunday... I've been using it to balance out the other book I'm reading right now: Richard Dawkin's The God Delusion.
What is the What by Dave Eggers
Dan gave me this one for Christmas. It is the incredible true story of the one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, who was forced to leave home alone under violent circumstances at the young age of 6 or 7, and then travel on foot from one temporary refugee camp to another. An incredibly sad, but reflective life story. It gave me nightmares at times, but I highly recommend.
The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud
(My mother-in-law is keeping me in books!) This was easily one of the best books I've read this year - an incredible story, but also deep and thoughtful and intelligent. I read the whole thing in one day - a very long and wonderful Sunday on the couch with many tea refills.
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
(Another Marcy book!) I read this over our weekend at the Vineyard - it was an engaging story, but I have to admit it didn't strike me as a great piece of literature the same way others I've read recently have, like The Emperor's Children. Good for a lazy weekend when you want a fast-moving story.
The American Plague by Molly Caldwell Crosby
Another book-gift from Marcy for Christmas, this was non-fiction about the hold that yellow fever had on the United States around the turn of the century, and also the story of the doctors who worked (and died) to find the cause of the fever and a vaccine. Really interesting depiction of how scientific research was conducted a hundred years ago.
2007 READS:
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Marcy gave me this book for Christmas, and I just tore through it - it is an incredible memoir from a woman who had a loving and incredibly dysfunctional childhood.
The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory
I'm just addicted to this series that follows the women in King Henry the VIII's life - I've also read The Other Boleyn Girl, The Queen's Fool, and The Virgin's Lover.
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Another steal from Mom's book club, this book is set in Nigeria during the Biafran War. The author is an incredible storyteller, chronicling love, friendships, family drama, and the impact of war. Great characters, too.
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
I have taken to stealing Mom's book club books before she has to read them, and they've been across-the-board really good. This is another great novel from a poetic Indian writer - highly recommended!!
Old School by Tobias Wolff
This book chronicles the story of a boy attending a US prep school in the 1940s who wants to be a writer. The story is a bit slower, but still engaging and beautifully written.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Bill and Sally were kind enough to let me steal this book from them at Lake George, and I really loved it. Ms. Roy is an incredibly poetic writer.
A Thousand Spendid Sons by Khaled Hosseini
The next book by the author of The Kite Runner, this was a page turner and a really enjoyable and fast paced story about life in Afghanistan.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
No more to be said - of course you have to read this.
Dancing at the Rascal Fair by Ivan Doig
This is a quite old book about homestead life in Montana at the turn of the century. This was a great read during our Montana trip this summer, and I really got pulled into picturing life and the landscape 100 years ago.
The Ministry of Special Cases by Nathan Englander
I had higher hopes for this widely acclaimed book, but it just never pulled me in. I kept reading and reading and waiting and waiting, but it never happened. So, maybe not recommended.
The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig
This is Ivan Doig's newest novel, I think, and I just loved it. The story centers on a one-room school house in Montana at the turn of the century.
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
I nearly finished this in one sitting, but I was forced to put it down since I was supposed to be hiking 30 miles around Cape Chignecto in Nova Scotia. The story is incredibly engaging.
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
This non-fiction story follows a woman's "search for everything." Mom lent me this and said that this woman's writing style reminded her of mine on my blog. Then I went to amazon.com and found that all the reviewers found her and her writing style obnoxious - great! I loved the book, though, for whatever that's worth.
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