I went off for two weeks in the woods and finished a first draft of my next (and maybe last) murder mystery in the Juliet Applebaum series. I took along a lot of dead Russians to read, because I was in Washington State where it rains all the time, and I figured rainy, cold days curled up in front of a wood stove just cry out for Russians. They're down at the bottom of the log. I also read some Chekhov. Finally. Searching for Caleb by Anne Tyler I read this as I finished the final rewrites for my book that is now called Love and Other Impossible Pursuits. Anne Tyler is a perfect role model for me as a writer. High aspirations are good for a person. I liked this book very much, despite the fact that the main character is a fortune-teller. I usually hate free spirits, and I was afraid she'd be one. But she was significantly less of a twit than I had feared. The Photograph by Penelope Lively She's got excellent style, does Ms. Lively. And I liked this book. I sort of wish it had been about more, though. It started with this nice premise, a man who finds a photograph of his dead wife holding another man's hand, and then it seemed like she just wasn't sure what to do with it. She is Me by Cathleen Schine The next time I get grief for writing an unsympathetic main character, I'm going to point my critics to this book. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson I love Kate Atkinson. I really do. In a perfect world she would be able to call this book a mystery without having her literary credentials trashed. But the world isn't perfect, now, is it? Highwire Moon by Susan Straight Damn it, I was going to write this book! I mean, I had a plot sitting in the back of my head that was exactly this - woman comes to America, gives birth, gets picked up by the INS and cannot get back to her baby. I can't believe it. Well, Ms. Straight did it better than I could have, I expect. The Follow by Linda Spalding Okay, so I know Linda. But I still loved this book. Seriously. I'm not just bullshitting to keep from embarrassing myself in front of a friend. I can believe what that NUT JOB Birute Galdikas is doing in Borneo. She's got to be stopped. I worked myself up into such a rage over this that I called Linda to holler my fury. She, of course, had put all this out of her mind years ago. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier I'm reading this again because it's important to the next novel I'm going to write. I won't say anything more. Also, I'll say this: the main character is such a goddamn wet blanket! Still, love the gothic romances. I used to read them compulsively when I was in Junior High School. I wish more of them were written this well. Liars and Saints by Maile Meloy I liked this book very much, although as often happens with family sagas, I sort of resented being dragged out of one character's point of view and into her child's, and then into that of the next generation. An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison Perhaps my interest in the subject matter of this book has more to do with my own issues than with anything else, but I found it very fascinating. The writing was alternately beautiful and then sort of clunky but I was rapt by this woman's story. She has very serious manic-depressive disorder. I'm mildly bipolar from a family where the Lithium river runs wide and deep. So it had personal resonance. Touched With Fire by Kay Redfied Jamison So of course the next thing I did was read this. I actually sort of skimmed it, dropping into sections and reading them. She goes a little too in depth into various chapters to hold my interest for long. However, it's incredibly comforting for someone like me to read this book. I've always felt like such a literary fraud. I didn't spend my life longing to write, I didn't do an MFA. But, now that I realize that I'm bipolar just like William Blake, Lord Byron, Emily Dickenson, Virginia Woolf, Victor Hugo, Nikolai Gogol, Henry James, Mary Shelley and a whole lot more, I feel like maybe I do come by my writing aspirations naturally, after all. Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev This is part of my Nabokov plan of self-improvement. This book was a delight. Funny and tragic. And wouldn't Vlad be enraged by my one line, rather trite, capsulation of the novel? The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol All right, I know it's not a novel, it's just a short story, but I read the accompanying Nabokov lecture, and I just loved this story so much I had to put it in here. It was so incredibly sad and awful. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy This translation is remarkable. I'm just so sad that Pevear and Voloshonsky had to deal with the horror of not selling well after being selected by Oprah. I think it sold upwards of three hundred thousand copies, which is only a failure if you expected to move a million units. Otherwise, the idea that three hundred thousand people immersed themselves in this complicated novel is sort of wonderful. Tolstoy is my kind of writer, ornate and histrionic, but with a sharp sense of humor and irony. What, however, was with all the awful Levin sections? I mean, do we really need that much postulating on various farming techniques and ideologies? I have to admit I started skipping those.
September 2004
I'm updating early because I'm sick in bed and don't want to work on my novel right now. So there's not too much to report. Highlight was the Roth, I guess. If the paranoid panic it inspired can be described as a highlight. The Plot Against America by Philip Roth As someone who honestly believes that it's entirely possible that the entire American nation could rise up and put the Jews in concentration camps (Really, I do. Witness the Japanese internment camps. Witness the rhetoric surrounding AIDS. Witness the anti-semitism in Europe), this novel had me up half the night. I was basically packing my family's suitcases. It's a chilling novel, marvelous although not perfect. He's a brilliant writer, but even the geniuses among us could use the benefit of some editorial guidance. The Little Girls by Elizabeth Bowen Dated but languidly lovely. Like Life by Lorrie Moore Lorrie Moore is an inspiration to me. I begin my work day by reading one of her short stories. Her prose is pitch-perfect. Funny, tragic. Beautiful. The Town That Forgot How to Breathe by Kenneth J. Harvey This book was, I don't know. Weird, I guess. I sort of liked it. I wanted it to like it. I did. I did like it. I really did. Why didn't I pick it up and read it with more excitement?
Father's Day by Philip Galanas Philip and I used to work together at a big fancy-pants law firm in New York. I love that we both abandoned the world of billable hours for lounging in our pjs and writing all day! This is a great read.
The Good People of New York by Thisbe Nissen She's a really good writer, Ms. Nissen, but I just wanted to stick with the first point of view character. Dream of the Blue Room by Michelle Richmond MacAdam Cage makes such gorgeous books, and Michelle is a lovely woman. I enjoyed this book tremendously, although I feel pretty desperate about the environmental situation in China. Man it's a hellish nightmare there now. The Position by Meg Wolitzer I like Meg Wolitzer a lot, and I liked this book very much. I feel a certain kinship with her as a writer, although maybe that's presumptuous of me.
Graceland by Chris Abani I finished this book feeling so completely hopeless about Nigeria. I'm overwhelmed with admiration for Abani, who not only survived incredible travails, but manages to have such a sense of humor.
August 2004
I can’t even remember how long it’s been since I’ve updated this book log. I’ve been busy. I’ve been juggling two books, and now the teleplay to the Mommy Track TV series, which may or may not happen on Lifetime. I’m also in a fit of semiconstant panic about the election. My current horror is that the moron “anarchists” will play right into Karl Rove’s hands by engaging in violent demonstrations during the Republican Convention. Nothing will send swing voters over to Bush’s camp like the image of some idiot tossing a Molotov cocktail through a New York City storefront. Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett Reading this book was a strange experience in many ways. Amanda’s death was, and still is fresh in my mind, and reading about such raw grief was hard. There were other things...how, well, psycho, Lucy Grealy seemed through Ann’s eyes. The symbiotic intensity of the relationship, how much it seemed like one person gnawing another’s limbs and the other proudly, happily extending her arm to be chewed. Anyway. Worth the read, definitely. Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy Well, of course I had to read this next. I’m not sure she was quite as brilliant a writer as others (and she herself) seemed to think. There’s so much missing from this story, but it’s pretty incredible nonetheless. Harsh and compelling as all hell. I read it in like a day.
The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Patchett Now, this novel I just loved. Loved. I can’t really explain why, but I was completely swept up in it. I promise I’m done with this Ann Patchett/Lucy Grealy tear, by the way, though I did read this horrible article by Lucy Grealy’s sister in the Guardian that just made me feel sorry for everyone. It seemed so gratuitously mean, and that clearly the person she is angry at is her sister. In any case, none of this is any of our business and should be fought out in a living room somewhere, with slammed doors and bitter, recriminatory emails, not in the pages of major newspapers. Picturing Will by Ann Beattie I read this book because I am writing a novel about a little boy named William, and freaked out when I saw this. It’s pretty good. I hope I don’t suffer horribly by comparison. Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene He is just so awesome. Everyone should read Graham Greene. I can’t believe it took me until now to read this book. Crossing California by Adam Langer I got not one, not two, but THREE free copies of this book. I guess Riverhead is really pushing it hard. I liked it. It was funny, especially the Jewish rock band guy. Goodbye Without Leaving by Laurie Colwin She’s a wonderful writer, and it’s tragic that she died so young. Country of Origin by Don Lee This is a pretty good novel, although if the writer gave me one more descriptive sentence about the main character I was going to track him down and tattoo “show, don’t tell” onto his ass. Riven Rock by T.C. Boyle I love the sense of period in this novel. The insane character was fabulous, but I wished for a bit more with the female characters. The Seventh Beggar by Pearl Abraham I adored her first novel, and this one left me a little confused. I’m not so much into the whole mysticism thing. But she’s a terrific writer. What Was She Thinking by Zoe Heller Excellent unreliable, nasty-as-hell narrator. I enjoyed this novel tremendously, although I really didn’t feel the attraction for the young boy, and I think it’s possible to get that across. My kids had this 15 year old babysitter once who was absolutely beautiful, and had I been a totally different person with no scruples, and no marriage...which is to say, I’d never do anything, but I understand that the attraction exists, and I think there must be a way to describe it. Now someone will probably report me to the Department of Social Services.
Gone by Helena Echlin Helena is a lovely writer, and I liked this book very much. My three year old and Helena became fast friends at a party last month.
Map of Love by Ahdaf Soueif This book is appallingly bad, and the Booker people are out of their collective minds. I mean, good GOD. What are they thinking, putting this tripe on their short list? With the overblown metaphors and the ludicrous political diatribes? Will someone please let me know if I write like this so that I can become an underwear saleswoman? The Bigamist’s Daughter by Alice McDermott She may be one of my favorite writers ever. This isn’t Charming Billy, and the ending isn’t quite as satisfying as you’ll want it to be, but it’s still a marvelous book, and after Map of Love I needed something to cleanse my palette of the lingering horror.
Jack by A.M. Homes This is a great novel for young adults. It’s got a fairly typical Y.A. narrator of a certain familiar kind (you know, more honest and “real” than the adults around him), and the prose is accessible. I'm going to make Sophie read it. The Tenants of Moonbloom by Edward Lewis Wallant I loved this novel. I loved it, and I was rooting for Moonbloom so damn hard. Man, you just despair for the world sometimes, and for the tiny efforts of one small man. Life with Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse This is actually three novels in one, and no one should read three Jeeves novels in a stretch because they are all the same. They’re terrific, and very funny, but ultimately, the joke is exactly the same: Jeeves is smarter than his dopey boss and solves the problem, and his dopey boss agrees to stop wearing some hideous piece of clothing of which Jeeves does not approve. I mean, they are funny. Really funny, sometimes. But not all at once.
Hello to the Cannibals by Richard Bausch I hereby declare a moratorium on men of a certain age writing from the point of view of young women. I will not allow it anymore, because those of us who are women (even if the fact that we are approaching our fortieth birthday with terrifying inexorability precludes us from calling ourselves young) find too many embarrassing mistakes, the kind of things that make us fling a novel across the room in frustration. Plus--enough with the shifting time periods. Unless they are really and truly related, all they do is distract from one another. Will someone please remind me of this if I ever convince anyone to buy The Bloom Girls? In Babylon by Marcel Moring This novel is very, very European. By which I mean, if I were smarter and more sophisticated, I probably would have loved it.
May 2004
The past couple of months have been pretty exciting reading-wise. I went off to MacDowell where I wrote the first hundred pages of a novel in two weeks (more or less in Morse Code, but still), and my inspirations are on this list. The Translator by John Crowley I loved this book even though it has none of Crowley's trademark other-world stuff. Okay, maybe it does. A tiny bit.
What I loved by Siri Hustvedt This book was a good read, but somehow I wanted a little more. I don't know. Emotionally, maybe? Love Invents Us by Amy Bloom She's amazing, this woman. AMAZING. And she was married, at one time, to one of my favorite professors in college.
Use Me by Elissa Schappell She writes so honestly, especially about mothering. I can't wait to read her next book.
Love in the Asylum by Lisa Carey Lisa is still one of my favorites, and I haven't met her, we've just exchanged emails, so I get to keep my unbiased status. An Invisible Sign of My Own by Aimee Bender She's a beautiful writer, on a sentence level, and I know I could never do what she does. I needed a bit less distance, though. Now is the Time to Open Your Heart by Alice Walker I read this book because I interviewed Alice Walker, one of my favorite writers when I was in college, for the Commonwealth Club. I still haven't heard the show on NPR. If you do, let me know if I sound like a blithering idiot.
Natasha by David Bezmozgis Expect great things from this fabulous young writer. The Blindfold by Siri Hustvedt Okay, so this is a good SHORT STORY COLLECTION but it is NOT a novel, and I really and truly resent being told that it is. As a novelist who spends a tremendous amount of time and energy worrying about the arc of her story and plot, it really pisses me off when publishers try to sell collections as novels. It does the author a disservice and makes a good book seem less well done. The Path of Minor Planets by Andrew Sean Greer Another marvel by Andrew Sean Greer. (My buddy and accomplice on the SF strip club scene. I'll reveal more later).
Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by Z.Z. Packer One of my favorites this month. This woman's descriptions are tremendous. Exciting, vibrant. Everything good writing should be.
The Mermaids Singing by Lisa Carey She's so much fun to read, and I think we actually are not dissimilar writers. At least I hope to be as good.
The Country of the Young by Lisa Carey My favorite of Lisa's books.
Little Children by Tom Perrotta I liked this book quite a bit, but you know what? He didn't get the female character right. He doesn't know what we talk about to one another. He doesn't get it. Alas.
Property by Valerie Martin A wonderful novel. Truly. I love a juicily loathsome main character.
Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris I was positively peeing in my pants I was laughing so hard. The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler I'm so happy for Karen that this book is going to catapult her to a mainstream audience. This wonderful writer deserves it. I still love Sister Noon the best, though. The Known World by Edward P. Jones Okay, so the Pulitzer people were absolutely correct. This book is marvelous. MARVELOUS.
March 2004
I have a cold and I'm grumpy, so forgive me if that comes out in this month's write-up. I'm off for two weeks at the MacDowell Colony so I will have many many novels to write about in a couple of months and will be in much better spirits. A Life's Work: On Becoming a Mother by Rachel Cusk The writing is beautiful, the book is totally me, and I loved every minute of it. I was screaming, "Amen! Amen!" until right near the end. And then she lost me. She can't leave the house for more than an hour without calling to make sure the baby is okay? Oy. That's the guilt talking, sweetie. If you weren't feeling so awful about your ambivalence, you'd be fine about leaving. Just go! The Song of Names by Norman Lebrecht I liked this novel. All the music stuff was quite interesting, and Philistine that I am I did learn quite a bit. The "mystery" part didn't do much for me, though. Sleep Toward Heaven by Amanda Eyre Ward A lovely novel by a Readerville writer
Old School by Tobias Wolfe I enjoyed this tremendously, despite the fact that he beat me out for the Northern California Book Prize. I'm kidding. Not about enjoying it. Wolfe is a remarkable writer. His sentences are often quite simply perfect. Simple. And perfect. Green for Danger by Christianna Brand I read this old classic to learn about plot construction. The plot was awful. A bunch of people thrown in a room, essentially. And the "story" consisted of musing about who done it. Boring. Very very boring.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini This novel about Afghanistan is devastating. It boggles the mind how that country has just turned to dust and blown away. Horrifying. I couldn't put the book down. The Liberated Bride by A.B. Yehoshua The problem with reading a novel translated from a language you know is that you keep untranslating it. Anyway, this book is very good. Remarkable insights into contemporary Israeli society. And the most loathsome main character I've come across in a good long while. I hated him.
Shosha by Isaac Bashevis Singer I know I was supposed to be swept up in this novel. I was not supposed to find it tedious. Family History by Dani Shapiro Shapiro is the kind of writer I think I could aspire to be. She writes very well, with strong plots. She'll never win the Pulitzer Prize, but her books are well-constructed and her sentences are fine, sometimes even lovely. So this is my goal. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf I love Virginia Woolf so desperately. She's my favorite writer, and I can't quite believe it, since I so loath stream of consciousness, or the very idea of S of c. The Confessions of Max Tivoli by Andrew Sean Greer This book is delightful, beautifully written, and John Updike thinks Andy is a better writer than Nabokov and every bit as good as Proust. So there.
Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros This book was good, but I find the victim thing a little much sometimes. Colors Insulting to Nature by Cintra Wilson Man, this book was funny. Vivid seems almost an understatement.
Embalming Mom: Essays in Life by Janet Burroway This woman is one of the best writers out there and it is a CRIME that she is not better known. Go buy this book. If you can only buy one book, buy hers, not mine. Apprentice to the Flower Poet Z by Debra Weinstein This was a fun, light read. Zippy and cute.
Running in the Family by Michael Ondaatje This writer deserves a Nobel Prize. This book is lovely. Letters to a Fiction Writer edited by Frederick Busch Some of these are interesting, especially the ones not meant for the collection. I liked Janet Burroway's and Tobias Wolfe's. Most were pretty tiresome, though. Madras on Rainy Days by Samina Ali You know how much of a sucker I am for novels about this part of the world. So I loved this. It also helped me escape from a loathsome Club Med vacation.
January 2004
So I'm on this campaign of self-improvement. I'm reading Lectures on Literature by Vladimir Nabokov, and the novels about which he writes. The idea is that since I've never studied literature, and have always been a voracious and passionate, but hardly critical, reader, this will teach me how to "read like a writer." That last sentence is meant to be read in a loud and pompous voice. But I'm also reading plenty of other stuff, otherwise I'd go mad! Cloud Atlas by David Mitchelll This is a truly marvelous novel by a young Brit. It's six interlocking tales, kind of spiraling in and out of one another. Blue Shoe by Anne LaMott There's a bit in this book where the mother is horrified that her son has only just mentioned a massive homework assignment late the night before it's due. He says something like, "Oh chill out. It's not a big deal. Where do we keep our cheesecloth and dowels?" I laughed at that for a good five minutes. The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler This novel traces an entire marriage - and entire lifetime. Beautiful. But my god. Depressing as hell. The Lucky Ones by Rachel Cusk These short stories are lovely, but I have a bone to pick. This is not a novel. Just because a group of short stories happen to share some characters you cannot just call them a novel. Novels have an overarching plot - a narrative. A theme and a thematic structure. STOP CALLING SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS NOVELS. Goddamn it.
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert Yes, I'll admit it. I have not read this before, and I only read it because Vlad assigned it. But holy shit. The way he built these characters one layer at a time.
Mansfied Park by Jane Austen I'm very grateful to Vlad for starting me with something I've read before and loved. I learned a tremendous amount about how to construct a sentence - how to bury irony, for example - from reading this novel under his tutelage. I still loath Fanny Price, though. Little milksop. The Wife by Meg Wolitzer This novel is about the wife of a famous writer. Hmm. I wonder why I bought it. It was tremendous fun to read, but I didn't like the ending. I thought the dramatic surprise sold the novel short. The Fall of Rome by Martha Southgate A lovely novel about complicated, sad and lonely people. American Woman by Susan Choi This book is remarkable. Beautifully written and devastating. I think it might be a Pulitzer finalist... or, dare I say, winner. Brick Lane by Monica Ali Terrific novel about a woman from Bangladesh brought to London and married off to a much older man. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon This book is fun, although a bit too long for a rather slender premise, but the translation is pretty awful. I slogged through it, though, mostly because we were on a truly horrible vacation - Club Med Ixtapa (what were we thinking???) - and it was the only book I had left. Your Remind Me of Me by Dan Chaon Chaon is a terrific writer. Spare and elegant. I loved this book.
October 2003
I'm about to set off on book tour (check out the schedule and come see me!), and wanted to get this posted before I left. Lots of very very different kinds of books this time. Joshua Then and Now by Mordecai Richler Once again I picked up a Richler for research purposes only to find myself absolutely enamored. I have one quibble, however. Why are men of this generation so damn obsessed with sex? Is it because they got so little of it when they were young? Now You See It by Cornelia Nixon She is a marvelous writer, and this story is devastating. Charming Billy by Alice McDermott This may be one of my favorite books. I read it again to see what I could steal from her.
St. Urbain's Horseman by Mordecai Richler Another book for the Bloom Girls. As good as his others, better, certainly, than some. The Light of Day by Graham Swift This book didn't really work for me. I didn't care much about what happened to the characters.
The King of America by Samantha Gillison She is a delectable writer, precise, lovely. Dare I say, luminous? Don't read the book if you like happy endings. The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell I howled my way through this essay collection. A Few Short Notes On Tropical Butterflies by John Murray Some of these stories are truly wonderful. Delightful and sort of creepy. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri I loved this book. It was slow, and languid, and marvelous. Any Human Heart by William Boyd My favorite book this time around. A man's entire life. Brilliantly told. The Semi-Attached Couple & The Semi-Detached House by Emily Eden Anyone who, like me, is made miserable by the failure of Jane Austin to live forever, should read these charming novels. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez I don't need to tell you that this is one of the best novels of all time.
Keeping Watch by Laurie R. King A mystery writer at the top of her form. The Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald I can't believe I didn't read these until now. I feel like such an idiot.
July 2003
Please let me explain my failure to update, as well as the paucity of books in the log. Abe, the baby, WON'T NURSE. I spend hours every day pumping milk for the little monster, and don't get me started on how much we've spent on lactation consultants. Mazel by Rebecca Goldstein You want to hear something depressing? This author won a MacArthur Genius Grant, and her book is published by a university press. That said, I loved The Mind/Body Problem, so I expected to love this, and didn't. I can't pin my finger on what's missing - it just seems a bit, well, dull.
The Gangster We Are All Looking for by le thi diem thuy The author's name is spelled wrong because I can't figure out where any of the accents are on the keyboard. Sorry. Thuy can write, she really can, but she seems so disconnected from the emotion of the story that it's hard to enjoy this book. Women About Town by Laura Jacobs This book is small, and promises to be little more than "chick lit," but it ends up being oddly poignant. What's with the high heels on the cover, though? I've seen way too much of that, lately.
Men and Other Mammals by Jim Keeble I would never have bothered with this novel, but a bookseller recommended it. It's okay.
Lucky Girls by Nell Freudenberger Lord, did I want to hate this collection. The author is about eleven years old, she got a massive advance based on a single short story, and I wanted it to suck. Because that's how nice I am. It was marvelous. Truly.
Getting Mother's Body by Suzan-Lori Parks This book was enjoyable, but given the buzz, I expected a whole lot more. Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde Been there, done that. The first was enough.
Easter Island by Jennifer Vanderbes She's a lovely writer, but the ending of the book seemed to kind of fizz out.
The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem Well, this is the one. If you only read one book this year, read this one. It's devastating, brilliant, all those things the blurbs say it is.
And Now You Can Go by Vendela Vida A lovely, slim book. Idiosyncratic, and touching.
How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer This woman truly nails childhood. It made me so incredibly happy I am no longer a girl. Your Mouth is Lovely by Nancy Richler My father was wrong. This woman can write. The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst Okay, I'm not quite sure why this is such a huge hit. I liked it, I did. But "The Lovely Dog Bones?" I don't get it.
Midsummer by Marcelle Clements A bookseller made me buy this in hardcover, and I'm a bit irritated with him.
May 2003
It's been a while since I updated the book log, but since I had a baby about five weeks ago, I'm sure you'll forgive me. The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca West This 1956 novel is delightful and entertaining. I wasn't quite as sucked in as I expected to be, but it was nonetheless fun to read. The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen You can see I've been on something of an old novel kick. This one is from 1935 and is really remarkable. Sad, and sweet, and beautifully written. The Midwife's Tale by Gretchen Moran Laskas Full disclosure - I know Gretchen, or at least we've met over the ether on Readerville. I truly enjoyed this glimpse into the lives of Appalachian women. The Chateau by William Maxwell Every single word in this long novel is perfectly placed. Maxwell is remarkable.
Only Yesterday by Frederick Lewis Allen This is a nonfiction book about the 1920s that I read as research for my next novel. It was wildly entertaining, and I got tons of great stuff from it.
Hunger by Elise Blackwell I enjoyed this book very much, but it's not a novel. It's barely a novella. It's really a lovely short story in a nice little package.
Shadow Without a Name by Ignacio Padilla What does it say about me that I found it so difficult to remain engaged with this novel? It's interesting; the writing is wonderful. Perhaps it is because there are so few scenes - it's mostly description.
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde A bookseller recommended this to me as light reading for Vicodin-fogged postpartum days. It was perfect. Tremendously enjoyable, and just what I needed.
Angels Go Naked by Cornelia Nixon Okay, once again, I must disclose my friendship with the author. You should read this book anyway. She's a wonderful writer. The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith People are buying this book despite the blurb calling it "The Miss Marple of Botswana." That's a good thing. It's terrific. It isn't, however, a traditional murder mystery, but rather a series of vignettes.
Wintering by Kate Moses This book is fabulous. By the end, I felt such an incredible kinship with Sylvia Plath - as a mother, really, more than as a writer. The Book of Dead Birds by Gayle Brandeis Okay, once again. I know the author. But still. A delightful, poignant novel.
Little Big by John Crowley This is a HUGE fairy story. I loved it. Great Neck by Jay Cantor This was my Hawaii beach reading, and it's a nice thick tome. I like to bring a big book with me on vacation. All I do is read, so I'd rather bring one or two huge books than schlep a suitcase full. There are some hysterically funny lines in this book, and he does a great job of showing us this world. Desirable Daughters by Bharati Mukherjee Yes, once again. I know the author. And this is part of my India mania. She's a wonderful writer, and I feel like the veil has been lifted a bit on Bengali culture.
February 2003
Sorry it has been so long since my last update. I've been desperately trying both to finish Murder Plays House, and to get a good start on my next literary novel, The Bloom Girls, before March 31. Why, you ask? Because Abraham Wolf Waldman Chabon is due to make his appearance on that date via scheduled c-section. Think of me at 7:30 AM, California time.This month I did a lot of preparatory reading for The Bloom Girls which is set in Montreal in the 1920s. Thus, my recommendations might seem a bit strange to some of you. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler Not my favorite of his novels, but nonetheless an entertaining read. The Rise of David Levinsky by Abraham Cahan This novel was wonderful, but it's of a very particular kind. It's a tale of business -- the garment business to be exact. Solomon Gursky Was Here by Mordecai Richler This is my favorite Richler novel. It's delightfully crazy, wonderfully written. Fun and frightening and an altogether great read.
The Folded Leaf by William Maxwell Maxwell is a fine writer, one of the best I've read. So confident, so assured. Of an entirely different world than contemporary novelists, many of whom, even if they write beautifully, seem to suffer from a kind of tentativeness. This novel is particularly compelling. So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell This is a masterpiece. Truly. It should be read by everyone. Time Will Darken it by William Maxwell Probably the slowest of the three, but still lovely.
A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul Okay, I'll be honest. I'd never read Naipaul before he won the Nobel. If all his work is like this book Øm searing and at the same time full of a remarkable empathy - then those Swedes certainly knew what they were doing.
A Death In The Family by James Agee This had me weeping. Lovely, beautiful period novel.
Blood of Victory by Alan Furst Another terrific read by the absolute master of the rueful spy novel. The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri This book was both painful and enchanting. One of my favorite of the many many novels by Anglo-Indians I've read in the past couple of years.
The Little Friend by Donna Tartt There is no doubt that this writer is the real thing. Her evocations of the old women -- the aunties -- in this novel were tremendous. But it's quite clear that one day, in the middle of writing the book, she got up, went to work, and suddenly decided to just type the words, "The End," at the bottom of the page. The Bones In The Attic by Robert Barnard I read this because he's supposed to be a master of plot. Enough said. My Father Dancing by Bliss Broyard This writer has clearly inherited her father's talent.
The Main by Trevanian This is commercial fiction??? Every serious novelist should strive for this kind of layered and nuanced detail. I can't believe I've never read him before. Stories From a Montreal Childhood by Shulamis Yellin This book was terrifically useful for my research, and the prologue is a hoot and a half. Note to self, never refer to own work as "a classic." The Seduction of Water by Carol Goodman This woman can clearly write, but mystery plotting is not her strong suit. Montreal of Yesterday by Israel Medres Another terrific research tool, and another note to self. Never let your own daughter be your translator.
Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s by Frederick Lewis Allen This is a history of the 1920s, written in the early 1930s! It's a great read, and a wonderful tool for my research.
Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow I reread this, my favorite of his novels, to give myself an example of historical fiction at its best. The Street by Mordecai Richler This little book of essays brings Jewish Montreal of the 1930s to life.
November 2002
I have been a reading machine lately. Comes from having my husband abandon me for what felt like six years, but was really only a couple of months. His tour schedule was brutal...and I'm counting on all of you to make my months of HELL worthwhile by buying his new novel, Summerland. Go on. Get it for your kids for the holidays. You won't be sorry. Wonder When You'll Miss Me by Amanda Davis This wonderful book by my lovely friend Amanda is a fabulous read. I take that back. It's a MUST read. You won't understand this until you read it - but I'll bet I'm not the only one with her very own mean, fat girl talking to her when no one else is around.
Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald The parts that I loved about this book are amazing. Even the parts I didn't love are gorgeously written. I just wish there had been more about Austerlitz, and a bit less about architecture. Child of My Heart by Alice McDermott Well, it's no Charming Billy, but since that's one of the best contemporary novels I've ever read, it seems unfair to hold her to that standard, even if it is her own. The main character was a bit too good to be true, but the writing was pure McDermott - spare and lovely. Three Apples Fell From Heaven by Micheline Aharonian Marcom The story of what the Turks did to the Armenians is truly horrifying - it's almost trite and ridiculous even to say that about the brutal massacre of a million people.
Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles I'm not usually a civil war aficionado, but this book was a fast enjoyable read. What a miserable and depressing time to live through. And what's with the author bio description saying Jiles is a "dual citizen" with U.S. and Canada? Um, call me crazy, but I think that's a ploy to be considered for Canadian and Commonwealth book prizes. Guess what? If you were born in the U.S. and you live in the U.S., your dual citizenship doesn't mean anything. Plus, my father had to renounce his Canadian citizenship to become American. So gimme a break. You Are Not a Stranger Here by Adam Haslett Oh my GOD this young man knows bi-polar disorder like no one else I've ever read. His descriptions of mania and depression are so spot-on it's almost hard to believe. Now, don't you want to know why I know that he knows whereof he writes? Right as Rain by George P. Pelecanos As far as I know, Pelecanos came out of nowhere to become the hugest mystery writer around. Seven books it took him to "hit," so I guess there is hope for me, yet. He's a terrific writer, and (as far as I know) does an amazing job of writing an African-American character. Grim and scary, though. Not for the faint of heart. And icky icky crack house bathroom scene. Worse than the maggot-infested toilet I used once in India.
Circling the Drain by Amanda Davis This is my friend Amanda's wonderful story collection. The last is my favorite, which is lucky because that's what she used as a beginning for her novel! In a Dry Season by Peter Robinson I read this novel because I needed some plot inspiration. He's a good and entertaining writer, but not quite the plotting genius I had hoped. Sweet Dream Baby by Sterling Watson Okay, full disclosure. This is another Sourcebooks writer. You know, the publisher of my new literary novel, Daughter's Keeper. Still and all, you can believe when I tell you this book is lovely, with a spot-on child's voice.
A Little Death by Laura Wilson Spoiler alert!!! Aren't we done with incest yet? Not to belittled the sufferers. But I'm so tired of it as a literary device. His Mother's Son by Cai Emmons Every parent's fear is that their child will grow up bad. This book does a lovely job of describing that. Marriage: A Duet by Anne Taylor Fleming This was on of my favorite books of this list. She's a stupendous writer. If infidelity scares you as much as it does me, you should read this. And if it doesn't, you should read it, too, to see why it should. The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio by Terry Ryan What a delightful memoir! Now that is a good mother. The White by Deborah Larsen I was really looking forward to this book, and the truth was it was very good. But I wished for more story, and less poetry. The Crimson Petal and the White by Michael Faber This was an entertaining novel, but ahem. It's pornography. Really good porn. But still, you should be prepared. And honestly, does he really think that woman is attractive? Peeling lips? No breasts? Rashy rashy skin? Feh.
October 2002
I think I was grumpy for the past couple of months. I read a lot, but there were so few books that I found absolutely satisfying. Let's hope I cheer up soon. A Citizen of the Country by Sarah Smith This book was a wonderfully enjoyable, but I find it frustrating that the author made comprehension of the book so dependent on having read the prior books in the series. The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason This is another of those first novel mega advances. It's beautifully written (if a little 'lyrical') but it suffers from the problems of its genre. The plot is kind of nowhere.
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett It's a pleasure to watch an expert at work. This book is fabulous, and I'm not even an opera buff. They Came Like Swallows by William Maxwell All those 'lyrical' young writers should be force-fed a diet of William Maxwell. Genius without excess. Mr. Maybe by Jane Green This woman is nice, generous, and a great sport.
The Elusive Embrace by Daniel Mendelsohn Okay, he's my friend, but even if he weren't I would be blown away by the originality, the creativity, the verve of this book. Life After Death by Carol Muske-Dukes This was a good enough read, but I ended up a little dissatisfied at the end. The Frog King by Adam Davies A boy Brigit Jones, with a thesaurus. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith Thank God this book is back in print. It's absolutely delightful. Kingdom of Shadows by Alan Furst Furst is definitely the master of this genre. Remarkable. I love the kind of languid pace of this thriller. And I mean that in the best possible way. Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls This book was completely fun, although I kind of wished for a happy ending with the sea creature. The Last Noel by Michael Malone This writer is an inspiration - a man who was a 'mystery writer' who has successfully crossed genres.
Almost by Elizabeth Benedict I sort of wished for more of a disclosure - a mystery solved or something - in this book. I know that's shallow of me, but there it is. White Oleander by Janet Fitch A little too fraught for me, but a good read. In the River Sweet by Patricia Henley The relationships, the people, in this book felt absolutely and completely real.
The Hatbox Baby by Carrie Brown This is a great idea, a wonderful sense of place and time, and an ultimately unsatisfying novel.
Blessings by Anna Quindlen There's no doubt that this author can write, but I wished for more with this book. The Grave Maurice by Martha Grimes Why oh why did I buy this book in hardcover? An Italian Affair by Laura Fraser I loved this book, and I usually have zero patience for things like novels written in the second person.
July 2002
I've been terribly derelict in my book log duties, and I'm afraid I won't even remember everything I've read. But I'll do my best. When We Were Grownups by Anne Tyler I didn't expect to find this particular character very compelling. She wasn't someone I would normally identify with. But Tyler's writing is so remarkable she just kind of sweeps you up with her. I will say that there's one male character I just absolutely didn't buy. The Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen L. Carter The mystery here isn't very good, and neither is it much of a thriller, but the window into the universe of wealthy African-American society was interesting, and I enjoyed the book for that reason. The Dive From Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer I loved this book so much that I actually accosted a complete stranger in the bookstore and made her buy it. The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint by Brady Udall Udall can write wonderfully well, but something about Edgar's story left me a little cold. Florence, A Delicate Case by David Leavitt I read this right before we went to Florence, and it was a delightful window into that particularly gorgeous little city. As the Romans Do: An American Family's Italian Odyssey by Alan Epstein This book is awful. Truly. The author must have mentioned his "frequent" appearances on Oprah at least thirty times. Wretched. Truly.
The Hero's Walk by Anita Rau Badami I thought I was done with my India phase, but I managed to read another. I liked it okay -- although it wasn't the best of that particular genre. Lying Awake by Mark Salzman He's a wonderful writer, but this is, ultimately, a book about a nun. Great if you're Catholic. Or just love nuns. The Rotters' Club by Jonathan Coe Coe read with Michael in Italy, and had way way more fans that he did. I decided I had to read something he wrote. It was tremendous fun.
Homestead by Rosina Lippi I didn't even know this part of Germany existed, and the author did an amazing job of creating the world. I wish we had gotten to spend more time with each individual character, though. How To Be Good by Nick Hornby This is as much fun as everything Hornby writes. I was ready to KILL that David. No Heroes by Chris Offutt I can't believe poor Offutt had to go back to Appalachia -- but he sure wrote an amazing book about it.
Three Junes by Julia Glass This wonderful book is a perfect little gem. The writing is beautiful, the story is compelling. The only thing I wish is that we didn't skip through time so quickly. It could have been twice as long for me. Man and Boy by Tony Parsons I read this book in one sitting. I'm incredibly excited to have the same publisher. Speak Memory by Vladimir Nabokov I think this book is perfect. I've never read prose like this. I can't imagine having that kind of magical gift.
May 2002
I have been gobbling books the past two months. I've read some amazing ones...and thankfully no dogs. The Emigrants by W.G. Sebald It is an utter catastrophe that this man died so young. He is a great writer...and I mean great. As in people will be reading him in 200 years. Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer Somehow we ended up receiving four copies of this book, so I decided it was incumbent upon me to read one of them. I laughed myself sick. Delightful. The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus Surprisingly well written, and left me cringing. Am I like those horrible Upper East Side women? You'd better ask my nanny. Only she knows.
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides This marvelous book is exactly the kind of family saga the vile "Family Orchard" tries to be. I loved every page, and was utterly depressed when it was over.
Atonement by Ian McEwan I definitely see what all the fuss is about. The ending will knock you out.
The Buffalo Soldier by Chris Bohjalian An engrossing read. Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller I couldn't put this down. My God, what a life. Her mother...I don't even know what to say.
Unless by Carol Shields They say that this may be her last novel, and that is truly a tragedy. Spilling Clarence by Anne Ursu An entertaining first novel. Fair Warning by Robert Olen Butler I'm afraid this left me entirely cold. Empire Falls by Richard Russo I loved this book! The Pulitzer people made a fabulous choice.
March 2002
Another pretty good month for novels. And now that I can upload them myself, you'll see more regular updates. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold This is the first novel by the author of the remarkably moving, horrifying, and deadly funny Lucky. It's every bit as good.
The Family Orchard by Nomi Eve I'm just going to refer you to the brilliant Daniel Mendelsohn's review of this novel: http://www.newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/arts/books/reviews/3893/
Where You Find It by Janice Galloway And odd but charming collection of short stories by a Scottish writer. I reviewed it for the SF Chronicle. Drinking the Sea at Gaza by Amira Hass This was the highlight of my reading months. I mean, it was an amazing book, and it made me weep. Over and over again. Every single American Jew should read this book. Read it, and then argue to me that the Occupied Territories should remain in Israel's hands. The Secret Lives of Girls by Sharon Lamb, Ed.D. Did you know the extent of sexual play that goes on in the lives of little girls? I bet you did, but thought you were just...unique. Weird. Odd. Read this and find out how normal it all is. Fast Girls: Teenage Tribes and the Myth of the Slut by Emily White As someone who suffered by being branded the school slut for absolutely no good reason, I was desperate to read this book. It's pretty good. Read what I have to say about it in the SF Chronicle. Night of Many Dreams by Gail Tsukiyama Full disclosure: Gail is a good friend. But this is a terrific book! Mouthing the Words by Camilla Gibb I haven't really appreciated the "incest novel" genre for a long time. Dorothy Allison and Jane Smiley wrote astonishing books, and enough was enough as far as I was concerned. But I did read this all the way through, and did come to appreciate it as a good read. In the Image by Dara Horn This actually accomplishes everything the execrable Family Orchard claims it does. It's a wonderful first novel. Friendly Fire by Kathryn Chetkovich This book is AMAZING. Fabulous stories, every single one of which should be a novel. Life at These Speeds by Jeremy Jackson This book is a wonderful tear-jerker that really deserves the adjective "haunting." The Silent Duchess by Dacia Maraini Maraini is one of Italy's premiere novelists. The book is interesting, and the writing is by and large very good, although the translation is a bit clunky. The story left me cold, though. In Our Strange Gardens by Michel Quint Okay, so what in the world is wrong with the French? Do they really think this is the best fiction to come out of France since Proust? They seem to...but it's so...slight. The Dying Animal by Phillip Roth I loved the previous Roth, but this one is just too much of the same old sex and misogyny. Enough.
January 2002
I did a lot of reading these past couple of months, and I plan to do as much or more in the next couple. In preparation for a novel I'm about to begin, I'm reading piles of first person comic novels with impeccable literary credentials. Breakfast With Scot by Michael Downing This little gem of a comic novel is easily and enjoyably devoured in a single afternoon.
Misconceptions by Naomi Wolf You can read everything I think about this book in the San Francisco Chronicle book review section. Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik I swear I almost moved my entire family to Paris during the course of reading this terrific book of essays. I had read them before as they appeared in The New Yorker, but there was something especially wonderful about immersing myself in Gopnik's Paris for an extended period of time. Look at Me by Jennifer Egan I know Egan is a terrific writer. Her language is beautiful. But I simply find nothing even remotely interesting about models. Blame that on the fact that I'm a mere five feet tall. I read three quarters of the novel and then decided that I'd had enough. The Grand Complication by Allen Kurzwell This is a wonderfully complicated trick of a first novel. The writing is engaging and the story is fun. I've decided to believe that all the library details are absolutely correct, especially the Lord of Misrule. Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks I just love a good novel about the plague. In the Fall by Jefrey Lent I know without checking that the flap copy of this novel calls is a "sprawling family saga." Okay, I was wrong. "American family epic." Same thing. I enjoyed this novel tremendously, although I had the same problem with it that I have with all multi-generational tales. Just when I was really getting interested in a specific character, he or she would grow old and die. Shopgirl by Steve Martin I didn't want to like this book, really I didn't. I mean, isn't being a hugely successful movie star enough? Does he really get to push my husband off the bestseller list, too? But, alas, I thought it was a sweet little novella.
Disobedience by Jane Hamilton I'm so fantastically opposed to infidelity that I usually have a problem even reading about it, but this novel is an exception. I loved it. Why Did I Ever by Mary Robison I wanted to love this book, because it was recommended to me by someone whom I admire tremendously. That's all I'm going to say. The Distant Land of My Father by Bo Caldwell I found the Shanghai parts of this novel to be wonderfully interesting. I had zero interest in the life of the Los Angeles adolescent.
Tomcat in Love by Tim O'Brien Everyone in the world thought this was an uproariously funny delight. What's wrong with me? I gave up halfway through. Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland This novel faces the inevitable comparison to Tracey Vreeland's Girl With a Pearl Earring. I give the latter the nod, although I enjoyed this one enough to read it in a day. Niagara Falls All Over Again by Elizabeth McCracken I haven't enjoyed a novel so much in ages. Her writing reminds me of my husband's... The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland Read what I have to say about this novel in the San Francisco Chronicle's book review. Dreaming Artemisia by Clara Hennen Funny coincidence -- reviewing Vreeland's book about the Italian Baroque painter and then reading a friend's manuscript about the same woman. I'm sure Clara's book will be published. It's terrific.
November 2001
Did I say a couple of months ago that I would be working so hard I wouldn't have time to read? Sigh. Would that that were true... The Moor's Last Sigh by Salman Rushdie I loved Midnight's Children, and I'm one of the few people to like The Ground Beneath Her Feet, so I'm a Rushdie fan. I loved this book. It was so rich, so fabulously odd, in that Rushdie way. The ending seemed a bit tacked on, though. What's with the sudden introduction of a character we've never met before? The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen Great, fun, sprawling read. I cringed and laughed and cried along with all the characters...except the sister. She kind of bored me. Otherwise, I loved the book. It Takes a Worried Man by Brendan Halpin This memoir is about the author's wife's cancer diagnosis. It's incredibly touching, and very sad. And funny, too. It's hardly a work of genius, but it's good for a hormone-induced weep-fest. The Vine of Desire by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni This novel continues the story of the women we met in Sister of My Heart. As I've said before, I love novels about India, or Indian characters. So I whipped through this in a night or two. She's got a terrific descriptive sense. Probably because she's a poet. The World Below by Sue Miller I think of Sue Miller in many ways as the writer I'd like to grow into. Her themes are much the same as mine ? the minutae of daily life, mothering etc. No murders in this one, though. The Fortune Catcher by Susanne Pari Okay, I'll admit it -- Susanne is my friend. I gobbled up this book in a day. If you want some insight into Islamic Fundamentalism and a good read at the same time, this is your book. The Safe House by Nicci French This is the only mystery I read in the past two months. Can this be true? What a bad mystery writer I am, to have been such a bad mystery reader...This reads along pretty quickly. Could use a little humor, though. Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz What a lovely, sad, depressing book. The mystery was pretty obvious, but I didn't care. It was beautifully written, and a perfect post-partum book, if tragedy is your thing. I'm always drawn to misery when I've just had a baby. The Impressionist by Hari Kunzru This is a very strange novel, that's also compelling. It kept me up until all hours, again and again. This writer is one to watch. I told you I liked books about India. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger If you had told me that I would be blown away by a deeply religious book about cowboys and God, I would have laughed in your face. Read this book. It's amazing.
August 2001
I got off to a slow start in July, but then worked up a head of steam in August. I read enough to satisfy even myself. Now, I'm back to work on the final revisions of A Playdate With Death and plan to begin writing Death Gets a Timeout very soon. My languid days and nights of reading may be behind me for the foreseeable future. John Henry Days by Colson Whitehead This guy is a brilliant writer. Almost as brilliant as my husband. And, come to think of it, his work does resemble Michael's. Sentences in this book had me reeling, and laughing hysterically. But, over all, I felt pretty distant from the plot and characters. I wanted to love it. Really I did. But I came away a bit dissatisfied. A Traitor to Memory by Elizabeth George I was beyond thrilled to get this in hardcover from a friend. I'd exhausted my hardcover budget for the month and was sure I'd have to wait for the paperback. It was a fun read, but I called the ENTIRE plot in the first 100 pages or so. And I'm not that swift... The Night Inspector by Frederick Busch I loved this one. It felt like a delightful Victorian gothic. The language was dead on and the seemy ugliness was creepily pleasurable. Wild Writing Women by my friend Lauren Cuthbert, among others These tales of intrepid women travelers braving remarkable dangers were so much fun! They made me want to head back out to Nepal or Ladakh. The Binding Chair by Kathryn Harrison I have a real soft spot for novels about China. I liked this book very much, although I was much less interested in the Western girl's story. The Dark Room by Minette Walters I love English mysteries and am always looking for good, new authors (or new to me at least). I enjoyed this one. It was a good read while I was on the plane from New Jersey. Miraculously, the baby slept and I had a terrific flight! Getting a Life by Helen Simpson The stories were amazing but, oh my God, were they bleak. Mothers on the edge of despair. We've all been there, in some fashion or another. Still Missing by Beth Gutcheon I had to skip to the end to see what happened to the abducted child in this book. I never, I mean NEVER, do that, but I couldn't stand the suspence. Maybe I was too post-partum to deal with it. Incredible read, this. Arranged Marriages by Chitra Divakaruni Last year I was on an India tear. I must have read twenty or thirty novels by Indian writers. This collection takes place by and large in the US and is a wonderful glimpse into the world of immigrants from India. The Hotel Alleluia by Lucinda Roy The Africa parts of this book were enjoyable, but the rest left me pretty cold.
July 2001
This month's list is short, but in my defense, I did give birth on June 1. I had all this luxurious time for reading after my planned c-section, but due to the fabulous if foggy effects of Vicodin, all I managed to do was read the same article in Vogue over and over and over again. And I still don't know whether lipsticks are matte or glossy this summer. The Human Stain by Philip Roth I didn't want to like this book. Really I didn't. I mean, the man writes about prostates and fellatio. In the same sentence. But it was a wonderful book. Beautifully and even delicately written. Compelling. Sad as hell. Dating Big Bird by Laura Zigman I really don't plan to use this space to trash other writers. And hell, the book got published, so someone likes it. And I did finish it. It passed the time. 'Nuf said.
May 2001
Siam: Or the Woman Who Shot a Man by Lily TuckThis slim little novel is a wonderful glimpse into expatriate life in Thailand circa 1967. It's beautifully written and the sense of place is remarkable, but I found myself wishing for more of a plot. Make Believe by Joanna Scott After the deaths of his parents, four-year-old Bo is the focus of a fierce custody battle between two sets of grandparents, one black and one white. I don't generally enjoy novels written from the perspective of children, but I found this one thoroughly compelling. O is for Outlaw by Sue Grafton Ms. Grafton is one of the true geniuses of the modern hard-boiled mystery. Her sleuth, Kinsey Millhone, is an inspiration to all of us who are swimming in Ms. Grafton's masterful wake. This installment is particularly enjoyable, as it involves Kinsey's own past. Being Dead by Jim Crace I really didn't want to like this book, as the author beat my husband out for the National Book Critic's Circle Award, but it's impossible not to. He's a remarkable writer, and this is a haunting book. It's about a couple of corpses decomposing on a beach, but don't let that dissuade you. Anil's Ghost by Michael Ondaatje A delightful bout a forensic pathologist who returns to her homeland of Sri Lanka to discover the source of the organized murder campaigns engulfing the island. The Vision of Emma Blau by Ursula Hegi Stones From the River, by the same author, is one of my favorite books of all time. It's brilliant. This one...not so much. I just had a hard time finding a plot in it all. The Strangeness of Beauty by Lydia Minatoya If the author of this novel, about Japan on the eve of World War II, hadn't felt the need to be so "lyrical," I would have enjoyed the book more. The characters are interesting and the historical context is compelling. It's a good read if you allow yourself to skip the odd overelaborate descriptive passage. Sister Noon by Karen Joy Fowler I love this writer. I don't want to ruin anything about this book for you, so I'll just say that it takes place in San Francisco in the Gilded Age and that all the really interesting characters are women. How often do you get to read a book like that? Snow Mountain Passage by James D. Houston I'll admit it. I have a bizarre obsession with grisly stories of survival. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer was one of my favorite books of the past few years. So I was thrilled to encounter this novel about the Donner Party's celebrated misadventures in the High Sierra of California. The sections of the book dealing with their awful fate were fabulous. Creepy and exciting and sad. I could have done without the detours to the Mexican-American War.