December 2008
Wow. This is, I think, the longest I've gone since updating. I've been busy this fall with the election, as you no doubt know from reading the blog on the front page of this website. And then I had to reintroduce myself to my poor children, all of whom were in some kind of crisis.
A Mercy by Toni Morrison
I wish I had another 400 pages of this book. It was the hint of an incredible story, and I was desperate for the whole story.
The Center of the Universe by Nancy Bachrach
This is the memoir my daughters will write.
Notes From an Exhibition by Patrick Gale
This book terrified me. It was too close. I had to keep reminding myself that this isn't me. I'm nowhere this ill.
Netherland by Joseph O'Neill
One of my favorite books of the year.
Novel About My Wife by Emily Perkins
I kind of faded halfway through.
Telex From Cuba by Rachel Kushner
Fascinating window into a world I had never even imagined.
Art & Ardor by Cynthia Ozick
I feel like I learned more about writing from this small essay collection than from anything I ever read before.
Fearless by Matthew Yglesias
Compelling read, but I think the movie was better.
Songs for the Butcher's Daughter by Peter Manseau
I love a good Yiddish tale.
Whatever it Takes by Paul Tough
Every American who considers herself a compassionate and politically astute person should read this book. Immediately.
Take the Cannoli by Sarah Vowell
Nobody makes me laugh so hard.
The School on Heart's Content Road by Carolyn Chute
Loved the Maine stuff. Had a pretty hard time with the icons.
The Risk Pool by Richard Russo
No one writes blue collar despair like him.
Atlas of Unknowns by Tania James
I'm a sucker for a good novel about the Indian experience.
The Vagrants by Yiyun Li
Terrific writer. Grim grim grim story.
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace
It's so trite to say so, but it's a goddamn tragedy that he's dead. These essays are magnificent.
This Must be the Place by Nora Ephron
Very lovely novel.
Posted on December 4, 2008.
July 2008
I know I've been terribly derelict, but I've been trying to finish not one but two books. I went to Mesa Refuge in Point Reyes, the most gorgeous writing retreat, and just powered through.
The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich
Louise Erdrich’s world is reliably lovely and strange.
The Ten Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer
It’s so incredibly delightful when a book just nails it, you know?
Olive Kitteridge by elizabeth Strout
This book transported me. Completely.
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
She writes such delightfully confident prose.
No One You Know by Michelle Richmond
This book will keep Michelle on the terrific trajectory her last book put her on.
Cost by Roxana Robinson
Oh God. I haven’t not been able to get this book out of my mind. What a terrifying object lesson.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Why the hell didn’t I read this earlier? This book. God, this book.
The Wild Palms by William Faulkner
How ridiculous is it that I forget every time how much I love Faulkner?
City of Refuge by Tom Piazza
This book taught me so much about Katrina. It’s amazing how fiction manages to teach you something new, no matter how much news you read.
A Curious Earth by Gerard Woodward
A lovely little novel.
Travels with Alice by Calvin Trillin
I cried pretty much the whole time I read this, when I wasn’t laughing.
Time Will Darken It by William Maxwell
Perfect prose.
The Spare Room by Helen Garner
Every once in a while a writer just comes out of nowhere. I mean, she’s been writing a long time, but she came out of nowhere to me.
Stealing Buddha’s Dinner by Bich Minh Nguyen
Terrific memoir.
I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
Funny little essays. Sweet.
Art & Ardor by Cynthia Ozick
These essays are so brilliant I can’t believe it. Bogglingly brilliant.
I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron
Reread this for my nonfiction book. Always funny.
Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace
This man is to footnotes what the raised glaze is to donuts. The best every.
Consequences by Penelope Lively
This book lost me in the end, although I liked it very much for a while.
An Equal Music by Vikram Seth
I reread this for the music for my novel. Far more detailed than I could ever be.
The Best American Essays by David Foster Wallace
His essays are better than any of these.
Changing Places by David Lodge
Lord, I do love David Lodge.
The Great Man by Kate Christensen
I liked this, but I wanted, I don’t know, something more.
Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell
I love Gaskell, but in the end what she lacks is humor.
Nice Work by David Lodge
Good lord this man is the most incredible writer.
Growing Up by Russell Banks
Awfully sweet memoir.
Posted on July 13, 2008.
March 2008
All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown
I tried to write this novel and failed. I’m glad Brown succeeded.
Persepolis: The Story of A Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
Amazing, blah blah blah, but the casual references to evil Zionists freaked me out.
The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante
Oh give me a break! Misery misery misery, I get it. Get over it already.
Saturday by Ian McEwan
This book was even better the second time. Knowing what was coming made it much more fun to watch it unfold.
December by Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop
An interesting young writer.
Triangle by Katharine Weber
I wasn’t particularly enamored of the mystery at the heart of this novel (far too easy to figure out) but I loved reading about the seamstresses.
The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer
Another brilliant novel by this brilliant writer.
Earthly Possessions by Anne Tyler
So here’s the question...do I watch the movie or not?
Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler
Remember when a novel written by a woman about a woman could win the Pulitzer Prize? Yeah. No more.
Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler
Reading for tips on how to construct a novel.
If Morning Ever Comes by Anne Tyler
It’s incredible to watch Tyler take essentially the same main female character and put her through various scenarios in book to book.
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
I’m not really into the whole meditation thing, but this book provided great “how to write a memoir” guidance.
The Book of Getting Even by Benjamin Taylor
Taylor’s a terrific writer, but this book’s breakneck pace was a bit exhausting.
The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd
I could not stop reading this book. I absolutely gobbled it up.
Her Last Death by Susanna Sonnenberg
This memoir was beautifully written and often riveting.
The Innocent by Ian McEwan
I’ll never tire of reading and rereading McEwan. I just wish he’d write as fast as I read.
The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley
What a discovery! I love this guy.
The Short History of a Prince by Jane Hamilton
She is an amazingly talented writer, and this character broke my heart.
The Peoples Act of Love by James Meek
I guessed the big secret right away, but I liked the book very much despite that. I felt like I learned some seriously creepy stuff. Very cool.
The Family Markowitz by Allegra Goodman
Another reread. It’s just a pleasure to read this author’s prose.
Posted on March 13, 2008.
|
