September 23rd, 2008
I decided to read After Dark because I loved Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore, and I’m so glad I did. After Dark turned out to be an absolute masterpiece. It’s a perfect book, I believe, and a perfect novel of magic realism. It’s about what goes on with two sisters over the course of a night in Japan. That description doesn’t do it justice, of course. *recommends*
Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead (which I believe won a Pulitzer) is a beautiful, beautiful book. I’d heard warnings it was rambly, and it was. I’d heard nothing happened in it, and indeed, there was no action. Yet, I *loved* it, and I couldn’t stop reading. It’s about a preacher near the end of his life who writes letters to his son about his family and life. The plot concerns merely how this guy reconciles the messier issues of his life with his religion and that of his father and grandfather (all preachers but all very different).
It includes a lot of folksy Christian philosophy that spoke to me, I think because it reminded me of the hopeful parts of the religion I grew up with and then left behind. Maybe the character represents what I wished Christianity could have been. Or maybe I still romanticize that distant aspect of my past. (Hm.) Anyway, it’s a wonderful book.
I eagerly gave both books a “+” on my reading list and kinda want to reread them already. Anyone read either of them? Thoughts?
September 12th, 2008
Books
Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore… I can’t decide if I loved it or just liked it a lot. Gah. It’s completely unlike anything else I’ve ever read, which is awesome. And it wasn’t fluffy or mindless; it contained interesting ideas about men and women, what it means to grow up, the ability of art to change a person and some metaphysical stuff. It was definitely engrossing with its bizarre world of talking cats and rains of mackerel. (Johnnie Walker and Colonel Sanders make an appearance.) The characters were perfectly awesome. I almost loved it, but I wish Murakami had tied things together a little better. You might like it if you liked Gaiman’s American Gods.
Mostly, I love that it’s magic realism. That’s my genre, baby! I didn’t even know Murakami was writing such things and I’m very glad for the discovery. I’ll definitely read more of his stuff. After Dark is next.
Brad Kressler’s Birds in Fall was a’ight. Not bad. A plane goes down near an island in Nova Scotia, and an innkeeper there offers the victims’ families a place to stay during the search and rescue. The descriptions of the island and the history were enjoyable to read, and the ornithology metaphor used throughout was cool. There wasn’t a lot of plot, more “here’s how everyone felt about what happened,” but the writing was lovely and the emotions sincere and believable.
September 9th, 2008
The park behind my house is still green, which is lovely, but most of the wildflowers have, er, died. Only sunflowers and a few daisies remain. Naturally, I snapped a few photos.
The flickr set contains seven photos, six of flowers. (One of something else entirely.)
September 4th, 2008
I enjoyed Jonathan Lethem’s collection, Men and Cartoons. He has this knack for perfectly characterizing, er, characters. They breathe for you. All the stories are refreshingly original and fun (and strangely substantive), but I especially recommend “The Vision,” “Vivian Relf,” “The Dystopianist, Thinking of His Rival, Is Interrupted by a Knock on the Door” and “The Glasses.” Oh, and “National Anthem.” (Apparently, I liked a lot of them.)
However! I checked out chapters of a couple of Lethem’s novels and wasn’t quite as captivated. Has anyone else read anything by him? Should I keep reading one of the novels? (It gets bettah, perhaps?)
As for Salman Rushdie… Holy crap! I see why he’s famous and wins awards. Fury was rich and beautifully complicated. It’s about a man who leaves his wife in London and moves to NYC to sort through his reasons and decision. It was a difficult read, with a difficult protagonist, but worth it. Rushdie comes across rather anti-feminist, yet he’s still modern and sensitive (the contrast itself is interesting). The best part is his setting; he brings NYC to life, the good and the ugly. If you like books that make you think, Fury is for you.
FREE Book
Remember that brilliant book of short stories I mentioned a while back (Benjamin Rosenbaum’s The Ant King and Other Stories)? Well, kick ass, its [wise and laudable] publisher is giving it away in ebook format! It’s a completely fabulous book. You will love it.
David Benioff’s City of Thieves was pretty cool. It’s about a couple of kids arrested just before the siege of Leningrad (WWII) and offered a secret mission to earn their freedom. The characters were charming and the historical detail immersive. Kolya is a character I will likely remember forever. (So irreverent!) You’ll like it if you like historical fiction with a YA feel.
September 1st, 2008
The drive from Denver to Roswell took just under eight hours. We stopped at a few places along the way.
My favorite stop was a sunflower patch near the New Mexico border. It was cool and windy out, and there was no one around for miles. It was magical place.
Here’s Larry in front of a gift shop in Trinidad, where we stopped for fuel.
We also stopped in the tiny town of Vaughn, NM.
In Vaughn, we took inappropriate photos at a cemetery, because it was spooky, solitary and full of ghosts wanting to speak. The graves were the only thing in view for miles, amid foggy grasslands.
