September Reading

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.