Spring Books
Mara and Dann by Doris Lessing
Lessing is really cool! She’s literary speculative fiction. (!!) She won the Nobel Prize recently, so I checked her out because I loved Jose Saramago so much. This is a far-future sci-fi novel where humans are struggling to survive an ice age. Europe and North America are under ice, and the change in climate has made life *very* different and difficult in Africa and South America. Mara and Dann are trying to stay ahead of the drought, heading north from southern Africa, and we see the devastation along the way.
Dragons and giant insects and lizards have evolved, and there are flash floods and new types of humans. There are descriptions of old civilizations buried for thousands of years. Europeans are still around… but not doing so well. Mara and Dann try to learn all they can of what happened during the 15,000 years Earth was habitable and what happened when the civilizations fell. It’s absolutely fascinating. Lessing made it incredibly believable. I highly recommend this book and suspect most of the people I know would really enjoy it. Looking forward to reading more of her for sure.
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
This is a retelling of the Penelope myth (she was constantly barraged by offers of marriage while waiting for Odysseus to return, and when he finally returned, he killed her twelve maids!) It’s a feminist retelling, looking at the reality of how the women might actually have felt if these things really happened. The writing didn’t feel much like Atwood–it felt more distant and tell-ish–but I think the ideas are the appeal of this book. Definitely interesting and worth reading.
American Rust by Philipp Meyer
Amazon reviews were calling this guy a modern Steinbeck. I totally see why. This book feels very American and explores the underbelly of a western Pennsylvania factory town. Two young men are forced into a violent encounter which changes their lives. The story is how they deal with it. One runs away and the other faces prison. The prose is gorgeous and the details exquisitely realistic. If you like Steinbeck, you’ll love this.
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Coolest. Book. Evah. Loved it. It’s a dystopia where violence is so common in society the government has to come up with interesting new ways to combat it. It’s told from the POV of a young man heavily involved in the violent youth culture. What’s awesome is the language; a good 25% of it is made up! It’s fun figuring out the words from context. It’s a weird combination of English and Russian. What’s also cool is the dystopian element of how the violence is supposed to be curbed.
I watched the Kubrick film right after. It’s fabulously weird, like the book. Malcolm McDowell is perfect in it. He captures that boyish, “I’m violent but you still like me, don’t you?” attitude.
Miles From Nowhere by Nami Mun
The writing in this is just beautiful. It’s the adventures of a runaway told in non-linear format. I think this is Mun’s first novel. I hope she writes more.
And you? Read any of these? Have thoughts? Any interesting books you think I should know about?
*blows kisses*