I noticed this book in the 'new arrivals' section of the library. The title caught my eye so I decided to try it.
This book is about a man who turns his life around after serving a jail sentence for accidentally setting fire to Emily Dickinson's house. Twenty years later, his history starts catching up to him as other writers' houses are burned down and he is the prime suspect. In figuring out how to defend himself, he reconciles with his estranged parents and learns more about their marriage and his childhood. The book was part mystery, part novel.
The narrator was likable enough as a character although I didn't think that he (or the other characters) were particularly well-developed. The story's quirky style held my attention, but I don't think this is a book I'll remember at the end of the year.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
The Blind Assasin by Margaret Atwood
I love love loved this book. Webster bought it for me at the airport when I discovered I didn't like the other book I had brought with him. I typically enjoy Atwood and I think this is one of her best.
The book has two stories in it: the main narrative and a novel that one of the characters wrote. I usually find these types of books frustrating (see Lamb's last novel) but in this case, both stories kept my interest equally. Also, I was not disappointed by the climax that ties the stories together.
The outer (?) story is about a woman looking back on her life, which includes growing up being raised by her tycoon father with her unusual sister followed by an unhappy society marriage. The inner (?) story is about two un-named lovers across class boundaries in an un-named city in an un-named time. It feels more like Atwood's sci-fi style.
I only wish that I had read this as part of a book club because I am sure I missed several layers that I would have gotten from discussions with others.
ps: I was struck by how beautifully this was written only after starting the next book I read which was written just fine but was not as beautiful as Atwood's poetic style.
The book has two stories in it: the main narrative and a novel that one of the characters wrote. I usually find these types of books frustrating (see Lamb's last novel) but in this case, both stories kept my interest equally. Also, I was not disappointed by the climax that ties the stories together.
The outer (?) story is about a woman looking back on her life, which includes growing up being raised by her tycoon father with her unusual sister followed by an unhappy society marriage. The inner (?) story is about two un-named lovers across class boundaries in an un-named city in an un-named time. It feels more like Atwood's sci-fi style.
I only wish that I had read this as part of a book club because I am sure I missed several layers that I would have gotten from discussions with others.
ps: I was struck by how beautifully this was written only after starting the next book I read which was written just fine but was not as beautiful as Atwood's poetic style.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Book Weekend
I had a nice weekend in Rochester celebrating my mother-in-law's birthday with a large raucous group of her friends. Though I had met many of them before, I discovered several avid readers in the group. See below for the book recommendations I picked up. I think I may have picked up some new blog readers too!!
At dinner on Saturday, I was seated next to the lovely Amy, author of a soon-to-be-published book that I can't wait to read! At one point in the conversation she asked me what books I would most recommend. I said, "to what audience?" and she said, "just the books you'd hand down, or what you would call the most influential, or the ones you'd talk to Oprah about." I chuckled, commenting on how those are three very different questions and then stalled because I didn't have a great answer for any of them. Though I compile the booklist each year, I haven't ever kept a running favorites list which often trips me up in conversation. It's like when my boss recently asked me what U2 song I liked best, I stumbled and stuttered and came up with something off Joshua Tree. Not my finest moment, and not representative of my devotion to Bono et al.
Anyway, I should work on a more comprehensive answer to that set of questions. It would be a good project for me.
Book recommendations:
At dinner on Saturday, I was seated next to the lovely Amy, author of a soon-to-be-published book that I can't wait to read! At one point in the conversation she asked me what books I would most recommend. I said, "to what audience?" and she said, "just the books you'd hand down, or what you would call the most influential, or the ones you'd talk to Oprah about." I chuckled, commenting on how those are three very different questions and then stalled because I didn't have a great answer for any of them. Though I compile the booklist each year, I haven't ever kept a running favorites list which often trips me up in conversation. It's like when my boss recently asked me what U2 song I liked best, I stumbled and stuttered and came up with something off Joshua Tree. Not my finest moment, and not representative of my devotion to Bono et al.
Anyway, I should work on a more comprehensive answer to that set of questions. It would be a good project for me.
Book recommendations:
- Amy : Random Family by Adrian LeBlanc; Courtroom 302
- Bob and Beth: Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner; China Road; Master and the Margarita; Barbara Kingsolver's new book on local eating
- Connie: Land Without Hats by Julie Mugal
- Mary: Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson
Friday, February 06, 2009
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
I really liked this book. It was an "emergency" purchase at a closing bookstore and I lucked out.
The story follows a family in Nigeria in the 1960's. It alternates between the early part of the decade, filled with affluence and culture, and the later years, filled with civil war. There are many well-developed characters from different classes that make the story a full picture of the time period from many points of view.
Uniquely, each chapter read like a short story although the book had a strong narrative linking the individual episodes. I really liked this especially at the beginning of the book because it gave me a self-contained set of events to think about each night.
I also appreciated learning about Nigeria. Looking back at my booklists, the majority of African writing I've read has been set in Zimbabwe. While there were certain themes present in this book that were familiar to other books - treatment of ethnic minorities, existence during war time, ordinary people surviving great trials - there was also a great deal of information on Nigerian history that I didn't know. Some of the characters in the book were involved in the creation of Biafra, a short-lived independent nation that seceded from Nigeria. I had never learned about that.
I think this is my favorite thing that I've read this year so far.
The story follows a family in Nigeria in the 1960's. It alternates between the early part of the decade, filled with affluence and culture, and the later years, filled with civil war. There are many well-developed characters from different classes that make the story a full picture of the time period from many points of view.
Uniquely, each chapter read like a short story although the book had a strong narrative linking the individual episodes. I really liked this especially at the beginning of the book because it gave me a self-contained set of events to think about each night.
I also appreciated learning about Nigeria. Looking back at my booklists, the majority of African writing I've read has been set in Zimbabwe. While there were certain themes present in this book that were familiar to other books - treatment of ethnic minorities, existence during war time, ordinary people surviving great trials - there was also a great deal of information on Nigerian history that I didn't know. Some of the characters in the book were involved in the creation of Biafra, a short-lived independent nation that seceded from Nigeria. I had never learned about that.
I think this is my favorite thing that I've read this year so far.
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