With our younger children back in the classroom during the day and our college-age children perhaps even further away than that, the time is right for (finally) finishing that book or starting a new one. And so, with the cooler weather forcing me indoors I'm reading more again and wondering what everyone else is reading, too.
Someone just lent me "The Prince of the Marshes (and Other Occupational Hazards of a Year in Iraq)" by Rory Stewart and I'll be starting that soon. But over the past few weeks, I did manage to read some things worth noting.
First of all, Carlos Ruiz Zafon's "The Angel's Game" came out this summer and it is not to be missed. Don't expect another book exactly like his previous release, The Shadow of the Wind, but do expect another literary winner. The Angel's Game will remind you why you love books so much. and reach out claim the writer in you, if there is one.
Secondly, one of my book clubs read "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, as many of you probably have, too. The book is told in letters (and I do love letters). Much of it is charming, and the book is certainly a commercial success. But I must admit, I found it stilted in places and, perhaps, a little too quaint for my everyday tastes. Read my full review for more about that!
Lastly (having saved the most unusual but fastest read for last), if you haven't heard about David Small's Stitches, a Memoir, you will! It hit number one on the Graphic Novel Bestseller list the day it was released. That's right: a memoir in graphic novel form. While not the very first of its kind (think Persepolis), it has a unique quality that critics are calling groundbreaking. While Persepolis and even Maus deal with culture and history, Stitches deals with psychology. What further differentiates it are the drawings. The gray panels of Stitches simply scream film noir. The strictly black-and-white, more delineated style of Persepolis and Maus are indicative of a true "comic" book. We know women are suppressed in Iran. We know about the Holocaust. But Small's story is utterly unique. What kind of parent gives their child cancer? And then lies about it? Read my full review here and then just try to stay out of the bookstore.
Honorable mention: Caddy for Life, The Bruce Edwards Story by John Feinstein. You might recall senior golfer and former pro Tom Watson almost beat Stewart Cink after a four-hold play-off in the 2009 US Open Championship at Turnberry in Ayrshire Scotland this summer. Caddy for Life tells the story of Tom and his caddy, Bruce Edwards, who died of ALS in 2004. It's a great story - even if you're not a golfer.
What are you reading?
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Comments: 33
"A Taste of Veneto" - the official food and regional specialty guide for the Venice/Vicenza area the Italians call Veneto. Wines, cheeses, meats, and local dishes are all represented here. If I wasn't enjoying it so much I'd admit it was homework!
"Henry Hudson and the Algonquins" - A timely (can you spell Quadricentennial?) look at the white discovery of the River That Flows Both Ways from the Native Americans who lived here at the time.
That, my gather friend's articles, an overload of regional and culinary magazines, and 2 newspapers.
Population 485 looks interesting.
You're going to like the Russo!
I also have in the pile "The Angel's Game," the new Pat Conroy novel "South of Broad," "The Help" which has been garnering rave reviews over the summer, and a book by a Gather author, "Peripheral View" by Rita Kuehn, which I can't wait to start.
I am SO excited to read Stitches! I checked out Mr. Small's website and found it full of dark whimsy, which is right up my alley.
I am currently reading Die unendliche Geschichte by Michael Ende. The Neverending Story was originally written in German! How lucky am I?
Thanks for your post. As usual, it was informative and fun!
But the NY Times says it does get better in the last 200 pages, so I'll finish it.
I am curious to jump over to your review of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society as I was wondering about that one.
And this past weekend I attended the book convention hosted by Rain Taxi. Did you go, Diana? I purchased "Written on the Knee" from the author, Helen Electrie Lindsay. A translation of a diary by her grandfather, Dr. Theodore Electris from his time during WWII.
In November I'm dedicating myself to NaNoWriMo=National Novel Writing Month. I'll be working on my middle grade novel of a young teenaged boy who lives in norther Minnesota. The setting is in the late 1920s, right before the Official Depression. But he's from a farm family and farmers feel depression first. Financially speaking, of course.
The premise of your upcoming novel sounds pretty good - and I think there's something special about farm stories from that era. I'm tempted to try NoNoWriMo this year just for the practice but have mixed feelings about it.
My favorite part of "Edgar Sawtelle" is when Edgar is young and gets his first litter, but the ending is somewhat - stunning.