Sometimes the best part about collecting an author's work is the ephemera associated with it -- such as this magazine that includes a story by William Faulkner; however, when it arrived in the mail, the classic author's words were not what I read immediately. Not with Jennifer Billingsley on the cover.
Tag: literature
A thin fabric of time and trust in Prague
"City of Dark Magic" is a fun novel to read. It's filled with mystery, time warp, musical references (Beethoven in particular) and a cast of colorful characters, including a 400-year-old dwarf. Pure entertainment.
The books I gave on Christmas Eve
Dinner at my house on December 24, 2012, included giving a book to each of my six guests. Here you'll find the titles of the books -- three novels, one short-story collection, one historical crime story, one allegory -- and how the selections were made.
Coming face to face with evil
Ian McEwan's newest novel "Sweet Tooth" is out; however, I pushed it aside, for reasons noted here, and selected a novel McEwan wrote before "Atonement" and even his Man Booker-winning "Amsterdam." It's one of his short novels, and it stirs up some interesting, philosophical questions.
Where’s the agreement? 2012 best books
How many lists of best books of 2012 can a reader take? They're spewing from media outlets like water from a broken hydrant. In a desperate measure to find some sanity in the mania, I cross-referenced four fiction lists to see which books they listed in common. The results are these five.
The discussion that followed the selection
Several weeks ago, I shared the story about how a book club decided, from a stack of possibilities, on a book to read with me. They finished the novel they chose, and we got together to talk about it. Here are highlights of the discussion.
A philandering poet’s fatal attraction
Deborah Levy's novel packs a punch in a mere 157 pages. She puts a deeply unsettling spin on the impulsive, lusty fling gone wrong when vacationing Brits invite a mentally unstable beauty to stay with them. They don't know her presence is dangerous, but we do, which makes this a tense, engaging read.
Confessions from American suburbia
The University of Georgia Press announced this week the winners of the 2012 Flannery O'Connor Short Fiction Awards, but I've been hooked by a previous winner -- Andrew Porter's "The Theory of Light & Matter." Here's why, plus an "all hail the short story" burst of thought.
A forever within the numbered days
John Green's "The Fault In Our Stars" is a 2012 New York Times best-seller. Written for a young adult audience, it tells an unflinching love story between two teens with cancer. But don't for a moment believe 1) it's not for you because you're an adult; and 2) you need a hanky. Instead, be prepared with guaranteed reading time because you won't be able to put this book down.
The Best They’ve Ever Read
If you're looking for great crime novels to absorb you during reading time, here's a gold mine of suggestions. It's a list compiled and maintained by the owners of Partners & Crime Mystery Booksellers, a store in New York City that's sadly closing September 20, 2012. I've printed the list for future reference, and here describe my first three picks.
J. D. Salinger’s noble opposition
The paperback edition of Kenneth Slawenski's biography of America's iconic literary recluse was released the beginning of this year. I read it, curious about the many things I probably didn't know about the man who wrote "The Catcher in the Rye." One of my biggest surprises was learning Salinger fought in some of World War II's most difficult battles. I also came to know Salinger as less of a bizarre eccentric and more of a person whose experiences influenced his behavior.
This thanks-giving holiday, thank you
Some thanks, some poetry, some good wishes and more in this Thanksgiving message originally posted in 2009.
The Longest Chapter 