Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Long Absence
I have been reading a lot less.
I had a baby in December.
At least I am still reading, no?
I am searching the recesses of my sleep addled brain to find the titles of the more recent books
Magic Time was quite good. I enjoyed it. I was surprised that a rehashing of memories of 1964 could be so good. My friend said the style was a rip off of another author she has read a lot of. I or course can not remember the name. Anyway. Magic Time's structure is two time lines mashed together to show how the past is influencing the present. So it starts out kinda cryptic. the main character is a successful newspaper columnist. He covers a tragedy in NYC his adopted hometown, has a breakdown and is taken home to Mississippi to recover where you learn the reason for his breakdown. A tragedy during the summer of 1964. In the process I have to say that the Freedom Summer gained a much rounder appearance in my thoughts than before. There is nothing like a story to make you really think about what it would mean to be living in a time where civil rights are not granted to all.
Did I post about Cotton? That was a trippy little story. I really enjoyed the ride. To tell too much of this story, would be to give it away. Lets just say that it is not as straight a tale as the book jacket makes you think it is. It is an odd ride through the 50's. 60's, 70's and 80's. It tells the view point from many races and sexes in an unconventional manner. I enjoyed it.
How about my favorite junk food novelist, Christopher Moore. I think I have officially now read all of his books. So sad, I have to wait for a new one to come out. Recent reads: Coyote Blue and You Suck. Coyote was much better than I thought it would be. it is more a novel with strange people than his other novels really being strange people with novel written around it. You Suck was fun, but it really would help if you read Blood Sucking Fiends first, or most of it will be lost on you.
A little rock n roll re-read pairing: High Fidelity by Nick Hornby and Ground Beneath Her Feet by Rushdie. I normally don't re-read things but my book club wanted to read the pair, so I agreed. I originally read High Fidelity shortly after it came out and I was living in London. It was so of the time, much like Generation X was when it came out. I really enjoyed it both the first and second time, although each affected me differently. The first time I read it, it was so original and new sort of novel. I think really it is Nick Hornby's best one. Some of the others have just landed flat to me. I think High Fidelity is interesting now since I am about the same age as the main character and I can relate to the themes of growing up and changing and becoming an adult and loosing your street cred. I also love the theme of how music informs our concepts and expectation of love and relationships. I have oft teased my hubbie about being too influenced by pop music.
The first time I read Ground Beneath Her Feet I hated it. This time I am really enjoying it. As I don't often re-read books, I can not say if I would have that reaction to others I did not like. It almost makes me think I should re-read others. But I wont. I am a Rushdie fan. I think when I read it before I could not get over the pop culture references. Now I see a lot more of the book and where I think it is going/coming from. I love all the parallels to mythology and the repeating themes of parents and trust and reality, of course how music informs our concepts and expectations of relationships too. More to it, but I would not want to spoil the book for you. It is a magical realism sorta book. It has the alternate universe thing that I think before put me off, but this time I am enjoying. Who knows what changed for me since I read it the first time.
I know I have read others, but they are not bubbling to the top of my head at the moment.
I had a baby in December.
At least I am still reading, no?
I am searching the recesses of my sleep addled brain to find the titles of the more recent books
Magic Time was quite good. I enjoyed it. I was surprised that a rehashing of memories of 1964 could be so good. My friend said the style was a rip off of another author she has read a lot of. I or course can not remember the name. Anyway. Magic Time's structure is two time lines mashed together to show how the past is influencing the present. So it starts out kinda cryptic. the main character is a successful newspaper columnist. He covers a tragedy in NYC his adopted hometown, has a breakdown and is taken home to Mississippi to recover where you learn the reason for his breakdown. A tragedy during the summer of 1964. In the process I have to say that the Freedom Summer gained a much rounder appearance in my thoughts than before. There is nothing like a story to make you really think about what it would mean to be living in a time where civil rights are not granted to all.
Did I post about Cotton? That was a trippy little story. I really enjoyed the ride. To tell too much of this story, would be to give it away. Lets just say that it is not as straight a tale as the book jacket makes you think it is. It is an odd ride through the 50's. 60's, 70's and 80's. It tells the view point from many races and sexes in an unconventional manner. I enjoyed it.
How about my favorite junk food novelist, Christopher Moore. I think I have officially now read all of his books. So sad, I have to wait for a new one to come out. Recent reads: Coyote Blue and You Suck. Coyote was much better than I thought it would be. it is more a novel with strange people than his other novels really being strange people with novel written around it. You Suck was fun, but it really would help if you read Blood Sucking Fiends first, or most of it will be lost on you.
A little rock n roll re-read pairing: High Fidelity by Nick Hornby and Ground Beneath Her Feet by Rushdie. I normally don't re-read things but my book club wanted to read the pair, so I agreed. I originally read High Fidelity shortly after it came out and I was living in London. It was so of the time, much like Generation X was when it came out. I really enjoyed it both the first and second time, although each affected me differently. The first time I read it, it was so original and new sort of novel. I think really it is Nick Hornby's best one. Some of the others have just landed flat to me. I think High Fidelity is interesting now since I am about the same age as the main character and I can relate to the themes of growing up and changing and becoming an adult and loosing your street cred. I also love the theme of how music informs our concepts and expectation of love and relationships. I have oft teased my hubbie about being too influenced by pop music.
The first time I read Ground Beneath Her Feet I hated it. This time I am really enjoying it. As I don't often re-read books, I can not say if I would have that reaction to others I did not like. It almost makes me think I should re-read others. But I wont. I am a Rushdie fan. I think when I read it before I could not get over the pop culture references. Now I see a lot more of the book and where I think it is going/coming from. I love all the parallels to mythology and the repeating themes of parents and trust and reality, of course how music informs our concepts and expectations of relationships too. More to it, but I would not want to spoil the book for you. It is a magical realism sorta book. It has the alternate universe thing that I think before put me off, but this time I am enjoying. Who knows what changed for me since I read it the first time.
I know I have read others, but they are not bubbling to the top of my head at the moment.
