If you're reading this and looking to send someone in prison a book to help them guide their mind and pass their time, then allow me to suggest sending from any of the authors I have listed here in my review section.
Too often families and friends have no experience in purchasing books until someone is incarcerated and then they suddenly have to figure out what their loved one might like. Naturally, they look at the best seller lists and send from there, which is exactly what so many other families do that prisons are inundated with dozens of copies of the same popular work. As someone who was a prison librarian for many years, it's very frustrating to want to be able to offer men something new of quality and have no way to acquire it.
Reading in prison gives the prisoner a welcome change of scenery from their drab and repetitive life. Fiction is escapism, whether read in the real world or prison, but quality fiction is also a way to learn empathy as a good novelist will transport the reader into seeing through the eyes of characters they will never be in their life.
Sending religious and self-help books can be welcome yet, then again, these genres can sometimes be seen as passive aggressive suggestions towards the prisoner on how to reform their life. Prison religious libraries in our very religious country are already overflowing with both the books people send in, as well as the books donated by religious institutions, so unless asked for them, do not automatically think they would be a good fit.
From all the millions of us locked up in this country, thank you for loving us and remembering us.
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Christopher Moore
Christopher Moore is a humor writer whose fictional adventures, both in the modern era & in historical periods, include some very famous participants as well as unknowns, and are all absofreakinglutely hilarious.
"Fool" is the funniest book I have ever read. From the truism of Shakespeare, that in his work only the fool ever always tells the truth, Moore tells the story of King Lear from the court jesters' perspective. Several later adventures with this character follow and all are delectable. It is a book that requires bladder control, be warned.
His vampire trilogy, which include the 'whatever you are drinking is sure to come out of your nose' while you read them "Love Bites" & "You Suck", set in San Francisco - a city he clearly & dearly loves, show an innate understanding of human nature in all its cravings & foibles even when the humans aren't human anymore. There are other books with characters from the supernatural involved also set in San Francisco that should not be missed either.
Sacre Bleu shows Christopher Moore's love of art while illustrating a proposed supernatural influence throughout time on the artistic process specifically in the second half of the 19th century in Paris with its artistic movements and all its great participants. For a humor writer to be so erudite shows that he is toning it down for us mere mortals so much of the time. On top of any book pile, another of his work is Lamb. the gospel of Jesus' life from his best friend Biff. It should be considered for gifting to anyone in your life, regardless of where they are across the political or religious spectrum. Authors of lesser abilities than Moore would be incapable of writing a coming of age story with the depth and incisivenessthat Moore demonstrated in Lamb..... Moore wields humor surgically & significantly, leaving anyone who reads his work smiling and often with a tear, or tears, in their eyes. The missing years of Jesus life are done with a love and care that lend a plausibility I personally choose to believe.
To a man who has brought me laughter at my darkest times, I thank you Christopher Moore.
"Fool" is the funniest book I have ever read. From the truism of Shakespeare, that in his work only the fool ever always tells the truth, Moore tells the story of King Lear from the court jesters' perspective. Several later adventures with this character follow and all are delectable. It is a book that requires bladder control, be warned.
His vampire trilogy, which include the 'whatever you are drinking is sure to come out of your nose' while you read them "Love Bites" & "You Suck", set in San Francisco - a city he clearly & dearly loves, show an innate understanding of human nature in all its cravings & foibles even when the humans aren't human anymore. There are other books with characters from the supernatural involved also set in San Francisco that should not be missed either.
Sacre Bleu shows Christopher Moore's love of art while illustrating a proposed supernatural influence throughout time on the artistic process specifically in the second half of the 19th century in Paris with its artistic movements and all its great participants. For a humor writer to be so erudite shows that he is toning it down for us mere mortals so much of the time. On top of any book pile, another of his work is Lamb. the gospel of Jesus' life from his best friend Biff. It should be considered for gifting to anyone in your life, regardless of where they are across the political or religious spectrum. Authors of lesser abilities than Moore would be incapable of writing a coming of age story with the depth and incisivenessthat Moore demonstrated in Lamb..... Moore wields humor surgically & significantly, leaving anyone who reads his work smiling and often with a tear, or tears, in their eyes. The missing years of Jesus life are done with a love and care that lend a plausibility I personally choose to believe.
To a man who has brought me laughter at my darkest times, I thank you Christopher Moore.
Margaret Atwood
How excited am I to hear that they have made "The Handmaidens Tale" into a Hulu series? Oh, Margaret Atwood, I love your work and I'd been praying for the Oryx sand Crake trilogy to come to the screen, but this will more than hold me over.
Ms. Atwood is my favorite Canadian writer, and she only grows in my esteem with every work of hers I read. Whenever I read of an award for a collective body of work, I expect to see her name as the recipient. She can write anything, absolutely whatever she feels like, and when she does, she does so with flawless grace.
The Blind Assassin should come to the screen someday too in my humble opinion, but as I write from prison and don't have the internet perhaps it already has and will be waiting for me when I am free - that would be a dream come true.
She won the prestigious Man Booker Prize amongst many other awards, and she will only continue to win again and and again as long as she gifts us with more incredible stories.
Ms. Atwood, you rock.
Ms. Atwood is my favorite Canadian writer, and she only grows in my esteem with every work of hers I read. Whenever I read of an award for a collective body of work, I expect to see her name as the recipient. She can write anything, absolutely whatever she feels like, and when she does, she does so with flawless grace.
The Blind Assassin should come to the screen someday too in my humble opinion, but as I write from prison and don't have the internet perhaps it already has and will be waiting for me when I am free - that would be a dream come true.
She won the prestigious Man Booker Prize amongst many other awards, and she will only continue to win again and and again as long as she gifts us with more incredible stories.
Ms. Atwood, you rock.
David Mitchell
Researchers have found that good literary fiction improves connectivity and function in our brains and helps strengthen imagination too. So, David Mitchell must have read a tremendous amount of very good literary fiction because his brain and his imagination are honed to a sharpness that sees him creating both stand alone novels for their own sake, including obscure period pieces, and themed sequential works with interconnecting characters that travel through his novels to reward readers of his entire catalog.
Add to this a touch of what is commonly called "magical realism" (but what I prefer to call 'magical spiritualism in the demi-monde', don't ask me why I've not the space here to elucidate:) and its effect upon every day travails of the characters. Then mix this with stories that take place in various times, from pasts that actually occurred to futures yet arrive, presented in ascending and then descending segments in the same book (I don't know if he pioneered the form, but he is definitely the master of it) - and you get something truly magnificent.
His most famous work, if Hollywood be the arbiter, is Cloud Atlas, which was made into a movie with Tom Hanks and Halle Berry. I can recommend the book wholeheartedly and can't wait to see the movie.
My favorite work by David Mitchell is Black Swan Green, as it is my favorite young man's coming of age story I have ever read. The protagonist is a middle-class English boy of the same generation as Mr. Mitchell and I are, and I suppose there must be a great amount of autobiographical material mined for the character as his concerns of his time (cold war, bands, etc) are spot on. Though I grew up in the USA, I have lived in England as an adult for years and having two sons who are growing up there now, so the characters feel so real to me that I wrote Mr. Mitchell with tears in my eyes the moment I finished reading it.
Often short listed for the Man Booker prize, and having received numerous other prizes, this English author now living in Ireland, is often overlooked for what many say is the Man Booker committee's reluctance to award its highest prize to anything that hints of 'sci-fi'. Mitchell doesn't seem to care, even mixing satire in the form of commentary on the modern literary scene into one of his books, while continuing to write amazing works that are appreciated across genres. A novelist of the highest order, and one whose next work is already top of my desired list without my even knowing yet what it is.
Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman
Michael Chabon won the Pulitzer for ...Kavalier and Clay....." a wonderful story encompassing the birth of American comics and a loving portrait of the contribution of immigrants to society, and a love letter to the New York City of the 40's.
His memoir of his grandfathers' passing, Moonglow....., has just been released and is a poignant and moving recounting of an incredible life with enough plot twists to make it a novel.
Mr. Chabon can not write a bad book. His intelligence and acerbic self-awareness, combined with lacerating candor about his and his family's private struggles have given him a following that only grows.
Just look online at the summation of the book The Yiddish Policeman's Union..... and its mentioning in more 'top ___' lists that I have space to mention here, and tell me where does this man's reach end?
Married to novelist Ayelet Waldman - whose Love and Treasure (2014)is an informative and moving portrait of a little-known portion of the WWII experience which made the best books list of 2014 (and I adored it), and who has just released "A Really Good Day"; where she argues for an end to the demonization of psychedelics and their study as anti-depressants. She herself has tried micro-dosing and the read is well worth it for anyone interested in this stupidly overlooked aspect of our natural world. A literary power couple whose works I feverishly anticipate.
His memoir of his grandfathers' passing, Moonglow....., has just been released and is a poignant and moving recounting of an incredible life with enough plot twists to make it a novel.
Mr. Chabon can not write a bad book. His intelligence and acerbic self-awareness, combined with lacerating candor about his and his family's private struggles have given him a following that only grows.
Just look online at the summation of the book The Yiddish Policeman's Union..... and its mentioning in more 'top ___' lists that I have space to mention here, and tell me where does this man's reach end?
Married to novelist Ayelet Waldman - whose Love and Treasure (2014)is an informative and moving portrait of a little-known portion of the WWII experience which made the best books list of 2014 (and I adored it), and who has just released "A Really Good Day"; where she argues for an end to the demonization of psychedelics and their study as anti-depressants. She herself has tried micro-dosing and the read is well worth it for anyone interested in this stupidly overlooked aspect of our natural world. A literary power couple whose works I feverishly anticipate.
Donna Tartt
In 2014, Donna Tartt had the most talked about book in the USA, "The Goldfinch". Even being sequestered as I was, far from any media I could read that did not mention it enthusiastically. Being unfamiliar with her work, I resisted and wondered if a coming of age story from an unknown was worth my time. Well, sometimes, everyone is right.
Holy smokes, what a great read. (Hey V, 'Oi Popchik!') As you might infer from the preceding non-sequitur in parenthesis, I've ongoing conversations & inside jokes about this book with other friends who have read it & every one of us can't go a few months without remembering back to it during the course of our everyday lives. What an engaging read that resonates indefinitely and beautifully written.
Incredible as it is, "The Goldfinch" was only her third book and first in many years. The first was called "The Secret Club" and was from 1992. An extremely erudite look at close personal relationships in their formation and execution set against a small liberal arts college in the Northeast, it showed her as a very good writer, whereas the "Goldfinch" would show her as a truly great writer. Though I've yet to read her other novel from the intervening years, I am looking forward to it and know that if the other two are any indicator, I will enjoy it immensely.
Andrew Vaches
Andrew Vachss gets it. Whatever it is, he gets it. As an author & a speaker, I have never read or met anyone who is so locked on, laser accurate, razor-sharp, scarily astute.
A child protection lawyer by profession, he became a novelist in the mid 80's, though he still represents vulnerable children pro bono. Based out of NYC, with a native New Yorkers' naturally twisted relationship with their hometown, he expanded to the Pacific Northwest and sets his novels out of both, with a few forays further afield.
His first series, the 'Burke' series, were a runaway success and were about the dealings of an ODC 'Ordinary Decent Criminal" named Burke and his crew who only preyed upon those who could not call in the law. Life is not black and white, and in this grey exists worlds that do not like publicity and nominate few voices, Vachss chose to be one which would have spelt failure for anyone without his talents. Life can be ugly, complex and happy endings debatable.
Vachss has since gone on to write other series as well as stand-alone novels, adult continuing education books on child abuse, been a STD investigator for the U.S. Congress, a warden of a maximum security youth detention facility, amongst other achievements in an incredible career.
Having had the distinct pleasure to hear him speak and meet him at Regulator Books in Durham, NC in 1998, I can attest to being beyond impressed. His website, 'The Zero', was one of the first that impressed me on the then nascent internet too (though he does not solicit or accept direct contact, he has twice been gracious enough to reply to two emails I sent him over the years).
Hyper-intelligent, magnetic in personality and a fighter for those too weak to defend themselves, Vachss is in my pantheon of great writers and of people I want at my perfect dinner party. Needless to say, there is nothing that he is written that I can not endorse as a gift for anyone serving time or not , because he f***ing gets it.
A child protection lawyer by profession, he became a novelist in the mid 80's, though he still represents vulnerable children pro bono. Based out of NYC, with a native New Yorkers' naturally twisted relationship with their hometown, he expanded to the Pacific Northwest and sets his novels out of both, with a few forays further afield.
His first series, the 'Burke' series, were a runaway success and were about the dealings of an ODC 'Ordinary Decent Criminal" named Burke and his crew who only preyed upon those who could not call in the law. Life is not black and white, and in this grey exists worlds that do not like publicity and nominate few voices, Vachss chose to be one which would have spelt failure for anyone without his talents. Life can be ugly, complex and happy endings debatable.
Vachss has since gone on to write other series as well as stand-alone novels, adult continuing education books on child abuse, been a STD investigator for the U.S. Congress, a warden of a maximum security youth detention facility, amongst other achievements in an incredible career.
Having had the distinct pleasure to hear him speak and meet him at Regulator Books in Durham, NC in 1998, I can attest to being beyond impressed. His website, 'The Zero', was one of the first that impressed me on the then nascent internet too (though he does not solicit or accept direct contact, he has twice been gracious enough to reply to two emails I sent him over the years).
Hyper-intelligent, magnetic in personality and a fighter for those too weak to defend themselves, Vachss is in my pantheon of great writers and of people I want at my perfect dinner party. Needless to say, there is nothing that he is written that I can not endorse as a gift for anyone serving time or not , because he f***ing gets it.
Joseph O'Neil
"The Dog" is the first accurate satirical tale of Dubai that I've had the pleasure to read. Having lived there, I have high standards and O'Neil exceeds them. I would love to know his process as I know of him only as a teacher at Bard and never having had lived there. How could he possibly have gotten so much right without living it? Incredible. This is a must read for any and all of my friends/associates who live in (though it has got to be banned there), or have lived in, DXB.
I knew of O'Neil from his earlier work, specifically "Netherland", which is a haunting portrait of a character becoming unglued set against NYC 9/11/01 and how he puts himself and his family back together again. In this tale, O'Neil shows himself to be a master of the class, allowing you to feel total empathy with someone at someplace that almost none of us will ever have been.
The NYRB loves him and writes up his new releases as they come out, and with such adoration from the great minds, it is only a matter of time before he receives awards as well as plaudits if he hasn't already done so.
I knew of O'Neil from his earlier work, specifically "Netherland", which is a haunting portrait of a character becoming unglued set against NYC 9/11/01 and how he puts himself and his family back together again. In this tale, O'Neil shows himself to be a master of the class, allowing you to feel total empathy with someone at someplace that almost none of us will ever have been.
The NYRB loves him and writes up his new releases as they come out, and with such adoration from the great minds, it is only a matter of time before he receives awards as well as plaudits if he hasn't already done so.
William Gibson
Gibson the Great. Is there any other way to describe the futurist who gave us the term 'cyberspace' before there was one?
William Gibson is an American writer, often classified as science fiction, though I would prefer to say futurist who lives now in Canada and has for over the last thirty years provided the most accurate predictive near future stories. (Near future: the present plus ten years or twenty years).
Some futurist/sci fi writers like to go further ahead so that they can bypass the period where humankind overcomes thorny technical and social issues in order to write about the challenges of the medium to far away 'then'. Gibson does not shy away from the soon to be now & all its complications, though some of his work does deal in smaller leaps, all are bitingly accurate appraisals of reality driven issues that plague us, such as climate change & the impact of technology.
This does not mean that he never gets it wrong. By being bold enough to take on problems that will be resolved in the near future, he gambles & lives to see if he was right - which is he is, more often than not - however, he is also asking us and challenging us, by his suggestions.
His last work, The Peripheral (2014), was highly acclaimed - even reviewed by the NYRB (yep, the New York Review of Books reviewing 'sci-fi'), and it was awesome in its ideas and scope. Having read everything he has ever done, and having routinely seen his impact on so many others in their writings & their name dropping of him in interviews, I can highly recommend to anyone to go back and read all the work of this guru. Meanwhile, I pray he is writing more as we speak.
One note of interest. Though I am not at liberty to disclose it specifically, and look forward to having the internet to be able to research this further as I am sure I am not the only one to have noticed it, in one of his books he hits on a llittle-known program by US intelligence agencies in their Faustian bargain best post 9-11. Either he really had a crystal ball, or very high level sources that even the NYT and Post didn't, it can only be one of those two.
William Gibson is an American writer, often classified as science fiction, though I would prefer to say futurist who lives now in Canada and has for over the last thirty years provided the most accurate predictive near future stories. (Near future: the present plus ten years or twenty years).
Some futurist/sci fi writers like to go further ahead so that they can bypass the period where humankind overcomes thorny technical and social issues in order to write about the challenges of the medium to far away 'then'. Gibson does not shy away from the soon to be now & all its complications, though some of his work does deal in smaller leaps, all are bitingly accurate appraisals of reality driven issues that plague us, such as climate change & the impact of technology.
This does not mean that he never gets it wrong. By being bold enough to take on problems that will be resolved in the near future, he gambles & lives to see if he was right - which is he is, more often than not - however, he is also asking us and challenging us, by his suggestions.
His last work, The Peripheral (2014), was highly acclaimed - even reviewed by the NYRB (yep, the New York Review of Books reviewing 'sci-fi'), and it was awesome in its ideas and scope. Having read everything he has ever done, and having routinely seen his impact on so many others in their writings & their name dropping of him in interviews, I can highly recommend to anyone to go back and read all the work of this guru. Meanwhile, I pray he is writing more as we speak.
One note of interest. Though I am not at liberty to disclose it specifically, and look forward to having the internet to be able to research this further as I am sure I am not the only one to have noticed it, in one of his books he hits on a llittle-known program by US intelligence agencies in their Faustian bargain best post 9-11. Either he really had a crystal ball, or very high level sources that even the NYT and Post didn't, it can only be one of those two.
Ernest Hemingway
To those who pity the bulls at a bull fight, I say the bull will fight for his life and he will die in battle, and that is how he would choose his death if he had a chance to choose. "In hot blood and not in some miserable slaughterhouse where he can't fight back". Decry the spectacle if you are so detached from nature that death and combat exist only on your television, but do not pity the bull, for a good death is all many of us hope to live for.
The writer of only ten novels, yet it still difficult for me to choose a favorite as I love them all. If pressed, I will say "For Whom the Bell Tolls", but I can recommend any to anyone with confidence. As someone who has seen war and therefore despises anything that trivializes it, literature that can accurately convey the full spectrum of humankind's capacity for violence and the idealism that often spurs it - and that are also not gratuitously sensationalist - are rare for me to have found, and to then have them stand the test of time as his have, incredible.
An author of numerous other articles and short stories, my very favorite work of his is "The Short Happy Life of Francis MacComber" (which was intended for Esquire but published by Cosmopolitan in 1936) and before any readers of this short story call it misogynistic, let me point to this quote attributed to Papa for them to consider:
After his staff notified him that Ava Gardner had swum naked in his pool at Finca Vigia he remarked; "The water is not to be changed."
This was worship, not denigration of women. Women were strong, admirable, rightfully willful, often unfathomable and complex, who necessitated as much attention in search of wondrous ponder as any other thing in life worth pursuing.
So many authors owe so much to Hemingway, so little that has come after can be seen as having been influenced by him, there is already too much written in this vein for me to comment further. Hemingway showed me that good men fall in on both sides in conflicts, that being tough meant being dependable, and many more timeless lessons.
Walter Amis
Gary Wills said "You can't be a writer without having a favorite writer" and as I am writing to you now, that means I must, so allow me to declare that my favorite living author is the incomparable Martin Amis.
The son of one of the great British writers of the 20th century, Sir Kingsley Amis (We miss you Kings!), Martin Amis (hereafter referred to as Amis) relocated from London to NYC several years ago and is still active in writing both fiction and non-fiction, articles and teaching.
Amis is a master of the lived experience. The ironies, insecurities and understated epiphanies of ordinary lives make for the most engaging subjects of his artful writing. There is really nothing I could do here but gush and that becomes unattractive all too quickly, so let me summate in brutalist terms.
His early novels are novels of the 70's and they can be a bit 'British' to an American eye without point of reference of European and British society of then. His later work becomes hyper intelligent when he branches into non fiction and his novels from the 80's on are all international hits.
His most recent work was a love story of two concentration camp guards during WWII. Yep, that's right. You didn't read this incorrectly, he is so good that he can tap dance on razor blades.
My favorite novel of his is "The Information" from 1995, which before my divorce I had a signed copy of from when he came on book tour to Raleigh, NC. In his memoir, "Experience", Amis delivers a wonderful line about how a true fans hand shakes when they meet an author and I barked in laughter when reading it as mine sure did when I had my moment to meet him.
It's worth mentioning that Amis is part of the legendary set of great intellectual giants in writing of the last forty years that includes Ian McEwan, Christopher Hitchens, Salman Rushdie and Julian Barnes among many others (Oh how I dream of having been a fly on the wall at any of their dinners or parties), Amis is also married to the wonderful novelist Isabelle Fonseca (more about her and the rest of the aforementioned authors in later installments as I treasure them all). Amongst all this brilliance, Amis defines what I enjoy and admire most modern fiction.
The son of one of the great British writers of the 20th century, Sir Kingsley Amis (We miss you Kings!), Martin Amis (hereafter referred to as Amis) relocated from London to NYC several years ago and is still active in writing both fiction and non-fiction, articles and teaching.
Amis is a master of the lived experience. The ironies, insecurities and understated epiphanies of ordinary lives make for the most engaging subjects of his artful writing. There is really nothing I could do here but gush and that becomes unattractive all too quickly, so let me summate in brutalist terms.
His early novels are novels of the 70's and they can be a bit 'British' to an American eye without point of reference of European and British society of then. His later work becomes hyper intelligent when he branches into non fiction and his novels from the 80's on are all international hits.
His most recent work was a love story of two concentration camp guards during WWII. Yep, that's right. You didn't read this incorrectly, he is so good that he can tap dance on razor blades.
My favorite novel of his is "The Information" from 1995, which before my divorce I had a signed copy of from when he came on book tour to Raleigh, NC. In his memoir, "Experience", Amis delivers a wonderful line about how a true fans hand shakes when they meet an author and I barked in laughter when reading it as mine sure did when I had my moment to meet him.
It's worth mentioning that Amis is part of the legendary set of great intellectual giants in writing of the last forty years that includes Ian McEwan, Christopher Hitchens, Salman Rushdie and Julian Barnes among many others (Oh how I dream of having been a fly on the wall at any of their dinners or parties), Amis is also married to the wonderful novelist Isabelle Fonseca (more about her and the rest of the aforementioned authors in later installments as I treasure them all). Amongst all this brilliance, Amis defines what I enjoy and admire most modern fiction.
Ishiguro
"Some books should be tasted, others swallowed." said Sir Francis Bacon, himself somewhat of a bibliophile.
From the first of his works I read, I was then intent on devouring the entire catalog of Mr. Ishiguro, and I did so in a month. British, of Japanese origin, his intimate portrayal of British life with just enough of the objectiveness a foreign eye gives one, he gives his readers stories set against some of the great periods of the British.
His range is limitless and every one of his novels is beyond engaging. I can not wait for the next one for I know it will be like nothing before as he has no fear of breaking new ground.
From the first of his works I read, I was then intent on devouring the entire catalog of Mr. Ishiguro, and I did so in a month. British, of Japanese origin, his intimate portrayal of British life with just enough of the objectiveness a foreign eye gives one, he gives his readers stories set against some of the great periods of the British.
- In "Never Let me Go", he illustrates a future Britain where people are raised as clones in order to be available to donate their organs to their wealthy originators.
- In "Sense of an Ending", which won the Man Booker Prize and later became a movie with Anthony Hopkins, he deftly explores the world of those in Britain who fell on the wrong side in WWII.
- In "The Buried Giant" he paints a parable in Arthurian times.
His range is limitless and every one of his novels is beyond engaging. I can not wait for the next one for I know it will be like nothing before as he has no fear of breaking new ground.
R.N. Goldstein
One of the great rarities in life is when someone actually acts on a 'crush', as the accepted definition of a 'crush' is when someone is enamored with someone out of their league, who is considered unobtainable, and unlikely ever to be in their orbit let alone romantically involved with them. This is, I fear, all that I will ever be able to do in regards to acting on this crush.
Oh, Rebecca, I have a crush on you. Rebecca Newberg Goldstein is a brilliant, erudite, funny and from her photos on her books - quite attractive - scholar and novelist whose credentials & awards are absolutely awe inspiring, thus making her physical beauty the least interesting thing about her.
First made aware of her non-fiction specifically "Plato at the Googleplex" (on the continued relevance of philosophy to modern life - One of the best books of 2014 by W. Post) and then her riotous fictional account of the lives of several academics (that also brings up too many questions in too many dynamics to discuss here) "36 Arguments for the Existence of God" , I have developed something of a crippling crush on this genius.
When I mentioned this to my friend, himself an accomplished attorney, he said with no relish but with absolute honesty "Steven, she's out of your league." Ah well, at least I can keep reading her.
Oh, Rebecca, I have a crush on you. Rebecca Newberg Goldstein is a brilliant, erudite, funny and from her photos on her books - quite attractive - scholar and novelist whose credentials & awards are absolutely awe inspiring, thus making her physical beauty the least interesting thing about her.
First made aware of her non-fiction specifically "Plato at the Googleplex" (on the continued relevance of philosophy to modern life - One of the best books of 2014 by W. Post) and then her riotous fictional account of the lives of several academics (that also brings up too many questions in too many dynamics to discuss here) "36 Arguments for the Existence of God" , I have developed something of a crippling crush on this genius.
When I mentioned this to my friend, himself an accomplished attorney, he said with no relish but with absolute honesty "Steven, she's out of your league." Ah well, at least I can keep reading her.
Friday, February 17, 2017
Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon won the Pulitzer for "Kavalier & Clay" a wonderful story encompassing the birth of American comics and a loving portrait of the contribution of immigrants to society, & a love letter to New York City of the 40's. His memoir of his grandfathers' passing, "Moonglow," has just been released and is a poignant & moving recounting of an incredible life with enough plot twists to make it a novel. Mr. Chabon can not write a bad book. His intelligence and acerbic self-awareness, combined with even lacerating candor of his and his family's private struggles give him a following that only grows. Just look online at the summation of the book "The Yiddish Policeman's Union" and its mentioning in more 'top ___' lists that I have space to mention here, and tell me where does this mans reach end?
Married to the novelist Ayelet Waldman - whose first work "Love & Treasure" is an informative & moving portrait of a little known portion of the WWII experience which made the best books list of 2014 (& I adored it), & who has just released "A Really Good Day"; where she argues for an end to the demonization of pyschadelics & their study as anti depressants. She herself has tried micro dosing & the read is well worth it for anyone interested in this stupidly overlooked aspect of our natural world. A literary power couple whose works I feverishly anticipate.
Married to the novelist Ayelet Waldman - whose first work "Love & Treasure" is an informative & moving portrait of a little known portion of the WWII experience which made the best books list of 2014 (& I adored it), & who has just released "A Really Good Day"; where she argues for an end to the demonization of pyschadelics & their study as anti depressants. She herself has tried micro dosing & the read is well worth it for anyone interested in this stupidly overlooked aspect of our natural world. A literary power couple whose works I feverishly anticipate.
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Aussie Authors I have loved: Steve Tolz, Richard Flanagan, and Tim Winton
Oh the Aussies... 20 million people, 21 million Kangaroos, and so many good authors... I must mention three, to begin with, for these three are the Antipodean apex predators of novel writing, just incomparable.
Franz Kafka said, "A novel should be an axe for the frozen seas around us." If that is the case, thenSteve Totlz then would be considered a chainsaw. Born in Sydney, Toltz is Vonnegut on a meth high with Hunter S. Thompson riding on his shoulder and whispering in his ear. His first novel, "A Fraction of the Whole" from 2008, was nominated for the Man Booker Prize. That's right, his first novel. Not only his first novel, though, his first book. To say that I anticipated his second with a certain fervor over the last eight years would be to downplay the annoyance I gave to my friend who sends me news of book releases (sorry again Super G) as I must have asked her a dozen times if he'd written anything since. Well, finally, he did. In 2016 he released "Quicksand" and my hands still shake from whatever nerve damage that lumberjacks get from holding a vibrating chainsaw for so long. This man can write and it's not for the feint of heart.
Tom Robbins said "Everything in our universe is a projection of our conscious. So all writers are realists.", and Richard Flanagan a native of Tasmania epitomizes that fact. He has moved me to tears more than any other writer with his stories of human struggle, endurance, survival, and growth. A realist even when he explores magical realism in "Goulds Book of Fish", he could be Merlin for the spell he weaves. This work is on my 'ten books to be stranded on a desert island wish list.
There are so many other great writers from Australia and New Zealand...I'll wager you'll go looking for them if you start with these three.
Franz Kafka said, "A novel should be an axe for the frozen seas around us." If that is the case, thenSteve Totlz then would be considered a chainsaw. Born in Sydney, Toltz is Vonnegut on a meth high with Hunter S. Thompson riding on his shoulder and whispering in his ear. His first novel, "A Fraction of the Whole" from 2008, was nominated for the Man Booker Prize. That's right, his first novel. Not only his first novel, though, his first book. To say that I anticipated his second with a certain fervor over the last eight years would be to downplay the annoyance I gave to my friend who sends me news of book releases (sorry again Super G) as I must have asked her a dozen times if he'd written anything since. Well, finally, he did. In 2016 he released "Quicksand" and my hands still shake from whatever nerve damage that lumberjacks get from holding a vibrating chainsaw for so long. This man can write and it's not for the feint of heart.
Tom Robbins said "Everything in our universe is a projection of our conscious. So all writers are realists.", and Richard Flanagan a native of Tasmania epitomizes that fact. He has moved me to tears more than any other writer with his stories of human struggle, endurance, survival, and growth. A realist even when he explores magical realism in "Goulds Book of Fish", he could be Merlin for the spell he weaves. This work is on my 'ten books to be stranded on a desert island wish list.
- The Sound of One Hand Clapping is a straining, seam -tressing, cowl birth of a novel, simply amazing literature. There's a reason it is studied in college courses, and why they made a movie out of if (which I've yet to see).
- Death of a River Guide is his freshman work, and it shows where he was going - and I can say with glee, he got there! - with a depth of feeling for his characters that is breathtaking.
- The Long Road to the Deep North, which won the Man Booker Prize a couple of years back, is a masterwork for making a forest from trees so to speak. A story of Australian POW's in WWII, in lesser hands it could have been nothing more than pain porn, in his hands it is reminiscent of early Elie Wiesel (We pray you're at rest Elie, a blessing on your name).
There are so many other great writers from Australia and New Zealand...I'll wager you'll go looking for them if you start with these three.
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Lev Grossman
The New York Times says of the Magicians Trilogy - " If the Narnia books were like catnip for a certain kind of kid, these books are like crack for certain kinds of adults."
Not being one for the genre in general, and somewhat previously disdainful of adults who read them, I stand humbled at Grossmans' trilogy. He conveys such warmth & wit in his interpersonal relationships, razor sharp humor, it is an adults book that will have you turning pages like a kid again. I advise ages 16 and up purely for the frank display of real human frailties, emotions, conflicts, and resolutions - magic is what it is.
I'm off to read his previous novel 'Codex', if it's half as good as this trilogy (The Magicians, The Magician King, and the Magicians Land - soon to be a series on SyFy so they say), it'll be well worth it.
Not being one for the genre in general, and somewhat previously disdainful of adults who read them, I stand humbled at Grossmans' trilogy. He conveys such warmth & wit in his interpersonal relationships, razor sharp humor, it is an adults book that will have you turning pages like a kid again. I advise ages 16 and up purely for the frank display of real human frailties, emotions, conflicts, and resolutions - magic is what it is.
I'm off to read his previous novel 'Codex', if it's half as good as this trilogy (The Magicians, The Magician King, and the Magicians Land - soon to be a series on SyFy so they say), it'll be well worth it.
On Iain Banks' Death
Iain Banks passed in June 2013. I discovered this in the July issue of Le Monde magazine and I wept. Eyes that watered uncontrollably, stomach clenched, I would clear my vision just enough to look down at the obituary before they filled again, begging to the universe that the print on the page would change with each view, that my translation was wrong, that it was not the end of so much.
Iain Banks, and for his science fiction - Iain M. Banks, was "my favorite living writer" whenever I was asked or given the opportunity to point it out. Ever since one of the best teachers I ever had - 10th grade English, Mr. Covington - recommended his novel 'The Wasp Factory', I had been enamored with his novels.
The Times of London named him as one of the "50 Greatest Writers Since 1945" in 2008. That is the public proclamation that best summates. An easy search will reveal plaudits from all corners of the literary world, and all should be believed.
For twenty-five years, I was able to look forward to another impossible to put down, stay up way too late reading, have to tell a friend about, work of fiction. His imagination, the attention to detail, the beautiful cumulative sentences that make you feel as if you are the character by the time you've finished reading just the very first paragraph, I would no longer be able to look forward to.
He brought me back to science fiction, writing the 'Culture Series' which takes place hundreds of thousands of years to come, where humanity enjoys a 'post-scarcity, semi-anarchist' future. It gave me hope in our species that we should have those amongst us now who think we could be such in what is to come. It was this hope in all of us that formed his politics as a man as well I discovered over time, something that evolved similarly in my own political development increasing, even more, my adoration.
All that is left for me is to be a prophet, spreading the word of this great writer that left us too soon. Proudly, I have & continue to. It is with this same enthusiasm and pride that in this, my very first online review, I preach.
In my possession, unread is his last work "The Quarry", published posthumously in 2013. I can't bring myself to read it yet, for then there will be no more. Be at rest Iain. Thank you.
Iain Banks, and for his science fiction - Iain M. Banks, was "my favorite living writer" whenever I was asked or given the opportunity to point it out. Ever since one of the best teachers I ever had - 10th grade English, Mr. Covington - recommended his novel 'The Wasp Factory', I had been enamored with his novels.
The Times of London named him as one of the "50 Greatest Writers Since 1945" in 2008. That is the public proclamation that best summates. An easy search will reveal plaudits from all corners of the literary world, and all should be believed.
For twenty-five years, I was able to look forward to another impossible to put down, stay up way too late reading, have to tell a friend about, work of fiction. His imagination, the attention to detail, the beautiful cumulative sentences that make you feel as if you are the character by the time you've finished reading just the very first paragraph, I would no longer be able to look forward to.
He brought me back to science fiction, writing the 'Culture Series' which takes place hundreds of thousands of years to come, where humanity enjoys a 'post-scarcity, semi-anarchist' future. It gave me hope in our species that we should have those amongst us now who think we could be such in what is to come. It was this hope in all of us that formed his politics as a man as well I discovered over time, something that evolved similarly in my own political development increasing, even more, my adoration.
All that is left for me is to be a prophet, spreading the word of this great writer that left us too soon. Proudly, I have & continue to. It is with this same enthusiasm and pride that in this, my very first online review, I preach.
In my possession, unread is his last work "The Quarry", published posthumously in 2013. I can't bring myself to read it yet, for then there will be no more. Be at rest Iain. Thank you.
Paul Beatty
The 2016 Man Booker Prize winning "The Sellout" is the greatest American satire of the 21st century. Paul Beatty fits more compressed rage per sentence than any writer should be able to. There is not an American that should not read it, though sadly too many wouldn't get it. Calling him a Mark Twain or Jonathan Swift for our age seems to be the accolade most seen, and I pray that he becomes so with many more contributions to our public discourse in the years to come. I'm off to read his back catalog, kudos to the M. B. selection committee.
sg
sg
Martin Booth
In 2001, while in Paris & working security for Madonna, I met a beautiful young Welch woman who worked in management at the Hotel de Crillon. At the moment of our first meeting, I was holding my bag and showing from the unzipped top portion, along with notebooks and other books whose titles could not be seen, was clearly a copy of Tom Clancy "The Bear and the Dragon". She saw me clock her downward glance at this title and her visible repulsion from it. Almost as if she went from impressed that a knuckle dragger there to provide violence was bilingual & intelligent, her "oh he reads" look changed to "oh he reads that kind of shite" in a nanosecond.
Could have claimed that it wasn't mine, that it had been given to me, that it was the only thing in English at the airport book store that I hadn't read, all which would have been true. Or I could have pointed to one of the other books underneath it (security is inherently boring and much reading is done while the principal sleeps), but that would have been compensating and compensating quickly becomes overcompensating.
Instead I learned from the incident, and never having gotten a date with said beauty, the lesson, like all 'what might have been' lessons, it had been dearly learned. That is not to say that I carried/staged a copy of some high brow work everywhere I went from then on, rather I just made sure that I was able to completely defend the merits of title I was reading or I wouldn't read it.
So it was a copy of Martin Booth's "A Very Private Gentlemen" that I happened to be carrying when I first met, and then worked for, George Clooney in 2004 in Amsterdam. I would like to believe that it was I who introduced him to the work, which he later starred in the move of, called "The American" (2010) - which I haven't gotten to see yet, but I could not say. A very nice man who kept his own counsel in the matter, I did notice him noticing it, so who knows. I am just thrilled that any of Martin Booth's works have come to film and I hope more will.
Martin Booth creates characters where ones sympathies goes, regardless of whether they be villain or hero. Having grown up in the far east when it was still part of the British Empire, he sets many of his works there and they are all illuminating pictures of a time passed by someone who was there then, a fantastic recipe for historical fiction.
Could have claimed that it wasn't mine, that it had been given to me, that it was the only thing in English at the airport book store that I hadn't read, all which would have been true. Or I could have pointed to one of the other books underneath it (security is inherently boring and much reading is done while the principal sleeps), but that would have been compensating and compensating quickly becomes overcompensating.
Instead I learned from the incident, and never having gotten a date with said beauty, the lesson, like all 'what might have been' lessons, it had been dearly learned. That is not to say that I carried/staged a copy of some high brow work everywhere I went from then on, rather I just made sure that I was able to completely defend the merits of title I was reading or I wouldn't read it.
So it was a copy of Martin Booth's "A Very Private Gentlemen" that I happened to be carrying when I first met, and then worked for, George Clooney in 2004 in Amsterdam. I would like to believe that it was I who introduced him to the work, which he later starred in the move of, called "The American" (2010) - which I haven't gotten to see yet, but I could not say. A very nice man who kept his own counsel in the matter, I did notice him noticing it, so who knows. I am just thrilled that any of Martin Booth's works have come to film and I hope more will.
Martin Booth creates characters where ones sympathies goes, regardless of whether they be villain or hero. Having grown up in the far east when it was still part of the British Empire, he sets many of his works there and they are all illuminating pictures of a time passed by someone who was there then, a fantastic recipe for historical fiction.
George McDonald Frazier
George McDonald Fraser wrote the funniest historical fiction series ever. The adventures of the arch-cad Harry Flashman, a 19th century British military officer, were so realistic that they were often taken as such by the unwitting, and so accurate as to the actual historical events that the character enjoyed, as to be continually read by those traveling to this day to the places described in the books for local historical reference.
When asked what fictional hero he would be if he could choose, John Cleese said "Flashman".
The endorsement that put me on to them was from the late great Christopher Hitchens (be at rest Hitch, we miss you so). There are no greater arbiters of my tastes than these two geniuses, I needed not be told again by a third party before I devoured them.
I challenge anyone to read the Flashman series and not be educated, entertained, scandalized and somehow conflicted over the both the glory of, & the evils of, the incredible British Empire.
sg
When asked what fictional hero he would be if he could choose, John Cleese said "Flashman".
The endorsement that put me on to them was from the late great Christopher Hitchens (be at rest Hitch, we miss you so). There are no greater arbiters of my tastes than these two geniuses, I needed not be told again by a third party before I devoured them.
I challenge anyone to read the Flashman series and not be educated, entertained, scandalized and somehow conflicted over the both the glory of, & the evils of, the incredible British Empire.
sg
Tom Robbins
The title my 'favorite living author' (inactive) has got to be the incredible Tom Robbins. Having read his memoir just a couple of years ago, I believe he is no longer writing his incredibly erudite and entertaining novels. Should he begin again, he will easily get the title without the 'inactive' attached.
I adore "Jitterbug Perfume" and have read it numerous times, it being the book I have given the most as a gift to those I love in my life. If pressed, I will say that it is my most beloved of his titles, though there are other contenders in what is a tight race as I have read and own every single thing he has ever published.
"Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas" was the first work of his I read, way back in the 80's as I finally came of age to be able to understand and enjoy his work. I remember every single aspect of where I was in life while I was reading it and how I then immediately went and read "Still Life With Woodpecker", then "Another Roadside Attraction". I have gone back and read them again in adulthood an embarrassingly large number of times.
"Even Cowgirls Get The Blues" was made into a movie I have never seen but must force myself to someday, though I fear nothing will live up to the book, so I continue to resist.
T.R. reportedly was able to fill halls to standing room only when he did speaking engagements & I regret that I never got to hear him speak at one. I last read of him appearing, in D.C. in 2015, when I saw an old copy of the Washington Post, I suppose in support of his memoir. The internet is full of wonderful reviews of his work, his appearances and his legacy, so I will relent in trying to convey those, read of them when you can.
Rather, I will say that there is no other author that I have ever read that conveys the complexities of the human condition in novel form more subtlety and with greater panache than T.R.
Thank you Mr. Robbins so very much for all the joy & insights you have given me, I can honestly start laughing at just the memory of some of your writing anytime I want to pause and recall. Though you've resided for so long in the Pacific North West, we in North Carolina will always warmly welcome you home & wish you'd visit more.
I adore "Jitterbug Perfume" and have read it numerous times, it being the book I have given the most as a gift to those I love in my life. If pressed, I will say that it is my most beloved of his titles, though there are other contenders in what is a tight race as I have read and own every single thing he has ever published.
"Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas" was the first work of his I read, way back in the 80's as I finally came of age to be able to understand and enjoy his work. I remember every single aspect of where I was in life while I was reading it and how I then immediately went and read "Still Life With Woodpecker", then "Another Roadside Attraction". I have gone back and read them again in adulthood an embarrassingly large number of times.
"Even Cowgirls Get The Blues" was made into a movie I have never seen but must force myself to someday, though I fear nothing will live up to the book, so I continue to resist.
T.R. reportedly was able to fill halls to standing room only when he did speaking engagements & I regret that I never got to hear him speak at one. I last read of him appearing, in D.C. in 2015, when I saw an old copy of the Washington Post, I suppose in support of his memoir. The internet is full of wonderful reviews of his work, his appearances and his legacy, so I will relent in trying to convey those, read of them when you can.
Rather, I will say that there is no other author that I have ever read that conveys the complexities of the human condition in novel form more subtlety and with greater panache than T.R.
Thank you Mr. Robbins so very much for all the joy & insights you have given me, I can honestly start laughing at just the memory of some of your writing anytime I want to pause and recall. Though you've resided for so long in the Pacific North West, we in North Carolina will always warmly welcome you home & wish you'd visit more.
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