i haven’t talked about books in awhile, have i? let’s do that.
snuff - chuck palahniuk. i love me some chuck. he tells these amazing stories about damaged people. this one is about a lady porn star’s attempt to get into the record books by, um, “performing” with 600 men. the narrators are three of the 600 dudes, each with their own reasons for being there. it made me giggle, and it kept me interested. it’s such a strange story, and it’s told really well. also? you’ll get funny looks while reading this in a restraunt. just saying.
the crass menagerie - stephan pastis. i blame moi for this. it’s a pearls before swine collection, and i’m rather hooked. there’s no real cohesive theme or anything. it’s just a comic. but it’s a good comic.
ignorance, thy name is bucky - darby conley. again, a collection by one of my all-time favorites. seriously. i’d marry rob wilco. so… yup. total dork.
knocked out by my nunga-nungas - louise rennison. in general, i don’t think grown-ups should read books targeted to kids. i do make a few exceptions. the confessions of georgia nicolson, of which this book is the third installment, is one such exception. it’s just silly fluff. it’s like reading cotton candy. it helps that the characters are not flat and one-sided, like the young adult-books of my formative years. plus, any set of books that can tear a kid away from the televison or the internet is a good set of books, you know?
on beauty - zadie smith. this took a long time for me to finish. about a third of the way through, i kinda stopped caring about the characters. which is awful. i like the story, which centers on a scholar who loathes his scolarly subject. it fans out to his family, and their interlocking troubles. but it veered into soap-opera territory, and i just don’t roll that way.
the monsters of templeton - lauren groff. i went into this thinking i’d hate it. so it was nice to finish the book and feel satisfied that i didn’t just waste a chunk of my life on the story. the center character, willie, returns home to templeton after having an affair with her professor. while she’s home, she searches to find out who her real father is. i know it sounds trite, but it’s very good. the story twists just enough to keep you interested.
beautiful children - charles bock. oh, man. this started out with so much promise. the first half of the book is great. the second half tried really hard to keep up, but in my opinion it just fails to deliver. one saturday night, a boy doesn’t return home. do we find out what happened to him? no. do we hear about all the events leading up to that disappearance? yes. are these details well-written? yes. do i recommend it? no.
candy girl – diablo cody. so, i never saw juno. and because of all the hype around it, i hope to never see juno. having said that, i think miz cody is a good writer. she wrote this memoir before juno (i think), and it’s about her time working in strip bars and other adult establishments. it was amusing and interesting. a very good read.
this book will save your life - a.m. homes. read this book. it won’t save your life, but it will amuse you greatly. the main character is a stock trader that lives a very insulated life. little by little, he connects with the outside world, with bizarre results. this was the first book i read by this author, and it inspired me to go find more.
things you should know – a.m. homes. a collection of short stories that just wasn’t as good as the first book i read. it’s good, don’t get me wrong. a.m. homes’ strength as an author is the dialogue. it’s witty and sharp. to be honest, it takes a special writer to rock the short story. a written speed-sprinter, if you will. while homes is fast, she’s just not winning the race for me. still, a good read.
in a country of mothers – a.m. homes. clearly, i was on an a.m. homes kick for a while. and with good reason. she’s an amazing writer. and while this is (obviously) not my favorite book of hers, it was well done. a therapist who gave up her child for adoption is now counseling a woman adopted as a child. super-sharp dialogue, and good pacing. it lasted about one-and-a-half plane rides.
the end of alice – a.m. homes. the awkward thing about me is, when i become obsessed with something – like an author – i don’t always take the time to read the synopsis on the back of the book. which is how i came to read a book narrated by a pedophile. it was well-written, and well-thought out. and maybe it’s just as well that i didn’t read the back of the book, you know? if i had, i probably wouldn’t have picked it up.
the road - cormac mccarthy. i was once describing the movie resevoir dogs to a friend, and i said, “it’s the kind of movie that slaps you around and makes you its bitch.” the same is true of this book. i finished this in three sitting. so, maybe four hours? such a good book. i’m sure the movie will be the awesome. this is also one of those books that made me want to read everything mccarthy has written. but i got sidetracked by other stuff.
beautiful boy – david sheff. to be fair, i got this book by sheer accident. it was a two-book set, neither of which i intended to buy (yeah. i have no real excuse). it’s a memoir by a father who’s son is on drugs. largely meth, but many others make a cameo appearance. it was interesting, and a little stressful. you want the son to kick his habit, but the father – an excellent journalist – points to data and studies that show sobriety is not a bright hope. informative and heart-wrenching all at once. the other book in the set is written by the addicted son. so, that should be interesting.
the outlaw demon wails – kim harrison. this is the, what? sixth book in this series? i like the characters, clearly. i like the writing, obviously. and yet… the whole time i was reading this, i was rolling my eyes. thinking, really? this is the road you’re going to take here? could you be a little more obvious? it’s a witch, she hunts bad guys, there’s a demon after her. lather, rinse, repeat. i’m going to read the next book when it comes out, but still.
middlesex - jeffrey eugenides. this was recommended to me by a few people. so, when i saw it on the discount table, i decided it was a sign. first, i read eugenides book the virgin suicides, and i didn’t like it. but, i did read a book called ‘a boy named sue’ forever ago, and that was fascinating and amazing. at least, i’m pretty sure it was called ‘a boy named sue’; i can’t find it anywhere. it was about a boy who was raised as a girl due to a circumcision accident (now, that’ll make the guys wince for sure). s/he was a twin, so researchers were all atwitter to study these two to learn some stuff about gender. what they learned was, you’re born a certain way, usually, and your hormones tend to keep you that certain way. all of this related to middlesex, because the narrator is ultimately a hermaphrodite (i shudder to think about the searches that are going to bring people here after this episode, i tell you. porn stars, pedophiles, strippers, and… cartoons. this can’t be good, y’all). he – the narrator – starts with the story of his grandparents, and his parents. now, i’m only about a third of the way through, but it’s awesome so far. go read it.
this isn’t a comprehensive list. i’m sure i’ve forgotten about a few books. and i’ve left out the ones i’ve re-read for fun (i’m looking at you, mr sedaris. and mr dostoevsky). but, you know, it’s the season now to sit in the yard with a frosty beverage and read a book. so… there’s that. pick up some sunscreen next time you’re at the store.
thanks for stopping by.
