Three track meets in three days and we were only sprinkled on once – not bad for a Hinterland Spring. They haven’t had to shovel snow of the track once this year and we actually had some sun on Thursday. We are still layered up – even with the sun the temperatures are chilly. I am still not in track mode which means I have been scrambling on meet days to make sure dinner is prepped and youngest has the food he needs. It also means that not much reading has been done. I did finish Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead – did not even start on Strange Room and now I have two week books from the library in my stack that have bumped it to the bottom of the pile and I need to reread Plainsong by Kent Haruf by Monday night for book group. That shouldn’t be too hard because reading Haruf’s prose is always a pleasure and Plainsong is my favorite of his books.
Here is what caught my interest this week:
I really liked Empire Falls by Richard Russo and I go back and forth on reading That Old Cape Magic – the story of a middle-aged man confronting his past and his present while attempting to scatter his dad’s ashes. Caribousmom’s review really makes me want to put it back on the list especially when she highlights quotes such as this to describe how Russo captures his characters, in this case Griff’s mother giving her retirement speech at the college she taught at for many years:
“Unlike my colleagues,” she said directly into the microphone, the only speaker of the evening to recognize that fundamental necessity, “I’ll be brief and honest. I wish I could think of something nice to say about you people and this university, I really do. But the truth we dare not utter is that ours is a distinctly second-rate institution, as are the vast majority of our students, as are we.” Then she returned to her seat and patted Griffin’s hand, as if to say, There, now; that wasn’t so bad, was it? – from That Old Cape Magic, page 20 –
Teresa from Shelf Love reviews Katharine Weber’s Triangle, a novel based on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in 1911 where 146 people died most of them young immigrant women. Teresa talks of both the public nature of such an incident and the private losses of the individuals involved. I really enjoyed reading The Report by Jessica Francis Kane (also about a public tragedy and private loss) and I love books about memory and history. When the last living survivor, Ester, dies, her granddaughter and her partner (Rebecca and George) look into Ester’s account at the same time as an avid historian of the fire. The author also adds notes from Rebecca’s work with DNA and George’s musical compositions. I read the first part of Chapter One which is Ester’s recollection of what happened and was hooked – I wanted to go on and see just how this recollection played through in the present day – even though my reading stack is large, I’ve placed a hold on this one.
Stefanie from So Many Books is lusting after the same book I am. I first heard of The Use and Abuse of Literature by Marjorie Garber from NPR and Stefanie also linked a review in the San Francisco Chronicle. This work is an exploration “through the archives of literature”, what the word “literature” entails throughout history, and a celebration of reading. Seth Lerer in his review sums it up perfectly:
Each time we read a book, we see it differently; each time we read a book, we see ourselves differently in it. Garber seems to have read everything, and this book offers, in addition to seductive argument, a complete anthology of quotations and engagements with poets, playwrights, novelists, biographers and literary theorists. Her book is a testament not simply to Great Books but also to a great conversation between ourselves and the past and among ourselves as present readers. Why read? In the end, the answer to the question is as complex and compelling as “why live?”
One fun thing about reading book blogs is how you can find yourself going from one to another or, on other cases, from a review of a book that doesn’t quiet peak your interest but it refers to an earlier review of a book that does.
The latter happened when I read John Self’s review of Anna Kravan’s Ice. I was intrigued by Anna’s story (physiological issues, heroin addiction, renaming herself after one of her own character’s, etc.) but the book itself didn’t seem like my thing. And then I clicked on a book John mentions in the review and found his review of Christopher Priest’s The Affirmation. Priest is more widely known as the author of The Prestige which, in turn became a movie that my boys frequently talk about. The Affirmation is about a young man who becomes fixated on recording his life and in the process the lines between what is memory, what is reality, and what is imagination become blurred. I really like the idea of exploring how a person tries to impose order on memory, which for me is a process outside the bounds of order. I love the quote from the book John includes in his review, “I perceived my past life as an unordered, uncontrolled bedlam of events. Nothing made sense, nothing was consistent with anything else. It seemed important to me that I should try to impose some kind of order on my memories. It never occurred to me to question why I should do this. It was just extremely important.” Unfortunately, this looks like it may be somewhat difficult to find so it is going on the used book store list.
Eva of a Striped Armchair gives a brief mention to Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea. This novel is a 21st century hero’s journey only in the case, the hero is a girl. Nayeli notices all the men have left her small coastal village in Mexico for the north leaving it at the mercy of drug gangs. She recruits two girls to help her and they embark on a road trip to recruit seven Mexican Men to come back with her- ala The Magnificent Seven. A novel that taps into myths and legends, combined with a road trip and the three musketeers – all of this with, as Eva puts it, “every page of this was something to savour, and when I closed the back cover it was with a bittersweet sigh.”
Eva, in the same post, also mentions Damascus Nights by Rafik Schami – a novel, like The Hakawati, about a middle-Eastern storyteller. This on is set in the 1950’s where a coachman (and storyteller) loses his voice. His friends spin yarns in order to save him. Like The Hakawati, this novel alternates between what is happening in reality and the stories that are being told.
Finally, Gavin from Page 247 reviews Mythago by Robert Holdstock, a fantasy about an ancient wood that is larger on the inside than it is on the outside (reminiscent of a certain Wardrobe). The wood is populated with “mythagos, monsters, animals and humans created by the unconscious memories of the humans that surround it. These mythical beings are archetypes that vary depending the time period, thoughts and imaginings of the humans creating them.” What an intriguing idea. This one sounds perfect for Eldest who loves this type of thing.
I think I will end with a picture of how I have been spending my time – it is the start of the 800 meter race and youngest is distinguishable by his long socks. When he runs in a more crowded race like the 3200 or the 1600 – it really makes him easier to spot.
I do hope you enjoy Triangle. That first chapter is absolutely stunning, isn’t it?
Stefane put the Garber book on my radar this week as well. It sounds so good!
I love your “Sunday Caught My Interest” posts and always find something that intrigues me. I missed the NPR story of The Use and Abuse of Literature so, as often happens with your posts, I am adding something to my TBR list, and thanks for the link!
I really want to read more Richard Russo. I loved Straight Man, but it must be five years now since I read it – where does the time go? And I noticed the Garber book at Stefanie’s site and thought it sounded intriguing. So many of the books about literature disappoint me, so it would be great to find one that really worked well.