Not only am I hearing complaints about lack of posting from my countless fans, I am now linked to from a high-traffic site, so I thought it was best to show some signs of life in the Crawdad Hole.
I will therefore list seven books I’ve read since last posting, with brief remarks.
River Teeth by David James Duncan. The best book I’ve read this year, unless I read The Name of the Rose this year (I can’t remember). Even so, it’s a hard choice. If you know me I have probably tried to get you to read The Brothers K, by the same author. Maybe if you’re not up for that (although it reads really quickly) you could dive into a story or two from this collection. My favorites are “Her Idiots,” “The Garbage Man’s Daughter” (which I have probably also talked to you about), “The Mickey Mantle Koan,” “Molting,” and “Not Rocking the Boats.”
Joan of Arc by Mark Twain. I enjoyed the history and the French setting, but I would not recommend that you bother reading this. There is no character depth and only one brilliantly written scene that is worthy of the Twain we all know and love. He appears to have loved this book more than anything else he wrote, so I feel bad saying this. Maybe it is proof that detachment is helpful for good art.
On Beauty by Zadie Smith. I listened to this on CD when I was on a road trip. I don’t absorb things well when I hear them. It was interesting enough that I would have liked to get my hands on a copy and reread some parts. Beauty is a topic that intrigues me, and I think it dealt with it in an interesting way, but it didn’t really give me anything to hold to my heart and live by.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling. This was definitely the best one yet, but maybe because I was determined for it to be such an important experience. I had a great couple of days being possessed by it and resenting all other activities. I’m not sure I’d read it again for myself, but it would be fun to read all of the books with kids. I wonder what age would be best.
The Love of a Good Woman by Alice Munro. It’s hard for me to say anything meaningful about her stories. I feel like they are very human and true to life. You read them and recognize yourself; you understand why the people do the things they do. She seems to employ no artifice. Her writing doesn’t capture your heart, like Marilynne Robinson’s, for example. It’s just there. But it’s good.
A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver by E. L. Konigsburg. I read another historical novel dealing with Eleanor of Aquitaine and thought she would be an interesting person to know more about. This is a young adult book, so not extremely complex, but that is exactly what I need to grasp anything at all about history.
I, Claudius by Robert Graves. This was sort of slow going for a while, but I think it’s worth reading. I want to read the next one now because it ends at precisely the point where you want to know more. I am excited about going to see the exhibit on Roman villas at the local art museum next week and getting a visceral taste of the imperial lifestyle.
