It appears that I took a four month hiatus from the blog I was so excited about last year and that my amazing family has kept the torch going in my absence. I don't really know why I stopped making entries - I think it was an obvious result of being busy but also, I started being very uninspired by any books... I don't know if just didn't have as much time to read or if I was just bored with my general selections. Never-the-less, I did read some, but most slowly and all without conviction, easily distracted by TV, hubs or the crossword puzzles I got obsessed with for a time. For now, I choose to blame Diana Gabaldon for my sojourn into the doldrums but I feel as though I am being born again and I will attribute my literary salvation to my ever present hero, John Irving.
I am currently reading "Last Night in Twisted River: A Novel," by John Irving and as with all of his books, I border on horrified and fascinated by his characters. They are all so unnervingly odd but so easily relatable as well - he really is an amazing writer. I know a lot of people do NOT like John Irving, mostly for his off-kilter writing, but that is always what I have loved most about him, much like my affinity for Pat Conroy - it appears I have a thing for really disturbed people.
The book so far has focused on Dominic and his son Danny. They are Italian-Americans who through a series of events, ended up living in logging territory in northern New Hampshire in the early part of the 20th century. Dominic (the single-dad who is a phenomenal cook) is having an affair with his native american dishwasher woman. One night Danny (the 12 year old son) unexpectedly walks in on his dad having sex with the woman and assumes the woman is a bear who is devouring his dad and kills her with the frying pan his dad has in his bedroom for protection (referenced from previous family history when a bear did come in to the house and was killed with a frying pan). To save his son from either juvenile detention or a life in foster care, the dad flees with his son to his native Boston where the city is heavily divided by Italian and Irish. This is where I am now and I'm not even a third of the way into the book.
One other characteristic of Irving's books that is also present in this one is his fixation on certain details. He almost seems to take on a challenge to bring the reader back to a tiny detail over and over again that most would see on the first read as esoteric. I don't always understand why he fixates on what he does, but I do like to mull over it.
As a quick catch up to my time away, below please see the books that have graced my Kindle and my brief thoughts on them:
- Faking It, Elisa Lorella -- cute, quick beach read; actually pretty quirky and fun writing
- A Reliable Wife, Robert Goolrick -- such a weird book but sweet in an odd way; took a bit for me to get into
- The Complete Adventures of Alice, Lewis Carrol -- he was so obviously on some type of drug, I can't believe they made this into a child's movie
- The Complete Wizard of Oz Collection, Frank L. Baum -- the movie did a better job of staying true to the book but Dorthey was just as annoying in both versions
- In The Company of a Courtesan, Sarah Dunant -- The first 100 pages I was convinced I had already read this book but I never could remember anything about the end so I guess I hadn't. Actually really did enjoy this one - its about a dwarf and the courtesan he works for when Rome is sacked and they flee to Venice. I'd recommend this as a good one to pick up
- The Crossroads Cafe, Deborah Smith -- Okay, I did really love this one. I could guess the whole story from page 2 but it was so sweet and just made me very happy all throughout
- New York: The Novel, Edward Rutherford -- Loooong book but VERY interesting. Started with families who landed in the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam and followed their descendants to present day, ending of course with the Twin Towers.
- Imperium, A Novel of Ancient Rome, Robert Harris -- Liked this one a lot too but thought it should have been broken up into two books. The book climaxed half way in but then where was a whole new story to tell, I thought that was odd
- A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens -- I don't think I had ever read the original, it was very good and fun to read around Christmas; it take quiet as long as I had expected
- Pompeii: A Novel, Robert Harris -- Did not like this one very much; it was about the few days prior to the explosion of Vesuvius told from an engineer's point of view (might have been the issue there). I thought it was a cool idea because I've been there but found the story itself to be dry
If you can believe it, there are a few more but I honestly can't remember if what I thought of them so I'll spare you the time reading :) I'm happy to discuss any of the above in more detail if anyone has any questions!
