All the Print That's Fit to Read: williecostello's Club Read 2014 List
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1williecostello
Hey there! So here we are again. Another year, another stack of books to read. Unlike last year, I don't have any grand overarching theme to my reading list this time around. However, my reading habits will obviously reflect my evolving tastes, and this year I am looking forward to reading more authors whom I haven't read before, more short stories, more essays, and more non-fiction.
I'll be posting short reviews of all the books I read this year as I read them. For now, here are reviews of the first five books I've gotten to this month.
#001 Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader, Anne Fadiman || January 5
Ex Librus is a thoroughly charming collection of eighteen short-form essays, all written on the theme of books. Fadiman's prose style is erudite and entertaining, and her reflections on life, love, and literature are consistently acute and insightful. Each essay, though brief, is chock-full of anecdotes and historical research, presented in a tone which is light without being fluffy, assertive without being dogmatic. For pretty much the entire book, it felt as if Fadiman were speaking directly to me and my soul, and again and again I found myself struck by strong feelings of kinship with everything she had to say (cf. "Never Do That To a Book", "You Are There", and "Secondhand Prose"). The essays I enjoyed the most, however, were the ones about books and marriage, and the role books have played between Fadiman and her spouse (esp. "Marrying Libraries", "Words on a Flyleaf").
Ex Libris is a humble book, but also a perfect one. Every bibliophile should do themselves the favor of reading it.
#002 The Writing Life, Annie Dillard || January 8
The Writing Life is a series of reflections on, appropriately enough, the life of writing – the grueling, dreadful, dispiriting life of writing. Such a book will probably not be of much interest for those who don't experience this struggle on a daily basis, but for those who do, the book is about as good as they come: honest, brave, and poetic.
Although there is scattered advice within its pages ("Aim for the chopping block"; "A writer looking for subjects inquires not after what he loves best, but after what he alone loves at all"), this really is not a book about how to write. Rather, it is about what it is like to write ("This is your life. You are a Seminole alligator wrestler"), how it feels to write ("But how, if you are neither Zulu warrior nor Aztec maiden, do you prepare yourself, all alone, to enter an extraordinary state on an ordinary morning?").
Which is to say: The Writing Life provides neither encouragement nor enlightenment. It does, however, provide companionship; and when living the life of writing, sometimes that's exactly what you need.
#003 Boxers & Saints, Gene Luen Yang || January 9
Boxers & Saints is a compelling, graphic novel diptych about the Boxer Rebellion in turn-of-the-20th-century China, each part told from the perspective of a different character, each on a different native side of the conflict. Taken together (as they must), the two books combine to provide a powerful, multifaceted take on a complex historical period.
Yang is uncompromising in his storytelling, and skillfully conveys the violence, emotion, and desperation of the moment. Visually, his style is clean and effective, though I found I appreciated the art of Boxers more than Saints (its colors are more vivid, its panel better composed). But these are minor quibbles. Boxers & Saints is one of the best of its medium, and a worthy addition to the comics and graphic novel canon.
#004 American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang || January 17
American Born Chinese is an effective graphic novel story about Chinese-American identity, told through a mix of fantasy, satire, and realism. Yang's art style is clean and controlled, varying between sparsely populated frames to densely detailed action sequences. Personally, I prefer Adrian Tomine's Shortcomings to this work, but American Born Chinese is probably more accessible to more people, and definitely a solid read.
#005 Susan Sontag: The Complete Rolling Stone Interview, Jonathan Cott || January 21
The Complete Rolling Stone Interview is an utter delight and absolute must-read for any Susan Sontag fan. This 1978 interview with Jonathan Cott, published here in its entirety for the very first time, captures Sontag at the height of her career, shortly after the publication of Illness as Metaphor and On Photography. These essays structure much of the conversation, but in between Sontag touches on nearly every topic imaginable, from love and sex to fiction-writing and Vietnam. This breadth alone is impressive enough, but what is most notable about The Complete Rolling Stone Interview is the new window it provides on Sontag's genius, revealing her to be just as brilliant in conversation as on paper. Again and again, Sontag is so articulate, erudite, and imaginative that it is hard to believe that you're really reading an interview, and that her remarks were really extemporaneous. Jonathan Cott also displays his prodigious talents as an interviewer, ably guiding their discussion down interesting paths and doing as much to contribute to as to challenge the points Sontag raises. Some readers may find this interview to be a bit too aimless and unfocused, but for me it was a complete joy to read, a remarkable display of one of the 20th century's sharpest intellects at work.
I'll be posting short reviews of all the books I read this year as I read them. For now, here are reviews of the first five books I've gotten to this month.
#001 Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader, Anne Fadiman || January 5
Ex Librus is a thoroughly charming collection of eighteen short-form essays, all written on the theme of books. Fadiman's prose style is erudite and entertaining, and her reflections on life, love, and literature are consistently acute and insightful. Each essay, though brief, is chock-full of anecdotes and historical research, presented in a tone which is light without being fluffy, assertive without being dogmatic. For pretty much the entire book, it felt as if Fadiman were speaking directly to me and my soul, and again and again I found myself struck by strong feelings of kinship with everything she had to say (cf. "Never Do That To a Book", "You Are There", and "Secondhand Prose"). The essays I enjoyed the most, however, were the ones about books and marriage, and the role books have played between Fadiman and her spouse (esp. "Marrying Libraries", "Words on a Flyleaf").
Ex Libris is a humble book, but also a perfect one. Every bibliophile should do themselves the favor of reading it.
#002 The Writing Life, Annie Dillard || January 8
The Writing Life is a series of reflections on, appropriately enough, the life of writing – the grueling, dreadful, dispiriting life of writing. Such a book will probably not be of much interest for those who don't experience this struggle on a daily basis, but for those who do, the book is about as good as they come: honest, brave, and poetic.
Although there is scattered advice within its pages ("Aim for the chopping block"; "A writer looking for subjects inquires not after what he loves best, but after what he alone loves at all"), this really is not a book about how to write. Rather, it is about what it is like to write ("This is your life. You are a Seminole alligator wrestler"), how it feels to write ("But how, if you are neither Zulu warrior nor Aztec maiden, do you prepare yourself, all alone, to enter an extraordinary state on an ordinary morning?").
Which is to say: The Writing Life provides neither encouragement nor enlightenment. It does, however, provide companionship; and when living the life of writing, sometimes that's exactly what you need.
#003 Boxers & Saints, Gene Luen Yang || January 9
Boxers & Saints is a compelling, graphic novel diptych about the Boxer Rebellion in turn-of-the-20th-century China, each part told from the perspective of a different character, each on a different native side of the conflict. Taken together (as they must), the two books combine to provide a powerful, multifaceted take on a complex historical period.
Yang is uncompromising in his storytelling, and skillfully conveys the violence, emotion, and desperation of the moment. Visually, his style is clean and effective, though I found I appreciated the art of Boxers more than Saints (its colors are more vivid, its panel better composed). But these are minor quibbles. Boxers & Saints is one of the best of its medium, and a worthy addition to the comics and graphic novel canon.
#004 American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang || January 17
American Born Chinese is an effective graphic novel story about Chinese-American identity, told through a mix of fantasy, satire, and realism. Yang's art style is clean and controlled, varying between sparsely populated frames to densely detailed action sequences. Personally, I prefer Adrian Tomine's Shortcomings to this work, but American Born Chinese is probably more accessible to more people, and definitely a solid read.
#005 Susan Sontag: The Complete Rolling Stone Interview, Jonathan Cott || January 21
The Complete Rolling Stone Interview is an utter delight and absolute must-read for any Susan Sontag fan. This 1978 interview with Jonathan Cott, published here in its entirety for the very first time, captures Sontag at the height of her career, shortly after the publication of Illness as Metaphor and On Photography. These essays structure much of the conversation, but in between Sontag touches on nearly every topic imaginable, from love and sex to fiction-writing and Vietnam. This breadth alone is impressive enough, but what is most notable about The Complete Rolling Stone Interview is the new window it provides on Sontag's genius, revealing her to be just as brilliant in conversation as on paper. Again and again, Sontag is so articulate, erudite, and imaginative that it is hard to believe that you're really reading an interview, and that her remarks were really extemporaneous. Jonathan Cott also displays his prodigious talents as an interviewer, ably guiding their discussion down interesting paths and doing as much to contribute to as to challenge the points Sontag raises. Some readers may find this interview to be a bit too aimless and unfocused, but for me it was a complete joy to read, a remarkable display of one of the 20th century's sharpest intellects at work.
2baswood
Enjoying your reviews. Susan Sontag: The complete Rolling Stone Interview sounds like something I would very much like to read.
3rebeccanyc
I'm a big fan of Ex Libris too. Have you read any other books by Anne Fadiman?
4Polaris-
Hi Willie, welcome to Club Read. Also enjoying your reviews. I have Ex Libris and The Writing Life on the wishlist - and the Sontag book also sounds interesting. Really intrigued though by Boxers & Saints, just wishlisted it (and starred your thread).
5fannyprice
Ex Libris is wonderful! I love this comment:"For pretty much the entire book, it felt as if Fadiman were speaking directly to me and my soul, and again and again I found myself struck by strong feelings of kinship with everything she had to say..." I felt the exact same way. I also loved her other collections At Large and At Small: Familiar Essays and Rereadings: Seventeen writers revisit books they love, which Fadiman edited.
Boxers & Saints is on hold for me at the library.
Boxers & Saints is on hold for me at the library.
6williecostello
Thanks for all the responses, folks.
Re: rebeccanyc: I am actually in the process of reading another Anne Fadiman at the moment: her long non-fiction essay about the Hmong immigrant community and the U.S. medical system, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. It's really fantastic so far, but much different from Ex Libris. I also want to read her other essay collections which fannyprice mentioned.
Re: Polaris- & fannprice: Definitely let me know what you think when you get to Boxers & Saints!
Re: rebeccanyc: I am actually in the process of reading another Anne Fadiman at the moment: her long non-fiction essay about the Hmong immigrant community and the U.S. medical system, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. It's really fantastic so far, but much different from Ex Libris. I also want to read her other essay collections which fannyprice mentioned.
Re: Polaris- & fannprice: Definitely let me know what you think when you get to Boxers & Saints!
7edwinbcn
Nice review of The Complete Rolling Stone Interview; another work by Susan Sontag I would be interested to read.
8rebeccanyc
I loved The Spirit Catches You. It is what got me started reading Fadiman.
9cabegley
The Spirit Catches You was wrenching. Yes, so different from Ex Libris, but they're both well worth it.
10kaylaraeintheway
Thanks to your great review, Ex Libris is going to the top of my TBR list!
11arubabookwoman
My first book by Ann Fadiman was The Spirit Catches You as well, and I loved it. I next read and loved Ex Libris, but agree that they are very different. I've sometimes wondered how she came to write The Spirit Catches You. I have Rereadings on my shelf and want to get to it soon.
13williecostello
I fell behind on my reviews for February. Here, finally, are some notes on the five books I read last month.
#006 The Encyclopedia of Early Earth, Isabel Greenberg || February 16
The Encyclopedia of Early Earth is a charming little mythological fairy tale, and a story about the power of stories – a message powerfully embodied in the work itself. Isabel Greenberg's artistic style is well matched to the content, and effortlessly immerses the reader in an imaginative fictional fantasy landscape. EoEE is not a work I believe will become part of the graphic novel canon, but it does display considerable early talent, and certainly offers an enjoyable experience for readers young and old alike.
#007 The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Anne Fadiman || February 18
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is perhaps a perfect work of narrative journalism, a non-fiction book which is both compellingly told, meticulously researched, and deeply thought-provoking. Not a word feels wasted in any of its dense three-hundred pages, and by the time you reach the end, you'll close the book feeling newly educated in Hmong culture, the American health care system, refugee politics, and everything in between. More than that, though, The Spirit Catches You is just a damn good read. You don't need to think you'd be interested in any of the issues it touches on; it will make you interested. The driving narrative, the heartbreaking story of the life of one epileptic Hmong child, is (much like life itself) brimming with both pathos and joy. And Anne Fadiman is the ideal reporter of it all: erudite, impartial, receptive, and exceedingly gifted as a prose stylist. I can't say I've ever read a better non-fiction work, and I doubt that I ever will (though I hope to read others just as good). The Spirit Catches You is simply a must-read, and there's not much more to say about it than that.
#008 The Lathe of Heaven, Ursula K. Le Guin || February 20
The Lathe of Heaven was the first Le Guin novel I ever read, and in many ways it is the speculative fiction novel I had always been waiting for. That's because it is just so marvelously written, in addition to being wildly imaginative and deeply engaging. Le Guin, I discovered, is the sort of writer that could write anything and I'd gladly read it, and this became clear within the first two pages of the book.
Le Guin's greatest achievement in The Lathe of Heaven, however, is that it all just feels so real (and this in a book with continuum-shifting dreaming and an invasion of extraterrestial turtles). The characters, and the protagonist George Orr in particular, are believably portrayed and psychologically complex. The characters' actions and the turns of the plot follow naturally though not entirely predictably upon one another. And the world itself is immersive and detailed, in spite of its frequent oneiric rearrangings.
It is this visceral reality of Le Guin's impossible fiction that gives The Lathe of Heaven its this-worldly literary impact. The near-novella hits on countless issues in its less-than-two-hundred pages (everything from geo- and global politics to Taoist spirituality), but more than anything else it is an exploration of moral responsibility. Through its imaginative set-up, Le Guin creates a mutually opposed protagonist-and-antagonist pair, neither of which is straightforwardly blameworthy for his actions, or straightforwardly innocent, either. In this moral morass Le Guin asks us to contemplate what a concerned agent can and should do.
It is a powerful and thought-provoking question, and The Lathe of Heaven poses it in a powerful and thought-provoking way which is also eminently readable and thoroughly enjoyable.
#009 Illuminations, Arthur Rimbaud (trans. John Ashbery) || February 23
Rimbaud's classic suite of evocative prose poems is powerfully rendered by John Ashbery in this new translation, printed alongside the French original. Ashbery's diction is mellifluous and never forced, faithfully adhering to the spirit (and much of the letter) of Rimbaud's French. But most of the credit here is due to Rimbaud, of course, whose perceptive eye and expansive mind make Illuminations shine in whatever rendition. The whole collection is worth reading, but "Being Beauteous" and "Genie" were two of my personal highlights.
#010 Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste, Carl Wilson || February 23
I take a sort of guilty pleasure in pop music journalism, much like I take a sort of guilty pleasure in pop music itself. I say "sort of", because in my mind there really isn't anything guilty about it. Pop music is wonderful, though in its own way, and in a way incommensurate with how we assess most other forms of music. Yet this sui generis status is of course no reason to dismiss pop, or to shy away from evaluating it on its own terms. The problem is just that this is so rarely done well.
Carl Wilson's Let's Talk About Love is in this case the exception that proves the rule. Ostensibly another entry in the 33⅓ series, Wilson's book actually turns the series on its head, casting a critical eye on the much-maligned ultra-middlebrow pop diva Céline Dion and her 1997 mega-album, "Let's Talk About Love" (as the back cover reminds us, "the one with that Titanic song on it"). Yet rather than simply writing a review and critique of the record, Wilson uses the figure of Céline as a springboard from to examine the deep philosophical and aesthetic issues that pop music raises. How can an artist be simultaneously so widely detested and adored? Where does the appeal of Céline and her kin come from? Can one come to like music one initially hates? And what does Céline's music have to contribute to our lives?
These are some of the toughest and most intriguing questions of pop criticism, and they are the questions that occupy the heart of Wilson's book. Wilson may not offer many definitive answers, but his reflections are always entertaining, erudite, and eye-opening. And while I cannot say that the book made me into a Céline fan (of course, that's not its point), it did make me think twice about how I perceive her and other pop artists I hate (and that very much is its point). This is clearly not a book that everyone will be into, but for someone like me, it don't get much better than this.
#006 The Encyclopedia of Early Earth, Isabel Greenberg || February 16
The Encyclopedia of Early Earth is a charming little mythological fairy tale, and a story about the power of stories – a message powerfully embodied in the work itself. Isabel Greenberg's artistic style is well matched to the content, and effortlessly immerses the reader in an imaginative fictional fantasy landscape. EoEE is not a work I believe will become part of the graphic novel canon, but it does display considerable early talent, and certainly offers an enjoyable experience for readers young and old alike.
#007 The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Anne Fadiman || February 18
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is perhaps a perfect work of narrative journalism, a non-fiction book which is both compellingly told, meticulously researched, and deeply thought-provoking. Not a word feels wasted in any of its dense three-hundred pages, and by the time you reach the end, you'll close the book feeling newly educated in Hmong culture, the American health care system, refugee politics, and everything in between. More than that, though, The Spirit Catches You is just a damn good read. You don't need to think you'd be interested in any of the issues it touches on; it will make you interested. The driving narrative, the heartbreaking story of the life of one epileptic Hmong child, is (much like life itself) brimming with both pathos and joy. And Anne Fadiman is the ideal reporter of it all: erudite, impartial, receptive, and exceedingly gifted as a prose stylist. I can't say I've ever read a better non-fiction work, and I doubt that I ever will (though I hope to read others just as good). The Spirit Catches You is simply a must-read, and there's not much more to say about it than that.
#008 The Lathe of Heaven, Ursula K. Le Guin || February 20
The Lathe of Heaven was the first Le Guin novel I ever read, and in many ways it is the speculative fiction novel I had always been waiting for. That's because it is just so marvelously written, in addition to being wildly imaginative and deeply engaging. Le Guin, I discovered, is the sort of writer that could write anything and I'd gladly read it, and this became clear within the first two pages of the book.
Le Guin's greatest achievement in The Lathe of Heaven, however, is that it all just feels so real (and this in a book with continuum-shifting dreaming and an invasion of extraterrestial turtles). The characters, and the protagonist George Orr in particular, are believably portrayed and psychologically complex. The characters' actions and the turns of the plot follow naturally though not entirely predictably upon one another. And the world itself is immersive and detailed, in spite of its frequent oneiric rearrangings.
It is this visceral reality of Le Guin's impossible fiction that gives The Lathe of Heaven its this-worldly literary impact. The near-novella hits on countless issues in its less-than-two-hundred pages (everything from geo- and global politics to Taoist spirituality), but more than anything else it is an exploration of moral responsibility. Through its imaginative set-up, Le Guin creates a mutually opposed protagonist-and-antagonist pair, neither of which is straightforwardly blameworthy for his actions, or straightforwardly innocent, either. In this moral morass Le Guin asks us to contemplate what a concerned agent can and should do.
It is a powerful and thought-provoking question, and The Lathe of Heaven poses it in a powerful and thought-provoking way which is also eminently readable and thoroughly enjoyable.
#009 Illuminations, Arthur Rimbaud (trans. John Ashbery) || February 23
Rimbaud's classic suite of evocative prose poems is powerfully rendered by John Ashbery in this new translation, printed alongside the French original. Ashbery's diction is mellifluous and never forced, faithfully adhering to the spirit (and much of the letter) of Rimbaud's French. But most of the credit here is due to Rimbaud, of course, whose perceptive eye and expansive mind make Illuminations shine in whatever rendition. The whole collection is worth reading, but "Being Beauteous" and "Genie" were two of my personal highlights.
#010 Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste, Carl Wilson || February 23
I take a sort of guilty pleasure in pop music journalism, much like I take a sort of guilty pleasure in pop music itself. I say "sort of", because in my mind there really isn't anything guilty about it. Pop music is wonderful, though in its own way, and in a way incommensurate with how we assess most other forms of music. Yet this sui generis status is of course no reason to dismiss pop, or to shy away from evaluating it on its own terms. The problem is just that this is so rarely done well.
Carl Wilson's Let's Talk About Love is in this case the exception that proves the rule. Ostensibly another entry in the 33⅓ series, Wilson's book actually turns the series on its head, casting a critical eye on the much-maligned ultra-middlebrow pop diva Céline Dion and her 1997 mega-album, "Let's Talk About Love" (as the back cover reminds us, "the one with that Titanic song on it"). Yet rather than simply writing a review and critique of the record, Wilson uses the figure of Céline as a springboard from to examine the deep philosophical and aesthetic issues that pop music raises. How can an artist be simultaneously so widely detested and adored? Where does the appeal of Céline and her kin come from? Can one come to like music one initially hates? And what does Céline's music have to contribute to our lives?
These are some of the toughest and most intriguing questions of pop criticism, and they are the questions that occupy the heart of Wilson's book. Wilson may not offer many definitive answers, but his reflections are always entertaining, erudite, and eye-opening. And while I cannot say that the book made me into a Céline fan (of course, that's not its point), it did make me think twice about how I perceive her and other pop artists I hate (and that very much is its point). This is clearly not a book that everyone will be into, but for someone like me, it don't get much better than this.
14baswood
Really enjoyed your reviews williecostello., so much so that I think I want to read all the books that you have reviewed, particularly #8,#9 and #10.
15kidzdoc
I thoroughly agree with your assessment of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Willie!
16rebeccanyc
I too agree you about The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. It was the first book I read by Anne Fadiman, and I've since looked for anything by her, although nothing she's written since takes that journalistic approach.
17williecostello
A couple new reviews, of two very different books:
#011 Red Handed: The Fine Art of Strange Crimes, Matt Kindt || March 20
Matt Kindt likes to focus on the odd and uncanny in his work, and Red Handed: The Fine Art of Strange Crimes is no exception. This midsize graphic novel consists of a series of bizarre whodunnits, which slowly but surely reveal themselves to all be connected in an unexpected way. The plotting is imaginative and entertaining throughout, but the overarching narrative never really did it for me in the end. In addition, I can't say I'm all that keen on Kindt's visual style: though I do enjoy his washed-out colors, his lines and forms are a bit too sloppy for my tastes. Fans of Kindt's Mind MGMT will surely enjoy this work (and vice versa), but I found that I felt lukewarm towards both.
#012 Tinkers, Paul Harding || March 26
The strength of Tinkers is, unquestionably, the quality of its prose, which is exceptional. Yet the novel's other elements – its plot, its themes, and its characters – felt to me to come up short, in a way that its language just couldn't make up for. Ultimately, Harding's talents as a writer (which are manifest throughout) seemed undirected, or worse yet, wasted. He demonstrates in this novel that he can articulate that which would otherwise seem ineffable, but a novel must do more than just this, and in the end Tinkers simply didn't come together for me in the way I would've hoped.
Admittedly, many sections of the novel are extraordinary: the last several pages, and really all of George's scenes, as well as the various descriptions of nature and meditations on clocks. But in between these poetic moments, I did not feel invested in the story, and rather felt that I was just reading for the writing, and not for much else. This isn't totally a bad thing, of course: first, because Harding's writing is just that good; and second, because fiction isn't all about plot and such, either. Yet I do feel that a better balance could've been struck between the lyrical and the narrative in this work.
#011 Red Handed: The Fine Art of Strange Crimes, Matt Kindt || March 20
Matt Kindt likes to focus on the odd and uncanny in his work, and Red Handed: The Fine Art of Strange Crimes is no exception. This midsize graphic novel consists of a series of bizarre whodunnits, which slowly but surely reveal themselves to all be connected in an unexpected way. The plotting is imaginative and entertaining throughout, but the overarching narrative never really did it for me in the end. In addition, I can't say I'm all that keen on Kindt's visual style: though I do enjoy his washed-out colors, his lines and forms are a bit too sloppy for my tastes. Fans of Kindt's Mind MGMT will surely enjoy this work (and vice versa), but I found that I felt lukewarm towards both.
#012 Tinkers, Paul Harding || March 26
The strength of Tinkers is, unquestionably, the quality of its prose, which is exceptional. Yet the novel's other elements – its plot, its themes, and its characters – felt to me to come up short, in a way that its language just couldn't make up for. Ultimately, Harding's talents as a writer (which are manifest throughout) seemed undirected, or worse yet, wasted. He demonstrates in this novel that he can articulate that which would otherwise seem ineffable, but a novel must do more than just this, and in the end Tinkers simply didn't come together for me in the way I would've hoped.
Admittedly, many sections of the novel are extraordinary: the last several pages, and really all of George's scenes, as well as the various descriptions of nature and meditations on clocks. But in between these poetic moments, I did not feel invested in the story, and rather felt that I was just reading for the writing, and not for much else. This isn't totally a bad thing, of course: first, because Harding's writing is just that good; and second, because fiction isn't all about plot and such, either. Yet I do feel that a better balance could've been struck between the lyrical and the narrative in this work.
18williecostello
Two new reviews!
#013 Blackbird, David Harrower || March 27
Blackbird is a tense and powerful "problem play", confronting the problem of pedophilia head-on with the intensity and power which only theatre can provide. Most of the play is a choppy dialogue between Ray and Uma, two now-adults who, fifteen years prior when Uma was still twelve, had a sexual relationship which subsequently destroyed their lives, though in very different ways. A lot of the play's drama comes from the way this history gets slowly revealed to the audience, but its real power comes from how it forces us to consider precisely what sort of relationship existed, and still exists, between them. Unfortunately, the climax of the play didn't quite follow through on the promises of the rising action in my opinion, and the play ended up feeling to me incomplete, or at least not fully satisfying. But it's still a fantastic piece of modern theatre, and one I'd quickly recommend.
#014 Conversations with Glenn Gould, Jonathan Cott || March 30
This quick little book contains two transcribed telephone conversations from the 70's between piano virtuoso/genius Glenn Gould and Rolling Stone journalist Jonathan Cott. These interviews paint an intimate portrait of the enigmatic musician, showing him to be as brilliant an improviser in conversation as he was at the piano. Cott is the ideal interlocutor of Gould – admiring and intelligent, he manages to arouse Gould to novel insights and all the while follow the circuitous train of thought of his answers. Though parts of their discussion slip into the recherché, digressing into extremely subtle points of musicology and music theory, there a plenty of gems along the way, such as Gould voicing his thoughts on The Beatles, on recording techniques, and best of all, on himself – his humming, his posture, and his tone. The book also begins with a satisfying and touching introduction by Cott, recounting his lifelong adoration of and friendship with Gould. A must for any Gould fan.
#013 Blackbird, David Harrower || March 27
Blackbird is a tense and powerful "problem play", confronting the problem of pedophilia head-on with the intensity and power which only theatre can provide. Most of the play is a choppy dialogue between Ray and Uma, two now-adults who, fifteen years prior when Uma was still twelve, had a sexual relationship which subsequently destroyed their lives, though in very different ways. A lot of the play's drama comes from the way this history gets slowly revealed to the audience, but its real power comes from how it forces us to consider precisely what sort of relationship existed, and still exists, between them. Unfortunately, the climax of the play didn't quite follow through on the promises of the rising action in my opinion, and the play ended up feeling to me incomplete, or at least not fully satisfying. But it's still a fantastic piece of modern theatre, and one I'd quickly recommend.
#014 Conversations with Glenn Gould, Jonathan Cott || March 30
This quick little book contains two transcribed telephone conversations from the 70's between piano virtuoso/genius Glenn Gould and Rolling Stone journalist Jonathan Cott. These interviews paint an intimate portrait of the enigmatic musician, showing him to be as brilliant an improviser in conversation as he was at the piano. Cott is the ideal interlocutor of Gould – admiring and intelligent, he manages to arouse Gould to novel insights and all the while follow the circuitous train of thought of his answers. Though parts of their discussion slip into the recherché, digressing into extremely subtle points of musicology and music theory, there a plenty of gems along the way, such as Gould voicing his thoughts on The Beatles, on recording techniques, and best of all, on himself – his humming, his posture, and his tone. The book also begins with a satisfying and touching introduction by Cott, recounting his lifelong adoration of and friendship with Gould. A must for any Gould fan.
19dchaikin
Enjoyed reading through your reviews. I think I liked Tinkers more than you did, but I had a hard time reading it...and kind of a hard time retaining it since the overall plot is a bit elusive. Very entertained by your review on Let's Talk About Love.
Blackbird intrigues me. I don't keno who Glenn Gould is, but if I did, Jonathan Cott's book would appeal.
Blackbird intrigues me. I don't keno who Glenn Gould is, but if I did, Jonathan Cott's book would appeal.
21SassyLassy
Thanks for the Glenn Gould review. Cott and Gould: what an interesting combination.
22williecostello
#015 Ficciones, Jorge Luis Borges || April 21
It's no secret that Borges is an inimitable author, and nowhere in this clearer than in Ficciones. This classic collection of short stories sparkles with humor and genius as it explores and challenges our most basic understandings of language, literature, and philosophy. I'm just embarrassed to admit that it's taken me so long to read it cover to cover! Personal faves were "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius", "Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote", "The Lottery in Babylon", "The Library of Babel", "Funes, His Memory", "The Theme of the Traitor and the Hero", "The Secret Miracle", and "The Cult of the Phoenix".
It's no secret that Borges is an inimitable author, and nowhere in this clearer than in Ficciones. This classic collection of short stories sparkles with humor and genius as it explores and challenges our most basic understandings of language, literature, and philosophy. I'm just embarrassed to admit that it's taken me so long to read it cover to cover! Personal faves were "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius", "Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote", "The Lottery in Babylon", "The Library of Babel", "Funes, His Memory", "The Theme of the Traitor and the Hero", "The Secret Miracle", and "The Cult of the Phoenix".
23rebeccanyc
Sigh. I've been trying to read Borges for decades, and have even reached the point where I'm keeping one of his books on the shelf of my bedside table. But so far no luck, although your review only makes me feel I should make a more concerted effort to read it!
24williecostello
#016 Age of Minority: Three Solo Plays, Jordan Tannahill || May 4
Jordan Tannahill is an up-and-coming Toronto playwright, and Age of Minority, his first published volume, is as good an introduction to his work as any. The three solo plays that make up this collection each tackle a different controversy – homosexuals in the military, gay bullying, the death of Peter Fechter – but all showcase Tannahill's talent for engaging with social and historical issues through intense studies of character. The monologists of these plays all feel so real and natural, the reader is effortlessly drawn into their struggles and sympathizes with their plights almost immediately. And while it's unlikely that any of these plays will turn out to be timeless classics of the Canadian stage, that's mostly because it seems so certain that Tannahill will go on to do even better work in the future. For the moment, Age of Minority is a satisfying prelude of what's to come.
Jordan Tannahill is an up-and-coming Toronto playwright, and Age of Minority, his first published volume, is as good an introduction to his work as any. The three solo plays that make up this collection each tackle a different controversy – homosexuals in the military, gay bullying, the death of Peter Fechter – but all showcase Tannahill's talent for engaging with social and historical issues through intense studies of character. The monologists of these plays all feel so real and natural, the reader is effortlessly drawn into their struggles and sympathizes with their plights almost immediately. And while it's unlikely that any of these plays will turn out to be timeless classics of the Canadian stage, that's mostly because it seems so certain that Tannahill will go on to do even better work in the future. For the moment, Age of Minority is a satisfying prelude of what's to come.
25williecostello
It's been a long time since I've updated this thread, but here are some reviews of the few books I've managed to read in the past several months...
#017 The Beast in the Jungle, Henry James || May 30
The Beast in the Jungle is a gemlike encapsulation of everything James does so well. Told in a brisk seventy-five pages, the story offers an amount of psychological depth, observation, and insight which most full-length novels don't even approach. Most notable in my opinion, however, is how the story portrays the difficulty of perceiving things rightly (perceiving others, perceiving oneself, and perceiving value) – which is, according to James, precisely the task with which the readers and the writer of his fictions are faced as well. The Beast in the Jungle is perhaps the easiest way in to this distinctive literary vision – short enough to read through in a day, but complex enough to consume a lifetime.
#018 Plato as Artist, Jan Zwicky || June 10
Literary interpretations of Plato are not easy to pull off, but Jan Zwicky's Plato as Artist is a welcome exception. The book is a conversational yet erudite walk-through of Plato's Meno which draws attention to features of the text often passed over by more traditional commentaries. Zwicky ably brings out the big picture lessons of the dialogue without getting mired in philosophical pedantry. The Pythagorean elements of her interpretation are a bit of a stretch at points, but overall it's a persuasive reading which, like the best of secondary scholarship, helps us see the primary work in a new and more accurate light.
(Additionally, Plato as Artist is simply one of the most beautifully printed books I've ever read; Gaspereau Press did a stunning job.)
#019 Disgrace, J. M. Coetzee || June 11
Disgrace is an outstanding novel: morally challenging, psychologically complex, with a distinctive narrative voice which exerts a subterranean effect over the whole story. Like many other readers, I responded most to the novel's portrayal of animals, which is exceptionally perceptive, but the portrayals of race, gender, power, and South Africa are equally powerful. So much has already been said about this book that I'm unsure what else to add, but suffice it to say that I am in full agreement with those many others who view Disgrace as a modern classic and one of the greatest and most important books to be published in the past twenty years.
#020 Map of Days, Robert Hunter || June 15
Map of Days is just the sort of graphic novel I go for: imaginative, atmospheric, and beautifully drawn. A boy discovers another world inside his grandfather's grandfather clock, and adventure ensues. The story has all the magic and charm of a children's book, but none of the simplistic moralizing or symbolism. However, what really sets Map of Days apart in my opinion is its stunning visuals, which are alive with color and meticulously arranged on the page. It's the sort of book you want to keep on looking at, and the kind of story you want to return to again and again.
#021 The Dinner, Herman Koch || June 18
Somewhere within The Dinner there's a really compelling story – a story about mental illness, family relations, and random acts of violence. But in Herman Koch's hands the story fails to live up to its potential, and gets mucked up in poor characterization and bad plotting.
The narrator of The Dinner is (obviously and intentionally) irritable, but also (unintentionally, I suspect) irritating to read. It's not merely that he is cranky and unsympathetic; there just wasn't anything compelling for me about his incessant observations and digressions. The narrator's brother, in contrast, came off as one-sided and a mere foil. And we simply aren't given enough of a portrait of any of the book's other characters. For a set-up with so much intrinsic moral tension, these weak characterizations really held the book back in my opinion.
The plot itself could also have been better executed. It's not until nearly halfway into the book that the real heart of the story starts to come out, and nothing before it really sets it up in any way. As a result, the book does not have enough space to explore the complex social and moral situation it's introduced – which is a shame, since it's actually a really compelling topic.
In the end, I felt that The Dinner would probably make a fantastic stage play, which would get around the problem of the novel's narrative voice and more importantly allow the characters themselves to drive the action. As a novel, however, it just felt limp.
#022 Seconds, Bryan Lee O'Malley || July 24
What a disappointment. After the wonderfully quirky and original Scott Pilgrim series, Bryan Lee O'Malley returns with an uninspired and unremarkable graphic novel in Seconds. The plot is hackneyed, following an all-too-familiar "let's see what happens when someone is given the power to change their past" storyline. The art is frequently sloppy and the visual style is inconsistent. The characters are okay, but the dialogue is limp. In the end, Seconds just felt like a waste of time for me to read, lacking in originality and entertainment, much less any magic or charm.
#017 The Beast in the Jungle, Henry James || May 30
The Beast in the Jungle is a gemlike encapsulation of everything James does so well. Told in a brisk seventy-five pages, the story offers an amount of psychological depth, observation, and insight which most full-length novels don't even approach. Most notable in my opinion, however, is how the story portrays the difficulty of perceiving things rightly (perceiving others, perceiving oneself, and perceiving value) – which is, according to James, precisely the task with which the readers and the writer of his fictions are faced as well. The Beast in the Jungle is perhaps the easiest way in to this distinctive literary vision – short enough to read through in a day, but complex enough to consume a lifetime.
#018 Plato as Artist, Jan Zwicky || June 10
Literary interpretations of Plato are not easy to pull off, but Jan Zwicky's Plato as Artist is a welcome exception. The book is a conversational yet erudite walk-through of Plato's Meno which draws attention to features of the text often passed over by more traditional commentaries. Zwicky ably brings out the big picture lessons of the dialogue without getting mired in philosophical pedantry. The Pythagorean elements of her interpretation are a bit of a stretch at points, but overall it's a persuasive reading which, like the best of secondary scholarship, helps us see the primary work in a new and more accurate light.
(Additionally, Plato as Artist is simply one of the most beautifully printed books I've ever read; Gaspereau Press did a stunning job.)
#019 Disgrace, J. M. Coetzee || June 11
Disgrace is an outstanding novel: morally challenging, psychologically complex, with a distinctive narrative voice which exerts a subterranean effect over the whole story. Like many other readers, I responded most to the novel's portrayal of animals, which is exceptionally perceptive, but the portrayals of race, gender, power, and South Africa are equally powerful. So much has already been said about this book that I'm unsure what else to add, but suffice it to say that I am in full agreement with those many others who view Disgrace as a modern classic and one of the greatest and most important books to be published in the past twenty years.
#020 Map of Days, Robert Hunter || June 15
Map of Days is just the sort of graphic novel I go for: imaginative, atmospheric, and beautifully drawn. A boy discovers another world inside his grandfather's grandfather clock, and adventure ensues. The story has all the magic and charm of a children's book, but none of the simplistic moralizing or symbolism. However, what really sets Map of Days apart in my opinion is its stunning visuals, which are alive with color and meticulously arranged on the page. It's the sort of book you want to keep on looking at, and the kind of story you want to return to again and again.
#021 The Dinner, Herman Koch || June 18
Somewhere within The Dinner there's a really compelling story – a story about mental illness, family relations, and random acts of violence. But in Herman Koch's hands the story fails to live up to its potential, and gets mucked up in poor characterization and bad plotting.
The narrator of The Dinner is (obviously and intentionally) irritable, but also (unintentionally, I suspect) irritating to read. It's not merely that he is cranky and unsympathetic; there just wasn't anything compelling for me about his incessant observations and digressions. The narrator's brother, in contrast, came off as one-sided and a mere foil. And we simply aren't given enough of a portrait of any of the book's other characters. For a set-up with so much intrinsic moral tension, these weak characterizations really held the book back in my opinion.
The plot itself could also have been better executed. It's not until nearly halfway into the book that the real heart of the story starts to come out, and nothing before it really sets it up in any way. As a result, the book does not have enough space to explore the complex social and moral situation it's introduced – which is a shame, since it's actually a really compelling topic.
In the end, I felt that The Dinner would probably make a fantastic stage play, which would get around the problem of the novel's narrative voice and more importantly allow the characters themselves to drive the action. As a novel, however, it just felt limp.
#022 Seconds, Bryan Lee O'Malley || July 24
What a disappointment. After the wonderfully quirky and original Scott Pilgrim series, Bryan Lee O'Malley returns with an uninspired and unremarkable graphic novel in Seconds. The plot is hackneyed, following an all-too-familiar "let's see what happens when someone is given the power to change their past" storyline. The art is frequently sloppy and the visual style is inconsistent. The characters are okay, but the dialogue is limp. In the end, Seconds just felt like a waste of time for me to read, lacking in originality and entertainment, much less any magic or charm.
26baswood
Enjoyed catching up with your reviews. I might give that Henry James story a try after failing to come to terms with his style in What Maisie Knew and I have Disgrace on my radar.
27williecostello
#023 The Secret History, Donna Tartt || August 9
The Secret History is Janus-faced. It is charming, ably written, entertaining throughout; it is plodding, indulgent, thematically shallow. Its plot brings together many of my fictional soft spots (small liberal arts colleges, New England, classics, murder); its plot was, in my opinion, its dullest feature. I do not at all regret reading it; I will never pick it up again.
One might think that, in a novel like this, these oppositions should blossom in some sort of Apollonian and Dionysian synthesis, but no. All that all this amounts to is the fact that the book doesn't live up to its full potential.
The Secret History is no must-read, but it is a veritable can-read, and for all it fails to be, it's still hard for me to dislike it too harshly for what it is.
The Secret History is Janus-faced. It is charming, ably written, entertaining throughout; it is plodding, indulgent, thematically shallow. Its plot brings together many of my fictional soft spots (small liberal arts colleges, New England, classics, murder); its plot was, in my opinion, its dullest feature. I do not at all regret reading it; I will never pick it up again.
One might think that, in a novel like this, these oppositions should blossom in some sort of Apollonian and Dionysian synthesis, but no. All that all this amounts to is the fact that the book doesn't live up to its full potential.
The Secret History is no must-read, but it is a veritable can-read, and for all it fails to be, it's still hard for me to dislike it too harshly for what it is.
