Summer reads
Quick reviews of two quick reads:
- What the Dead Know, by Laura Lippman. A woman claims to be one of a pair of sisters who disappeared more than 20 years ago. She knows things that no one else could know, but seems to be hiding something. I’ve enjoyed Lippman’s Tess Monaghan mysteries, so picked this up even though the premise seemed a little too Oprah-ish for my taste. I read the whole thing in about 24 hours.
- A Map of the World, by Jane Hamilton. This one really was an Oprah book club pick. I picked it up a couple of years ago, and read the heartbreaking opening section, and decided that I couldn’t bear to read a story about the death of a child. It was on the trade-a-book shelf at work, though, so I gave it another shot on a recent business trip. It’s good, although nothing in the rest of the book matches the crystalline painful brilliance of the first chapters.
So, what’s on your reading list? What should I be looking for at the library?
June 27th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
I am trying not to feel silly, but Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows is my big summer read. My library recently had a book sale and I bought alot of great stuff that is sitting on my shelf. Some of the titles are Little Children (plan on reading before seeing the film), Bill Clinton’s bio (got it for 25 cents hardcover!), Glad Tidings (Macomber) – can’t figure out why I would rather watch and read holiday stuff in the summer… There is more but I will stop.
June 28th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
Have you read The Known World yet? Fabulous. The Night Watch, by Sarah Waters? Almost as good. Small Island, by Andrea Levy? Ditto. Runaway by Alice Munro (short stories)? Incredible as well.
On my reading list right now, but not yet read: The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, which you already reviewed. Eat, Pray, Love (did you read that already?). Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin. And right now I’m in the middle of Margaret Atwood’s new book of short stories, Moral Disorder (audiobook), and Toni McGee Causey’s first novel, Bobbie Faye’s Very (Very, Very) Bad Day; I used to read her blog, and love her writing. Very light. Very (very, very) fun.
June 29th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
I’ve had Map of the World for a number of years. I couldn’t read it before I had a child..still can’t read it 🙂
My favorite book this year was, The Life of Pi, a Booker award winner. I just finished, The Real Toy Story, by Eric Clark – which I will probably review on my site…provoking stuff.
I’m just starting, The Price of Admission, by Daniel Golden – covers the topic of Ivy League admissions – could be enlightening or depressing…
Since I’m trying to become a greener bibliophile (and consequently a thriftier one) I have been buying used and borrowing from the library – which has led to a rather eclectic reading list this year!
June 30th, 2007 at 8:33 am
I’ll cast another vote for The Known World, not a quick read but fabulous. I’ve got the new Chabon on my short list, but probably won’t manage it until my semester actually ends. I’m currently reading the newest Cormac McCarthy, The Road, which a few people highly recommended even though I am not really a fan of his previous work. It’s quite good so far, though depressing.
July 4th, 2007 at 11:39 am
I have been looking at that Lippman book for a while now, trying to decide if I wanted to read it or not, so thanks for this review!
After seeing Children of Men this spring, I had to read the book that it was based on, and now I am reading through P. D. James’ other books, which are British mysteries, and good. I am also going back and filling in some gaps in my science fiction reading, books I have meant to read, or that I feel are important and I should have read. I read The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin, and Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler recently. Also, Sheri S. Tepper’s new book, The Margarets. I could go on and on, but if you don’t like science fiction, that would probably be boring for you.
July 15th, 2007 at 10:43 pm
I just read How Sassy Change My Life by Kara Jesella nad Marisa Meltzer and I could not put it down. Read it in one day. It is nonfiction, but weel worth a read if you are into feminism, pop culture and alternative culture of the eighties to nineties or were a reader of Sassy.