I love Ali Smith. She's so inventive and irreverent. The Accidental sprang from a dream she had, and it's dreamlike. Smith often uses multiple perspec...moreI love Ali Smith. She's so inventive and irreverent. The Accidental sprang from a dream she had, and it's dreamlike. Smith often uses multiple perspectives to weave together a story. I happen to like this--and I find her really gifted at inhabiting different voices. Her other book, Hotel World, really knocked my socks off too. But the Accidental asks different questions (Hotel World was kind of a mystery about a girl who fell down an elevator shaft). Questions like: who are we and how do we end up as who we are and what is the power of fantasy?(less)
Well, this book has been sitting around my childhood home for years and I always assumed that I read it in high school. Once I started it, though, I f...moreWell, this book has been sitting around my childhood home for years and I always assumed that I read it in high school. Once I started it, though, I felt like I hadn't ever read it. Just faked it. I did that a lot in high school. I loved this book. It's terribly sad, but beautifully rendered. The abuse and the bleakness feel important--Allison has shed light on something secret and fetid. Something that needed to be seen. (less)
I haven't loved a book like I loved this book in years. Walbert has written a profoundly smart, insanely moving book about generations of women, begin...moreI haven't loved a book like I loved this book in years. Walbert has written a profoundly smart, insanely moving book about generations of women, beginning with a suffragette and ending with a contemporary college student. She depicts, effortlessly, the way women have been shaped by changes in American culture, and the way that they have failed to be shaped. The book never feels didactic or pedantic. Masterful, brilliant.(less)
I really loved Sara Levine's Treasure Island!!! It's a mean, hilarious read. The 25-year-old protagonist wants her life to be more like the life of Ji...moreI really loved Sara Levine's Treasure Island!!! It's a mean, hilarious read. The 25-year-old protagonist wants her life to be more like the life of Jim in Treasure Island, and so goes around being a complete jerk. Sara's humor is sly and smart. The book is fast-paced and ridiculous--it felt a little like surfing on boiling water. I recommend to people who love a bit of darkness in their funny.(less)
This book is like a slow burn. I am still thinking about scenes a month after finishing it. Barthelme's prose is jaded and blissful. The story is basi...moreThis book is like a slow burn. I am still thinking about scenes a month after finishing it. Barthelme's prose is jaded and blissful. The story is basically a contemporary Southern love triangle, but it's as if the angles of the triangle are in motion, shifting the shape. This is a narrow, elegant story that has, at its core, a real acceptance of the failures of modern love.
I took this book on vacation having only read the Messud review in the Times. I couldn't have made a better choice. The novel unfolds over a 5-course...moreI took this book on vacation having only read the Messud review in the Times. I couldn't have made a better choice. The novel unfolds over a 5-course dinner. The narration is pitch-perfect, and sets the reader up for a big, startling surprise.... This is a thriller, disguised as a literary book, disguised as a thriller. It's a sneaky, rewarding read. (less)
I read and loved the entire novel cycle, of which At Last is the final book. While I wasn't as gripped by At Last as I was by Never Mind and Mother's...moreI read and loved the entire novel cycle, of which At Last is the final book. While I wasn't as gripped by At Last as I was by Never Mind and Mother's Milk, I was moved to tears by the complicated resolution to one of the most masterful and devastating novel series to have ever been published. Psychologically ferocious. Not for the feint of heart.(less)
This odd Canadian novel is told from the perspective of a jaded teenage Mennonite. It's in first person and takes a while to get into. But once you're...moreThis odd Canadian novel is told from the perspective of a jaded teenage Mennonite. It's in first person and takes a while to get into. But once you're in, you're in. Toews opens the door to a world we don't see. A fantastic read for lovers of smart, precocious, teenage protagonists or people who are curious about cults.(less)
Like Kate Walbert's A Short History of Women, my favorite book of 2009, I talked of nothing else in 2005 when I read The Fixer. Malamud's classic abou...moreLike Kate Walbert's A Short History of Women, my favorite book of 2009, I talked of nothing else in 2005 when I read The Fixer. Malamud's classic about a Jewish man falsely accused of bleeding a Christian child is about the best meditation on suffering that I have ever read. (less)
If I had to pick a few words to describe this amazing graphic novel they might be: moving, searching, and damn good. A student of mine came into class...moreIf I had to pick a few words to describe this amazing graphic novel they might be: moving, searching, and damn good. A student of mine came into class bearing it. She said, if you want to teach taboo love, you should read this. (I was teaching a lit course on taboo love.) I took it home and read it in a day. I wish the whole world would read it. And they are! It's a bestselling graphic novel! Incredible.(less)
Don Waters is a fantastic writer. The men in this extraordinary collection are simultaneously hardened and curious, wise and fumbling. My favorite sto...moreDon Waters is a fantastic writer. The men in this extraordinary collection are simultaneously hardened and curious, wise and fumbling. My favorite stories are Sheets and What to Do with the Dead--but Mr. Epstein and the Dealer is also a stunner. And if you enjoy running, you're bound to laugh at The Marathoner. Take this book with you on your next desert road trip. You won't be disappointed!(less)
Despite the sexy woman and polka dots on the cover, this is a serious novel--a thriller. It takes place in a cancer research lab and the amount of hom...moreDespite the sexy woman and polka dots on the cover, this is a serious novel--a thriller. It takes place in a cancer research lab and the amount of homework Ms. Goodman must have done to complete this novel is just staggering! It's an amazing look into the world of research. Poor mice! I devoured this book on the airplane. Take it with you on your next trip!
Though billed as the story of a man who weathers prison for a crime he didn't commit, The Fixer transcends plot and reveals a great deal about human s...moreThough billed as the story of a man who weathers prison for a crime he didn't commit, The Fixer transcends plot and reveals a great deal about human suffering and resiliance. It's easiy one of the greatest books I've ever read.(less)
This is a beautiful Holocaust memoir. Kertesz examines the idea of fate--he survived the Nazis by eating hot dogs in a hospital--and the brutality mix...moreThis is a beautiful Holocaust memoir. Kertesz examines the idea of fate--he survived the Nazis by eating hot dogs in a hospital--and the brutality mixed with the mundane aspects of life make for a truly chilling read.(less)
If you like memoirs, this is a great one. Trussoni has outstanding pacing and manages to look at her father through a lens that is both harsh and tend...moreIf you like memoirs, this is a great one. Trussoni has outstanding pacing and manages to look at her father through a lens that is both harsh and tender. If you have a family, read this book.(less)
One of the greatest, riskiest stories ever is in this book. Read it to find out which one I'm talking about. Nelson brings darkness into the house, in...moreOne of the greatest, riskiest stories ever is in this book. Read it to find out which one I'm talking about. Nelson brings darkness into the house, into the family. (less)
Though I wondered often about the ethics of this project, I learned so much about what has happened in Sudan. It's an easy book to fall into and Egger...moreThough I wondered often about the ethics of this project, I learned so much about what has happened in Sudan. It's an easy book to fall into and Eggers is a master of voice.(less)
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