Some Hemingway, some science, some Beatles
What I'm reading right now:
Strange Tribe by John Hemingway - I have been reading a lot of Hemingway lately and after Hemingway's Boat I picked this one up to learn a bit more about the family. It's a really interesting book (written by a grandson of Ernest - one of Greg's sons) and shares a lot about the deep emotional problems in the family. (All I can say is that your mother can really screw you up. Big time.) (Not for review, just for my own reading pleasure.)
Baby's in Black by Arne Bellstorf - I'm so happy to see First Second come out with the graphic novel on fifth Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe. It's excellent to have the early history of the group, and such a fascinating person to boot, brought to a new generation. (This looks like my June column; not 100% sure yet.)
Half in Shade by Judith Kitchen - The author inherited a box of family photos and scrapbooks and ruminates on what they mean and might mean in this memoir. It's mostly about family, what you know, what you don't know and what you wish but also a bit about the cancer she was battling as she spent her time in the past. I've been going through the same family history thing myself lately so have a serious soft spot for this one. Lots of great pics too! (For review down the line - not sure when/where just yet.)
The Fate of the Species by Fred Guterl - for Booklist so I can't say much, of course!
Boltzman's Tomb by Bill Green - Excellent and highly readable collection of essays on science history by a truly engaging author. I have always been interested in science on broad terms - I want to know how people came to their conclusions and why and who they were and what was going on in their lives and what their families were like and on and on. I don't understand much about physics but I find Richard Feynman endlessly interesting, if that makes any sense. Anyway, Green writes about science in a way I understand and enjoy. Very good stuff. (And I'll be reviewing it for next month in Bookslut hopefully.)
I just finished Hustle by Jason Skipper and You Have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis. In the latter case there's a moment where the protagonist notes this killer line from Mrs. Dalloway, that people are, "Always throwing parties to cover the silence." It struck me then that there could be a version of Mrs. Dalloway for high school because if that isn't just one big party to avoid all the trauma underneath, I don't know what is. (I do not know Dalloway well enough to even attempt this but I'm sure lots of you do. It would be a great book.) (Both of these books are for my May column which is all about family dramarama.)
Reviewing right now - Bird Sense by Tim Birkhead (for Booklist) and The Thorn and the Blossom by Theodoro Goss which I read a couple of months ago and adore and really should have reviewed then but made notes and didn't finish my review and now I'm getting it done for the spring issue of Eclectica (which goes live next month). I will be posting about it tomorrow though, so more on that then!
