With Lucia Joyce & Mary Talbot & a scary high school & another planet & more. Totally.

Recent Reads:

Dotter of Her Father's Eyes by Mary & Bryan Talbot. Whoa. I knew nothing about James Joyce's daughter Lucia but Mary Talbot (whose father was a James scholar) does an amazing job of weaving her own life in and around Lucia's (which makes sense as her father was constantly researching Joyce's life). This is so good - so so sooo good - that I can't recommend it enough. Bryan Talbot, one of my all time fav illustrators does his usual great job with the illustrations. This is exactly the kind of story a gn is made for (and highly recommended as a crossover for teens). Plus - I need to read a bio of Lucia Joyce. For sure.

The Moon Moth by Jack Vance, adapted by Humayoun Ibrahim. I'm still processing this graphic novel of Vance's short story classic. It's kind of tough to sort out the setting in the opening wordless pages but when the text appears and you meet the main character, via a flashback, it takes off in a big way. This is stranger in a strange land territory and what becomes a very compelling murder mystery. The ending is a zinger! Not sure where it will fit review-wise; likely as a "Cool Read" in Aug or Sept.

Almost Somewhere by Suzanne Roberts - For Booklist, about three girlfriends who post-college decide to hike the John Muir Trail.

Soulless: The Manga by Gail Carriger. LOVE Soulless and this manga was just a ton of fun! The story is still there, the adaption is great (you can follow it along easily) and the art is hysterical. Just flat out fun (which works well with the heavier stuff I'm reading.)

Currently Reading:

Suburban Strange by Nathan Koetecki - For my August column on "school stories", this is a very intense YA mystery with a touch of the paranormal that, on page 282, still has me wondering who the Big Bad is. I'm hoping the ending is as good as the trip getting there; color me deeply pleased with this one.

Thunder on the Mountain: Death at Massey and the Dirty Secrets Behind Big Coal by Peter Galuszka - For Booklist. I am rapidly becoming exceedingly well read on the coal industry. In case you're wondering, there are no real happy endings in any of these damn books.



On Deck:

Loving This Planet by Helen Caldicott and A Free Man by Aman Sethi - both for Booklist (the environment and India!). Also rereading bits of House by Tracy Kidder for a feature I'm working on, and The Awakening by Kate Chopin because Koetecki mentions it so much in Suburban Strange. Otherwise, with the clock ticking on a big AK research trip, I'm shoring up all the notes on what I need to follow-up on and trying not to get distracted with any big reads. I won't be tackling the reading for Sept & Oct columns until late July.

Also recommended: If I could link to this article on the Town & Country magazine site I would because Emily Gould's takedown of Fifty Shades of Grey is made of awesome. Unfortunately, T&C has a very bad site and no access to even a TOC that I could see. So buy the issue on the newsstand - it has fun summer campers on the cover.

Plus, I defy you to read Mary Louise Parker's reminiscence of her father in the current Esquire (Bruce Willis on the cover). It made me cry - stunning. (And while their website is really quite good, the Parker essay is not on it. But buy the issue anyway as it has great fiction in it and an interesting look at Bruce Jenner who I really feel quite sorry for.)

[Post pic of Lucia Joyce}