Saturday, October 30, 2010

10-30-10

Fiction/Memoir
  • The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis by Lydia Davis
  • Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
  • The Four Stages of Cruelty by Keith Hollihan
  • Nemesis by Philip Roth
  • Shadow & Claw by Gene Wolfe
  • Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
  • The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obrecht
Philosophy/Theology
  • After You Believe by N.T. Wright
  • The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith
  • The Sabbath by Abraham Heschel

Friday, October 29, 2010

A Game of Thrones

It's not often that I read fantasy fiction and even less often that I enjoy it enough to make a plug for it. So much fantasy fiction feels overdone and silly, a step away from RenFest or a Civil War reenactment. So little of it carries the weight of Tolkien or manages to be fantastic without becoming ridiculous. Robert Jordan's Eye of the World is a notable exception (although that series bogs down something fierce by book 3 or 4) as are the first four books in Stephen King's Dark Tower series (don't get me started on the silliness of King's deus ex machina in the last few) and Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind. Still, the exceptions are notable because they are few, and so I never pick up fantasy fiction without a strong recommendation from someone whose taste I trust.


That someone was my good friend Adam Sweeney and the book was George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones. The story is strong, the characters are distinct, and the pacing is excellent (due, in large part, to the change in perspective from character to character in chapter to chapter). Martin has three or four stories going at once, but he never loses track of them or forgets why and how they are connected.


Martin has been accused by some fans of fantasy fiction as not being "much of a stylist", lacking "beautiful descriptions or choice turns of phrase." My guess is that the "style" these critics mean is that style I mentioned just two paragraphs ago. I enjoy Martin because his language is descriptive without being flowery, polished, but never purple.


A Game of Thrones isn't going to change your life or make you think more critically or possibly even feel more deeply. But it is a heck of a lot of fun. The tale is epic, the telling engrossing, and the teller efficient in his writing. If you need a break from McCarthy or Murakami, but still want to read something of quality, I'd highly recommend Martin.

Monday, October 25, 2010

10-25-10

Fiction/Memoir
  • The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis by Lydia Davis
  • Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
  • The Four Stages of Cruelty by Keith Hollihan
  • A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
  • Nemesis by Philip Roth
  • Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
  • The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obrecht
  • White Noise by Don DeLillo
Philosophy/Theology
  • After You Believe by N.T. Wright
  • The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith
  • The Sabbath by Abraham Heschel

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

10-19-10

Fiction/Memoir
  • Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
  • The Four Stages of Cruelty by Keith Hollihan
  • Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
  • Nemesis by Philip Roth
  • Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
  • The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obrecht
  • Townie by Andre Dubus III
  • White Noise by Don DeLillo
Philosophy/Theology
  • After You Believe by N.T. Wright
  • The Sabbath by Abraham Heschel

Monday, October 11, 2010

10-11-10

Fiction/Memoir
  • Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
  • Dubliners by James Joyce
  • Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
  • Nemesis by Philip Roth
  • Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
  • The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obrecht
  • Townie by Andre Dubus III
  • Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell
Philosophy/Theology
  • After You Believe by N.T. Wright
  • The Sabbath by Abraham Heschel

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

10-5-10

Fiction/Memoir
  • Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
  • Dubliners by James Joyce
  • Nemesis by Philip Roth
  • Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
  • The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obrecht
  • Townie by Andre Dubus III
  • Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell
Philosophy/Theology
  • After You Believe by N.T. Wright
  • Longing For Spring by Elaine Heath
  • The Sabbath by Abraham Heschel

Alive In Necropolis

So, here's the reason why I like The Sixth Sense. It isn't the big twist ending (though I loved that) or the slow burn and chilly atmosphere (though they were exceptional). It was that the ghost story worked both literally and metaphorically, without the metaphor getting in the way of a good story. The Sixth Sense is about the distances that can exist even in the closest of relationships and the series of small losses that add up to slow death.


And that's what I loved about Doug Dorst's Alive In Necropolis. It's ghost story is about literal ghosts. The main character, Michael Mercer, sees dead people. But, more importantly, it's about the ways that we die every day that we don't decide to live. Mercer's unwillingness to make the difficult choices and hard sacrifices that give life meaning, make him a sort of ghost among ghosts, even if he is, technically, still breathing. And though Mercer may be carrying death around inside him, he and the rest of Dorst's cast of characters come alive on every page. The dialogue is loose in the way that real conversation is, the plot moves in the way that all good stories should. Alive In Necropolis is a ghost story that isn't dominated by ghosts, but that doesn't make it any less haunted. Doug Dorst can count me among his fans.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Rock N' Roll Will Save Your Life

This was my first time to read Steve Almond, even though his writing has been recommended to me by various friends on numerous occasions. This will not be my last attempt, even though my first attempt was fairly "meh". 

I'm not sure why I didn't enjoy this book. It's by a middle-aged, married, white guy with a kid who begins the book with an essay on Bruce Springsteen. In theory, this book was written just for me.

Unfortunately, the book turned out to be less about a love letter to rock music and more about a series of "you should have been there" kinds of stories along the lines of "man, back in the day when we didn't have any money and used to go see Nil Lara..."

He wraps up writing about his man-crush on Bob Schneider. That wasn't the way to win me over.

I guess I had hoped it would be funnier or more thought-provoking or intriguing or something. I enjoy this sort of music talk with my Uncle Norm, but in large part because he's my Uncle Norm. This book felt like the sort of music talk I'd have with my uncle's college roommate whom I had, heretofore, never met. I kept trying to nod my head along, but my heart wasn't in it.

Still, Almond's not a bad writer and I look forward to seeing if his essays or short stories fare better than this did.

10-2-10

Fiction
  • Alive In Necropolis by Doug Dorst
  • Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
  • Dubliners by James Joyce
  • Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
  • The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obrecht
Philosophy/Theology
  • After You Believe by N.T. Wright
  • Christian America and the Kingdom of God by Richard Hughes
  • Let Your Life Speak by Parker J. Palmer
  • Longing For Spring by Elaine Heath
  • The Sabbath by Abraham Heschel