24books.org - Vicky's Reviews

12.26.11

Vicky's BEST MOVIE of 2011

1. The King's Speech
2. Midnight in Paris
3. Beginners
4. The Guard
5. My Week With Marilyn
6. Descendents
7. The Fighter
8. The Tree of Life
9. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
10. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Vicky's BEST BOOKS READ in 2011

1. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
2. Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
3. Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
4. Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
5. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
6. Free World by David Bezmozgis
7. Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman
8. Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt
9. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
10. Family Fang by Kevin Wilson
11. This Book Will Save Your Life by A.M. Holmes
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7.02.11

Feeling a little guilty that I've been so engrossed in reading some really great books and, not wanting to break the mood, unable to put coherent thoughts to reviews, I've thrown a list of my favorites on a Recommended Titles list as a stopgap and to remind me what I need to spend time thinking about. It's been a long, satisfying run of really excellent books that, for me, was extraordinary. Now, not so much. I've started and put down about six books that just didn't do it so it's time to reflect on just what IT is...let's discuss.

Patrick deWitt's The Sisters Brothers was a real find. I won an ARC from the 3guys1book website (check it out for lots of good reading ideas), enjoyed a quirky, funny, engaging tale of the old west and discovered a new author to follow in the bargain. This book felt almost like a screen play...I could visualize the movie and hope it does what the book was able to achieve with likable, flawed characters caught up in a crazy attempt to complete a job destined to create havoc.

4.06.11

What a pleasure it is to discover that someone else loves a book as much as I do...Donna Leon, on Shelf Awareness, lists Bleak House as the book she would like to read again for the first time. Yes, me too.

And what a pleasure it has been to read Paul Bowles' The Sheltering Sky. Our move back to Oakland has gotten in the way of much cohesive thought about anything but this book was perfect for that circumstance as it was pure experience. This was my introduction to Bowles (where have I been?) and it won't be my last. After finishing this gorgeous novel, I wanted to watch the Bertolucci adaptation and was reminded that, even though the film can match the beauty of the book, it usually can't equal the book's mindtrip. This book left me mystified and wanting more of the story yet, strangely satisfied...can that make sense? The film did none of those things and, except for the lovely cinematography, was not worth the time.

3.23.11

Having had one of my nights-with-little-sleep last night, I was able to finish When Will There Be Good News? and feel compelled to start lobbing superlatives at anyone who will listen. Kate Atkinson is an intelligent, funny, unpredictable storyteller or, as one reviewer called her, "a genuinely surprising novelist". Not only does she fulfill all the requirements of a good mystery writer, she is just simply (I'm making it sound easy...it's not) an artful writer, penning sentences and paragraphs worth rereading throughout her novel. Here's one: "Love. Love wasn't sweet and light, it was visceral and overpowering. Love wasn't patient, love wasn't kind. Love was ferocious, love knew how to play dirty." Add to this general mix of great reasons to read Atkinson the fact that these Jackson Brodie books take place in Scotland and England, two of my favorite locals to be while reading.

And on a slightly related, but mostly different matter, I wonder if you've picked up on the cacophony of complaints in the last six months by some women writers that my gender hasn't been fully represented in the publishing world with enough reviews and/or enough prizes. I noticed this before Christmas, when Jonathan Franzen took the oxygen out of most of what got written about books with his newest novel and one of my favorite picks from last year, Freedom. I think that he deserved the space...discussions, reviews, prizes that seemed heavily weighted toward Franzen reflected the excitement that the book caused. If any one of these pieces were responsible for getting someone to read the book, it was all to the good. The carping about the attention Franzen received seemed to be soaked in a thick marinade of bitterness. Generally, for my taste, not enough is written about books but the reading public has limited time to consume reviews and criticism and, again, generally, books worth reading do get press.

One response to this perceived inequality was the UK's Orange Prize, inaugurated in 1996, for the female author of a novel written in English. The Prize has garnered controversy almost every year with the nominees, the choices and the aftermath. A.S. Byatt has called it a "sexist prize" and has instructed her publishers to refrain from allowing her novels to be placed in nomination. How would a prize created for male authors only be received?

Looking over my reading list reveals that the last six books have happened to have all had women authors...all were excellent novels, three of which got more than the usual amount of attention. The New Yorker's 20 Under 40 list, which turns a spotlight on young authors worth watching, was half women. I think the publishing community does a fairly decent job of getting good books for women and for men to the commercial world. From my perspective of being a bookseller for more than 30 years, the big problem is that we don't have enough readers of either gender.

3.21.11
But until I track them down, I've begun When Will There Be Good News? which is the third novel of Kate Atkinson's about private detective Jackson Brodie. Case Histories and One Good Turn are the first two...I'm having a hard time calling these books mysteries or thrillers, although they all contain components of those genres. Atkinson, like many other authors, creates fictions that blur the line from fiction to mystery, making life more difficult for booksellers deciding where to shelve them and for readers to find books that fit into their criteria for choosing what they will read next. But, putting aside minor concerns like those, I'd like to encourage anyone who likes well-written prose, well-drawn characters and complex, winding plotlines to read Atkinson's intelligent novels.

3.20.11
It's rare for me to start reading a book and, immediately, feel as if I've found something different, something fresh and exciting but that's what Jennifer Egan's newest novel, A Visit from the Goon Squad, presented. I regularly check best book lists, mostly to get an idea of what readers are reading (so that I'll know what to buy for the store) but, also, to take inspiration for my own next selections. There were very few of the 2010 lists that did not include Egan's...with good reason. The novel is episodic and not chronological. One chapter is written with graphs. A chapter will mention a minor character who turns up in another chapter as the main protagonist, many years away from the last place that he turned up...a whole picture emerges, piecemeal, stunningly. Finished, wanting more, now I get to catch up with Egan's earlier books and hope that they are anywhere as wonderful as this one was.

Shawna Yang Ryan’s Water Ghosts offers a haunting, hallucinatory experience that weaves the lives of the residents of the small California delta town of 1920’s Locke with Chinese myth and American history. The writing is exquisite, the story unforgettable. Read this novel and come under the spell of this assured, rewarding debut by an author well-worth following.

Super Sad True Love Story
So, are we really headed for a future where the U.S. has become a third world country, where illiteracy abounds, where we're judged to be either Low-Net-Worth (LNW) or High-Net-Worth (HNW) and where the most incredible means are employed to stave off death? Or, are we there?
Shteyngart's vision is extraordinary and he manages to create a funny, sweet but sad world. His prose can be lovely. I found myself going back to reread portions to enjoy the word play. Shteyngart has been given multiple awards after publication of each of his three novels for good reason. Super Sad True Love Story is an entertaining, totally satisfying novel. Read this book!

My take on The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman. Is Allegra Goodman a modern-day Jane Austen? Many of the reasons I love Austen's novels apply to The Cookbook Collector: it is a completely charming, romantic story with astute revelations into its characters relationships. The novel creates a world, not quite as isolated as Austen's, but a distinct world where I was happy to be. The storyline revolves around two very different sisters...one works at an antiquarian bookstore and takes on the very challenging job of cataloging a valuable cookbook collection. The other more responsible sister makes a fortune in Silicone Valley. Their competing philosophies of life create the novel's conflict. The Cookbook Collector was a lovely, satisfying read, as, indeed, all of Jane's novels are.

Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon is a mystery wrapped in identity. The book operates on three frequencies that, finally, coalesce into an almost complete whole. My attempt to get you to read this compelling, well-written novel is hampered by my not wanting to give anything away. A good part of the fun is in the discovery but, to quote Janet Maslin from her NYT's review, "...the real pleasure in reading Mr. Chaon is less in finding out where he's headed than in savoring what he accomplishes along the way." Read this novel...you won't be disappointed.

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
My favorite novel of 2010 is this one, easily. Franzen storytelling skills are extraordinary and his ability to create full-blown characters is something to behold. I read this large volume in just a few days and was sad to see it done. The storyline follows three major characters through more than 20 years after meeting in college. I feel as though I know and really like these people.

Driving on the Rim by Thomas McGuane
I think of Tom McGuane as the west's answer to early-mid Richard Russo (Nobody's Fool)...his characters being smart, sad, hilarious people who can't seem to manage their lives well, complain mightily, yet would never stand for a well-ordered ordinary existence. Driving on the Rim is a joy to read and, with Berl Pickett, McGuane has created a memorable character.

The Holy Thief by William Ryan
The Holy Thief is a well-crafted historical mystery that takes place in 1930's Stalanist Moscow. Korolev is an investigator in the Criminal Investigation Division and he's been asked to look into the particularly gruesome murder of a young woman whose body is found in a church. William Ryan shows a mastery of historical detail - the novel is wonderfully compelling in the telling.

of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama
From the standpoint of a bookseller, President Obama is a godsend. His books have all been great draws because, unlike most politicians who try their hand at writing, his prose is eloquent and engaging. And, in this love letter to his daughters, he has created a lovely heartfelt homage to America and its ideals. of Thee I Sing honors thirteen famous Americans and asks the reader to find himself in these worthy people. It's an encouraging message that we hope all children receive from those who love them.

Art & Max, David Wiesner's splendid new picture book plays with the artistic process through an exploration of media, working outside of conventional ideas and, along the way, throwing homages to Dali and to Harold's Purple Crayon! This all sounds way too artspeaky to be describing what it is...a truly great kids' book. Max, the beginner, approaches Arthur, master lizard painter, with a request to join him in a painting session and what happens is a multi-colored, multi-media extravaganza. David Wiesner's books are always wonderful and, excepting Section 7, Art & Max is my favorite.

Three Classic Children's Stories - text by James Donnelly and drawings by Edward Gorey
This charming edition of three classics, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack the Giant-Killer and Rumpelstiltskin, points to how much of a difference the retelling can make. James Donnelly does not talk down to his audience and enlivens each story with great vocabulary. When the guessing of his name begins in Rumpelstiltskin, we're treated to gems like Calfspital, Wimple Pluckstring, Trample Stackscone, and Spangle Pigstain, which are not only fun to hear but fun to say. Edward Gorey's illustrations are always engaging and, in this case, add to the overall sense of playfulness. Three Classic Children's Stories is an excellent choice for a read-aloud selection.

How the Nobble Was Finally Found is the happy collaboration between Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning poet C.K. Williams and Caldecott Medal winner and writer Stephen Gammell. The Nobble of this picture book has been alone, undiscovered, for about four thousand three hundred and twenty-three years, not because he is invisible, but because the places where he goes, like the space between Wednesday and Saturday, are where nobody else ever ventures. This is why he's decided to set off to find some place or something so he isn't alone anymore...and that journey of discovery is where this joyful book takes us. Williams' excellent text along with Gammell's fantastic illustrations create absolute magic.
Any book written or illustrated by Stephen Gammell is worth hunting down: The Relatives Came, Once Upon Macdonald's Farm, Old Black Fly, My Friend, The Starfinder, Old Henry, Song and Dance Man and sadly, out of print, The Wing Shop and Monster Mama are inventive, fun-to-read titles, great choices for an kid's book collection.