THE BEST READS OF
2001
Here’s
the list of books our customers picked as their favorite reads of 2001. If you
want to contribute your own picks, just email
us. We’ll add yours to the list.
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Dear Thomas, Cheryl and Eleanor,
My perennial favorite remains Soldier of the Great War. The stories and plot
are
engagingcharacter development is strong but the poetry of his descriptive
passages is
still breathtaking. He touches the highest aesthethic sense without ever losing
the
human in all its glory and in all its misery. Corelli's Mandoline began with
promise
but degenerated into sentimentality-- I thought I'd found another Roberston
Davies in
that author but was disappointed
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Best books I have read this year:
Stuart Woods - Worst Fears Realized
The latest in the Stone Barrington series. Great - not a dull moment!
Janet Evanovich - Hot Six and Seven Up
This is my very favorite writer and definitely the best of the "female
sleuth" genre. For those who like Sue Grafton, you will love
Janet
Evanovich even more. All the books in this series are great! I
can't wait
for the next one!
Patricia Cornwell - Black Notice
This book is a little on the dark side compared to the other Kay Scarpetta
mysteries, but a great story - very suspenseful, especially toward the end.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think it's even one of her best so far.
Michael Connelly - A Darkness More than Night.
This writer has become one of my favorites. Terry McCaleb gets involved
in
a murder case while he is supposed to be recuperating from heart surgery.
Detective Harry Bosch appears in this one also. Tight
suspense and good
character development.
James Patterson - 1st to Die
First in a new series featuring the Women's Murder Club. Terrific - looking
forward to the next one.
Stephen King - Riding the Bullet
Not available in print, this one is a short story released only in
electronic format. A wonderfully frightening tale
that once again proves
why SK is such a popular writer.
Stephen King - On Writing
Great advice for anyone interested in writing. Also an
interesting
autobiography.
Nelson DeMille - The Lion's Game
A highly suspenseful novel with a chilling look at
terrorist activities.
This book is very thick, but is so well written that it doesn't seem long at
all.
John Grisham - Skipping Christmas
John Grisham does National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Hilarious! Would
love to see this made into a movie since I've seen Christmas Vacation at
least a thousand times!
Anne George - This One and Magic Life
Sweet and funny. She will be missed!
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my favorite book from last year was peter carey's
booker-winning _true
history of the kelly gang_. i'm a faulkner fan, and i thought it was very
faulkner-esque in its emphasis on mother-as-touchstone for a ne'er-do-well
son's flight from justice; the mother's larger-than-life character and his
memories of her as profound influences on, and shapers of, the son's life;
and for its narrative in dialect, so perfectly wrought by carey that the
slang doesn't impinge in the least on your ability to follow the narrator's
thoughts, to understand his motivations, and to marvel as you read of the
myriad affecting events of the story, so viscerally related. (think, addie
bundren in _as i lay dying_.)
a damned fine read.
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Of course -- Ava's Man by our friend Rick Bragg
Patricia Mayer's Terminal Bend which I reviewed in First Draft Magazine
Australian Richard Flannigan's The Sound of One Hand Clapping -- now a
critically-acclaimed novel in Europe
Suzanne Hudson's Opposable Thumbs -- marvelous collection of Southern short
stories
with strong flavor of Flannery O' Connor
Marlin Barton's powerful collection of short stories -- The Dry Well
Arkansan Doug Kelley's The Captain's Wife based on a true story of the sea.
A re-reading of Frank Turner Hollon's insightful Pains of April in anticipation
of
the release of The God File
I hear from folks in the know that I need to meet Tom. perhaps
in 2002????
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favorite book? Seabiscuit
(you knew i thought that already, but i had to tell you to get a vote...)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Favorite books of 2001:
Jim the Boy by Tony Early
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
Red Grass River by James Carlos Blake
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My favorite book:
The paperback reissue of Michael Malone's "Handling Sin" made me
laugh out loud for
the first time since 9/11. In a few pages I became enamored of a vanload
of
cartoonish characters on their erratic journey from North Carolina, through
Charleston & Stone Mountain, with a chapter stop in Montgomery, to a
satisfyingly
outrageous finale in New Orleans
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Hi Folks,
I'm looking forward to getting the "favorites list" again this
year. I
don't get around to reading lots, but mostly what I read this past year was
from last year's list.
My favorite read was "Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind" by Ann B. Ross
(couldn't
put it down) and I'm looking forward to reading her other book "Miss Julia
Takes Over."
One has to be from the "South" and "middle age or beyond"
to fully
appreciate her writing. I've passed my copy on. Hope I get it back!
Keep up the good work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All Loves Excelling. by Josiah Bunting. All Loves
Excelling examines a mothers'
obsession to get her daughter into a prestigious Ivy League school. Written by a
former headmaster.
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My husband and I are avid readers. We have both decided that the first
two
volumes of Harry Potter are our favorite books this year; however, we
haven't read the last two. Our normal reading runs the gamut from
mysteries, fiction best sellers, political
satire, military history,
business books etc. We were delighted with Harry Potter because of
the
imaginative scenes and flights that took this set of grandparents back to
our childhood.
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Last year I attended an AUM reading group led by Drs. Anderson and Paul. One
of the books we read and discussed was The Coming of Rain by Richard Marius
and I found a new favorite author. I couldn't stop until I had read them
all - Bound for the Promised Land, After the War, and An
Affair of Honor as
well as The Coming of Rain - more than once. They are all great reads but
more than that they gave me new strength for life and faith.
Thanks,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My favorite book of the year is "The Weight of Water" by Anita
Shreve. A
photographer goes to a chain of islands of the coast of
photograph the scene of a 125-year-old double murder and begins to believe
her husband is cheating on her. The premise is to what lengths a woman will
go when pushed beyond her breaking point. It's beautifully written and draws
you in from the very first page.
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Favs of 2001:
Painted House by John Grisham
Gap Creek by Robert Morgan
The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkenson
No Wonder They Call Him Savior by Max Lucado
Open House by Elizabeth Berg
Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
This One and Magic Life by Anne George
The Gazebo by Emily Grayson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Book Folks,
Your readers' selection of CHANGE ME INTO ZEUS'S DAUGHTER in
the 2000
comments about favorite books was on target--it's now a favorite and one that
I've assigned my book group in Baltimore for our January 2002 discussion!
Will see how
Now my noteworthy selections for 2001: I became an
afficianado of linked
novels beginning with Barbara Pym's EXCELLENT WOMEN, ended up scrabbling
around until I located every one that she wrote. As the wife of an
Episcopal
priest, I can testify that Pym has unerring aim at the life of parishes in
the Anglican communion.
An Alabamian I met in Paris (yes, that Paris) last June gave
me her
completed copy of Anne George's MURDER ON A BAD HAIR DAY; now I've relished
every outrageous adventure of those Southern Sisters from Birmingham. Great
comfort food for homesick
Here's the jewel in the reading crown for 2001: Mark
Salzman's LYING
AWAKE, such a bravuro performance for a man to attempt/achieve, for his
protagonist is a nun. As resonant and beautiful a novel
as a poem by Auden
or Yeats.
Thanks for keeping me in touch with all the good books
by/about the great
state of
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think my favorite books of the year have been 'The Ladies of
Love' and 'The Gardens of
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I had just begun AMERICAN PASTORAL, Philip Roth's 1998 Pulitzer Prize winning
fiction
about a good man whose life has been shattered by his terrorist daughter, when
the
horrific events of September 11 occurred. A new book that made a deep
impression on
me during the mind-numbing period after the attacks was the freewheeling YONDER
STANDS YOUR ORPHAN, by Barry Hannah. In the way that great art is often
prescient,
these extraordinary novels about evil and its repercussions seemed eerily
timely for
the autumn of 2001.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OOPS! Yesterday I sent you an e-mail about my favorite book of the year,
which was "The Weight of Water" by Anita Shreve. In it, I mentioned
the
setting was a group of islands off the coast of
night I should have said
compilation, please make that correction for me. THANKS!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I received the book, "Gifts of Grace"...it is glorious! Also,
received "A
False Sense of Well Being", about one-fourth of the way into this
one...very
good, so far!
I feel sorry for those who can't find a few minutes each day to pick up a
book and read!! What wonders of enjoyment they miss...what a way to
retreat...let your heart, mind and soul be refreshed!
Thanks Capitol for being "there" for "us".....Happy New
Year
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi Cheryl, Thomas and Eleanor,
I'm sure my favorite books are sort of off the beaten path, but then maybe
all favorites are.
I really enjoyed "The Ambient Century:" from Mahler to trance - the
evolution
of sound in the electronic age, by Mark Prendergast:
Besides being an overview from the birth of electronic music to Minimalism,
the beginnings of Rock, through Rock techno, the book includes brief
biographical snippets of the composers involved.
I was especially interested in Wendy Carlos whose CBS album of classical
electronic transcriptions, "Switched-on-Bach," was a million-seller
in 1968
when I remember seeing the most famous transvestite in the genre interviewed
on the Today Show in a handsome blue velvet suit, as Walter Carlos, a man at
that time. Wendy later did the film score of "Clockwork
The best book I read last year was "Composing a Life" by Mary
Catherine
Bateson: a Plume Book, 1990. It is the most fascinating book I've read since
Tillie Olson's "Silences." One of the children gave it to me because
the
title suggested music composition; it is only marginally concerned with
music. It IS concerned with creativity in art, dance, literature and life.
Shalom,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anything by Jamie Langston Turner
Ann George's last book, "Murder Boogies with Elvis"
Philip Yancy, "Soul Survivors"
Joan Medlicott's Covington ladies series
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Last Report of the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise
Erdrich
In the Fall by Jeffrey Lent
Newsletters by Capitol Book
thanks so much!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Favorite Books This Year:
1. Cheryl has been trying to get me to read CHANGE ME INTO ZEUS' DAUGHTER
ever since it came out. I drug my feet and didn't buy it until it was on
the remainder table before Christmas. It was a view into an
very different from mine, but with some very universal results.
2. Cheryl has her work cut out trying to keep all of us in mystery series,
but her big success with me this year was Peter Robinson. Her
recommendation of one of his last books, IN A DRY SEASON, sent me back to
find the earlier books in the Inspector Banks series. I find Inspector
Banks a very believable protagonist, and enjoy both the story and the
character development in the books. My favorite part, however, is the
characterization of the
Norman church out his window, and roll over the countryside with Banks in
his Cortina.
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Just a quick note to let you know that my favorites that you turned me on to are
the
two books by Mike Stewart... Sins of the Brother and
Y'all do a great job and I love your email newsletter!
Happy New Year!
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Several years ago I started a reader’s journal but became discouraged
over how little
I had read. Now I read more but cannot keep up with what I read when - so this
list
may include a few from 2000 and will definitely not include everything from
2001. I
realize I am rather late in getting it to you, but since I’m usually late
in reading
things you probably won’t be too surprised. I hesitated to send it at
all, but liked
that it made me think back over the many good times I spent with books this
year -
most of them thanks to you.
At some point last year a friend hearing the “got the blues” tone
in my voice told me
“You just need to get Rosamunde Pilcher’s Winter Solstice, make a
cup of tea, and go
to bed and read. You’ll feel a lot better.” I took her advice,
enjoyed the book, and
did feel a lot better.
In some ways I am a lazy selector - I just read the new books by authors I have
liked
in the past. This year was no exception. Among this group were The
Bonesetter’s
Daughter by Amy Tan, Fierce Invalids Home From Hot
Climates by Tom Robbins, and
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende, and Back When We Were Grownups by Anne
Tyler.
I am always intrigued by Tan’s richly detailed stories from a culture of
which I
know so little. Yet within each one of her works I find at least one universal
idea
or detail which seems to fit us all. I read books by Tom Robbins not only
because he
shares the same name as my father, but because I like his off-center sense of
humor,
his plays on words, and his unusual settings and characters. Although In the
House of
the Spirits remains my Allende favorite because of the journal-writing Clara
and the
layer upon layer of details, Daughter of Fortune was still a good read. I was
disappointed in
much like me, but still think the first sentence was fantastic.
I have really loved reading so many interesting books by local or regional
writers
this year. I almost hate to get into this area, because I certainly don’t
want to
leave anyone out or hurt feelings of friends if I don’t mention their
books, so I
will only mention a couple who had more than one book that I read this year. I
had
not met “Miss Julia” from the books by Ann B. Ross until this year.
Sometimes I would
just have to stop reading to remember some of the women from my childhood that
sounded just like “Miss Julia.” It was also
delightful to encounter the sisters in
Anne George’s books such as Murder Runs in the Family. For many years I
have treated
myself to some extra hours to read in the week after Christmas. I’m so
glad I had
saved Anne George’s This One and Magic Life for this gift to myself this year. It may
be my favorite from the year’s reading. It really is a lovely little
book. I wanted
to finish it yet did not want it to end. I haven’t come across anything
else yet that
I think I will like as much, so I may just sit down and read it again
My favorite craft book this year is Baskets: A Book
for Makers and Collectors by
former
exceptionally beautiful baskets in collections including the Smithsonian and
the
Arrowmont. Her book features many, many photographs of all kinds of baskets,
both
traditional and contemporary, from an outstanding group of basket makers. In
addition
to these there are photographs that accompany clearly written instructions for
making
several types of baskets. Over the years I have bought several books on
baskets, and
this is the best one I have come across. I am absolutely thrilled that it is by
someone with
I love words, and since I have such limitations in this area, I like to come
across a
new dictionary from time to time. My find this year is The Writer’s
Digest Flip
Dictionary. It is helpful when struggling for just the right word, and is just
fun to
look through.
I enjoy books on so many levels. I assumed that you wanted a list more or less
made
up of novels or such, and I do think first of
those I suppose. But I’ve always loved
everything about a book - the story, the color and weight of the paper, how the
edges
are finished, the cover, the typeface of the print, the dust cover, the
art -
everything. And though I have not listed a
children’s book I probably enjoy them
more than the children do. So it should come as no surprise that I really like
pop-up
books. I fell in love with the work of Robert Sabuda a few years ago when I saw
The
12 Days of Christmas. One of my favorite Christmas presents this year is The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum with art by Robert Sabuda. Listed as a
commemorative pop-up in honor of the 100th anniversary of the book, it is an
enchanting masterpiece of pop-up engineering and artistry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Thomas, Cheryl, and Eleanor,
I found my third reading of John Fowles' "The Magus" as enigmatic and
enjoyable as the first two, although young Nicholas seemed a bit too
callow this time.
My favorite new novel this year was Hans Koning's "Zeeland, or Elective
Concurrences," recently published by
Koning is a master craftsman whose prose style is best described as
"beguiling." His narrative technique in "
and Koning proves himself worthy of the difficult artistic task he sets
for himself. Any reader whose taste runs toward sophisticated European
flair will find this a novel to savor.
Best Wishes for the New Year,
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I was delighted for many evenings by A.S. Byatt's Possession, a tour de
force novel complete with letters, poems, and prose by the fictional writers
she creates. Her poet reminds me of Robert Browning, but the female
protagonist is not anyone I recognized. My first taste of Byatt certainly
left me possessed.
Favorite poetry collection in 2001: The Other Lover by Bruce Smith -- read
him, he's an "
Creative Writing faculty in
him too -- one of the runners' up last year.) He's not afraid to care, as
well as write long, musical lines that don't let go.
Every night, with the help of The Collected Traveler
getting to do what I have wanted to do ever since I discovered The Banquet
Years -- I walk in
I found this book in Capitol Book and News's travel section and it is,
without a doubt, the best traveling book I've ever read. Collected essays
from the best writers in food, travel, history, and seeing the sights in the
City of
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best reads: Saving
Founding Brothers...haven't authors at my fingertips....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello!
This is a great column you write, and I like to get ideas for what I'd like
to read next!
I enjoyed Anne George's "Murder Boogies with Elvis." What a shame
this was
her last novel. Her "Southern Sisters" characters are so funny. I was
looking
forward to reading of their adventures for many, many more years.
Thanks for compiling this list.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My favorite book was Martha Grimes' The Blue Last (a
Richard Jury mystery).
I've read all of the Jury books, and this one was the most unusual and
haunting and sad. I also discovered Peter Tremayne's Sister Fidelma mysteries.
They
are
mostly set in
some fascinating historical, religious, and cultural information. The
author is really Peter Berresford Ellis, an authority on the ancient Celts.
I must admit that my favorite book is usually the one I just finished.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here are my humble choices for favorite reads of 2001, in roughly most
favorite to least favorite order:
"Where I've Been and Where I'm Going" by Joyce Carol Oates
Oates is one of the most engaging current writers and thinkers in America.
This volume is a mixed bag of essays and criticism on everything from murder
mysteries to boxing. She expresses her acute vision of art, literature and
popular culture in a scholarly yet reader-friendly manner.
"Arctic Dreams" by Barry Lopez
Lopez, who won accolades for "Of Men and Wolves," lovingly describes
the
richness and importance of the Arctic environment. He transcends the role of
biologist and imbues this factual account with action, emotion and drama.
"My Heart Is In The Earth" by Wayne Greenhaw
Greenhaw loves
childhood memory of meeting Hank Williams is the stuff of southern folk
legend. His account of the rhubarb over a Diego Rivera mural commissioned by
Nelson Rockerfeller was hilariously dramatized in the film "Cradle Will
Rock" a couple of years ago. Charlie Bundrum was Rick Bragg's blood
grandfather, but Wayne Greenhaw is his literary ancestor and contemporary.
"The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
"Bee Season" by Myla Goldberg
I group these together because they are both intense fiction accounts of
gifted but exceedingly dysfunctional families. These stories are told with
great vigor and one senses more than a little
autobiography in each case.
The result for the reader is delight in the expert storytelling, but that
delight comes with a creepy foreboding about family dynamics and human
nature.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No question for me at all: Mark Doty's _Still Life with Oysters and
Lemon_, a
painstaking examination of aesthetics and intimacy. Like his
poetry, this
essay (short book? monograph?) crackles with richly drawn language, what
Doty calls the phantom language of painting and of poetry, the language of
ideas. It is driven by thoughtful, even
loving, inductive analysis
(Aristoteleans, take note).
Doty begins with close description of a 17th-century painting by Dutch
artist Jan Davidsz de Heem. In reading, we get treated to an extension of
aesthetic from that small work, through painting (even an occasional
excursion into sculpture), poetry, art in its broadest
conception. Citing
the elgant poetry of Cavafy and the homely wisdom of his former
mother-in-law among others, Doty gradually reveals something more of
himself to us, another shadow of his inner life, that portion of himself
concerned with beauty and love, and, ultimately, loss.
Just as he does in his memoirs and poems, Doty reveals himself as he
unfolds truths about objects and ideas, arguing that "description is an
inexact, loving art, and a reflexive one; when we describe the world we
come closer to saying what we are."
Easy choice for me, this one is in my top-10 of all books I've read, easily
the best of the year.
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You all probably arrived at work one recent morning to find on your stoop my
white-haired Uncle Cary, who couldn't wait to get his hands on the
Cloverdale book after my mother (Cary's sister) told him about her Christmas
gift. They're Fullers (of the Fuller house mentioned in the book at the
corner of
since Christmas. Then she told
might not have slept until he could get to you all's doorstep the next day.
Added note: Your store is formerly the home of my mother's third grade
teacher at
Anyway, thanks for expediting the book to make some cloverdalians happy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I read so much during 2001 while recuperating from surgery it's hard to say
what I liked best. But I think it was Marlin Barton's "The Dry Well."
It's
such a quiet, powerful collection of short stories. Some of them continue to
resonate with their wonderful drama, even now, six months after the last one
was read.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE RED TENT except it made me a nuisance
telling every one they should read
it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I read a very good novel, The Rose Grower by Michelle DeKretser. It takes
> place during the French Revolution. It is good history. She
knows her
> roses. It is a good plot, good drama, good adventure, a remarkable
ending.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi T, C & E - greetings from
your earlier msg.
Some of my favorite reads in 2001 (not in any particular order):
1. Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand
2. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by
3. Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden
4. Killing Pablo by Mark Bowden
5. Winterdance by Gary Paulson
6. In the Heart of the Sea by ???
7. The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger
8. Lindbergh by Scott Berg
9. The Rape of
10. Joe DiMaggio by Ben Cramer
11. Abandon Ship by Richard Newcomb
12. We Die Alone by David Howarth
Hope you had a great holiday season and that 2002 brings you much
happiness, good health and good business! See you in 2 or 3 weeks.
Keep smiling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My favorites for 2001: AVA's MAN by Rick Bragg is number one - I'm so
impressed with
this writer. Didn't get to hear him speak or to get to a book signing by him
yet, but
would love to. A PAINTED HOUSE by John Grisham is a
very close second. I've enjoyed
everything he writes. The murder mysteries are fun, but I'm glad to see him
venture
into other areas. He did a good job. (SKIPPING CHRISTMAS was a funny little
story.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
O.K. Here are some of my favorite books.....I hesitate because I
know I'll
> forget some special favorite and hate myself for leaving it out....anyway,
> here's what my feeble mind produces this morning...
> All time favorites: Handling Sin by Michael Malone. I
must have bought
> 20-25 hardback copies of this book for family and friends. It hit at
a time
> in my life where it had a great impact on me. I was lucky enough to
meet and
> have lunch with Michael Malone when he came to
>
> breakfast" at the Plaza Hotel in NYC. He is as lovely a man as
a writer and
> I am so glad he has paid for his daughters college education enabling him
to
> leave the quick money of writing for tv soaps and
has returned to fiction.
> The Old Man and The Boy by Robert Ruark- a
wonderful tale of the special
> relationship that can exist between a young boy and his grandfather.
> Actually, I still love Robert Ruark's works although they are out of print
> and difficult to find. His Something of Value
and Uhuru are wonderful
> insights into what is still going on in
> Anything by Pat Conroy. I just love the way this man puts words
together.
> Again, had the pleasure of meeting him when he spoke at AUM and was very
> impressed by what a fine, giving, generous and compasionate person he
is. It
> is so nice to find that an author whose works you admire is also a person
you
> can admire. Found a copy of his graduation address to the Citadel on
the
> internet. What a touching and extremely moving statement.....
> Anything by Carl Hiassen---especially Skin Tight--his quirky humor really
> makes me think about what we are doing to our world, especially
> All the old John D. McDonald books for a quick, well-written light read
> (perfect "airplane books")
> Pillars of The Earth by Ken Follett. This book
really made me understand what
> "civilization" means and how horribly uncivilized and hard life
was. An
> appreciation of how far we have come...in spite of what we might think.
> The Crosswicks Journals by Madeline L'Engle. I return to these over
and over
> (especially A Circle of Quiet) when I feel
my life is getting out of control
> and I need to recenter myself.
> More recently...
> She Walks These Hills by Sharon McCrumb
> The Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger
> Due South by Scott Bruner
> Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
>
> I was given A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving for
Christmas. I have
> just started it, but my daughter says it will be a book with great impact,
> too.
>
> As I said, you may have opened Pandora's box.
Now that I have started this
> thought process, I know I will keep coming up with,
"oh my, how could I have
> forgotten that" and it'll never stop. There are so many
wonderful books in
> the world----some really lousy ones, too! Can't
wait to read your column.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I read The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and was De-lighted as TR would say but
I also read
first. Very different people can be great presidents.
poor. He literally slept on a dirt floor in his early years unlike
Roosevelt who had ponies and servants as a child. Teddy went to Harvard,
Abe only went to three grades but read a page at the end of plowing a row.
Both, however, were athletes although
Both showed outstanding fearlessness during battles with
almost to be dragged out of the way of bullets
during battles.
was a master of "Lincolnesque" statements partly because he wanted to
distance himself from his primitive origins. Abe enjoyed the carefull
case
law study and courtroom proceedings whereas Theodore was brilliant in
biology but a law school dropout. The two lived in very different
times
but even saying that
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now, here are some of my favorite books from this past year:
Judy Oliver's "Music of Falling Water." It's so
satisfying when a friend
of yours writes a book so good that you forget you're reading the work of
someone you know. Judy's delicate touch guided us deeper and deeper into an
intriguing story, and she refrained from hitting us over the head with her
wonderfully satisfactory ending to the book.
Katherine Graham's "Personal
History." It's a commitment
long and so dense that it's almost like moving in with her for a couple of
weeks, but it's worth it. The only fault I would find is that I thought she
was a little too discreet from time to time slept with Adlai Stevenson or not,
but I
think she wanted me to know that
she did!
Greg Iles' "The Quiet Game."
It takes a lot of nerve to set a novel in
your home town (
leadership as self-serving and the police as corrupt. The book is typical of
his tightly-plotted, absorbing way with a mystery. I loved it!
Happy New Year to all three of ya'll, and much prosperity!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Morte D’Urban. J.F. Powers.
2. Wheat That Springeth Green. J.F. Powers.
The most underappreciated author in American literature; a
Southern writer from the
North. As Eudora Welty is to
since been dubbed
3. The Voice. Gabriel Okara.
I have been very late in coming to this remarkable Nigerian novel.
Gabriel Okara is
an Ijaw writer of the generation previous to Chinua Achebe, Cyprian Ekwensi and
Amos
Tutuola who wrote in the vernacular. Written in Ijaw and translated into
English by
the author, The Voice, addresses the differences between traditional oral
society and
modern alphabetical culture. Should you enjoy it, Wole Soyinka’s
translation from
the Yoruba of D.O. Fagunwa, Okara’s contemporary, Forest of a Thousand
Demons is
another example of indiginous literature at the time of the
my book.
4. Surviving. Henry Green.
Green’s and Eudora Welty’s affinities, revealed in his recent
biography, contributed
to my re-admiration of both authors. Green’s experiences as a
fireman during the
blitz were brought home as our neighborhood’s fire departments suffered
heavy
casualties. He’s even better than Graham Greene on
the way
reprinted herein, may be the best in the
is very valuable to appreciating the enigmatic author of Loving and Party
Going.
5. From the Briarpatch File. Albert Murray
6. Conjugations and Reiterations. Albert Murray.
Most of what I know about
selling his books Uptown. He and Diana Vreeland are
the most stylish people I have
known. His books The Hero and the Blues and South To A
Very
“essential texts for living” we learnt at different schools
together. These two new
books are an almost perfect expression of who he is
7. The Mamur Zapt and… Michael Pearce. The Mamur Zapt is the
Chief of
Secret Police during the years of
inspired by the life and letters of ‘Bimbashi’ Joseph McPherson as
was in his
murder mysteries play out colonial crimes against Ottoman decadence.
8.
9. The Dog of the South. Charles Portis.
There’d been nothing like True Grit since Mark Twain. The greatest living
master of
American vernacular prose happens to be the funniest living writer.
10. D.V. Diana Vreeland.
11. Diana Vreeland: Bazaar Years.
Why Don’t You? Ours is a society deeply in need of a woman like Diana
Vreeland. She
loathed nostalgia. People don’t give it credence that she was a great
bibliophile and
she was. We met through Christopher Hemphill, who was co-authored D.V.
and the
spectacular book Allure. Mrs. Vreeland knew more about poetic justice than
anyone I
have ever met or expect to meet.
12. The Girl From
A small town girls sticks it to provincial repression, writes a best seller,
moves
into the Plaza Hotel, buys a Cadillac, becomes an alcoholic, falls in with all
the
wrong friends, sacrifices her sanity to her vanity, and dies young. WOW!
13. The Gutenberg Galaxy. Marshall McLuhan. It remains an
exasperating read but the
book is more relevant on its fortieth anniversary than it was when
published. Every
significant change in communications media seems to have hosted wars and
economic
upheaval. The Word’s technological makeover from shelfworn print to
pixilated
electrification McLuhan anticipated is sufficiently accomplished for the 21st
Century
’s media to be characterized Post Literate. Fr. Walter Ong’s
Orality and Literacy
makes it easier to swallow but lacks the exhuberence.
14. Memoirs of an Anti-Semite. Gregor Von Rezzori.
15. The Death of My Brother Abel. Gregor Von Rezzori.
Two of the most eloquent, sophisticated, seriously classy novels published in
my
lifetime. Mid-century’s European eloquence finds no greater
exponent than in this
one time Fellini screenwriter’s fictionalized memoirs. The first
title gives a
mistaken impression. They are stories about, not of, anti-Semitism.
16. The Magic Christian. Terry Southern.
“If you want it here it is come and get it but you better hurry because
it may not
last”. An exception to the rule of good books making bad movies
(another being Wise
Blood) by the author that proved (Blue Movie) that bad movies can make good
books.
Young people today don’t know who Terry Southern is until you rattle off
his movie
credits (The Loved One, Dr. Strangelove, Barbarella, Easy Rider, etc.).
a reputation for being terribly hard on it’s
humorists. His Twirling at Ole Miss is
up there with Thurber’s The Night the Bed Fell In.
17. The crime novels of George V. Higgins. The reviews of his last three
books gave
him too little praise too late. The author of The Friends of Eddie Coyle
felt much
the same way about John O’Hara did about the critical estimation they did
not enjoy
for many of the same reasons. Particularly good are the lean, mean early
books that
followed, his middle career’s highlights like The Rat On Fire and the books
about the
lawyer Jerry Kennedy bear rereading, and his late career has stellar turnouts
like
Wonderful Years, Wonderful Years and Swan Boats at Four.
18. Thinking in Pictures. Temple Grandin is Oliver Sacks Anthropologist On Mars, one
of the two autistic writers to give us a lens on a state of consciousness
difficult
to comprehend, more or less appreciate. The book should be read by any
loved one of
anyone with difficulties being “different”.
20. The Songlines. Bruce Chatwin. The book I recommend to people
going through the
tragic magic of death and dying. Chatwin was suffering from AIDS when he
wrote
this summation of his life, though you wouldn’t know it from him. In it,
he
spiritually grasps the inevitable. Truly The
second to the last Good book I
recommend reading.
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