BOOKS THREAD

Sirs, Madames,

Two things:

1. I can't believe the scathing review the NYT gave Arthur & George, the latest by one of my favorites, Julian Barnes. It was a great read and only slightly behind his History of the World in Ten-and-a-half Chapters and Flaubert's Parrot. I've just never, ever, read a review that was so off-base. The book has been available in Canada for months but is only just hitting the US market--the NYT review will sink a book that was (I think) a Booker finalist wholly on merit and in fact a favorite to win the Booker.

2. I picked up collections (Library of America) of the Nathaniel West oeuvre and Phil Roth's first novels. I had read Miss Lonelyhearts almost 30 years ago but not his other work. Miss L is a great "newsroom" novel. I'm not expecting much of the other NW stuff to be close to it, tho' Day of the Locusts has fans. Re Roth, I really jumped on board with Sabbath's Theatre, American Pastoral, The Human Stain and The Plot ... and I read Goodbye Columbus back in the day. I think it might be worth the effort to track the first efforts and maturation of America's nonpareil fictionist (still-breathing division).

Mr Humble Servant, etc

 

If it's any comfort, Entertainment Weekly looooooved "Arthur & George". 

 

Has anyone read "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey? It is supposed to be searing and heart-wrenching. A must-read!

 

Everybody loves it . . . easily-locatable, in the fiction dept., right beside "Tuesdays With Morrie"

 

Million Little Pieces is certainly getting some press lately....read it and My Friend Leonard in a few days. Great reads. How do you guys feel about some of the details being embellished/fabricated?

edit: duh, never mind...just saw the 2346-page james frey thread.

 

Speaking of memoirs, I just read Smashed by a chick named Koren who went to Syracuse (I can't spell her last name and the book is in the car).

It's about a woman who recounts her past as an alcohol abuser. Intersting stuff, though she uses too many metaphors.

 

I just remembered two more, both by Barbara Kingsolver: The Poisonwood Bible and Prodigal Summer. Both very engrossing for different reasons. Poisonwood is pretty somber, and Prodigal is one of the most calming books I've ever read. Very nature-laden.

 

His next book, Magical Thinking, is also quite good. He's not quite David Sedaris, but he's close.

 

Into The Wild is outstanding. The detailed reporting he did on that kid was incredible.

Krakauer is one of our best living authors and magazine writers.

 

If you haven't seen Munich yet, the book that it's based on is outstanding. It's called Vengeance and I'm about halfway through, but I can't remember the author's name without the book in front of me. I also finished Teacher Man by Frank McCourt (quick read, great storytelling) and Def Jam Inc. (weakly written, but a good history of early hip-hop) over the holidays.

Up next is A Million Little Lies, er, Pieces.

 

currently reading the longest winter, by alex kershaw.

it's about the american platoon that was on the front line when the germans sprung the surprise attack that began the battle of the bulge. they fought heroically, only to be overcome and captured. all survived the battle and the captivity, though some suffered life-long injuries. it's an easy read, but well-reported and moving.

 

It was written by George Jonas. I think it's been mentioned in this thread already.