To do good writing, read good writing. Here’s the good writing I’ve been reading this week.
For today’s post, I should change slogan to, “Here’s what I’ve been reading this summer” because it’s a list of books I’ve been reading since June.
I’ve been on a fiction binge. Maybe it’s because I was working so much or the economy, but when summer rolled around, I was ready to check out of reality and into a world that existed only in someone’s imagination. I hit the library, Powell’s and my own bookshelf.
Here’s what I read that I’d recommend to anyone looking for that one last book to read before summer’s over:
What fiction are you reading that you’d recommend?
I read Revolutionary Road a few months ago, and just loved it. A great big juicy novel, just the kind I like.
I just gave up half-way through on “An Italian Affair” by Laura Fraser. It’s a cross between Under the Italian Sun and Eat, Pray Love. As a fanatic Italophile, I was expecting to completely enjoy it. But it’s written in second person “your husband left you and then you went to Italy and you fell in love with an exciting man”. I found the second person voice so distracting that I finally gave up in exasperation. Why would a writer choose to do that, except if she wanted to deliberately create emotional distance? Maybe that was her intention but it didn’t work for me.
Halfway through “Revolutionary Road” I’m not liking it very much, maybe because I find all of the characters so unappealing. But I’ll stick with it to the end before rendering a final verdict.
I’m with you on using 2nd person for a novel. The only one I ever read that worked was Bright Lights, Big City. Otherwise, it’s just too distancing, as you said. Second person is used in magazine how-to and other service articles, and for so much website content come to think of it: maybe the author and her editors thought it’d be more approachable that way.
Michelle
I also loved The Help and just finished Water for Elephants, which was fantastic. Other summer reads: The Happiness Project, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakthrough, The Violets of March, and Spousonomics. And I listened to the audiobook of Tina Fey’s Bossypants, but not sure that counts.
I watched “Water for Elephants” on the airplane coming back from vacation and thought it was so so: didn’t really feel the chemistry between James Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon as the main characters. That’s why I like books: you can imagine what the characters look like v. being bound by a filmmaker’s version of the story.
Michelle
Most of the time I’m busy reading science books and loving them. Rebecca Skloot’s “The Eternal Life of Henrietta Lacks” was one recent one, and “Wolf in the Parlor” was another.
But this summer a friend turned me on to George R.R. Martin’s “Song of Ice and Fire” saga and I’m hooked. I never thought I’d get into fantasy, but Martin is such a good writer I love it.
I love that these are not necessarily blockbusters or current bestsellers. I have a ton of older books waiting to be read. It’s good to know they might still be worth talking about.
Loved Alison’s first two novels but haven’t yet read her third. Time of My Life is her second. And did finish Camille Noe Pagan’s debut novel, The Art of Forgetting not that long ago. Beautiful writing. Absorbing read.
Interesting that you’d pick an old Anne Lamott book off the shelf. I agree it would be interesting to see how her work has evolved. Like most writers I know, I was a fan of Bird by Bird when that first came out.
Currently, I’m reading business-related books for a new book review gig I took on, and that’s been fun. I’ve also been reading a lot of books on yoga, since I just took that up and am really keen on learning more about the philosophy.
Cannot ever get enough reading in.
Older books is what you get when you “shop” for reading material at the library without putting holds on newer books, and just browsing the stacks. I picked up “Rosie” at a library book sale.
I’ve reviewed my share of business books over the years: good luck. Most of them are boring, boring, boring. Or poorly written. Or poorly produced. It makes finding the good ones that much more satisfying.
Michelle
A great list, thanks for sharing. I’m definitely going to check out Rosie by Annie Lamott. I love her. (Operating Instructions saved me during the first year of being a mom).
Operating Instructions was great; I read it after my daughter was born. It’s the anti- “What to Do When You’re Expecting” isn’t it?
MVR
Looks like some great summer reading! Excellent novels among this list. I especially enjoyed The Help, Bel Canto, and Stieg Larsson’s series. I recently picked up a copy of Revolutionary Road at the used bookstore, so I am looking forward to that one.
I read some great books this summer, too, including The Passage by Justin Cronin, Little Bee by Chris Cleave, and my current book, Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.
Sue Jackson
http://www.bookbybook.blogspot.com
http://www.suzanjackson.com
I ended up enjoying Revolutionary Road but it took me until the last third of the book to understand the set up. Thanks for the suggestions, I’ll check them out.
Michelle