Reveling in Recent Reads
Shame on me! All this talk of books and I haven’t mentioned what I have been reading lately. In addition to my ongoing commitment to weekly issues of Sunday’s New York Times and The New Yorker, I have been digging through a mishmash of good reads lately. Other folks want to share their recent reads? Please join in on the rousing revelries.
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir by Bill Bryson (currently reading)
A great jump back into 1950’s America (Des Moines, Iowa-style) with Bryson’s endearingly humorous take on life. More thoughts to follow soon…
Brick Lane by Monica Ali
This first novel hones in on Nazneen, a young Bangladeshi woman who immigrates to London through an arranged marriage. Nazneen’s description of her immigrant life on the east side of London is raw and green yet intelligent, and the portrayal of her rambling, rumbling, rolly polly of a husband is downright cheeky. While I found the book to be slow in sections, I was immersed at the end by the unexpected depth of Nazneen and her husband’s relationship.
Everybody Into the Pool by Beth Lisick
Guffaws while devouring this quick book are guaranteed. As I read of Lisick’s adventures in the San Francisco Bay Area and her talent at both embracing and breaking out of the suburban Jell-O mold, I wondered, “Gee, could I ever be that satisfyingly spunky?” I was itching for a scrappy book like this after working my way through the last decidedly dense read (listed next).
American Pastoral by Philip Roth
Impressive writing that made me marvel at Roth’s exceptional talent. In a post 9/11 world, this book strikes with particular resonance, addressing the ongoing pursuit of living the American dream and the sacrificial lambs that are made along the way. This is one I wish I had read alongside others, as there was so much to be discussed.