Summer Vacation Reading

Inspired by an essay on The Millions called What I Read on My Summer Vacation, I decided to write what I read on my summer vacation - as it turns out, not that much. However, I can talk about the books that we talked about on my summer vacation:

1. A Prayer for Owen Meany. As this is our current club selection, I dutifully brought it with me to our trip to New Jersey. I'm halfway through, and it's proving to be slow, probably since much of the story takes place around Christmas, which makes for terrible summer vacation reading. But John Irving's a great writer, and Owen Meany is a great character. I'm pushing forward, with high hopes for the latter half.
2. A Widow For One Year. Another John Irving book, this time purchased at an awesome book store in Greenwich Village my wife and I stumbled upon called Three Lives & Company.

It is the quintessential corner bookshop, with low ceilings and dark-wood shelves. I bought the American edition of Widow to mark the event. I have read the book a few times already, so I probably won't actually read this edition, but it already looks great on the shelf.
3. Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger. I've been thinking about Salinger a lot lately, for a few reasons. One, I recently reread Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella, in which Salinger (or "Jerry") is a main character. Two, I recently rewatched Imagine: John Lennon and could not help but somehow implicate Salinger in Lennon's death, as Mark David Chapman was obsessed with Holden Caulfield and had a copy of Catcher in the Rye in his pocket when he shot Lennon to death. This feeling of tragedy was exacerbated by our visit to The Dakota and Strawberry Fields in Central Park:

Nine Stories is brilliant, however, so I forgave Salinger his involvement in the twisting of Chapman's mind.
4. Housekeeping vs. The Dirt. Nick Hornby's second collection of articles for The Believer are every bit as enjoyable as the other two. I can't really put into words what these books do for me, though "pure enjoyment" comes pretty close. And he talks about Miriam Toews in this one, which gets me even more excited, as I always feel a little bit of excitement whenever a Canadian is featured in an international-type program or book. The same is true for Owen Meany, as the protagonist eventually ends up in Toronto. Even though it's Toronto, I still think to myself, "cool, he's talking about Toronto!" I'm so Canadian.
5. Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Everybody's favourite book about a bookstore became my wife's beach book this summer. Since she liked it, a lot, I am inclined to read it sooner rather than later. In her words, "It's a strange, mysterious mystery. And strange."

6. Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson. Another American edition find. I shopped at Borders for this one, and was lucky enough to find an edition that is not available in Canada, making my biblioventure complete. My wife also recently finished this one, and liked it, a lot. It's a dark, dark mystery, set in Sweden and is part one of a trilogy. Part 2 is out now in hardcover, Girl Who Played With Fire, and the third one is set for release next summer. The author wrote the trilogy but died before its publication, and its subsequent translation from Swedish has been an interesting biblioventure in itself, as the entire trilogy, called the Millennium trilogy, has been fully translated into French, but not English. There's also a movie in the pipe, making this a burgeoning franchise opportunity. For all the hype, however, well-deserved, according to my wife.

That's my trip in books - look for less interesting posts in the days to come. Also, it's close to September reading time, so get your thinking caps on for a September book selection.

Nick Hornby Talks Books! Yay!

Apparently I'm in a good mood today, what with all the exclamation marks. Anyhoo, Nick Hornby contributed to a writer's table display at British bookseller Waterstone's and shared his selection with the Times Online. The list is mixed with old and young, classic and new, fiction and non-fiction - much what you'd expect from Nick Hornby. Does anyone defend literature like Nick Hornby? He doesn't resort to arguing for artistic merit, but makes his picks based on personal enjoyment or growth. His position is, in a nutshell, "if you enjoy it, it's a good book." I can get behind that. Furthermore, he selects two Canadians, Carol Shields (The Republic of Love) and Miriam Toews, for A Complicated Kindness, which made me squeal with joy: "A fresh, quirky fictional voice, telling us about a community of which we know nothing. What else do you need from contemporary fiction?" As my wife mentioned, we know a little more about the community than he does, which, by his reasoning, should reduce our enjoyment of the book. Nevertheless, it is on his list, and thousands of British folk will pick up a new Canadian author, which makes me happy for Miriam Toews. It also creates in my mind a fantastical scenario for which I would pay any dollar amount to see actualized: Nick Hornby and Miriam Toews talking books and life with each other at some literary event, or, even better, in my living room. Two young(ish) authors with a similar view of lightness and tragedy of life and who bring wit and poignancy into everything they write (even book lists), together, talking books? I can't think of anything better. For now, however, the only place they can be found together is on this blog. Sigh.

Spooky Troutmans: A Mash-Up Review

So, I finished Spook Country over a month ago but couldn't bring myself to write a review. On the positive side, it helped me get to get to sleep quite quickly and I felt like a speed reader because I could blast through the three page chapters in no time. Overall, though, I have to give it a giant thumbs down/wag of the finger. It was too long and too slow and ultimately terribly unsatisfying. Gibson seemed to be experimenting with narrative and perhaps subverting the reader's expectations, but he needs to further refine this approach. One broasted potato out of five.

I enjoyed Miriam Toews's The Flying Troutmans just as much as I liked her previous books. Her ability to combine humour with the small tragedies of ordinary lives is remarkable and she creates rounded, believable characters. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending - Hattie's decision to go back to Min with Thebes seems naive and the family's desperate need to create and maintain a relationship with Min will, it seems, only cause them further pain. I think Min is far more dangerous to those around her than anyone, except perhaps for Logan, is willing to admit. I suspect that Min was the cause of Logan's scar, which casts her and her role as a parent and caregiver in an entirely different light. Of course, the question of whether Min will be alive when Hattie and Thebes return to Winnipeg remains, and the uncertainty regarding the future lends to the sense of realism in the novel. Overall, a good, thought-provoking read.

Review: The Flying Troutmans

Miriam Toews’ The Flying Troutmans is a delightful read. The three characters, Hattie, Logan and Thebes, embark on a road trip to find the kids’ father after their mother has a psychotic breakdown. Hattie suggests this because a) she doesn’t know if she can (or wants to) take care of them and b) because she doesn’t know what else to do.
Two things happen to Hattie during this road trip. First, she learns how to take care of these kids. She initially attempts to take their mother’s place but quickly realizes that that these kids are too smart for that. Instead, she learns from them how best to lead the next stage of their lives. She’ll take care of them but she won’t tell them what to do. Second, she learns how to care of her sister. Her childhood was dominated by an intense fear of Min, both for what she might do to herself and for what she might do to her; Hattie’s life is and always will be dominated by her sister. Hattie embraces this fact, and though this may seem sad, it is really for herself that she must do this.
The kids, too, learn how to take care of their mother. Logan seems to be the most mature 15-year-old in history – he deliberately creates extreme situations to expedite his own maturing process; by the end, he is ready to care for his sister(s) and mother. Thebes, on the other hand, is born 40 and acts how she thinks an 11-year-old should act. It is all in preparation for what is to come.
Toews is a great writer – tight, flowing prose with tangents inserted at the right moments and dialogue that is efficient but always genuine; there are no long passages about the meaning of life in Toews’ books. Instead, the characters bring a sense of what life is – or what purpose is – through their experiences. The book has a happy ending but doesn’t descend into cliché or convenience.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and give it five oversize novelty cheques out of five.

Miriam Toews Wins Writers' Trust Award

Well, Miriam Toews won the Writers' Trust Fiction Prize yesterday, giving her one award this year so far for The Flying Troutmans. In case you're wondering, the Writers' Trust has a mission statement:

"The Writers' Trust believes that the remarkable talents of Canadian writers must not only be widely recognized and applauded; they must be rewarded. Our annual awards ensure that our writers' powerful voices will continue to be heard, at home and abroad. Awards provide writers with the time and resources needed to hone their craft. Awards inspire other authors to emulate them, expanding the nation's garden of literary excellence."

They are cultivators, I guess. CBC ranks the Writers' Trust prize up there with the Giller and the GGs. I didn't know this existed, but I am glad that Toews won - The F'ing Troutmans is a great book (I've just finished - review forthcoming) and Toews is a great writer. The GGs will be announced later today.

October's Pick: The Flying Troutmans

It's a new month and as such a new book. Although it took us a while to read Spook Country, the next book shouldn't pose that problem. Our next book: The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews. Let's try for the end of November for this one, and maybe we can select a holiday book for December. You know, something Hanukkah-, Christmas- or New Year's-themed. I would throw A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby on there - it starts out on New Year's Eve - but I've already read that one. Something along those lines, however. And now... The Flying Troutmans.

October's candidates

While everyone is still enjoying Spook so much, it is time to choose the next book. We have three worthy contenders: The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews, A Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion and Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson. It's quite a mix: a tragicomic road trip, a heartwrenching biography and a burn ward love story. Of course, these descriptions are oversimplified. Each promises to be an interesting read. I'll open the voting for an indefinite amount of time - until we are ready to read, I guess. I also invite all non-clubbers vote - which book do you think we should read? To the polls!