[stylist] recent reads

[Chris Kuell]

Hey Bridgit (and others),

Below are the last few books I've read and a little about them.

chris

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens  (1861)
A friend read this recently, and it prompted me to re-read it. I have to 
admit, I think I enjoyed it second-time round more than the first, because I'm 
reading it as a writer, and since I already knew the story, I paid attention 
to Dickens's writing, his word choice, his style-which is brilliant.

What The Dog Saw and Other Essays by Malcolm Gladwell  (2009)
Only Gladwell could write a truly fascinating article about the inventor of 
the Ronco temp-o-matic oven, as well as the vegetable chop-o-matic slicer 
and dozens of other such products. The title essay is about this dog 
whisperer in California, and details what's happening in a dog's brain to 
explain why they react so peacefully with the dog whisperer.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett  (2009)
I know this is all the rage in book groups these days, but even so, I think 
it was fantastic. A well-crafted novel about black 'help' (essentially 
low-paid servants) in Mississippi in 1963. It's creatively told, and 
although some people didn't like the ending (everything isn't neatly wrapped 
up) I thought it was perfect.

Unaccustomed Earth by Jumpa Lahiri  (2008)
A collection of short stories about relationships between people of Bengali 
descent. It's amazing how much she can write on this same topic-she's great 
at inventing characters.

The Awakening and Other Stories by Kate Chopin (1899)
I know the significance of this short novel, how ahead of it's time it was, 
how bold for a woman writer, etc. But, I found it dreadfully dull. Theodore 
Dreiser's, Sister Carrie, which was published at the same time and covers 
essentially the same topic (a woman having casual affairs) but does it in a 
more readable way.

Irreplaceable by Stephen Lovely  (2009)
This novel sought to explore the relationship between a heart transplant 
recipient and the husband of the woman who was hit by a truck so she could 
donate the heart. The plot and writing were good most of the time, but 
overly written at other times. It's obvious that the writer did his research 
on immunosuppressant drugs, and at times it sounds like he plagiarized from 
those tiny pieces of paper that come with drugs, detailing the many reasons 
why you shouldn't really take this drug.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand  (1957)
I forced myself to slog through this behemoth, and I'd have to say it wasn't 
worth it. Now I know where libertarianism was born. I did have a lively 
debate with my son's new dorm mate, Josh, who loved it. I recommended he 
read, The Jungle, to get a worker's view on the god-likeness of the early 
20th century industrialists. The Grapes of Wrath also gives a glimpse at the 
'little people', and unlike Atlas Shrugged, is superbly written.

A Walk In The Woods by Bill Bryson (1998)
A hilarious account of Bryson and his fat, former alcoholic/drug addict 
friend's attempt to hike the entire 2,100 mile Appalachian Trail. One 
memorable nugget: They say not to run if you encounter a grizzly bear. Screw 
that. My advice is to run like hell if you encounter a grizzly-it will give 
you something to do with the last seven seconds of your life.