[stylist] What I've been reading

[Chris Kuell]

Here are the books I've read since the last time I posted about reading/books. Anybody got any recommendations from what they have read?

The Penn O. Henry Prize Stories 2009, edited by Laura Furman

An excellent collection of 20 of the best short stories published in 2008l. If you aspire to write fiction, these are great pieces to study.

 

MethLand: The Death and Life of an American Small Town by Nick Reding  (2009) 

A fascinating look at how methamphetamine ravaged many small towns across the US. How the government ignored/allowed it (bought off by pharmaceutical lobbyists) and how corporate greed fueled the demand for it by laying off American workers, forcing the remaining workers to work double shifts at lower wages, and then knowingly hiring illegal immigrants who brought the meth with them from Mexico. 



A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park  (2001)

A very good YA novel about an orphan learning the trade of pottery in 12th century Thailand.



The Hunger Games, Book 1 by Suzanne Collins  (2009)

One of the most compelling YA novels I've ever read. In the future, the Americas are all one nation, divided into 12 districts. Every year the government picks a boy and girl from each district, trains them for a few days then televises them as  they fight to the death in the annual Hunger Games.



Buried Prey by John Sandford  (2011)

A pretty good novel about a detective struggling to solve the first murder case he was put on, after he finds the bodies 20 years later and it's obvious they put the wrong guy away. 



Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks (1995)

A fascinating, and tragic/disturbing, journalistic account of the lives of Islamic women. Polygamy, genital mutilation, culture police, virtually no rights-and yet some women not only embrace it, they choose it.  



The Writing Life by Annie Dillard (1989) 

A brief, but very deep, account of what it is like to be a writer. Not a hobbyist, but writing as a life mission. 



That old Cape Magic by Richard Russo  (2009)

Russo is excellent at exploring adult relationships in his novels, and this one isn't disappointing. After a year's seperation, the main character comes to realize the importance of his parents, and his wife and daughter, to his life.



The Reivers by William Faulkner  (1962)

A Faulkner novel that I could actually read, at least, after a while spent getting used to his voice and style. This is the story of a boy, a red neck, and a black employee who 'borrow' a car to go to a bordello in Memphis in the early 60s. Hi jinx ensue, as did a Pulitzer for Faulkner.



Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher  (1987)

This is supposed to be an autobiographical novel. I found parts enjoyable, but mostly a lot of angst that I couldn't relate to. 



Wall Street Noir, edited by Peter Spiegelman  (2007)

A very good collection of short stories having loosely to do with Wall Street and crime. I was pleasantly surprised at how good most of the stories were. 



Man and His Symbols by Carl Jung, et. Al.  (1964)

 I've long wanted to know more about Jung, and now I do. Basically, he believed dreams were our lens into our subconscious, and it's important to spend years with an analyst so he/she can interpret your dreams for you, and let you know which myth your dreams relate to. Yeah, right. 



Pictures of You by Caroline Leavitt  (2010)

I read an interview with this author in 'The Writer' magazine, and wanted to read one of her novels. I wasn't disappointed. In short, two women both leave their husbands one day. There's a car accident, and one of the women dies. The other is haunted by it, as is the dead woman's family.



Red Chameleon by Stuart Kaminski  (1985)

This is what I call a beach book. A light cop story that takes place in Soviet Russia. Nothing too deep. 



Thunder Dog by Michael Hingson and Susan Flory (2011)

This is a memoir by the blind man who escaped the 78th floor of the WTC North tower on 9-11 with his guide dog, Roselle. It's refreshing, because rather than portraying blindness as this insurmountable hurdle, as 90% of memoirs by blind people do, he paints it as no big deal. It's a very positive view on blindness. Plus, as an added bonus, he reprints the essay 'A Left Handed Dissertation' by Kenneth Jernigan, which in my opinion, is the single best piece of writing about blindness around.   

 

chris