[stylist] What I've been reading

Fri Apr 13 18:58:52 UTC 2012

Nine Parts of Desire and The Hunger Games (which I've read the entire
series) are really good. Nine Parts is an intriguing piece of literary
journalism . Hunger Games is technically a young adult series but full
of great characters and a compelling plot. Unlike some young adult
novels that are all the rage right now, Games has complexity and depth.
And I keep hearing about the concerns some have with the teen on teen
violence, but the point of the book is to show how terrible this world
(world as in the world of the book) is. It in no way glorifies or
promotes teen violence.

These are the books I can remember off the top of my head that I have
read recently.

I've been reading through the Best American anthologies available on
BARD. I have currently read Best American short stories 2004, essays
2008 and am finishing up Best American spiritual writing 2008. Some of
the pieces are great and some not so much. Either way, it's a great way
to learn what types of material certain publications are publishing
along with a study on writing. BARD only has so many volumes available,
but I'm reading through what it has.

Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrel is just beautifully written and a
fascinating look at contemporary Appalachia. It follows the main
character, Ree, as she searches for her father, a meth chef, who is
wanted by the police. If he fails to show up to a court date, Ree and
her family will lose their house. She travels to nearby towns seeking
help from extended family members and friends for help. It's a glimpse
into a unique world still ruled by old-fashioned Appalachian ideals. For
fiction writers, it's a great study on character and scenic development
as well as a great read.

Legend by Jude Devareux is one of those "beach" reads. It's a romance
novel, not of the erotic kind, grin that mixes romance, science fiction
and fantasy. Katie is a world-class chef working for a small restaurant
frequented by celebrities, politicians and foreign dignitaries along
with locals. She's engaged to the man of her dreams, at least she
thinks. After purchasing antique kitchen tins, she discovers a 19th
century wedding dress and photograph and is transported back to the late
1800s. She must find out why she has been transported to the past and
how she can get back to her time. In the process, she not only helps
solve a mystery for a family, she learns the true meaning of love.

Jesus Interrupted: Revealing the hidden contradictions in the Bible and
why we don't know about them by Bart D Erhman is what the title sounds
like; an exegesis of the New Testament and how our modern concepts of
Christianity can greatly differ from older manuscripts. The oldest
documents supposedly what New Testament books are translated from are
not even close to being originals. These documents were not written
until hundreds of years after the originals would have been, and many
discrepancies exist making it difficult for Biblical scholars to accept
the New Testament as infallible. Erhman has degrees from Moody Bible
College, Wheaton College and Princeton Theological College. It's a
fascinating look into the Bible and how we approach its contents.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/

"History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan

Message: 8
Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2012 09:44:48 -0400
From: "Chris Kuell" <ckuell at comcast.net>
To: "Stylist" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [stylist] What I've been reading
Message-ID: <2DBA7435DDC24F8D91FDDAC1290D0580 at ChrisPC>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="iso-8859-1"

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