Book Bash Choices: September '08
Fiction Favorites!
DIVISADERO by Michael Ondaatje, pb $13.95
A novel — or is it? — in several parts, that takes you from reality to dream world, and then back again. There are multiple settings, as well as multiple plots, leading the story to loads of questions for discussion. — Sandra
BRIDGE OF SIGHS by Richard Russo, pb $14.95
With a portrait of small-town America as only he knows how to create, Russo delves into the lives of 3 childhood friends, helping us answer for ourselves if people truly change. — Sandra
FLATLAND: A ROMANCE OF MANY DIMENSIONS by Edwin Abbott, pb $2.00 (yes, $2)
You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of ... lines, squares and triangles; that's the signpost up ahead - your next stop ...Flatland! Before Rod Serling, before Einstein, Abbott crafted this classic fable about the nature of fundamental reality, delivering some pointed social criticism of Victorian culture in the process. — Warren
THE JOYS OF MOTHERHOOD by Buchi Emecheta, pb $12.95
Nnu Ego is a woman devoted to her children, giving them all her energy, all her worldly possessions, indeed, all her life -- with the result that she finds herself friendless and alone in middle age. This story of a young mother's struggles in 1950s Lagos is a powerful commentary on polygamy, patriarchy, and women's changing roles in urban Nigeria. Recently named one of the top ten African novels. — Nancy
THE MOVIEGOER by Walker Percy, pb $14.95
Narrator Binx Bolling resorts to humor and wryness to relate his strange view of life. By the end we come to know — without Binx ever telling us — why he's such an avid moviegoer, and why he perhaps prefers that controlled world on the screen to his own. Lots of Louisiana, boiled crabs, and strange behavior. National Book Award winner. — Ryan
OLIVE KITTERIDGE by Elizabeth Strout, pb $14
These linked stories introduce the inhabitants of Crosby, Maine, where the pull of domestic tragedy is stronger for rarely being spoken of. And there in every story stands Olive Kitteridge, a retired math teacher who loves her tulips, bullies her husband, and barks at anyone foolish enough to irritate her. You loathe this woman at the book’s beginning; you long for her at its finish. New Yorker — Nancy
ON CHESIL BEACH by Ian McEwan, pb $13.95
Once again, McEwan looks at life during a specific time period — a wedding night. What it brings for Edward and Florence is a bit of a surprise. You’ll read this quickly, while wanting more. — Sandra
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD by Richard Yates, pb $14.95
In 1961 Yates told the story of a young couple disillusioned with their suburban life, the contemporary culture in which they live, and their bold attempt to regain their souls. A beautifully written portrait of a time and a generation. — Sally
THE VIEW FROM CASTLE ROCK by Alice Munro, pb $14.95
The first half of this collection of eerie and stunning stories explores Munro's own family history, while the second half is contemporary, apparently inspired by the events in her own life. The synthesis is quite remarkable as we come to see history as a living component of the present. And Munro's style remains distinctive, one of those sensory turns you can never really forget, like celery salt. —Ryan
THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST by Mohsin Hamid, pb $14
A story from the perspective of a young Pakistani, who, through his Ivy League education and his job with an elite NYC financial institution, was living the American Dream — until 9/11. Suspenseful; excellent writing. — Nancy
Non-Fiction
THE CANON: A WHIRLIGIG TOUR OF THE BEAUTIFUL BASICS OF SCIENCE by Natalie Angier, pb
Learn to tell the difference between a proton, a photon, and a moron! Angier loves science, but she also loves words and connections between ideas. NOT another soporific science book: This book is equation-free and is so packed with jokes, stories, and allusions that your eyes will not have time to glaze over. Think of it as a biography; as Barbara Ehrenreich declares, "Finally, Nature has found a biographer who's up to the task." — Warren
FINDING MEANING IN THE SECOND HALF OF LIFE by James Hollis, pb $16
The first half of our life is prescribed: go to school, get married and have children, buy a house, and establish a career. But what do we do at midlife when our road is not clear and we encounter dark emotions? Jungian analyst James Hollis urges us to redefine our lives with the attainment of meaning as our goal. — Sally
Young Adult
THE TEQUILA WORM by Viola Canales, pb $7.99
Ninth-grader Sofia's life in the barrio has been guided by her family's traditions and stories. A scholarship to an exclusive boarding school throws her into a strange, new world, but one in which her family is still with her. A warm and humorous tale for ages 12 and up. — Rosemary
TRIGGER by Susan Vaught, pb $8.95
Seventeen-year-old Jersey is coming home after a year in the hospital. You'll feel Jersey's frustration and successes as you experience the world through the mind of this brain-damaged boy trying to start his life up again. Devastating, insightful, and heroic all in one package. For ages 14 and up. — Rosemary
