The truth is, I have had no interest in writing about books lately.
There I go, blaspheming on my own website that is dedicated to writing about books. Tsk, tsk. I do wish I had a better explanation for why I’ve gone more than a month without writing a single word. To you, my last words were on August 8th, but they were on an automated schedule. In actuality, my last words were penned (typed) sometime in late July. Egad!
Instead of coming back with some thought-provoking, well-written piece (if any of my writing can be called that) to make up for my absence, I’m going to do a quick, sloppy review of all the books I’ve been reading while I’ve avoided writing. There are 10.5 books for the last six or so weeks, so I’ve averaged almost two books per week. If I haven’t been writing, at least I’ve been studying the craft. I’m a purposeful procrastinator.
1. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
This book is what started my writing and reading slump. I don’t particularly care for philosophy as it makes me think about life in a way I generally dislike, so I wasn’t very taken with this book at first. However, a close friend asked me to read it and I felt obliged. I’m very glad I did because there were a lot of concepts covered that I’d thought about myself but did not have such eloquent words for, so overall it turned out to be a pleasant experience. Pirsig spoke about the concept of “Quality” and posed the question of: How do we know when writing is good writing? His discussion and argument were both sound, I thought, and much more clearly explained the thoughts behind my “The Subjectivity of Book-Liking” posts which touched similar ideas to his with much crustier fingers. I’m tempted to write another post using his phraseology so I can finally sound smart. The book made me think about reading, writing, and life very deeply for a few weeks until I could snap back into my usual shallow self. Glad to be back!
2. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman (Neil Gaiman himself pronounces it “Gay-men” so eff off)
I love Neil Gaiman.
3. The Xenogenesis Trilogy (also 4 and 5) by Octavia E. Butler
“It sounds like it’s about alien sex” – Guy I tried to explain these books to at a party. They kind of are about alien sex, but in a very un-sexy way (the aliens don’t even have visible genitalia). This series by Butler considers questions of humanity, species, and survival in a way that is unlike any other science fiction I’ve read thus far. The story starts off strong with aliens having rescued humanity after we’ve induced our own apocalypse. We can only hope, eh? In order to save us, they have to initiate a “trade” which combines our genes with theirs to create a new species altogether. This is where it sounds like it’s a sex book, but it’s NOT, I promise! What makes her books so fascinating is that they take the ideas of sex and reproduction and discuss them so philosophically. To the aliens, this “trade” is how they exist. To humans, the idea of reproducing with an alien species and losing what makes us “human” is horrifying. She considers the idea of “change” and what we can adapt to in order to survive throughout the entire series, as well as what it is that truly makes us “human”. I can’t recommend these books enough.
6. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
What’s wrong with using quotes for dialogue, Cormac? Also, (major spoiler) why was Llewellyn killed offscreen? I googled this and, of course, found comments related to the movie rather than the book. One explanation was that showing the death wouldn’t add anything to the story. We know he’s going to die, so showing it is unnecessary. I don’t know that I buy that. I wanted to see him die. Otherwise, good book.
7. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffery Eugenides (yu-GIN-e-dees)
I was absolutely fascinated by this book. For one, Eugenides is an excellent writer. I can’t think of a better word to apply to his style other than “cohesive”. His descriptions assimilate so well into the tone and setting of the story. It’s b-e-a-utiful. The subject matter may not be for everyone as he does blatantly discuss (and depict) suicide. I don’t think it’s done gratuitously, but for some having done it at all is gratuitous. The book also deals with the idolization and obsession surrounding teen girls, which I think is shown pretty cleverly. The boys mention the Lisbon girls as an entity, often not able to identify one from the other clearly. As a parallel, the narrator writes in the collective “we”, as though the boys are all interchangeable as well. It gives the sense that this isn’t about any one individual, but about the experience as a whole. I loved the book, and I wonder what a book from the perspective of the girls themselves would look like. Not to replace the version written through the eyes of the boys, but to act as a complement that tells a more whole story.
8. Persuasion by Jane Austen
A reread! After watching the movie, I felt I owed it to Austen to reread the book. Hollywood really doesn’t like passive characters, but that’s exactly who Anne is in the novel. This is one of my favorite Austen books and, while I don’t detest the adaptation as much as some fans do, I was very disappointed. Rereading the book helped.
8.5 Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
I have this listed as a “.5” because I only read the first half of the book. I know it’s a controversial book, and honestly I’m not interested in getting into any of that with this review. There are not a lot of subjects that I think are taboo as far as art goes, and this is far from my personal limit. What I will say is that I’ve seen a lot of defense for the novel as “beautifully written”, but I did not come away with that impression. Humbert Humbert is loquacious, arrogant, self-absorbed, etc. That’s the point of his character, I understand, but boy is it annoying. I couldn’t find it in myself to look past it, and when we were on our twentieth page of the road trip where nothing happens, I let myself put the book down. To clarify, it was very well-written, but I’m not sure what beauty the person I’m referring to saw. It was not for me.
9. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
I am angry at myself for not reading this book sooner. What may shock some of you is that I actually have tried to read this book twice before, but I put it down both times (with the intention of one day picking it back up) because I couldn’t get into it. After I picked it up this time, I don’t think I took a break until I was nearly halfway through the book. A girl does have to sleep, after all. Otherwise I would have read straight through. I think what held me back those other times was that people often talk about the romance in this book, but it’s very much a gothic horror novel. This aspect is heavily overlooked in favor of the romance, but the “romance” is a plot-point to further drive the horror! There are ghosts, insanity, dark and creepy abodes, death… The book begins with a creepy altercation followed by a menacing winter storm. I mean, why is this not talked about as much? Not to mention, Bronte is a superb writer. I can’t even guess how many lines I highlighted as I read along. I very much recommend this book, especially as we’re transitioning into Fall.
10. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
I read this book because it was described as having a “swoon-worthy romance” and, still coming off my Persuasion high, I felt like I needed some of that. The creativity and imagination in this novel are fantastic, but it has a very YA feel to it. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s very noticeable when you’re no longer a young adult. Still, I read this book in two days and I enjoyed every bit of the romance involved. It served its purpose, but I don’t think I will continue on with the rest of the trilogy. The writing and world-building weren’t quite enough to keep me that interested.
So, there you go. Those are my 10 sloppy reviews of the books I’ve read while I’ve not been writing. I’m really enjoying this reading kick, and I hope to continue it until the end of the year. If my posts are sporadic because of that, so be it. Reading is just as important as writing, after all.
The Lit Wiz