Sunday, September 19, 2010

From Joan Didion to Michelle Tea

I have been neglectful, but I don't allow myself to feel guilty about not blogging. If this thing becomes a burden, it will go away.

Here's what I've been reading in the month since we last saw each other.

Joan Didon's Play It As It Lays is what I blame for my absence. I didn't like it but felt like I should, and I don't know how to articulate why. I had no sympathy for the main character, and she felt so far removed that it was impossible for me to relate. I don't know if this is the frame of the story--the setting and the milieu it portrays (rich Hollywood-ers in the 1960s)--or a purposeful narrative technique.

I read Suzanne Collins's Mockingjay, and loved it. I reviewed it for my job but can't find a link to share with you. Sorry!

I started a YA Book Club, and our first book was Sherman Alexie's Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. It is funny and sad, with authentic feeling characterization. It is a quick read and employs fantastic drawings that add an extra element to the narrative. Everyone in the club liked it.

I'm currently reading David Ebershoff's The 19th Wife and Michelle Tea's Valencia.

Also, I've stopped posting about knitting here because I joined Ravelry. If you want to follow my projects there, the name is ACityBird.

*Edit* How could I forget Toni Morrison's Love?! I recently finished that one, too. I liked it, but I missed the raw horror of her previous books I've read. Don't get me wrong--it's not a happy story. The narrative jumps around, and it is unclear in the beginning how all the characters are related, which I found frustrating.