The Bookhive List: 'Other Voices, Other Rooms' by Truman Capote

Everyone knows the name Truman Capote, but most people haven't really read him, or if they have, they've read In Cold Blood, his true crime novel. I don't want to take anything away from that book, which besides being a really incredible feat of writing, is also going to appear on The Bookhive List; however, Other Voices, Other Rooms, Capote's debut novel, is my favorite work by Capote. Although it was eventually eclipsed by the tremendous success of In Cold Blood, it was really critically acclaimed in its own time and made a huge splash in part because of the youth of its author, aided by a very seductive, precocious author photo on the back cover of the novel.

Other Voices, Other Rooms is the semi-autobiographical story of 13-year old Joel Knox who is sent to live in the decaying mansion on his estranged father's plantation in Louisiana following the death of his mother. Thematically, the novel really hinges on Joel's coming-of-age and acceptance of his homosexuality which all plays out in the fruitless search for a connection to his father. It exemplifies everything I love about Southern Gothic writing and there is a really pervasive, almost kitschy sense of magical realism to the whole thing. So many of the characters and images from the novel have stuck with me and pop into my head at the strangest times, and the whole thing really lingers in the most incredible way.

The Bookhive List is a weekly recommendation of my all-time favorite, must-read books.

Big Fat Book: 'War and Peace' Week 5

Another week, another 100 pages. This week's reading flew by as I was finally able to really, fully engage with the characters and the plot.  Tolstoy spends a good 200-300 pages or so developing the characters and setting the stage, so I'm finally at the point when tension is building and actions are reaping consequences.

More importantly, I'm nearing the halfway point, and it brings me so much satisfaction to see my bookmark poking out of the middle of this enormous, heavy book.  I feel at this point I've read to the point of no return -- I've put enough time and effort into War and Peace (and made enough progress), that finishing the novel feels like an inevitability. I might regret writing that when I get to the 600 page mark or so, but right now the consistent, steady progress feels very encouraging.

Books to Escape the Cold

My official Theory of Winter is that January is the worst because it's the darkest and longest winter month; 31 days is God's idea of a hilarious joke. February on the other hand, is nice and short and even includes a very indulgent holiday (I know a lot of people will bristle at this because it is NOT cool to like Valentine's Day. And those people don't have my husband, who historically knocks it out of the park for this holiday, probably because he knows how insane I go in winter). So you've survived the worst of it! Now you just have to coast through this short, terrible month. and the following list of books will help you forget the weather:

A Passage to India by E.M. Forster - Prolonged engagements! Unrequited love! Colonialism! And false accusations of sexual assault! All under the hot, Indian sun. I read this a few years ago in January. It helped a little.

The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner - This novel jumps between the steamy, gritty New York art scene of the 1970s, the sizzling streets of Rome amid political and civic turmoil, and the white hot salt flats of Utah. There is a lot of talk of engines and burning metal and motorcycles. It's also just a good book that you should probably read, regardless of the weather.

Play it as it Lays by Joan Didion - If you trend toward Season Affective Disorder, then stay away from this one. I wouldn't go so far as to say this novel will help you forget your cares, but it will certainly put your weather problems in perspective. Plus there's a lot of Los Angeles freeway cruising in a convertible.

The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene - Literally every page of this novel includes some reference to humidity or sweat. A bit more colonialism, if that's your thing, this time in Sierra Leone. There's also a juicy affair (because it's a Graham Greene novel) and a Catholic crisis of faith (because it's a Graham Greene novel).

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys - A really inventive and cool response to Jane Eyre, this novel tells the pseudo-prequel story of Rochester's first wife, a Caribbean heiress who later goes insane and ends up locked up in his attic. There is a 1993 film adaptation with an NC-17 rating, in which a young Naomi Watts plays a small role...You're welcome.

What I'm Reading: 'The Empathy Exams' by Leslie Jamison

The Empathy Exams made a big splash in 2014, appearing on many of the different "Best of" lists for non-fiction and essays. It didn't really catch my attention until I started noticing this pattern; up to that point I had thought it was something in the self-help/New Age genre, based solely on the title. 

I'm very glad I read it in the end, because it was not even remotely what I expected, even after I saw all the critical attention it was receiving. Mary Karr's blurb on the front cover threw me off a bit as well..."This riveting book will make you a better human." I know it's coming from Mary Karr, but come on. But don't let any of that hold you back; title and blurbs aside, it's a really well-crafted book of essays that I enjoyed as much as any other nonfiction I read this year, and I would put it up with Eula Biss' On Immunity and Rebecca Solnit's Men Explain Things to Me as examples of incredibly strong essay-writing from young women. I read an article on a kind of Golden Age of woman essayists, and as much as I hate that kind of generalization. I did read a lot of excellent essays by women this year, The Empathy Exams chief among them. Jamison's topics range as widely as the West Memphis Three and Ultramarathoners, but her voice is so pervasive and effective that she somehow manages to pull it all together in a way that feels earned and never convenient. She also pays thoughtful homage to her predecessors like Susan Sontag and Joan Didion, which I never tire of seeing in essays.

Perhaps the most exciting part of discovering new women essayists this past year is that so many of them have plenty of older books/pieces that I can't wait to read now.

The Bookhive List: 'Americanah' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has absolutely exploded in popularity in the past year due to a little ditty by one Beyonce Gisele Knowles Carter called 'Flawless.' If you're unfamiliar with it, I'm not sure what you're doing here...? Anyway, the song features an excerpt from Chimamanda's extraordinarily important and influential TedTalk from a while back (which is how I came to know of her). To hear someone articulate the meaning of feminism so clearly and beautifully was striking, and the fact that the speaker was young and gorgeous and very fashionable resonated with so many young women who had previously felt that Feminism had no room for them.

Meanwhile, as her definition of Feminism became part of a pop cultural anthem, Chimamanda published her third novel to universal praise; most people had never heard of her before 'Flawless' but in the publishing world, Chimamanda was a talented young writer whose first two novels had set high career expectations for her (and 'Half of a Yellow Sun' is truly, truly excellent, but one of the toughest books on war I've ever read. I cried so much while reading it. It is criminally underrated, and I haven't read a better, more insightful narrative of the moral ambiguities of warfare).

I read 'Americanah' immediately after it was published, and for me it was very directly linked to a conscious effort on my part to read more contemporary fiction, especially by women. It was a good choice in that sense because it feels so modern (not Modern). I would liken it to something by Zadie Smith, but with less stylized prose, although that's not to say the prose is not stylish because every sentence is perfect and beautiful. It all comes across so effortlessly, and if you're a writer she will make you very jealous. It is also a really genuine, human love story and at no point does it indulge in any kind of sentimentality or emotional shorthand. The two central characters fall in love and grow apart and evolve and meet again and it all feels so organic and real. As if that weren't enough of an accomplishment, it is also a novel that fearlessly and insightfully takes on race and succeeds. It is certainly one of the best novels in the recent past and I feel certain it will become a Classic. 

The Bookhive List is a weekly recommendation of my all-time favorite, must-read books.

Big Fat Book: 'War and Peace' Week 4

It was a tough week for my copy of War and Peace: I made me first major crease in the binding, out of sheer necessity, and then it had a glass of white wine spilled all over it. But somehow we still managed to be productive with all that booze sloshing around, because I finished Volume 1,  making my total progress 300 pages in three weeks. 

The latest section of the novel had the benefit of two marriage proposals in 50 pages, but then it was back to the Napoleonic war stuff. As much as I struggle to keep track of the cavalries and infantries and Hussars and Cossaks and whatnot, even the war stuff is getting better for me as the two central characters in that section of the novel, Andrei and Rostov, are really developing quite richly. I may have even laughed out loud at Rostov's ridiculous bro-crush on the Russian emperor. Really, I guffawed at Tolstoy.

January's Attempt at Poetry: Rainer Maria Rilke

The introduction to my edition of Rilke's poetry states that entire books have been written solely about Rilke's Duino Elegies; if that's not a deterrent to reading poetry, I don't know what is, and that's coming from someone who is reading War and Peace for really unironic fun. But in keeping with my Reading Resolutions to both read more poetry and read more academic texts that I missed out on as an undergrad, I read the Duino Elegies all the same, knowing full-well that I was certainly missing something, but enjoying the experience all the same.

For one thing, you can read all ten elegies in a sitting, making this a relatively painless undertaking. I didn't study German in school, but I took a crash course on reading in college to help with my senior thesis research, and I still enjoy reading German whenever I get the chance (which is not often), especially something like this with a more archaic vocabulary. This is not any kind of humble brag because my German is terrible, but my point is that having the German and English texts side by side was actually quite engaging, and if you have even the most basic understanding of German, I recommend this style of translation.

Following Duino Elegies, I read Sonnets to Orpheus, which reminded me precisely why I've struggled with poetry in the past; after each sonnet I felt a surge of panic and guilt -- panic that I wasn't "feeling" profoundly enough, and guilt that maybe I could have read the poem "better." The point of this exercise, though, is to get over that feeling, or at least gain the ability to push through it and find my own way of enjoying the poetry. Confidence as a poetry-reader is probably too lofty a goal to shoot for, but maybe someday I'll get there.

An interesting tidbit from Wikipedia: Rilke is apparently extremely popular because he's been adopted by many in the New Age world. I can't even really express how little I understand this.

Books on Books: 'How Fiction Works' by James Wood

I have already espoused my love of James Wood but I was recently re-invigorated by (as usual) the New Yorker OutLoud podcast; I had been saving two juicy James Wood episodes on Elena Ferrante and Hilary Mantel that I finally got around to listening to, and they were as good as ever. If you have even an inkling of interest in either of those two writers, I recommend listening, and even if you don't, I recommend James Wood's 'How Fiction Works' which is essential reading for anyone who reads (see what I did there?). Wood is the ultimate literary critic in that he can simultaneously establish his expertise while he very deftly teaches the reader and the non-expert how to see what he sees in an author's work, and he does so with his own distinctly brilliant prose. He has the authority to tell you how fiction works because he writes as well as he reads. I assure you this volume will not feel like homework, but will instead only serve to enhance your appreciation for the books you already enjoy.

What I'm Reading: 'The Souls of Black Folk' by W.E.B. Du Bois

Nothing about this book was easy. It was written in a very different era, and if my aborted attempts at reading Feminist literature have taught me anything, it's that there is nothing more difficult than reading dated social science. That being said, The Souls of Black Folk is still and probably always will be a hallmark of American Civil Rights literature, and I'm glad I struggled through it.

I was motivated by the Library of Congress' 'Books That Shaped America' list; I'm not necessarily interested in reading every book on the list ( I feel no need to read anything by Ralph Nader, for example), but there is a lot of important American literature and non-fiction on the list that I feel a sense of obligation to read. Plus, after Uncle Tom's Cabin, everything feels like a breeze.

Many folks are thinking about writers of color and the #WeNeedDiverseBooks movement; I've seen so many literary blogs resolving to bring greater diversity to their reading habits this year and while that's not officially one of my reading resolutions this year, it's certainly on my mind, and I'm happy to say that there are much more contemporary and relevant books on Civil Rights that I'll be posting about in the coming weeks.

This Week in Books Jane and Elizabeth Have a Cage Match

Because The Toast is the most excellent source of original content and writing on the Internet, they've naturally begun a new series of "Literary Ladies Cage Fights," with the first face-off between Elizabeth Benett and Jane Eyre. Round One is division into Harry Potter houses, because of course it is. FYI, the new Sleater-Kinney album makes a good soundtrack while you read it.

The National Book Critics Circle Awards finalists for 2014 were just announced, and the list is incredibly solid. Is is just me or was 2014 a fantastic year for writing? I'm especially happy to see Saeed Jones' Prelude to Bruise on the list, as well as a lot of books from independent publishers.

Everyone is apparently hosting gigantic book clubs now, and NPR's Morning Edition is the latest to jump on the bandwagon, although I can already say they are doing it better than so many others. The first selection was made by author and bookstore owner Ann Patchett, and she chose (National Book Critics Circle Awards finalist1) Deep Dark Down by Hector Tobar, a true account of the 2010 rescue of 33 Chilean miners. David Green hosted Patchett and Tobar in a discussion that included audience questions from Twitter, and it was a really nice treat on my morning commute. I definitely want to read the book now, and to find out what they'll be reading next.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has a short story available on the Medium. This requires no further explanation.

Finally, Rachel Kushner, author of the excellent novel The Flamethrowers, has an essay over at the London Review of Books on the Costa Concordia wreck. Not particularly "literary," or newsworthy, just a great essay from a great writer

 

The Bookhive List: 'Emma' by Jane Austen

It is no secret I am a devoted Jane Austen fan. I try to stay above the fray of that nonsensical, romantic-comedy obsessed side of her fandom, but that isn't always possible (Example: I watch all the movie adaptations, good, bad or otherwise). But I do credit myself a bit for having read all of her novels along with much of her other writing (unfinished novels and letters), as well as a healthy portion of Jane Austen biography and criticism.

One of the distinct pleasures of Jane Austen is the subsequent re-readings that most fans indulge in throughout their lives. You cannot read a Jane Austen novel once and consider yourself a fan; instead you must semi-annually dive back into the world of Regency England and plunder the depths of her novels for new discoveries, for which you are always richly rewarded.

Many people can plot their devotion to Jane via their changing preferences for her characters and novels; everyone begins with Pride and Prejudice, and everyone fancies themselves to be a Lizzie Bennet {Side Note: Why are women so obsessed with identifying themselves with specific characters, as if woman characters in novels were all archetypes of female personalities?  That said, I am totally a Jo March of Little Women, and in Anne of Green Gables I am obviously a Marilla Cuthbert). Along with everyone else, I adored P and P and identified very strongly with the "coltish" bookworm Lizzie, but as I made the transition into young adulthood I started to love and admire and detest and empathize more and more with Emma.  Like so many young adults, Emma is supremely confident in her abilities, and everyone around her constantly reinforces that confidence, although her actions are constantly contradicting everyone's faith in her. She does not do anything half-way and when fails, she fails spectacularly; but because she is a Jane Austen heroine, she inevitably learns her lesson and tries her best to do better, although Austen knows and we know that Emma will probably fail many more times in her life. Of all the Austen novels, I think it's the funniest, and the peripheral characters are really hilarious and awful, but it's easy to laugh at them and then realize that you are no better or different from Emma, who is doing the exact same thing. I have a strong hunch that in a few years I'll make the switch to preferring Persuasion (as all women over 30 must do eventually), so in the meantime, I'm going to savor these last few years with my Austen avatar, Emma.

The Bookhive List is a weekly recommendation of my all-time favorite, must-read books.

Big Fat Book: 'War and Peace' Week 3

I managed to make it through another 100 pages (more like 85, but who's counting?) and propelled myself well into Part 2 of Volume I, which felt like some kind of minor accomplishment. Only another 100 pages until Volume II! I will say about Tolstoy that the very tidy division of his novels into distinct volumes, parts, and chapters, makes the whole endeavor so much more manageable and far less intimidating. Often when I fail to finish a long, difficult book, it has much to do with the structure (or lack thereof) and my inability to find good stopping points, which can make it impossible to return to the book.

I will also say that I'm happy to have made it through this section because it was not exactly the type of action I turn to Tolstoy for; it was largely composed of military stuff with an unfortunate amount of time spent with minor characters, and at this point I have a hard time evaluating which of them will be important in future and which will never be heard from again. If you've read Anna Karenina, you probably remember long stretches about Russian political theory or about agriculture, and the military elements in War and Peace serve a similar function. I'm hopeful that next week's sections will include a bit more of the other characters back at home.

Date Night: 'The Magus' by John Fowles

The Magus is a perfect date-night book because it's not a book you generally want to admit to having read; it has a terrible and undeserved reputation because of a quote sometimes attributed to Woody Allen "If I had my life to do over again, I'd do everything exactly the same, with the exception of watching 'The Magus.'" (This quote refers to the film adaptation, but I've seen other wordings that make it specific to reading the book, and I've also seen it attributed to several other wits). That's awfully rich coming from the director of 'The Curse of the Jade Scorpion.'

The Magus is long; like, crazy long. But it will read incredibly fast, especially because it is so mysterious and suspenseful, almost all the way through. It is a really complex, wacky novel that starts out terrifically, and it just keeps building and building until there is quite literally nowhere else to go, and then it ends (kinda). If I tell you the ending is weird and bad, you won't be motivated to read it, but it's a book that is all about the journey, which is awesome.

So, a date night with The Magus definitely includes a pitcher of great Sangria, to drink while you pretend you're skinny-dipping off the coast of Capri while a bizarro Greek millionaire spies on you from his mansion, natch. Since it's January, crank up the heat in your house and maybe run your shower to up the humidity a bit. Attire yourself in various caftans or fancy swim suits that aren't intended for actual swimming. Then decorate your home with Bacchanalian paraphernalia, preferably from the 1970s. Then read and enjoy!

Date Night is a recurring post of my recommendations for a curated evening at home with a good book. Solitude is assumed and preferred. 

 

What I'm Reading: 'Mary Queen of Scots' by Antonia Fraser

My obsession with the CW tv show 'Reign' knows no bounds, apparently, because during the Christmas hiatus I decided to make up for the lack of teenaged Mary Stuart in my life by reading an 800 page biography of her. For those who feel they are too good for the CW --first of all, you are wrong; their programming has never been better -- 'Reign' is a sexy period drama about the young adulthood of Mary Stuart, a bit like 'The O.C.' mixed with 'The Tudors.' All of the costumes are adapted Free People items, so that should give you a pretty good flavor of it.

Needless to say, it shares very, very little in common with this tremendously great biography by Antonia Fraser, whose talents I have already espoused. I have been disappointed but not exactly surprised by how historically inaccurate the tv show has turned out to be, but that doesn't mean I'm not enjoying the book immensely. Sometimes nothing quite satisfies like a long, meaty biography, and I've read enough Antonia Fraser at this point to feel almost like I'm slipping into a very elaborate fictional universe of her creation. She has written about this period in British history pretty extensively, so each new volume I consume is just adding another layer of richness. And every time I come across a fact that appears in the show, I become very proud of and happy for the producers and their very minor success in transitioning fact into fiction.