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.

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 Better Beach Read

I have always hated the phrase "beach read," and the notion it represents, that somehow your vacation is the only appropriate time for pleasure reading or genre fiction. It seems like the kind of unrealistic trope that is exacerbated by magazines, like you should buy some sunglasses based on your "face shape" and a swim suit that emphasizes your "small bust" and get a "beach read" for your vacation. I have a tendency to bring on vacation any book on my TBR list that is compact and lightweight, i.e. paperback, and there is usually no rhyme or reason to it. That said, I can concede that people often want good books for vacation time with the implication being that they'll be sitting in a hammock, on a beach, or poolside for long stretches of time and need a book that they can really disappear into. Thus, the following, my recommendations for beach books this summer:

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What I'm Reading: 'The Flamethrowers' by Rachel Kushner

I have a confession to make-- I'm not reading this right now. I finished a looong time ago, but I definitely forgot to write about it, and it is such a great summertime read, that I would be the worst book blogger if I neglected to mention it. The Flamethrowers garnered a considerable amount of hype last year when it was released, probably 80% of it deserved. It was hailed as some sort of watershed moment for young female authors, but in my opinion, anyone who forced that kind of symbolism and meaning on it hasn't been paying much attention to all the unbelievably talented young authoresses these days (Karen Russell, Tea Obrecht, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie {because I can't go a week without mentioning her name}, Nell Freudenberger, etc). But even so, it deserves a fair amount of hype for being a really superb novel.

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This Week in Books: Aronofsky and Atwood, BEA 2014

HBO has been on a long adaptation rights tear, and the latest addition to their stable of literary source material is Margaret Atwood's Maddaddam trilogy. Unlike so many of their other exciting literary adaptation projects that are currently languishing in HBO purgatory, this one has a director attached: Darren Aronofsky.

The annual literary issue of the New Yorker is out, and includes some really stellar fiction, with contributions by the likes of Alison Bechdel, Rachel Kushner, Karen Russell, Miranda July, and Haruki Murakami, along with a great Talk of the Town piece on the #YesAllWomen movement by Rebecca Mead. Interestingly, it looks like the fiction this year is dominated by female contributors. There is also a long profile on John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars, for those of you who, like me, don't keep up on YA fiction.

Finally, BookExpo America was last week. The biggest news story to come out of the event was widespread criticism of the lack of diversity among panelists. For anyone interested in everything else that happened at BEA, here is a very nice round-up of summaries and blog posts, mostly written by librarians and book bloggers.

This Week in Books: Possible Screen Adaptations of 'The Flamethrowers' and 'Wolf Hall' Series

In adaptation news, Jame Campion is currently working on a deal to adapt Rachel Kushner's The Flamethrowers, one of 2013 biggest novels, and one I really enjoyed last summer. I can't really think of a better director to take the helm on this project, especially after I gulped down Campion's 'Top of the Lake' in a matter of days.  The Flamethrowers was unique in that I kept thinking as I read it, "I cannot wait for the movie of this to come out." Now they need to announce the casting of Elizabeth Moss as the protagonist, and all will be right in the world.

Another adaptation I am greatly anticipating is the BBC production of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall series. The cast was recently announced, and includes 'Homeland' star Damian Lewis as famous ginger Henry VIII. Mark Rylance will play Thomas Cromwell, and seems well-suited in that he has already played Hamlet, Richard II, Thomas Boleyn, and Henry V.

This week novelist Adele Waldman appeared on HuffPost Live to discuss her debut novel The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P (which I will admit I haven't gotten around to yet). I haven't decided yet if this interview makes me want to read it more or less, but it has been one of the most widely recommended books of the past year.

In promotion of her most recent short story collection Bark, Lorrie Moore visited  Los Angeles Public Library's ALOUD to do a reading and answer some questions. There is a nice write-up by Los Angeles Magazine, and ALOUD will be making a podcast available soon.

You love Zadie Smith, don't you? Who doesn't. And you've probably seen a bit of Roxane Gay lately, as she's everywhere promoting her new book An Untamed State (I need this book). How about Roxane Gay's thoughts on Smith's NW? Enjoy!

Editor's Note: This Week In Books is a weekly roundup of the goings on about the world of literary fiction.