Readerly Rambles: 08/05/2011

What I've Finished:

My reading has been clipping along at a lovely pace -- well, for me at least -- and I've finished several books in the past month:

• Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner:  You can read my belated International Brookner Day post here.  I'll certainly be revisiting this author, as I really enjoyed her writing style.  I'm a fan of witty observations paired with quintessentially British characters. 
• The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett:  This nonfiction book is about John Gilkey, a man who has stolen over $200,000 worth of rare books and other items.  I was intrigued by the Bartlett's extensive interviews with Gilkey, her chronicling of his thievery and upbringing, the depth of her explanations of the rare book world, and her interviews with Ken Sanders (the rare book dealer who caught Gilkey).  However, I think this book lacked a certain amount of depth.  Hoover repeatedly discusses Gilkey's delusional outlook on life, his desire to "make" his image through book thieving, and his belief that he deserved these stolen goods.  She strongly emphasizes that he seems to have a mental break with reality.  HOWEVER, at no point does she discuss his issues/history with mental health professionals.  The book is a fast and enticing read despite its flaws; I finished the book while sitting in the movie theater awaiting the midnight showing of Harry Potter 7.2.
• Elizabeth I by Margaret George:  Margaret George is my new author crush.  This is the first book I've read by George even though she has been on my TBR pile for ages.  It took a good 50 pages or so for me to get into the book, but once I was in there I didn't want to come up for air!  What I liked most about the novel is that it begins with the Spanish Armada (Drake representin') and covers Elizabeth's later rule and death.  Most books seem to focus on the young Elizabeth and it was fascinating to read a novelization of her later life.  You must read this book!
• The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories:  I've actually been reading this book off and on since December 2009!  This large volume is filled to bursting with deliciously creepy ghost stories.  Let's just say I will NEVER play hide'n'seek in a house at night EVER (sorry kids). 
• Interlibrary Loan and Document by Lee Andrew Hilyer:  this was a ridiculously concise book on ILL.  I think it is for folks who are totally unacquainted with interlibrary loan.  I picked up one or two things.  Yes, I read it for work and yes, it was infinitely dull.

What I'm Reading:

I have two books going at the moment:

• A Word Child by Iris Murdoch: I adore Iris Murdoch, but I haven't picked up a Murdoch book in ages.  I'm about 100 pages in and all of my favorite Murdochisms are present - pitiful and unlikable characters to which, oddly, I find myself liking, phenomenal feats of language play, wit, dashes of mystery, and dear god her powers of description.  I can't put my finger on why I love her character descriptions so.  There earthy and real; her descriptions of people have this animal quality.  I'm on a mission to find the perfect description to illustrate this aspect of her writing.  More on that in the soonish future.
• Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin:  This is my secondary read.  This book is planted in the nursery by the rocking chair for when I'm nursing and rocking Atticus.  I've only read the first chapter of this novel about Lewis Carroll and his Alice, Alice Liddell.  I haven't read as much because I've developed a habit of dozing when rocking the baby.  I'm intrigued by the novel and slightly uncomfortable.  In the first chapter Alice is a child and mesmerized by Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) but there is something certainly creepy about the attraction between the two.

What's Next:

I have a library book and an ILL book on my nightstand to read next.  Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym (I'm on another Brit. streak) and Vin Packer's pulp novella duo Whisper his Sin / The Evil Friendship.  The Packer story The Evil Friendship is about the Parker-Hulme murder and was part of the inspiration for Heavenly Creatures.

Loads of great reading going on and even more in the future.  Tomorrow I'm taking the kids to the library so I'm sure I'll find a few more books jumping on-board.

A Belated Brookner Day Post

Finally -- I have a functioning computer.  I've been without a home computer for nearly two weeks.  We've also had some other drama going on at home; Atticus has SEVERE separation anxiety.  But, of course, that's an entirely different post.  Let's just say that blogging has been nigh impossible at chez Roper.

Although I missed Anita Brookner day, I still wanted to post my thoughts on Hotel du Lac.  This is my first Brookner book.  I've always intended to read something by Brookner, but I think I was daunted by the number of books.  I didn't know where to start.  I picked Hotel du Lac because it was a Booker winner.

Hotel du Lac is what I would call a quiet novel.  There is a plot, but the strength of the book lies in the characters' unspoken thoughts, observations, and motivations.  The novel begins with Edith Hope -- a famed romance novelist -- settling in to a Swiss hotel after a socially embarrassing incident.  The hotel is sparsely peopled, but the handful of hotel residents fuel the humor, emotion, and, of course, move along the plot.

This slim volume -- under 200 pages -- clips along at a nice pace,the wit is sharp, and the characters are intriguing.... but...... I wouldn't say I like it.  I think I certainly like Brookner's writing.  She seems to be a sort of darker Barbara Pym with bits of Elizabeth Taylor cooked in and a dash of Iris Murdoch; you know, quintessentially British and witty, but with darker emotions and an elegiac tone.  Of course, I'm basing my assessment of Brookner's writing style from one book and I should really read all of them before I start making author-recipes.  I simply didn't care for any of the characters;  Edith Hope seems cold and I have a difficult time sympathizing her situation and all the other characters are obnoxious, shallow, and/or calculating.

For all my character dislikes, I simply cannot stop raving over the writing.  In addition to great dialogue and some marvelous descriptive passages, I found myself really loving the phrases that seemed to pop-out .  For example, the hotel corridor is described as being "vibrant with absence" (pg.13).  I remember pausing my reading to mull over that phrase.  It is such an apt description of that sensation that strikes out with emptiness when one is in a typically bustling place.  I can certainly say that the academic library I work at is vibrant with absence in the summer months!

So yes, certainly more Brookner in my future.  I'm planning on visiting the other Brookner posts to decide on which novel to read next!  Thanks Thomas and Simon for hosting International Anita Brookner Day!

Readerly Rambles: 06/29/2011

What I've finished:

Friday night after the kiddos were in bed and Sam was off at the coffee shop, I crawled into bed with Edna St. Vincent Millay.  Well, not the poetess herself, but the wonderful biography by Nancy Milford.  I inhaled the last 200 pages EVEN when I knew that Atticus would most likely be waking throughout the night.  He did wake up a billion and one times, but it was totally worth it.

I've gone from a passing admiration and delight with Edna St. Vincent Millay to an obsession of near Plath-like proportions.  Millay's life makes for good reading: strange family relationships, bohemianism, heartbreak, affairs, gossip, more affairs, illness, and then a few more affairs.  I thought Milford did a good job of not giving in to sensationalism.  The reader see Edna as a full-human; yes, she is a sexually-free person and a damn fine poet, but she is also a mother, sister, wife, friends, etc.... Also, this was a well-balanced book in that Edna was not sainted and not vilified.  Accomplishments and kindness are noted as are the human errors and faults.

Milford briefly lived with Millay's sister, Norma, at Millay's home (Steepletop) while researching.  The biography effectively communicates that closeness:  Edna St. Vincent Millay feels very present in the book and I thought Milford a through researcher and a fabulous writer.

I'm eager to read another biography by Nancy Milford, Zelda: a biography, which is about Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald.  I might actually have to purchase that one!

What I'm reading:

I haven't announced it yet on Fig and Thistle, but I'm participating in International Anita Brookner Day.  I'm about half-way through Hotel du Lac and I'm loving every blessed word.  Anita Brookner, where have you been all my life?  I plan on finishing this week and sharing my thoughts.

What's next:

I know its folly to tackle unwieldy books when there are kiddos afoot, but I'm going to do it anyway.  My next read will be Margaret George's latest Elizabeth I:  A Novel.  It is a library book, so hopefully that will light a fire under my ass to get it read in the next two weeks.