Thursday, July 31 — Mid-70s during the day, mid-50s at night. Honestly, I couldn't have ordered summer weather more to my liking than what we've seen so far. Reading a book in one of the local parks without melting is greatly preferable to seeking out air conditioning indoors. My apologies to those of you who like the temperatures and the humidity levels higher - maybe next year. Here's what we're reading:
LOST FOR WORDS
Edward St. Aubyn
Wicked and funny - and wickedly funny. The novel is a biting satire about the process of choosing the candidates for the Man Booker Prize for Literature. The book is one laugh-out-loud scene after another. The politics, the public reaction, the media manipulation, the self-importance of the authors and the content of the contending novels are all fair game to be delightfully and spitefully skewered by Mr. St. Aubyn. The thinly disguised Elysian Prize for Literature is the catalyst for the type of biting contemporary satire usually associated with Martin Amis or Kurt Vonnegut. A perfect read for when you crave a little hot sauce with your humor. kobo eBook
THE NIXON DEFENSE
John W. Dean
Does the world really need this book? And yes, for those of you of a certain age (like me), the author is that John Dean.
The former key Watergate witness has taken it upon himself to be the first to crawl through all of the tape transcripts from the secretly recorded conversations in the White House, along with thousands of documents from the National Archives and Nixon Library, in an attempt to create the most accurate answer yet to Sen. Howard Baker's famous question from the hearings: "What did the President know, and when did he know it?"
WE ARE CALLED TO RISE
Laura McBride
Last year, somewhere along the line, I threw out the observation that 2013 was the year of the novel. There were so many great ones coming out by seasoned authors that I was both delighted and scrambling to keep up. For this year, I'd amend that statement a little and say that so far 2014 has been the year of the debut novel. There have already been some astonishing first books, and this one definitely needs to be added to that list.
This gripping and surprising debut, set in a version of Las Vegas that outsiders never see, follows the lives of four seemingly unrelated characters as they struggle with their own difficulties and triumphs. An unexpected tragedy in one of the stories starts the process in motion of slowly bringing the disparate threads together. Where their stories blend and clash is handled beautifully by the author, and I was left with a lingering feeling of admiration for both her moving content and her firm command of a difficult style. Highly recommended. kobo eBook
I have to admit that while I was making my way through the 700 pages of the new Nixon book, I was constantly wondering if anybody out there still cared about Watergate and its aftermath. Have too many years passed? Would any of you be inclined to read another book on the subject? Other than the history geeks like me, I mean.
Until next week,
Neil
NeilNeil Rajala is Currently Director of Community & Business Services for Schuler Books, Neil's decade with the company has included the wearing of many different hats - and lots and lots of reading.
Support City Pulse - Donate Today!
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here