A Brief Book Roundup

Here is a brief roundup of what I have been reading.

My current read

The Second Rule of Ten by Gay Hendricks and Tinker Lindsay
     I was just recently introduced to private detective Tenzing Norbu. In this second mystery (I wrote about the first one here), Ten investigates the death of a controversial Hollywood producer - because, of course, this is California. I like Ten and his efforts to balance his profession with his upbringing in a Tibetan monastery.

My last read

Murder is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens
     The action in this young adult mystery takes place at a British boarding school in 1934. The two protagonists, Daisy Wells from England and Hazel Wong from Hong Kong, form a detective agency and collect clues and sort through motives after the death of a teacher in the school. Nothing here to make one cringe - except for the discovery of the dead body, of course. A fun read.

A quick one in between

The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories by P.D. James
     Short stories of murder and mayhem from a favorite author. Two of them feature a young Adam Dalgleish and all are elegantly written. My only regret is that there were only four in this collection.

The one before that

Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin

     This is the introduction to Inspector John Rebus, Edinburgh's (literally) tortured detective. He is on the hunt for a killer who leaves clues that John can't quite understand. But when he catches on, there is hell to pay. Not sure I want to be John's friend, but may try book number two in this popular series. 

Latest purchase

Fierce Pajamas: An Anthology of Humor Writing from The New Yorker
     In a continued effort to keep my spirits up, I couldn't resist this find at a local used book store. One glance at the table of contents and I spotted the names E.B. White, James Thurber, Robert Benchley, and Dorothy Parker. Oh, and Groucho Marx. Groucho Marx?!

Had to have it. A volume to dip into when spirits dip.

What books are in your round up?

Bookstore Quest 2016: Part Two

We had our first snow of winter yesterday and the view from my window was quite white and holiday-greeting-card lovely. As I counted the slowly falling flakes, I realized that in the previous letter concerning my Bookstore Quest I failed to mention the titles of the two used books I purchased at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill.

The used book area was really just a space cut out of the store's event room. A few bookshelves and a display table or two were all that furnished the area but there were enough books to choose from and I quickly put my hands on two I could not live without. You know how that goes.

The Outermost Dream: Literary Sketches by William Maxwell

This collection by the novelist and long-time fiction editor of The New Yorker is a splendid choice. It contains his thoughts on books of biography, memoir, diary or correspondence by such authors as Colette, Lord Byron, Virginia Woolf, E.B. White, Isak Dinesen and others perhaps not so well known. Mr. Maxwell relished reading true accounts of everyday lives. So do I.

My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead

I have a fondness for books like this. The author's life was profoundly affected upon reading Middlemarch as a young woman and this memoir intertwined with George Eliot's biography looks to be a fascinating read.

Many years ago, I was determined to read Middlemarch. I had an ancient copy checked out from the library. The hardcover book was small, just right for reading in bed, but the print was very tiny and crammed onto the thin pages. It's a wonder I made it through to the end. But I remember feeling such a sense of awe and accomplishment when I turned the final page. And there were many pages to turn.

Perhaps reading Ms. Mead's experience with the book will prompt a re-reading of the classic.

As you might remember, I had these books gift wrapped. I do hope I get around to reading them. I haven't unwrapped them yet... 

The 40s: The Story of A Decade from The New Yorker

A generous friend brought me a book the other day. As you can imagine, I rarely turn down the gift of a book. It was one he wanted to pass on and thought I would like.

Oh, yes.

The book contains a collection of fine pieces from that illustrious magazine The New Yorker and is entitled The 40s: The Story of a Decade.

And what a decade it was. During the first half the world was at war and the second half was spent beginning recovery from that war.

I whooped out loud with glee when I opened the book to the Table of Contents. Oh, the riches. Here are pieces written during WWII by E.B. White, A.J. Liebling, along with John Hersey’s profile on the then Lieutenant John F. Kennedy.

There are post-war pieces by Edmund Wilson, Lillian Ross, and Rebecca West’s report on the Nuremberg trials.

And, oh, the section of Character Studies: Walt Disney, Edith Piaf, Duke Ellington, Albert Einstein, and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Of course I read the book section first. Clifton Fadiman muses on Ernest Hemingway’s latest offering For Whom the Bell Tolls (he finds it to be a much deeper book than The Sun Also Rises), and Lionel Trilling gets a glimpse of the future in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, a book he found to be “profound, terrifying, and wholly fascinating.” It is compelling to read these reviews written so soon after the now-famous books were just hitting the market.

There is also commentary on film, theatre, art and architecture, musical events, and fashion.

And of course it wouldn’t be The New Yorker without poetry - verses by William Carlos Williams, W.H. Auden, and Elizabeth Bishop - and fiction - Carson McCullers, John Cheever, and the first publication of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery.

Irresistible! You can see why I am excited to have this book at hand. History combined with stellar writing. So much more convenient - even at almost 700 pages - than a mile-high pile of ten years’ worth of magazines.

It is one I will dip into slowly and savor every word.

P.S I am quite a fan of The New Yorker, especially its early years. You can read three of my previous posts on the writers from that era here, here, and here.

Cast of Characters by Thomas Vinciguerra

When I was growing up I often spent time with a relative who had a subscription to The New Yorker magazine. She had traveled to that metropolis many times and wanted to keep up with what was happening there. I was too young to appreciate anything in the magazine except the cartoons and the colorful covers. I didn't understand what a literary treasure trove it was.

I have come to see the error of my ways. I am especially fond of and fascinated with the early history of The New Yorker when it was lorded over by its founder Harold Ross. The first issue came out in 1925 and Mr. Ross remained the magazine's editor until his death in 1951. 

Mr. Ross and his crew - James Thurber, E.B. White, fiction editor Katharine White, theater critic Wolcott Gibbs, and others - are the shining stars in Thomas Vinciguerra's Cast of Characters. I discovered this book in the new non-fiction display at the library the other day and snatched it up. As Mr. Thurber and Mr. White are two of my favorite writers, I couldn't resist.

And it is great to find a book about the magazine that features so much information about Katharine White whose intelligence and clear thinking kept the bombastic Mr. Ross in line. (If you haven't read Onward and Upward in the Garden, a collection of her columns, I can surely recommend that you do.) 

I have only read the first two chapters of this tale and am already in thrall of the talent that came together in the editorial offices of the magazine. There is brief background information on each writer and editor and generous examples of their work - which of course is the best part - all held together by Mr. Vinciguerra's fine prose.

I am looking forward to spending the weekend in the company of this erudite, witty, and charming cast of characters. 

Browsing the Book Blog Bookshelves

I am running behind myself and have yet to catch up. I spent the morning browsing what some of my favorite readers have been reading this past week (as I have not had a moment to read anything myself!) Here are some books that caught my eye. Click on the links to see the original posts. Thanks to you all for letting me share your picks!

Cornflower wrote about Meeting the English (2013) by Kate Clanchy. This is a tale of Struan Robertson, a fellow from a small Scottish town who is hired to tend to Phillip Prys, a Welsh writer who has had a stroke and whose family doesn't care to care for him. Robertson is thrown into an oddball family not to mention a country where "they do things differently." It all takes place in 1989 in Hampstead. Cornflower writes that it is a well-written, funny, comedy of manners. (I don't think it is available yet in the U.S. but maybe I will be caught up with my other reading by the time it hits our shores.)

Shelf Love introduced me to K.C. Constantine and his series of mysteries the second of which is The Man Who Liked to Look at Himself (1973). The action all takes place in Rocksburg, Penn-sylvania and stars police chief Mario Balzic. Nothing quirky here. Just good, honest police work solves the crime. There are 16 books in this series and Constantine is another mystery writer to add to my list. 

Captive Reader reminded me that last week was Barbara Pym Reading Week (which I totally missed) and posted a delightful picture from the cover of the 1990s edition of Quartet in Autumn.

Stuck in a Book has returned to nature with Four Hedges (1935) by Claire Leighton which not only is a paean to gardens with their attendant weeds and wildlife, but also is illustrated with the author's woodcuts. A delightful summer read and I just ordered a used copy from Luminaria Books.

As I recently returned from a jaunt to the Midwest, I was happy to see a tribute to that part of the country on mirabile dictu and this entry featuring John Mellencamp who sings about small town life and disappearing family farms. This music video, "Rain on the Scarecrow," is an appropriate one considering all the storms that part of the country has been suffering through lately.

And finally, A Work in Progress informs me that June is International Crime Month and features a wonderful pile of mysteries just waiting to be investigated. Also noted is The New Yorker's summer fiction edition entitled "Crimes and Misdemeanors" which features short stories and true crime pieces.  Looks to be just the magazine to carry with me on a summer picnic.