Wednesday, June 06, 2007

May Books Bought and Read

Okay, so I didn't get as many books read in May as I did in April, but I didn't buy as many either, which is a good thing. All of the books bought were purchased "on the cheap" (half-price or better) which is also a good thing.

Just for fun, I thought I'd give my justification for each purchase plus a little about each book I read. As always, recommended books are linked.

BOOKS BOUGHT

The King in the Window (YA 2006) - Adam Gopnik
This purchase was based solely on Elizabeth Hand's review in F&SF a few months back. In most cases, her recommendation is good enough for me. For more on Hand, keep reading.

Last Summer at Mars Hill (collection, 1998) - Elizabeth Hand
Well, here she is! I enjoyed Hand's latest collection Saffron and Brimstone so much that I strongly suspected I'd like this older one. I stood inside Wonder Books in Hagerstown, MD reading the first two paragraphs of the title story and knew it was worth the $5.95 they were asking.

Some of Your Blood (1977) - Theodore Sturgeon
I'd read good things about this one when Millepede Press came out with a new edition last year. Unfortunately this is an old mass market paperback without the Steve Rasnic Tem introduction, but I was still glad to find it. Plus my friend Kelly told me this one's a winner.

The Faces of Fantasy (NF/photography, 1996) - Patti Perret
Apparently a companion volume to The Faces of Science Fiction, The Faces of Fantasy includes photo portraits and short thoughts from several important writers in fantasy. Interesting to see how some of these people looked 10 years ago. Some haven't changed much. Some have.

The People of Paper (2005) - Salvador Plascencia
Matthew Cheney had some very nice things to say about this one on his blog. That's good enough for me.

The Millennium Problems : The Seven Greatest Unsolved Mathematical Puzzles of Our Time (NF 2002) - Kevin Devlin
Anyone who knows me well is rolling around on the floor laughing hysterically at this point. Like I'm gonna solve one of these.... But I've been reading a few "Math and Science for Morons" books lately and I thought I might enjoy this one.


BOOKS READ

Lisey's Story (2006) - Stephen King
Many people panned King's latest novel, but I think it's very good. In fact, I'd go so far as to put it firmly in King's Top Ten. It's a superb mix of fantasy and reality, something King has always done pretty well, but the emotional impact of Lisey's Story just never lets up. I don't think I've cared this much about a King character since Johnny Valentine Smith in The Dead Zone. You'll read reviews saying that this one's too slow, too touchy-feely, King getting in touch with his feminine side... For what it's worth, I saw it as a lovely tribute to his wife Tabitha.

The Speed of Dark (2002) - Elizabeth Moon
Although there's a good bit of science in this novel, Moon (the mother of an autistic son) focuses mainly on what it's like to be an autistic person trying to make sense of the world. Very moving, very well-written.

What the Dead Know (2007) - Laura Lippman
When I travel outside the Baltimore/Washington area, I'm always stunned at how many people don't know about Laura Lippman, one of today's best mystery writers. What the Dead Know is a stand-alone book (not part of Lippman's Tess Monaghan series) and one of her best.

How to Think Like a Millionaire (NF 1997) – Mark Fisher with Marc Allen
I literally read this while brushing my teeth. (Not all at once; that would be a record.) Really. It's very short. In spite of the title, the book has very little to do with money and more about goal-setting, visualizing success, that sort of thing. Not a bad read. My teeth enjoyed it.

Mississippi Sissy (memoir, 2007) - Kevin Sessums
Kevin Sessums and I both grew up in Forest, Mississippi, but he was a few years older than me, so I didn't really know him very well. This is an outstanding memoir of loss (Kevin and his two siblings lost their parents at an early age) and growing up gay in the Deep South. A bit graphic sexually, but an extremely moving memoir by an outstanding writer.

Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith (NF 2005) - Rob Bell
What does it mean to be a Christian? Bell has some interesting and somewhat controversial things to say on the subject. A good book to read after you've read Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz.

You Don't Love Me Yet (2007) - Jonathan Lethem
A bit of a disappointment. Some good moments, some very funny stuff, but not his strongest. I don't know, maybe he wanted to do something different; he's entitled to that. Motherless Brooklyn and Gun with Occasional Music are two of my all-time favorites - maybe I just set the Lethem bar a little too high.

The Green Glass Sea (YA 2006) - Ellen Klages
An absolutely beautiful book; I loved every page of it. It's the story of two girls living in Los Alamos during WWII. Their parents are scientists who can't talk about their work when they come home, which isn't often. All the girls know is that they're helping to build some type of "gadget." While the adults are building to destroy, Dewey and Suze are building something more important and permanent: friendship. Everything about this book works and it works without being sappy or sentimental. A must-read.

Not a bad month. More next time.

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