Thursday, February 23, 2012

Books of Note

Blogging is not for the faint of heart.  Or the extremely busy and/or emotionally spent.
But I'm blogging and working on a tumblr- more on that adventure later and when it's ready.  I'm writing and it's slow going but it's going.  Writing a book is hard.  Even when they write themselves, it's harder than it looks.  I've been going to my neighbor and friend's apartment 2 floors up to work.  He's an award winning, charming and talented illustrator on a huge deadline and I am none of those things- well, on occasion I too can be charming.  I'm reading a lot which is important and in my world, counts for a lot.  I'm watching less TV, poking around the internet more and trying to figure out how to do what I need to do to inhabit my life like a well-moisturized skin.

I've given up Facebook for Lent.  Innocents and journalists are getting bombed to death in Syria.  Life is not freaking easy, is it?

Here's a list of books I have read since I was last here...



A GOOD HARD LOOK by Ann Napolitano

Tore me a new heart right from the center of my chest.  Flannery O'Connor. Peacocks.  Writing. Death. Parenting.  It talked about all the things I long for and fear with great wisdom and beautiful writing.  I'm still gutted by it.













SOME GIRLS ARE by Courtney Summers

What took me so long to read this book?  It was amazing and visceral and well written about a girl you are supposed to hate, but can't. Great!









THE BRIEF AND WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO by Junot Diaz

I put off reading this forever.  I live in Washington Heights and this book made me connect with my neighborhood, boys,  and life in general in a whole new way.  This book.  I want to read it AGAIN and I never say that about anything.  I love him.












BLUEPRINTS FOR BUILDING BETTER GIRLS by Elissa Schapplle

I forgot how short stories are like shooting heroin.  Not that I have ever shot heroin but, each connected story went right into my cerebral cortex and stayed there.   These girls and women are tough and weak the writing did things to you without your realizing it.  Must read must read must read.





ONE OF THOSE HIDEOUS BOOKS WHERE THE MOTHER DIES by Sonya Sones

A YA book in VERSE!  Not usually a big fan of those but loved this one's humor and breeziness.  It got banned all over the place and I still can't see why.  The gay dads?  So loving and benign. Fun stuff and worth a read.