The New York Times recently highlighted 100 notable books of 2006 from their review archives. A few observations:
- I have read exactly none of them. I choose to think this says more about my preference for waiting for the cheaper paperback version, or for my name to float to the top of the library’s months-long queues, than it says about my relevance as a consumer of contemporary literature.
- I was pleased to see Stephen King’s latest, Lisey’s Story, make the list. He is so often denigrated as a populist writer, but I’d give my eyeteeth to be able to write like he does. I’m currently about 60 pages into Cell, his penultimate book, and after reading the NYT’s review for Lisey’s Story, and especially this paragraph, I don’t think I’m going to be able to hold out until it comes out in paperback:
In a 1993 essay, King wrote: ”The question which haunts and nags and won’t completely let go is this one: Who am I when I write?” The same question lies at the heart of his new novel. Scott Landon, the fragile, prize-winning novelist at the book’s core, answers it like this: ”I am crazy. I have delusions and visions. … I write them down and people pay me to read them.” In ”Lisey’s Story,” King once again finds terror in the creative act, but for the first time he sees beauty there, too.
- Apparently, if you’re going to write a successful non-fiction book, you have to use a colon in your title. Forty-four out of fifty of the notable non-fiction books can’t be wrong.
- I’ve just added seven new books to my request list with the Ottawa Public Library.
What have you read recently that’s worth recommending?
I’m very excited! I read not one but TWO of those fiction books (new library that doesn’t put the new stuff on hold for the first year).
Interesting thing about the colon in the non-fiction titles. It was popularized by an author named Mark Kurlansky, who wrote a terribly popular (for non-fiction) book called “Salt: A World History” in 2002. It was so popular that the majority of non-fiction books the next year had a colon, and now it’s almost all the important ones.
It was so prevalent, CBC radio did a special piece on the power of the colon on an issue of “The Arts Today”.
Nice.
I’m very excited! I read not one but TWO of those fiction books (new library that doesn’t put the new stuff on hold for the first year).
Interesting thing about the colon in the non-fiction titles. It was popularized by an author named Mark Kurlansky, who wrote a terribly popular (for non-fiction) book called “Salt: A World History” in 2002. It was so popular that the majority of non-fiction books the next year had a colon, and now it’s almost all the important ones.
It was so prevalent, CBC radio did a special piece on the power of the colon on an issue of “The Arts Today”.
Nice.
I haven’t read any of those books, but I did buy one of them for Mr. LS for Christmas. The United States of Arugula. It’s right up his alley. He also read Salt, mentioned above.
I like anything that Joanne Harris has written. Five Quarters of the Orange is a particular favorite.
I haven’t read any of those books, but I did buy one of them for Mr. LS for Christmas. The United States of Arugula. It’s right up his alley. He also read Salt, mentioned above.
I like anything that Joanne Harris has written. Five Quarters of the Orange is a particular favorite.
I’m just about to start Suite Francaise which made it on that list!
As for recent favorites:
The Other Boleyn Girl and now the Boleyn Inheritance by Philipa Gregorey
the Birth House by Ami MacKay (a cnadian author)
the Last Friend by Tahar ben Jalloun (moroccan author)
is tath diverse enough for you?
I’m just about to start Suite Francaise which made it on that list!
As for recent favorites:
The Other Boleyn Girl and now the Boleyn Inheritance by Philipa Gregorey
the Birth House by Ami MacKay (a cnadian author)
the Last Friend by Tahar ben Jalloun (moroccan author)
is tath diverse enough for you?
Any book of mine that has ever sold well has had a colon. Maybe we will start seeing multi-colon titles. Or titles with all kinds of weird punctuation. Exclamation marks! Dashes — semi-colons; and heaven knows what else. Or maybe someone will go for a minimalist title/punctuation effect and write a book called
.
Nah. That would be too hard to catalogue.
Any book of mine that has ever sold well has had a colon. Maybe we will start seeing multi-colon titles. Or titles with all kinds of weird punctuation. Exclamation marks! Dashes — semi-colons; and heaven knows what else. Or maybe someone will go for a minimalist title/punctuation effect and write a book called
.
Nah. That would be too hard to catalogue.
I am currently reading The Glass Castle: A Memoir, by Jeanette Walls. It is very good. And look – it has a colon in the title!!
Getting The Other Boleyn Girl for Christmas…
I am currently reading The Glass Castle: A Memoir, by Jeanette Walls. It is very good. And look – it has a colon in the title!!
Getting The Other Boleyn Girl for Christmas…
I too am a waiter when it comes to new books.
Most recently I read Phillipa Gregory’s “The Other Boleyn Girl” and couldn’t put it down. I just finished “The Kite Runner” last night and though was shaken by the book through its entirety, will probably re-read it because it was so fascinating. Another notable is “The Girls” by Lori Lansens – really interesting narrator dynamic in that one. Those are my three most recent reads that I would recommend. The holidays are coming and between cooking and visiting, I’m sure we’ll all get a moment to curl up with a good book for at least 5 minutes!
I too am a waiter when it comes to new books.
Most recently I read Phillipa Gregory’s “The Other Boleyn Girl” and couldn’t put it down. I just finished “The Kite Runner” last night and though was shaken by the book through its entirety, will probably re-read it because it was so fascinating. Another notable is “The Girls” by Lori Lansens – really interesting narrator dynamic in that one. Those are my three most recent reads that I would recommend. The holidays are coming and between cooking and visiting, I’m sure we’ll all get a moment to curl up with a good book for at least 5 minutes!
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell. Chilling.
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell. Chilling.