Books I Read in September 2008

I got lots of reading done this month and since I've been doing so many serious posts on election issues recently, I need to lighten things up with a major change of subject. So here are the books I read in September:

Leaving Atlanta, by Tayari Jones is a fictional account of the period around 1979-1982 when the Atlanta child killer was at large and murdered 29 African American children. The story is told from the points of view of three fifth-grade classmates. Tayari Jones gives voice to a unique and terrifying period from the perspective of three very different children. Reading as a writer, I was particularly taken by the fact that the author successfully pulled off shifting points of view using third person, first person and even choosing to use the unusual second person for one character. The children's voices were authentic and powerful. This book was frightening, heartbreaking and beautifully written. It was selected as One of the Best Books of the Year in 2004 by the Washington Post. Tayari Jones, also the author of The Untelling (on my TBR stack) is one of my favorite blogging authors and you can read her posts, filled with insights, observations and links to all things literary here.

Man in the Dark, by Paul Auster is the story of 72 year old August Brill. An insomniac and a retired book critic, he is recovering from a car accident at his daughter's house in Vermont. He is immobilized, with two broken legs and is still grieving his wife's death. His middle aged daughter is alone after a painful divorce and his granddaughter has also come to stay after losing her boyfriend to a horrific murder. In order to deal with his insomnia, Brill imagines a parallel world where 9/11 never happened and instead of going to war with Iraq, America is at war with itself as a result of the 2000 election. After reading Man in the Dark (a quick read at 180 pages), I picked up The Brooklyn Follies on the B&N clearance table. Auster, who has written many novels, but was new to me is one of my best finds this year.

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, by Barack Obama is a book I hadn't gotten around to reading until after the nomination. Since the author had his sights on the Presidency when the book was written, it is a detailed vision of his views on our two-party system, values, the Constitution, politics, opportunity, faith, race, the world and family. This book is not quite as personal as the memoir that preceded it by some ten years, but it provides an excellent perspective on how Barack Obama sees the possibilities for our nation -- and I like his views. He's the first politician who has ever inspired me and given me hope, something we sorely need right now.

One Good Turn, by Kate Atkinson is the author's fifth novel, but the first I've read. She's an English author, living in Edinburgh and this is her second mystery featuring a retired police officer, now millionaire. Atkinson has a unique, sardonic voice and the story, told in multiple points of view is packed with eccentric characters. The story is kicked off when a good Samaritan helps the victim of a beating incited by a case of road rage and somehow everyone involved becomes part of the sinister story that follows. To be truthful, I wasn't expecting a mystery, but I just love Atkinson's style. I've got Behind the Scenes at the Museum and Human Croquet on the TBR shelf and will be reading them shortly. To be honest, I'd read an interview with Kate Atkinson before reading any of her work and she seems kind of -- cranky. That appealed to me.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wrobewski has been getting lots of attention, particularly since Oprah selected it for her book club. Fortunately, I was in the middle of reading it when the announcement was made, otherwise my irrational reverse snobbery about popular novels probably would have led me to ignore the book for quite a while. The hype is true and you can read reviews galore on this one, along with the most complimentary blurb -- from Stephen King, no less -- that I have ever read by an established author about a debut novel. A fellow blogger (after seeing me Twitter my enthusiasm while reading the book) Twittered back that the book is "awful" and found a bad review to back up her opinion, so fair warning, not everyone shares my glowing views but overwhelmingly, the book has gotten great reactions. The author (who lives in Colorado) spent over ten years writing this story and then rewriting and revising it. It is an adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, set in early 1970's rural Wisconsin on a small farm where the Sawtelle family raises a fictional breed of dogs. I should also disclose that I love Hamlet and I own three different film adaptations of it on DVD. If the reader was unfamiliar with the story of Hamlet, I have no idea what kind of a reaction he would have to this story, but the prose is undeniably beautiful. I am guilty of being biased toward books for many reasons and I confess to being especially enamored of this one because of the Hamlet connection and because I have such great admiration for this debut author (a software developer by day) who took the time to learn how to write a wonderful story and then made it big. Congratulations to David Wroblewski and his Cinderella story and I hope a second novel will follow -- when he's ready.

The Confessions of Max Tivoli, by Andrew Sean Greer was quite successful and there was a lot to like about it. The plot device is that the main character is born with the physical appearance of an elderly man and he grows older mentally like any other child, but his body appears to age backward and grows younger every year. The tragedy of the story is that Max is able to try to win the heart of the woman he falls in love with at three different times in his life although she never recognizes him for who he is. The book is set in turn of the century San Francisco and the writing is unquestionably beautiful, although the prose is written in a formal, almost stilted fashion so I was somewhat relieved that the book ended when it did. Perhaps my expectations were too high and I've never been a huge fan of historicals so I enjoyed, but did not love this book. The story arc was almost too inevitable and I just wasn't surprised, sympathetic or intrigued enough by Max Tivoli's plight. Andrew Sean Greer is a talented author and his other works aren't written in quite this style. I've got his short story collection, How it Was For Me, his novel The Path of Minor Planets and his newest book, The Story of a Marriage on my TBR shelf and I do look forward to reading them.

Slaughterhouse-Five or the Children's Crusade: A Duty Dance With Death, by Kurt Vonnegut was the audio book I went to sleep to for several nights this month. Vonnegut's words, as read by Ethan Hawke were oddly, the perfect bedtime story. From the Audible website: "Kurt Vonnegut's absurdist classic Slaughterhouse-Five introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes 'unstuck in time' after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. In a plot-scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all phases of his life, concentrating on his (and Vonnegut's) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of Dresden." I had never read this book and I just loved it. I think the firebombing of Dresden was an event that really defined Kurt Vonnegut, and for good reason. Incredibly, it's a chapter of World War II that most people don't seem to know much about, although the destruction allied bombing caused to civilian men, women and children could be said to have rivaled that in Hiroshima or Nagasaki.

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By next month, I hope to have finished Dreams From My Father, by Barack Obama. I was about 250 pages into it when Scott happened to pick it up and commented that he'd really like to read it -- so I'll finish it after he does. This memoir was written in 1995 when Obama was selected as the first African American President of the Harvard Law Review and it provides a very personal perspective into who this man is. If he hadn't become a politician, he would have had a successful career as a novelist. He's an excellent writer.

Tomorrow night is the Vice Presidential debate, so we'll be in front of the TV with popcorn and Twizzlers because there's really no telling what we're going to see, but it will certainly be historic.

Despite any political differences we may have, there lots of amazing bloggers in our online community. If you haven't already, please take a look at Moonrat's raffle to help a friend in need and Travis Erwin's very noble cause to help spread literacy.

I would promise to exclusively get back to my regularly scheduled posts about books and writing, but this election is just too important. I want to share what I learn about the issues here in the hope that some of it may be helpful to others and in the hope that it might generate some discussion. And hey -- I'm pretty proud of us. So far, despite the number of issues related posts, we've all been civil and that's a great thing. Thank you for that and remember that no matter how wound up we get about the politics, this is what's important.

And now -- with all the heaviness of the news of the world behind us, PLEASE share something positive! What have YOU been reading lately? Has anybody read any of the books I listed and if so, would you care to comment on them? Seen any good movies? Heard any uplifting anecdotes? Get any good news? What keeps you going?