Thomas Mullen of The Last Town of Earth brings us a new novel full of high drama, car chases, and mystery set during the Great Depression. This was a GREAT read.
Read my review at the AJC here.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Berlin, Summer 1945
Berlin, summer of 1945 was a nightmare. Despite the notion that the Germans deserved it, one has to have a little sympathy for their experience at the end. By June, the majority of the people left in Berlin were women, and the Soviets - in retribution for St. Petersburg among other German atrocities - marched into the city, raped as many women as they could find, including the pregnant ones, and pillaged as many homes, businesses, and other establishments as possible. By then of course, no one was a Nazi (convenient, right), so everyone was an innocent victim of Hitler's egotistical malfeasance and the Soviets' penchant for plunder. When the Americans and British arrived in the city, a degree of normalcy entered the picture - the rape and pillaging slowed down a bit and the city was divided into zones to governed by the individual Allied forces. Food was brought in, and the process of rebuilding commenced.
Two books that I read recently focus on this eventful summer from two different perspectives: A Woman in Berlin and Joseph Kanon's The Good German.
A Woman in Berlin is a journal kept by an anonymous woman during three weeks at the beginning of the summer 1945 in Berlin, between when the Soviets marched into the city and the Americans and British arrived. Her journal chronicles her efforts to find food, dodge the bombings, and keep as far away from the Soviets as possible, which proved to be difficult. She was a journalist who spent some time in Russia, so she knows the a little of the language and uses this to her advantage. It is inevitable that she will be forced into relations with a Russian, so rather than waiting for one of the carousing foot soldiers to choose her, she enters into a relationship with an officer and then a major to create some control over her horrible circumstances. They are not unkind to her, bring her food, and keep the other Soviet men away from her, so her situation is better than many, but it's still deplorable.
The fascination of this journal lies not only the version of historical events that it allows us to peer into, but also in the way that it is written. This woman is clearly a talented writer and a shrewd observer of humanity. In one fail swoop, we find out about small, human events like the chatter in the bomb shelter and then are led to see a man in the street below wheeling the dead in a cart. In the end, when her boyfriend returns to her and the rape and pillaging stop with the arrival of the other Allied forces, we are forced to understand the true tragedy of her experience: her tactics for survival have made her completely unsuitable to her boyfriend who blames her (and himself) for her relations with the Russians. There is no winner here, no happy resolution, just a series of horrible circumstances and shattered lives. Unfortunately, she provides little insight into what the German mind thinks about the end of the war, and it would have been fascinating had she offered some thoughts about the average German thought about the end of Nazi rule.
I have to run and put dinner on - rosemary chicken with potatoes..yum - so I'll finish The Good German review tomorrow, if I'm not at the hospital having a baby....
Two books that I read recently focus on this eventful summer from two different perspectives: A Woman in Berlin and Joseph Kanon's The Good German.
A Woman in Berlin is a journal kept by an anonymous woman during three weeks at the beginning of the summer 1945 in Berlin, between when the Soviets marched into the city and the Americans and British arrived. Her journal chronicles her efforts to find food, dodge the bombings, and keep as far away from the Soviets as possible, which proved to be difficult. She was a journalist who spent some time in Russia, so she knows the a little of the language and uses this to her advantage. It is inevitable that she will be forced into relations with a Russian, so rather than waiting for one of the carousing foot soldiers to choose her, she enters into a relationship with an officer and then a major to create some control over her horrible circumstances. They are not unkind to her, bring her food, and keep the other Soviet men away from her, so her situation is better than many, but it's still deplorable.
The fascination of this journal lies not only the version of historical events that it allows us to peer into, but also in the way that it is written. This woman is clearly a talented writer and a shrewd observer of humanity. In one fail swoop, we find out about small, human events like the chatter in the bomb shelter and then are led to see a man in the street below wheeling the dead in a cart. In the end, when her boyfriend returns to her and the rape and pillaging stop with the arrival of the other Allied forces, we are forced to understand the true tragedy of her experience: her tactics for survival have made her completely unsuitable to her boyfriend who blames her (and himself) for her relations with the Russians. There is no winner here, no happy resolution, just a series of horrible circumstances and shattered lives. Unfortunately, she provides little insight into what the German mind thinks about the end of the war, and it would have been fascinating had she offered some thoughts about the average German thought about the end of Nazi rule.
I have to run and put dinner on - rosemary chicken with potatoes..yum - so I'll finish The Good German review tomorrow, if I'm not at the hospital having a baby....
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Alex Reader, Kirkus, and Bookify
1. Alex Reader made a deal with Google to feature Google Books for download. I think this could be super cool, especially since Google will shortly have every book ever published (that it can find) in its catalog...or isn't that the plan? If the Alex Reader is allowed to access all that, I might eat curried book and buy myself an e-reader.
2. Kirkus isn't dead yet. According to PW Daily, Kirkus has announced that they are working on an arrangement with an acquiring company and that they will continue to publish - at least for January 2010. The next edition should hit stands late January, and they will see "how things go" for February. At this point, all publishing houses are encouraged to "begin sending galleys to the appropriate editors immediately."
3. A Guardian blog entry presents a wonderful idea to re-invigorate the book industry. This notion is so cool, I think someone needs to jump on it and make it happen. I'd do it, but I'm barely able to move my mouse around the mouse pad, let alone build a site. I'm better with pen and paper.
2. Kirkus isn't dead yet. According to PW Daily, Kirkus has announced that they are working on an arrangement with an acquiring company and that they will continue to publish - at least for January 2010. The next edition should hit stands late January, and they will see "how things go" for February. At this point, all publishing houses are encouraged to "begin sending galleys to the appropriate editors immediately."
3. A Guardian blog entry presents a wonderful idea to re-invigorate the book industry. This notion is so cool, I think someone needs to jump on it and make it happen. I'd do it, but I'm barely able to move my mouse around the mouse pad, let alone build a site. I'm better with pen and paper.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Bookin' it in 2010
Favorite books of 2009 and reading resolutions have filled the book blog world this week, and I was thinking about adding my extensive thoughts about these things to the maddening din and then decided that I really only have one resolution and don’t want to actually list out all the books I’ve read this year – which comes to a shameful 57 and 4 of them are the Twilight series. Yikes.
This year may not actually be any better on the number of books front – what with a new baby on the way – but there is one resolution I’d like to make and keep, which is to actually BLOG (imagine that) about ALL the books that I read. I often spend so much time trying to come up with something substantive to say that by the time I have determined my substantive thought, the drive to share it has flown the coop. Perhaps this resolution will also bring about a slightly higher frequency of blog posting, which I’m sure my loyal readers will appreciate.
With that, I sign off, but plan to return tomorrow – barring debut of baby – with a few thoughts about Elizabeth Kostova’s newest book, The Swan Thieves.
This year may not actually be any better on the number of books front – what with a new baby on the way – but there is one resolution I’d like to make and keep, which is to actually BLOG (imagine that) about ALL the books that I read. I often spend so much time trying to come up with something substantive to say that by the time I have determined my substantive thought, the drive to share it has flown the coop. Perhaps this resolution will also bring about a slightly higher frequency of blog posting, which I’m sure my loyal readers will appreciate.
With that, I sign off, but plan to return tomorrow – barring debut of baby – with a few thoughts about Elizabeth Kostova’s newest book, The Swan Thieves.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Simon Mawer's The Glass Room
I finished Mawer's The Glass Room last week before the paper torrent of Christmas began, and it's taken me this long to get to a point where I felt that I had something substantive to stay. This book is tremendous and has stuck in my mind, teasing me with different interpretations and meanings, since I closed the last page.Set before, during, and after World War II, The Glass Room is a story of a family and their beautiful modern house. It is also the story of love lost, love found, horrible circumstances, close-mindedness and the desire to live life as one chooses. At the center of this tale are the Landauers, a wealthy and visionary couple who attempt to create a new, fresh future through the creation of a modern house. They meet their architect on their honeymoon and the ideas architect Von Abt has about architecture – the structure of space, the purpose of buildings – correspond to the Landauers world view. When the house is built, the focal point quickly becomes the glass room, a giant open space enclosed on the front by large plates of glass. They can see the city below them, but the glass room is a completely separate area, a space that speaks directly to the spirit and the best of humankind. Not everyone understands the glass room or are able to appreciate it, but when the fading rays of daylight light up the onyx wall and the room seems on fire, the glass room becomes full of possibility, full of a beauty that cannot be denied.
When Europe falls apart during WWII, the Landauers are forced to leave and the house is passed from owner to owner, as the Nazis and then the Soviets struggle with what to do with such an unconventional building. This modern house is a promise for a future that will never come, as WWII makes clear, and to be in its presence is to come face to face with the disillusionment of pre-war dreams.
Revolving around the glass room are the stories of the Landauers, their friends, and the people who inhabit the house after the Landauers leave. Though the characters are absorbing and vibrant in their lives and loves, the main character is the glass room itself, as it acts as a mirror, oracle, and reminder of disappointment to the various people who come into contact with it.
Shortlisted for the 2009 Mann Booker Prize, this is not a book to be missed. Mawer’s subtle characterization and brilliant evocation of a changing world makes this a must read.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Ten Awful Truths About Book Publishing
So. I thought I'd continue the dreariness of yesterday with even more dreariness. (It's nasty outside, so we have sympathetic nature with us.) I've always thought it was better to face facts head on, and the book publishing situation is grim, but it's better to know, right? Reading this list makes one realize just how amazing books like The Help have actually done.
Scribd lists Ten Awful Truths About Book Publishing. If you still want to write a novel after reading these, then you're probably meant to.
Scribd lists Ten Awful Truths About Book Publishing. If you still want to write a novel after reading these, then you're probably meant to.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
To Buy or Not to Buy...Books
This just in from Publisher’s Weekly:
According to a new survey from Bowker’s PubTrack, book buyers are cutting their book purchasing by a third this season and are tending to buy less expensive books when they do make a purchase. According to the survey released on Tuesday, Americans have reduced their book purchases by 34%, and 19% are either buying more used books or swapping books with others. Others are only buying books sold at a deep discount or waiting for hardbacks to come out in soft cover. Also, consumers are not buying books as an alternative form of entertainment, which is a direct contrast to the hope that they might.
I’ve massively cut down on my book buying since last year – ever since I discovered that my library system ROCKS. Yet, I do wonder sometimes if I should buy new releases as a sign of support for the industry, but it gets really expensive, and I’m not sure I’m going to love the books. Now, I’ve developed a system where I filter my book choices through the library, and if I like the book and figure I’ll read it again (which I usually do), then I’ll put it on my list to purchase. I’ve also decided that all the books – if I can help it – that I buy from now on will be in hardcover. I realized that I would have to do this after I had a conversation with my dad – who collects first editions – and was enlightened by the fact that soft covers only last about 40 years. I’m almost 30, and I’m going to want my library in my golden years. How upset will I be if my arthritic hands have to battle busted spines and splitting pages from years of sitting in my attic room? It’s really too much of a tragedy to contemplate, so I’m making the switch to hard covers. They have a longer shelf life.
What are your book buying habits?
According to a new survey from Bowker’s PubTrack, book buyers are cutting their book purchasing by a third this season and are tending to buy less expensive books when they do make a purchase. According to the survey released on Tuesday, Americans have reduced their book purchases by 34%, and 19% are either buying more used books or swapping books with others. Others are only buying books sold at a deep discount or waiting for hardbacks to come out in soft cover. Also, consumers are not buying books as an alternative form of entertainment, which is a direct contrast to the hope that they might.
I’ve massively cut down on my book buying since last year – ever since I discovered that my library system ROCKS. Yet, I do wonder sometimes if I should buy new releases as a sign of support for the industry, but it gets really expensive, and I’m not sure I’m going to love the books. Now, I’ve developed a system where I filter my book choices through the library, and if I like the book and figure I’ll read it again (which I usually do), then I’ll put it on my list to purchase. I’ve also decided that all the books – if I can help it – that I buy from now on will be in hardcover. I realized that I would have to do this after I had a conversation with my dad – who collects first editions – and was enlightened by the fact that soft covers only last about 40 years. I’m almost 30, and I’m going to want my library in my golden years. How upset will I be if my arthritic hands have to battle busted spines and splitting pages from years of sitting in my attic room? It’s really too much of a tragedy to contemplate, so I’m making the switch to hard covers. They have a longer shelf life.
What are your book buying habits?
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