I finished reading about the good people of Holt, the fictionalized western Kansas town, that is the setting of Benediction. A quiet story that was mostly very good. But some of the characters felt wooden. The preacher in particular was pure caricature. Annoyingly so. I felt like I was being schooled at times. Not complex enough for me to be head-over-heels I'm afraid, but still worthy of a read.
I like to feel overcome by a story. For certain lines to feel so urgent, so alive, I have to stop and write them down. And keep close. I didn't feel that way even once during Benediction, even though there were some outstanding scenes. Your mileage may vary.
Now I'm starting either Nightwoods or So Brave, So Young, and So Handsome.
Sink your teeth into anything good lately?
I thoughtv the scene when they bathed in the watering troughs was quite sublime
I’m with Beth. “Wild” is so so good and I’m only 100 pages in; already planning a re-read so I can highlight the best bits. I can’t slow down enough yet to grab the highlighter!
I read Candace Walsh’s Licking The Spoon recently and loved it. It’s a memoir about relationships and food.
Just finished Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. Amazing. Am now moving on to one of her other books.
I second the suggestion of Pat Conroy’s, Prince of Tides. Some of the most lyrical prose I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Right up there at the top of my all time favorite books that include, To Kill A Mockingbird, Remembering Blue, by Connie May Fowler.
I’m still in the midst of reading Jo Nesbo’s, The Redbreast, the author is one of my favorite mystery writers who never fails to keep me in suspense right up to the very last unexpected plot twist. His character, Harry Hole endears me to him by his human failings, his sharp mind.
Benediction is right….You’re in the Cathedral of Yosemite, complete with soaring heights and flying buttresses. It makes you want to whisper.
I am listening to Isabel Allende’s Daughter of Fortune. I only recently started listening to books while commuting. At first it was disorienting and I had trouble driving and listening at the same time, I wanted to look at the CD player as if that would give me greater comprehension. This particular affectation is bewildering as I can listen to music no problem, carry on a conversation, put on mascara, text, make phone calls, eat chili with a fork, smack the kids, yell at the dog, and give the ahole who cut in front of me the finger….all at the same time. I am the ultimate multitasker. But, I must have missed out on the gene that allows one to listen to a story while driving. I am getting better though. Any suggestions for books on tape? BTW, Daughter of Fortune is okay on tape, but the narrator makes the Chinese man sound like the Englishman who sounds like the Chilean female servant.
In response to the reader rec of Pat Conroy, I will say that his “Prince of Tides” is on my list of the three books I’d take to the moon. Magnificent, lyrical prose.
But may I recommend that you take a different path and leap into Flannery Oconnor? She died of Lupus in her late thirties, and lived on her southern farm with her mother, raising peacocks and writing southern gothic novels. Her letters (“The Habit of Being”) are another of my moontrio books. She was/is an amazing creative being, her prose is splendid, and her characters are purely transcendent.
Mary Anne,
Have you ever read Pat Conroy? His ‘Beach Music’ is so beautifully written. It’s been around for a while, but truly one of my favorites. His latest was a book on what to read and everything he has read that helped shape his life. It’s awesome, too! Hope you are having a lovely time in the mountains. You are having your true ‘benediction’ among all that beauty. Sister’s are great! My sister and I are heading to Monhegan Island, Maine in October for a week. You would love it. No vehicles, 10 miles off the coast accessible only by ferry and an artists colony (N.C. Wyeth, Jamie Wyeth, Edward Hopper, etc…). Hugs!
Wild, from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed….awesome…
Have you read “The Lost Garden” by Helen Humphreys? (She’s Canadian, don’t ya know?) Very poetically written, I kept wanting to highlight passages so I could go back and savour the words. Might have to re-read it and do so (it’s a pretty quick read).
Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book in audio, read by author. It touches me to tears very time.
I read Plainsong on your recommendation (I think) but didn’t care for it. Yes, kind of wooden.
I’m reading Elliot Perlman’s The Street Sweeper. Just fabulous. He is perhaps my favorite contemporary author. Read his Seven Types of Ambiguity several years ago, also excellent.
xo
i am currently sinking my eyes into The Priciples of Uncertainty by Maira Kalman; it is mostly art with some writing. I think you would enjoy it.