Welcome to this week’s blog. Here’s our roundup of your comments and photos from last week.
Let’s start with a cheering story about the benefits of education, from gavernism:
The strangest thing. In order to try to get my son to read a book he must finish before the end of holiday for his GCSEs I offered to “share his pain” and said we would read it and discuss it simultaneously.
We agreed that we would read 100 pages then chat. As I began to read the book I became utterly engrossed in it and couldn’t put it down. I not only became immersed in the whole thing but almost felt the author and characters were there with me as I read. I finally understood why people are obsessed with this book and its author who I would love to have met.
Wearily I went to my son expecting him to say it was boring to him, but he said he actually found it fascinating and we chatted about it for a good few hours yesterday. What occurred to me is that I might never have read it but for a serendipitous series of events e.g. the book being on my son’s syllabus, me wanting to find a way to motivate him.
The book: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and yes, dear reader, after meaning to read it for 20 years, I finished it.
On the subject of unexpected pleasures, ChronicExpat has enjoyed Andrew Shaffer’s political fan-fiction thriller, Hope Never Dies, “starring that famous crime-fighting duo, Barak Obama and Joe Biden”:
The big news is ... it isn’t terrible. It’s really pretty good. Weird, but good.
Is the story strong enough to stand on its own minus the Obama-Biden detective team? Ummmmm .... probably not. But then, if you’re not already a fan of this particular dynamic duo, you’re not going to read Hope Never Dies anyway so the quality of the plot is probably a moot point. Assuming you’re a fan, the story is good enough to keep you reading, there are lots of inspiring quotes (lifted from previous writings, speeches and interviews from the two protagonists) and plenty of humour as well. If you’re fond of these guys and miss them, if the grim reality of present-day politics is getting you down, then don’t write this book off. You just might get a kick out of it.
Elsewhere, Carlily recommends David Vann’s Legend Of A Suicide:
I thought this was superb. It is a series of short stories all considering the relationship between a boy and his father, and his father’s suicide, mostly set in the Alaskan wilderness. It is beautifully written; the descriptions of the landscape and the mental states of the characters entwine to create such a compelling and claustrophobic atmosphere. Although the subject is harrowing and horrifying, it is in places incredibly tender. And the central story is just a masterpiece in tension.
Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House In The Big Woods has been a “highlight” for Malunkey:
Beautifully written and perfectly capturing the perspective of a small child, the book describes the lives of Pa and Ma and Laura and her sisters Mary and baby Carrie in their little house in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, back in the storied time when bears and panthers roamed the woods. Deeply nostalgic for some essence her own childhood and that of her parents, Laura Ingalls Wilder recreates an impossible paradise made up of deprivation, endurance, wilderness, love and music... A short book, it’s witty and charming and informative.
Finally, John Banville’s Mrs Osmond, “his exquisitely written ‘sequel’ to Henry James’ Portrait Of A Lady”, is proust’s book of the year (so far):
This novel is a joy, which Portrait of a Lady enthusiasts must read. It is not a comedic pastiche or parody of James (although there are many laugh out loud instances of Jamesian ironies and observations). What a brilliant writer Banville is. This is a triumph.
That makes it sound wonderful.
Interesting links about books and reading
- I think this is probably heresy: “There’s not a single bookshelf in my apartment.”
- Tessa Hadley answers 20 questions.
- When VS Naipaul didn’t quite meet George Lucas.
- NPR readers decide on their 100 favourite horror stories.
If you’re on Instagram, now you can share your reads with us on : simply tag your posts with the hashtag #GuardianBooks, and we’ll include a selection in this blog. Happy reading!
