I’m going to start a new recurring column today. Nick Hornby used to have a monthly column in which he would discuss the books he bought and read over the past month with no real structure other than that consideration. As my dream is to have Nick Hornby’s career I’ll just steal the idea straight out. I’ll also mention the format of the books as that may play a role in some cases. Anyway, here is January 2011.
Books Purchased:
“Gunn’s Golden Rules” by Tim Gunn with Ada Calhoun (Physical)
“An Object of Beauty” by Steve Martin (Kindle)
Books Read:
“The Childless Revolution” by Madelyn Cain (Physical)
“The Power and the Glory” by Graham Greene (Physical)
“Gunn’s Golden Rules” by Tim Gunn with Ada Calhoun (Physical)
“An Object of Beauty” by Steve Martin (Kindle)
Month in Review:
I started tracking every book I read in 1998. Technically that wasn’t even the start of my keeping track of what I have read. I have had since high school a copy of the Cliff Notes of Catcher in the Rye in which I faithfully check off on the back every book that I have read which have Cliff Notes available. At one point I even said I was going to read every book on the back of Cliff Notes in alphabetical order but then quickly realized that was probably a sign of a mental condition that I should not publicize. Even in grade school I had a list of books that were considered proper reading for my age and I would mark those off as well. Some people read for pleasure, I seem to read out of a need to check off items on a list.
I mention this because when I started keeping track in 1998 I gave myself a list of three criteria that I must meet every year. One was to read a Shakespeare play, which is typically done in December. Another was to read a book by a female author, which I must sadly admit was often met by reading the latest edition of Harry Potter. And one was to read a book that was challenging and literary, which was typically done in January because it was cold and I had nothing better to do than sit inside and read.
This year the challenge book was “The Power and the Glory”, which took me several tries over several years to read. Some books simply don’t grab you right away if you are not in the right frame of mind. This book with its languid start and focus on a nameless priest creates a slight struggle for the reader until the story engulfs you and you must continue forward, which is basically the same as the plot. It is always amazing when a writer can use the very nature of his words to create the same environment that the protagonist is experiencing.
In this case, an alcoholic priest in Mexico in the early 20th century is being hunted down by the government as it has banned the Catholic church and he is the last priest in his state. Greene details his struggles as the flawed man tries to do the right thing even when he doesn’t know what that is. It is a wonderful book that makes you think while still having a wonderful cinematic quality to it (which makes sense as Greene would go on to write the screenplay for The Third Man). It took me a long time to understand this book but I am glad I made the effort.
Another book that made me think this month was “The Childless Revolution” by Madelyn Cain, which examines what it means in American society for a woman to be childless. As more and more couples choose not to have children or wait until later to try to have children there has entered a rather quiet but important demographic of women who do not have children and the view of society towards them is changing and will need to change. Essentially, there is a portion of society that still feels as though a woman must be a mother while in reality a woman may not become one due to choice or chance or happenstance. It’s a fascinating look at the question of what defines us and made me rethink a lot of my view of the subject.
Not all books cause you to think that deeply as “Gunn’s Golden Rules” provides Tim Gunn from Project Runway as your life coach. As someone who has been forced to go through career coaching before I can guarantee you that I would prefer to have Tim Gunn over anyone else mainly because he could give me fashion advice while gossiping about Heidi Klum. His coaching advice can best be described as “Be nice, be polite, and always go with the Empire waist.” Do with it what you will.
Finally, while I read mainly paper books this month I did read Steve Martin’s latest novel on the Kindle, which usually isn’t that big of a deal for me. I like the Kindle and read faster on it and it is the best thing in the world for travel. However, his novel is about art with numerous pictures of paintings and I am guessing that they were never meant to be reproduced in black and white on a computer screen. I would not say that it is one of his best novels (The Pleasure of my Company is much better) but he has a rather stunning writing style. His books read as though you are sitting next to him in an oversized chair slowly drinking scotch. It is languid and precise and while nothing big happens you always feel the need to find out what happens next.
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