One year for Father’s Day, back in the 80s, my brother bought tickets to a Dodgers game for my dad, the two of us, our half-brother (product of my dad’s second marriage/reverse vasectomy) and my son. It was a sweet thing he did, taking Dad, all his progeny, and his only grandchild out for such a wholesome, dadly kind of outing. He’s always doing things like that.
I brought a book, of course. Can’t abide baseball.
At one point, my brother looked over at me and (affectionately) said that no matter where we were or what we were doing, I’d had my face in a book for his entire life.
Well, that hasn’t changed. And I’ve read so many amazing books this year (many recommended by Vincent), that I decided I should start sharing. So I created a new LitRicher category (look in the sidebar). I’ve gone through and added some older book- and poetry-related posts to the category, so if you’re looking for a recommendation, click it and you’ll see ‘em all.
For now, these are the books I’ve read in the last month or so:
- Prodigal Summer (Barbara Kingsolver): Magnificent book. If you have green leanings, a sense of your connection to all living things, and a heart, this book is for you. If you don’t, read it anyway and maybe you’ll have an epiphany. This is only the second book of hers I’ve read. The first was The Poisonwood Bible, which I read years ago, also amazing. I’ve decided to read all of her novels.
- Spook Country (William Gibson): Cyberpunk genre, high-tech espionage/whodunit kinda stuff. A real page turner, great story, but I liked Pattern Recognition more. Gibson has a way with language.
- Mendel’s Dwarf (Simon Mawer): Not your ordinary novel. Protagonist is a geneticist and a dwarf who searches for meaning and the gene that controls his dwarfism. Mawer weaves highlights of the life of Gregor Mendel (a distant relative of the protagonist) into the story and, throughout the novel, he works in a discussion of scientific ethics, especially with regard to eugenics. There’s love, lust, and all the other stuff of life. Poignant and powerful. Not in the least bit maudlin.
Stay tuned, fellow bookworms. And by all means, share your recommendations!
*Shakespeare, Hamlet