Saturday, January 9, 2010

Playing Catch Up, Part II




Wow, has it really been 6 months since we posted anything? Bad bloggers...BAD bloggers!!!

While David and I decide what to read in 2010, I thought I might give a shout out to a couple of books I read over the holidays on my own.

1. Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon. This is, without a doubt, the best book I read in 2009. A collection of 3 distinct and separate stories, Reply is a study of the meaning of identity, disguised as a thriller. The novel begins with a severed hand and a frantic rush to the hospital and doesn't let up until the dizzying last 50 pages. I was so amazed at the way Chaon's climax tied the three stories together ( one concerning a man's quest for his missing twin, a second following the life of a college dropout who is reunited with his birth father, and a third tale of a high school graduate fleeing her small town with the History teacher), that I ended up re-reading the book to try and pick out the clues Chaon drops throughout the book. It is in hardcover right now, but if price is an issue, the trade paperback will be out in June, just in time for some beach reading.

2. Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon. As I was telling Dave just this morning, I forget how much I like Michael Chabon until I read one of his books, and then I fall in love all over again. Chabon LOVES language and his works are peppered with very lovingly crafted sentences, supported by extravagant words. Sometimes that can get in the way of a good story, but not with Wonder Boys. I had seen the film not too long ago. I remember enjoying it. My friend (we'll call him James Leer) is a Robert Downey Jr. fanatic, so he had seen the film, but had no idea it was based on a book. We decided to read it together. I was surprised at how well the film had followed the book, with one notable exclusion (Grady Tripp's passover dinner with estranged in-laws). Although I could not help but picture Toby Maguire in the James Leer role, all of the other characters took on a life and appearance quite different than their screen counterparts. I attribute this to Chabon's descriptive writing and a healthy dose of my overactive imagination. 2 days after finishing this book, Netflix delivered The Mysteries of Pittsburgh to my doorstep. Another film adaptation of a Chabon book, Mysteries reaffirmed the love for Chabon's work that will always live in my soul.