April 29, 2007
Florida is nice. At least as nice as I remember it. I haven’t been back in a year and a half and it’s still hot as hell. Humid. Mom told me that the twenty-seventh was probably the hottest day of the year. I can believe that. Eighty-four degrees and humid.
I’ve collected three new books so far: James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces. David McCullough’s 1776. Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls. I started A Million Little Pieces last night and I’m tearing through it. It’s dark. And funny. I wonder why people pissed and moaned about Frey making up—embellishing?—parts of the book. It doesn’t change anything. It’s still a damn good book.
I found a stack of books I’d given to my mom several years ago and I wonder why she never read them. Donna Tartt’s The Secret History. Jonathan Franzken’s The Corrections. Michel Faber’s The Crimson Petal and the White. There are a lot more, but I can’t remember, off the top of my head, what else was in the shelf. I’ll read The Crimson Petal and the White. I never finished it. I remember enjoying it so I’m not sure why I didn’t finish it. It had a very Dickensian feel to it. It’s one of those books that stays with you.
I haven’t been able to get back into Orhan Pamuk’s My Name Is Red. I’d misplaced it and wasn’t able to read it over the last two weeks. Maybe the time, at least for now, has passed. Or maybe it’s because A Million Little Pieces is so compelling that it overshadows any other books I’m reading. In any case, I’ll wait a bit before picking it up again. Maybe I’ll just start over. I didn’t get very far with it—seventy-five pages.
It’s so damn hot.
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1.
Stefanie | April 30, 2007 at 6:00 am
When it’s hot there is nothing else to do except stay inside an air conditioned room and read. Which is sounds like you are doing quite a lot of!
2.
J.S. Peyton | April 30, 2007 at 11:42 am
Have you read Tarrt’s The Little Friend? I read it over a year ago and thought it was a great dark and moody novel written in the fashion of Harriet the Spy…but, though the writing was great, I remember I didn’t like it very much. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on it if you’ve read it.
I loved The Crimson Petal and the White! I did think the first half was a bit more interesting than the second. But I’m still waiting for Mr. Faber’s next novel…
3.
Simon Quicke (inside books) | April 30, 2007 at 1:09 pm
welcome back Brandon.
4.
Andi | May 1, 2007 at 9:31 am
One of the writers for Estella’s Revenge did a piece involving Oprah’s Million Little Pieces debacle and the writer took the side of Frey. As I would.
Welcome back!
5.
Lesley | May 3, 2007 at 8:55 pm
Welcome to the South! Thank god everything but the outside is air-conditioned.
I loved TCP&TW too, although I wish he hadn’t of sped it up so much at the end. Did you know he’s written a collection of stories called The Apple that features Sugar? I keep meaning to order a copy from the UK, since I don’t think it’s available on this side of the Atlantic.
I have an unread copy of The Corrections - is it worth reading?
6.
sherid | May 4, 2007 at 9:52 am
I didn’t see what all the fuss was about with the Frey book either. Still a really good read and I think it served its purpose which was scaring the hell out of people about drugs and rehab.
I’ve been sitting on The Secret History for a while now as well. Don’t know why. ? .
84 degress? You wuss. Ya wanna talk hot and humid, try New Orleans in August. It’s like hell on earth. Drinking icy cold adult beverages usually helps. If nothing else, you’ll pass out and have a few hours of unconcious respite.