PJ's Books of Note

Summer is over, astronomically speaking. I've already seen color in the Catskills, and I've worn pants and socks for 3 days.

I think I did a lot of reading this summer, but since I only record my thoughts here, I forget most of the titles. Here's a list that's most likely missing something.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, a very good historic novel about not-so-merry Olde England circa 1500-1536.

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett, in which American drug researchers get tangled in the Brazilian jungle and are faced with interesting moral quandaries.

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers tracing one New Orleans family's nightmarish journey through the post Katrina landscape. If you believe half of what Eggers writes, you will be outraged, embarrassed, sickened and have less fear about "Terror" than about ourselves.

And yes, I'm beginning my third attempt to read Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. The first time I tried, it was a library book that I could no longer renew. For some reason, I only got to page 80 or so. I bought a paperback copy so I could spend years reading it if necessary. The second attempt was last winter when I had big plans to read it while snow fell on maples. Twenty-five pages was all I could do. Last week, I picked up the 900+ page tome once again and considered sawing it into 3 or 4 sections that were more portable. Marty discouraged this idea because I'd lose pages, and I don't even want to miss a word.

I'm pleased to tell you I'm on page 91. The book is dense but not difficult, and it's hilariously funny. Review to come soon, whatever that means.