Latest Reads

My local library had a book sale recently, and I couldn't resist picking up a few reads for a few bucks. One book I've wanted to read for a long time but couldn't remember why. The nearly 800-page tome is titled Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell written by Susanna Clarke. Friends, I slogged through it, even though Fantasy isn't one of my favorite genres.

Strange and Norrell are English magicians working during the Napoleonic Era to perfect their craft and raise magic to the status it once held. I admit I found the historical element interesting. I did not appreciate the copious footnotes, a reason I haven't been able to finish Infinite Jest, which I've been reading for 6 years. Maybe because I've read so much classic English literature, this seemed a mash-up of 19th century greats, only not as good. The book was well-received when it was published, and a movie has been made of it. I'd probably enjoy the movie, except that if it's at all like the Tolkein adaptations, the only thing I'd really enjoy is the popcorn.

To break up the monotony of spells, fairies and bad English weather, I read Junot Diaz's latest work This Is How You Lose Her.  If you haven't already read The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, what are you waiting for? Diaz's newest collection is a series of short stories, connected by the main character and the theme of love and loss.
What I love about this author is his use of Spanglish, most of which I can understand. He doesn't translate, but the meaning is fairly clear from the context. Because I don't know that many curses and slang words in Spanish (particularly the contemporary Dominican variety), I couldn't translate it but I could feel it.

Prior to reading This Is How You Lose Her, I read Zadie Smith's NW. I found the two books to be very similar, and if I were teaching a Contemporary Novel course, I'd include these as companion pieces. The characters in each are affected by where they grow up; there is liberal use of profanity and sexually explicit behavior; racial and social issues are an undercurrent that profoundly affects the lives of the youngish adults. I found Smith's book to be unbearably bleak and was glad it was short. I highly recommend Diaz's book, which ends with the main character finding in the wreckage of his life, a novel to write.

And now, some Wallace Stegner.