12.18.2007
TRAMBLINGS...
Greetings from rainy SoCal. It's curl-up-with-a-book weather which I love.
I'm enjoying NEW ENGLAND WHITE. It's fussy and overwritten (just like his first novel EMPEROR OF OCEAN PARK) but an entertaining read at the same time. The world of White's creation is so specific and rarefied that it makes me feel like I went somewhere new. JOYCE CAROL OATES weighs in with a REVIEW for the NEW YORKER. Perfect for a rainy day, a road trip or a holiday afternoon away from home. Looking forward to finishing the book.
Can't say the same for THIRD DEGREE. ILES is my favorite "airport writer". Airport Writers are those authors who seem to occupy all the shelves in the airport gift shops. Their names are usually embossed and larger than the title. Iles fits the bill and he's usually a load of fun. THE QUIET GAME, the first book I picked up (at the airport) was a top-notch legal thriller. By the time I got off the plane I was hooked on Iles and went on to read the rest of his books. But I don't know what to say about this one except it doesn't even feel like he wrote it. He churns out a book or two a year and this was the first time I wondered if he employed other writers to fulfill his contract. There was something so hollow, rushed and paint-by-numbers about this one. I bought it at the airport this weekend which I regret because I'd really like to exchange it for something else. Like STEWART O'NAN'S LAST NIGHT AT THE LOBSTER.
THE FINISH PARTY reading at BOOK PASSAGE was awesome. Every bookstore in the country should be modeled after this store. It's well stocked, the employees are actually book people (imagine that) and the owner is involved in every aspect. A great evening all around. This was the first time we all read together. FARAI CHIDEYA introduced the group and read from her recently sold novel, "Touch". Afterward she introduced LALITA TADEMY who read from her Oprah pick CANE RIVER. She ended with the gorgeous line, "This is the face of slavery; to have nothing and still have something to lose." I read CANE RIVER but that line hit like a hammer during Lita's reading. What a treat.
Lita, who was dressed to the nines, and had to rush off to a fancy shindig, introduced JACQUELINE LUCKETT who read perfectly from her unpublished novel. First time reading in public but you wouldn't have known that. Afterwards Jackie introduced RENEE SWINDLE who also read from an unpublished novel. Renee brought down the house with her wicked sense of humor. I even think there was some testifying but I was laughing too hard to remember. Reneee introduced DEBORAH SANTANA whom we all call "the goddess". Deborah read a chapter from an unpublished memoir. The piece was about her mother and it nearly brought the audience to tears. I had to look at the floor to keep from crying. It was beautiful. Deborah introduced me after her reading and I have to admit to being nervous.
This is strange but I am always nervous in the Bay Area. Something about home turf. I read once at my old high school and I was sick to my stomach. Manhattan, Atlanta, Los Angeles, D.C., Dallas, Tulsa, Philadelphia, Baltimore, St. Louis...doesn't matter. I read in those cities without missing a beat but I get massive prehistoric butterflies in the Bay Area. Anyway, I read from "Geographies", my unpublished novel, and I was very pleased with the audience response. The story felt like it had a little weight (if that makes sense) and I felt the exact moment when the audience gave into the words. It made me feel like writing again. ZZ PACKER was the last one up and she read a flash fiction piece called GIDEON. Like Renee she brought down the house. Lots of belly laughs.
I could be wrong but I think we took the audience on quite a ride. There were tears, laughter, a call for husbands, interesting questions, some genuine love and a nice glimpse of the dynamics in our group. We just might take the show on the road. I'll keep you posted.
Lastly, FIRST NOVELS has been updated with a really cool book.
Until next time...
Greetings from rainy SoCal. It's curl-up-with-a-book weather which I love.
I'm enjoying NEW ENGLAND WHITE. It's fussy and overwritten (just like his first novel EMPEROR OF OCEAN PARK) but an entertaining read at the same time. The world of White's creation is so specific and rarefied that it makes me feel like I went somewhere new. JOYCE CAROL OATES weighs in with a REVIEW for the NEW YORKER. Perfect for a rainy day, a road trip or a holiday afternoon away from home. Looking forward to finishing the book.
Can't say the same for THIRD DEGREE. ILES is my favorite "airport writer". Airport Writers are those authors who seem to occupy all the shelves in the airport gift shops. Their names are usually embossed and larger than the title. Iles fits the bill and he's usually a load of fun. THE QUIET GAME, the first book I picked up (at the airport) was a top-notch legal thriller. By the time I got off the plane I was hooked on Iles and went on to read the rest of his books. But I don't know what to say about this one except it doesn't even feel like he wrote it. He churns out a book or two a year and this was the first time I wondered if he employed other writers to fulfill his contract. There was something so hollow, rushed and paint-by-numbers about this one. I bought it at the airport this weekend which I regret because I'd really like to exchange it for something else. Like STEWART O'NAN'S LAST NIGHT AT THE LOBSTER.
THE FINISH PARTY reading at BOOK PASSAGE was awesome. Every bookstore in the country should be modeled after this store. It's well stocked, the employees are actually book people (imagine that) and the owner is involved in every aspect. A great evening all around. This was the first time we all read together. FARAI CHIDEYA introduced the group and read from her recently sold novel, "Touch". Afterward she introduced LALITA TADEMY who read from her Oprah pick CANE RIVER. She ended with the gorgeous line, "This is the face of slavery; to have nothing and still have something to lose." I read CANE RIVER but that line hit like a hammer during Lita's reading. What a treat.
Lita, who was dressed to the nines, and had to rush off to a fancy shindig, introduced JACQUELINE LUCKETT who read perfectly from her unpublished novel. First time reading in public but you wouldn't have known that. Afterwards Jackie introduced RENEE SWINDLE who also read from an unpublished novel. Renee brought down the house with her wicked sense of humor. I even think there was some testifying but I was laughing too hard to remember. Reneee introduced DEBORAH SANTANA whom we all call "the goddess". Deborah read a chapter from an unpublished memoir. The piece was about her mother and it nearly brought the audience to tears. I had to look at the floor to keep from crying. It was beautiful. Deborah introduced me after her reading and I have to admit to being nervous.
This is strange but I am always nervous in the Bay Area. Something about home turf. I read once at my old high school and I was sick to my stomach. Manhattan, Atlanta, Los Angeles, D.C., Dallas, Tulsa, Philadelphia, Baltimore, St. Louis...doesn't matter. I read in those cities without missing a beat but I get massive prehistoric butterflies in the Bay Area. Anyway, I read from "Geographies", my unpublished novel, and I was very pleased with the audience response. The story felt like it had a little weight (if that makes sense) and I felt the exact moment when the audience gave into the words. It made me feel like writing again. ZZ PACKER was the last one up and she read a flash fiction piece called GIDEON. Like Renee she brought down the house. Lots of belly laughs.
I could be wrong but I think we took the audience on quite a ride. There were tears, laughter, a call for husbands, interesting questions, some genuine love and a nice glimpse of the dynamics in our group. We just might take the show on the road. I'll keep you posted.
Lastly, FIRST NOVELS has been updated with a really cool book.
Until next time...
Labels: Books, First Novels, THE FINISH PARTY
