Golly the new lists of books out just in time for the holidays just sing, they all look so good. Not sure where to start. I do know I want Monsters: the 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football. I know that sounds awful but it's getting rave reviews from everybody. I can still almost sing the jingle of the commercial they made before the Super Bowl. No, I am not a fan, no I don't watch football at all, but it seemed the entire country got caught up with these people, who was the coach? ...Mike Ditka! Walter Payton, Jim McMahon, Richard Dent, even now after all these years I remember their names. Can't wait to read it and I hope it talks about where they are now, if alive. Was "The Fridge" part of this team too?
The biggest new book out is the one on the dog which knows 1500 words. Chaser or something like that? The writer is a retired college professor/ psychologist living here in my town, and he's saying dogs are a lot smarter than we think. It's a black and white...is it a Shetland Sheep dog? People raving over it.
Any Tan has a new one coming out, The Valley of Amazement, the reviews say it's wonderful but perhaps a little heavy on the unpleasant cruelty? In reading over her old titles I realized to my shock that I haven't read ALL of hers, so am reading Keeping Fish From Drowning which did not get good reviews. Really well written, I love the way she writes, you are immediately caught up in it and the rest of the world just disappears. I'm going to reread all of hers, the Fish one is not her normal theme, maybe that's why the reviewers don't like it.
(I wish reviewers would allow the reader to choose for himself how he likes it, and not sniff that perhaps she should return to her former genre). Says who? Why not let the reader decide? She's written on the mother daughter theme several times and secrets, and I personally like the Fish one very much so far, it's exotic, different, odd, and quite interesting. Takes you immediately away to other exotic places and seems so authentic I actually looked up the main character this morning (she starts with a note to the reader about how she ducked into a shop in the rain and ended up reading a journal... it's wonderful)... So I thought perhaps some of it was based in fact. Other than Pearl Buck I don't know anybody who can yank the reader out of today into a foreign fascinating world as well as she can. So far I'm loving it.
With so many great choices this holiday season, there should be something for everybody to enjoy. Did you see the new one about Agatha Christie's trip around the world? New letters never before published, and lots of photos, just in time for the holidays. Christie fans will have to at least read it, if not own it. Her prior and quite old little known memoir of travels with her archaeologist husband, Come Tell Me How You Live, is a masterpiece, if you've not read it. Vintage Christie, what a life she led. Starts with her trying to find something suitable for travel in plus sizes and having to endure an officious clerk and her "Modom" condescension, it's priceless, and I bet this new one is, too.
I saw yesterday in Barnes and Noble the newest Pat Conroy: The Death of Santini. I picked it up but put it back down. I would like to hear from somebody who HAS read it, but I had to put The Great Santini (or whichever of the books it was mentioned in, you'll know the scene)...down when he got to the bit about the father throwing the food on the floor and saying even a dog would not eat it....and the aftermath. As much as I would like to see that SOB get his and I hope he did, I can't read it, I can't even look at the photos of him in the book. If you read it, do let us know if there's something redeemable in his character or if there is any reason why we should read more of his life or spend one minute of ours caring. Thanks to his famous son and his wonderful writing, the father has had a lot more than he deserves of his 15 seconds of fame.
(I was very surprised to read, in reading the reviews of this thing that the father actually embraced his characterization of the "Santini" character and appeared with his son and won audiences over and his son too. I can't imagine. Will he win in the end? Not me. The food a dog would not eat stopped that, with me and I have no idea what other horrors he perpetuated, or why. I hope to hear from those of you who have read it and can shed light on this...person.
(One reviewer, in another review, mentions that Simon Brett does a super job with his audio of Murder in the Museum) . I think I'll get it. I really like Simon Brett, especially his The Christmas Crimes at Puzzel Manor (Puzzel spelled that way for a reason). (As I say every Christmas. hahaha) I like audio but when driving in the car, I find my mind wanders off the plot and starts thinking of other things, does that happen to you all?
So MANY books this holiday season, what looks good to you?
