Random Thoughts

I haven't felt much like reading this summer. That's a good thing and a bad thing. I have the time just not the inclination.

When I was in Canada earlier this summer I stopped by my Callan Books in Stratford, which has become a bad habit. The owner often recommends Canadian or other authors I have not encountered. The most successful find was Donna Leon a couple of years ago. (And no she's not a Canadian author.)

This year I picked up Paulette Jiles's Stormy Weather since I loved her use of language and imagery and historical details in Enemy Women, which is set during the Civil War.

But I still can't get excited . . . or started.

Never Let Me Go (2005)

Never Let Me Go was short listed for the Booker Prize in 2005. It has a simplistic tone that belies the remarkable world in which the narrator lives her controlled life. Apparently the book is referred to as science fiction but it transcends that genre. It could more appropriately be referred to as speculative fiction since it imagines a possible future world.

Kazuo Ishiguro's other titles include The Remains of the Day, The Unconsoled and When We Were Orphans.

Often mentioned along with Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, this is a story that is frightening in its implications.

The Garden of Last Days (2008)

I usually balk at large books but I had made a commitment to read Andre Dubus III's new book. (His surname is pronounced "Duh-BYOOSE", with the accent on the second syllable to rhyme with the noun "excuse." ) When I saw the size and the short time the library was going to let me keep it, I worried about even starting to read it; however, I am glad I was courageous enough to read the first page because that was all it took to hook me. (I owe fines at the library now.)

If you've read House of Sand and Fog, you will be familiar with the structure of the story. We are introduced to a variety of characters whose lives intertwine increasingly more tightly. Decisions are made that have unintended consequences culminating in readers holding their breath to see where this wild ride will end.

April is a single mother with a charming three year old named Frannie. They live in an apartment upstairs from Jean, who takes care of Frannie while her mother works. April strips in a men's club in Florida. One night when Jean is ill, April takes Frannie to work with her and that single decision leads to everything that happens in The Garden of Last Days.