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I'm becoming a fan of Australian writer Peter Carey. After enjoying "Parrot and Olivier in America", I'm now into "Oscar and Lucinda", which is also a good read. Those two novels are set a couple of centuries ago, and presented with a liberal dose of good humor and formal literary style.
I just started Carey's new book, "The Chemistry of Tears". I like it so far. "Parrot and Olivier in America definitely on my to read list.
I read that book so long ago but it stays with me. McCourt was a wonderful story teller. After Angela's Ashes he continued the story of his life with 'Tis. It is well worth a read. It's charming and very well written.
The followup "Tis" about McCourt's experiences after he emigrates to New York is also rewarding. "Teacher Man" which recounts McCourt's experience as a teacher in New York is another I would recommend.
I finally finished The Devil Colony, thank goodness, and started reading The Year We Left Home by Jean Thompson. I'm not too far into it yet and so far it seems to be the story of a mid-western boy, starting in the 70s and jumping forward a few years each chapter. It is beautifully written, with the chapters I've read so far, each perfect little portraits of life then.
I agree with your comments on The Year We Left Home.
Finally reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. Enjoying it so far.
I've read every one of the Outlander series--twice. Have also listened to several of them on audio. (Narrated by Davina Porter, who is a wonderful narrator.) The eighth book, Written In My Own Heart's Blood, will be out next year. I can hardly wait.
Oh my goodness I am throughly loving "Running with the bulls ", by valerie hemmingway . I have always thought if I had been born at another time in history I would have loved to pal around with Ernest Hemmingway shame how he ended his life , imagine what he could have done if he had lived his full life . I often think when great writers die we are are the ones who loose too . oh well cant wait to finish it .
I visited the Hemingway estate in FL a few years back. Ernest Hemingway was a depressive and was given shock treatments in hopes of curing him. The shock treatments disturbed the wiring in his brain and destroyed his ability to imagine a story. The tour guide said that after the shock treatments he would sit for hours at his typewriter, just staring at it........no inspiration, nothing would come.....his talent for imagining a story and putting it to paper was destroyed. And this is why he committed suicide. Can't verify this is wholly accurate.....it's just what the tour guide told us.
I agree with your comments on The Year We Left Home.
It was a really good book. A quiet, thoughtful book, I thought. Those who like fast-paced, dramatic action probably wouldn't enjoy it, but I kind of grew up in that time frame (born in the early 60s), and even though I'm not in the US, many of the changes that happened at that time in rural areas were universal. I could certainly relate to it.
One of my sisters borrowed it. I'll be interested in hearing what she has to say about it.
Dinaw Mengestu's "How to Read the Air" is narrated by Jonas, son of Ethiopian immigrants, who was born and raised in Peoria, IL, but lives in Manhattan as a young man. He is estranged from his divorced parents, and has found his place in the world as a story-teller. He weaves stories from small kernels of truth, to richly colored fabrications. He takes ugly circumstances and turns them into a backdrop for something better to happen.
I am two-thirds through it, and though I cannot say I care about any of the characters -- usually a "deal-breaker" for my reading it through, I am compelled to continue the story. Perhaps it is that the story, delivered in first person narrative, reminds me of Abraham Verghese’s first novel, “Cutting for Stone.” That beautifully crafted story continues to haunt me, though it's been months since I listened to it. Both authors are from Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, and perhaps their cultural view of life is just fascinating to me because it's different than mine.
Regardless of my reasons for like the two stories, I recommend them both.
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It was a really good book. A quiet, thoughtful book, I thought. Those who like fast-paced, dramatic action probably wouldn't enjoy it, but I kind of grew up in that time frame (born in the early 60s), and even though I'm not in the US, many of the changes that happened at that time in rural areas were universal. I could certainly relate to it.