What I'm Reading
I'm always looking for book recommendations. Here are some I've read recently and enjoyed. If you have suggestions, send them to me! (ellen@ellenhartman.com)
The Meadowlands Robert Sullivan
The author of this book sets out to explore the Meadowlands, the swampy wetlands on the edge of New Jersey, just outside New York City. He hikes and canoes and interviews "natives" when he finds them. The stories are quirky, the landscape is sad but maybe a little hopeful. I genuinely enjoyed this "nature study" of an urban wilderness.
Ask Again Later Jill A. Davis
This book was so funny I couldn't stop laughing even though I was on the bus and must have looked like an absolute imbecile. If I'd been on a NYC bus maybe people wouldn't have looked twice, but the typical Ithaca bus patron is a bit more level-headed than our downstate friends. Usually. Unless we're reading Jill Davis in which case we're chuckling and snorting and laughing out loud and not even caring if we look like imbeciles. If I were to complain about this book (and it's so very much my personality to complain even about the best books, sorry), I'd say I wished the emotional heart were a bit stronger. But I forgive all kinds of emotional distance if it buys me humor like this. (I do not want to hear any commentary on parallels between that statement and my approach to relationships in real life. Seriously. None.) Go. Read this book. Laugh out loud and enjoy yourself.
Living in Little Rock with Miss Little Rock Jack Butler
I don't know why I love this book so much but I do. Could be because it's narrated by the Holy Spirit. That tickles my Catholic funny bone. Could be the convoluted plot that all comes together so precisely at the end. Could be the hot, hot married sex. Oops. This is the literary portion of my site. We won't be discussing sex scenes here. Even if they are really hot. The quote on the back from The Dallas Morning News says, "What begins as a soap opera and a whodunit becomes finally an engrossing examination of the human soul in turmoil." Yep. That's about it. Nothing beats the human soul in turmoil. Plus the, you know, hot, hot married sex.
American Gods Neil Gaiman
Opening paragraph: Shadow had done three years in prison. He was big enough and looked don't-fuck-with-me-enough that his biggest problem was killing time. So he kept himself in shape, and taught himself coin tricks, and thought a lot about how much he loved his wife.
Don't I wish I could introduce a character with exactly that pithy, unexpected and perfect detail? Gaiman's books are smart, funny, and never what you expect. His dialogue is fantastic. American Gods is a story about a road trip and a lost love and a man who's searching for something to believe. Stardust, an earlier Gaiman novel, is out this August on the big screen. I haven't seen the movie but the book was A plus.
And Ladies of the Club Helen Hooven Santmyer
In times of great stress, I reach for this book. (Yeah, I've read it about fifteen or twenty times. I'm easily stressed.) Why? It's long, for starters. More than 1,000 pages. That means I can stay stressed for a good long while without having to worry about what to read next. But that's not the real reason I read it again and again. I love this book because it's a satisfying family saga. I care about the characters. Their heartaches seem real. The writing isn't super amazing but it's plenty good enough. There's a little love, a little death, some politics, some family stories. I'd call this book comfort food. But comfort food of the very best quality—homemade macaroni and cheese, not Pop-Tarts.
Natural Born Charmer Susan Elizabeth Phillips
I like a lot of the books Susan Elizabeth Phillips has written but this one has hands down the best first chapter I've read in forever. The first chapter was included at the end of Match Me If You Can (also a great read) and it was so good I bought Natural Born Charmer in hardback. Couldn't wait. The rest of the book didn't disappoint. Dean is a wonderful hero and the secondary characters add humor and more romance to the plot. I definitely recommend this one!
Lullaby Chuck Palahniuk
I had to look his name up on Amazon to get it spelled correctly, but that was the least I could do for the man who wrote this amazing book. I couldn't begin to describe the story (if you read the book description on Amazon you'll figure out why). The writing is fierce and daring. As I was reading the last chapter I was seriously in awe of the boldness of the words and ideas. This book is not a romance and definitely not for everyone. But if you like language, warped humor (at times downright *wrong* humor), and urban legends, this book is one to try.
The Road Cormac McCarthy
I love Cormac McCarthy. I love him even more in this book where he's both easier to read and as heartbreakingly sad as ever. I'm a sucker for boys and their dads and this book has that in spades. The language is spare (it's not a long book, you'll be tempted to read it in one sitting), but the plot is thick. Some of everything happens before you read the last word. I know Oprah picked this for her book club--think she heard about it here?