What Have You Read This Summer?
As I mentioned in my last post, I recently read The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson. But I’ve been reading lots of other things, too. So here’s the list, with a brief comment on each:
Romeo & Juliet
I’ve been wanting to read some Shakespeare, and purchased some individual plays so my Riverside Shakespeare wouldn’t sit on my lap making my legs numb while I read. I’d forgotten how bawdy some of the characters are, forgetting that even the tragedies are leavened with momentary humor. I also watched the 1968 film production. It’s often called the best version ever put on film, but I was disappointed by some of the things the film left out, particularly Romeo and Paris battling it out in the cemetery. My daughter and I now have a code word for the identity of a current crush: Rosaline.
Sunshine
by Robin McKinley, which I picked up because I’ve been curious about vampire stories lately, but wanted something that wasn’t part of one of the many YA series out there. This one caught my eye because of Neil Gaiman’s cover blurb. (I’ve recently come to adore Gaiman’s writing.) This novel has the setup of human woman and male vampire, but there is an interesting twist in the power differential: while she’s human and vulnerable, she’s also a gifted magic handler. And the vampire in question must rely on her protection as much as she must rely on his promise that his desire to survive his own ordeal is stronger than his interest in having her for dinner.
American Gods
by Neil Gaiman is, as I mentioned in a recent post, considered fantasy, but certainly qualifies as literary fiction. The story is subtle and rich, with the magical aspects of the world blended to exquisite effect with the mundane contemporary world. Gaiman is also a delightful speaker. I can’t wait to read more of his work, and hear him talk more about his own books and the works of others.
Interview With the Vampire
by Anne Rice was a genuine disappointment. There’s been a lot of hoopla over Rice in the past, but I thought the characters’ struggles were fairly insipid, for all the gothic details. Motivations are sketchy, to say the least. Claudia was the only truly compelling character, and she didn’t often have center stage. The interview frame was nicely managed as a modern twist on the novel-as-diary. But the story itself disappointed me. The vampire, Louis, was strangely passive, a victim, which made him sound whiney and unreliable. Don’t get me wrong: I can appreciate an unreliable narrator. But this just wasn’t a good one.
Fearless Fourteen
by Janet Evanovich is the fourteenth book in her Stephanie Plum series. It’s the first of her books I’ve ever read, and I decided to give it a try because I read a piece on The Daily Beast recently by a critic who secretly can’t read enough of Evanovich’s novels. Besides, I’ve been really trying to grasp the whole plot thing, and thought this might be a good “strictly plot” novel to look at as an example. You can read this book in an afternoon: it’s slim on character development, chock full of quirky plot, and larded with a couple of laugh-out-loud moments. It had the feel of a thumbnail sketch, like it could have been an okay novel if it were fleshed out. It really is a “beach read.”
Coming Up…
My daughter is currently reading The Kite Runner, and wants me to read it, too, so we can discuss it. And I’ve got Pride and Prejudice and Zombies on deck, just because. Also the “to read” pile are The Tempest and Twelfth Night, and Patrick Suskind’s Perfume.
What Are You Reading?
Picked up anything new, surprising, fun, or even an old favorite this summer? Leave your summer reading list in comments.