|
|
||||
|
CarlyTown>The Library>Not Quite as Light Not Quite as Light FictionSometimes you may be looking to read something with a little bit more substance. Check out these titles for your not-so-light literary needs!Robber Bride - Margaret Atwood Witty and bitter tale of a villainess named Zenia wreaking havoc with the lives of three friends. One of the few Atwood books that didn't plunge me into a deep, dark depression. The Brooklyn Follies - Paul Auster Nathan Glass, divorced and recently fighting lung cancer, decides to move to Brooklyn. Comes back in contact with his nephew and his nephew's eccentric, bookstore-owning boss. A bit on the picaresque side, as they encounter characters all over Brooklyn and get entwined with their lives. Full of lots of lovely meditations on life, like: "Like him, I have majored in English at college, with secret ambitions to go on studying literature or perhaps take a stab at journalism, but I hadn't had the courage to pursue either one. Life got in the way—two years in the army, work marriage, family responsibilities, the need to earn more and more money, all the muck that bogs us down when we don't have the balls to stand up for ourselves—but I had never lost my interest in books. Reading was my escape and my comfort, my consolation, my stimulant of choice: reading for the pure pleasure of it, for the beautiful stillness that surrounds you when you hear an author's words reverberating in your head." The Grace That Keeps the World - Tom Bailey Elegiac, thoughtful tale of a family living in upstate New York, who live off the land and have a great tragedy. The story unfolds through the voices of the family and the townspeople and is a quiet, descriptive story, which also has a strong suspenseful thread due to the big mystery to be revealed at the end. The Clothes They Stood Up In - Alan Bennett This story of a couple whose belongings are stolen while they are at the opera is told in incredibly clean, concise prose. Deadpan and amusing, but also quite thought-provoking. Breakfast at Tiffany’s - Truman Capote Bit harsher than the movie, but assuredly good reading. In Cold Blood – Truman Capote Fiction? Non? Possibly written by Harper Lee? Wonderfully written in any case. Charms for the Easy Life - Kaye Gibbon Great quote: “That sort of hurling oneself at a desire is a family trait, and has made convicts, scholars, lovers and dope fiends out of us from way back.” Kaaterskill Falls - Allegra Goodman Dreamy tale of people in a Jewish community in their upstate New York summer homes. Family Markowitz - Allegra Goodman Funny and thoughtful short stories, all featuring American Jews as their subject. Dope: A Novel - Sara Gran Set in 1950s New York City. Joe (Josephine) is a ex-junkie who gets hired to find a young woman who is a drug addict, and gets framed for murder. Really atmospheric and reminiscent of noir novels like Cain and Chandler without being a direct aping of the style. Gran gives her own modern style to the writing, which is really delightful. Loved the settings, and pretty interesting take on drug addiction. Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen Lovely novel about the reminiscences of a man who used to travel with the circus in the 1930s. Beautifully told, with excellent characters and wonderful circus stories. One regret: wish there was a bibliography! Rich in Love - Josephine Humphreys A family experiences all variants on love, as narrated by the endearingly precocious teenage daughter of the family. Truth and Consequences - Alison Lurie I adore Alison Lurie. She takes what could be the dryest subjects, like an academic administrator and her injured but philandering professor husband, and makes them fascinating with her strong characters and her excellent insights into relationships and character. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez Great quote: “just seeing the girl was enough for him. Little by little he idealized her, endowing her with improbable virtues and imaginary sentiments, and after two weeks he thought of nothing but her." Atonement - Ian McEwan Set in three time periods and surrounding an English family and their house in the country, this novel is filled with beautifully written meditations on writing and love. There was a lovely bit about how control freaks love to write, because they can have control over the events and people they write about. (McEwan put it more beautifully, of course.) ~ New ~ Last Night at the Lobster - Stewart O'Nan This short novel takes place over one snowy evening at a Red Lobster which is closing the next day. Interesting slice-of-life piece--absorbing and touching. English Patient - Michael Ondaatje Deeply romantic tale of love lost. Far better than the movie. Bel Canto - Ann Patchett Lovely tale of opera and culture shock and hostages and love. Magician's Assistant – Ann Patchett About a magician's assistant. Poetically written. Run - Ann Patchett Marvelous, gripping novel about a white, Irish family who adopted young black boys and the family secrets and dramas that unfold after a woman pushes one of the boys out of the way of a car, and ends up in the hospital. Little Children - Tom Perrotta Novel about infidelity among stay-at-home spouses. Great movie as well, but the source material was definitely there to begin with. Interesting characters, complicated relationships, fascinating interior explorations. The Prestige - Christopher Priest Excellent novel, which the also excellent movie was based on. Fills out the story of the movie even more, and is framed as the magician's memoir and the story as discovered by one of his descendents. Secret History - Donna Tartt Kooky and literary shenanigans at a college among Classics majors. Anne Tyler writes wonderful novels set in Baltimore with incredibly vivid (and usually eccentric) characters. Some of my favorites are: Accidental Tourist, Ladder of Years, Patchwork Planet, Saint Maybe, Earthly Possessions. The Amateur Marriage - Anne Tyler Unfolding over chapters that peek in on Pauline and Michael at different times in their marriage, this novel is quiet and compelling, and provides real insight not only into the life and marriage of this couple, but into the universal issues that people face as they age. Updated 6/18/08 Comments, questions, or suggestions? Email carly[at]carlytown.com. |
 Bad Book Club Children's Books Classics/Fairy Tales Five Books Genre Fiction Light Fiction Nonfiction Not Quite as Light Fiction Short Stories Young Adult Fiction Back to CarlyTown |