Saturday, January 05, 2008

Books to Read

Okay, I made a line/stack of books to read this year. I still have several ordered and coming and invariably I'll discover more down the road that I want to give a gander. Here they are:


I have just finished the blue book on the far right, Nathan Englander's The Ministry of Special Cases. Wow.

I first heard about Nathan when his collection of short stories (For the Relief of Unbearable Urges) came out. I refused to buy it because of the tacky (I thought) title. But then I began to read interviews and reviews and finally I saw a picture of the man.


So, I'll admit I bought it because I had an instant crush on him. My gosh look at the guy! I'm all about noses and long hair. As it turned out that book was and remains the most outstanding collection of short stories I've ever read, hands down. He became my favorite author and I had to buy a second copy because I read and re-read the first one so thoroughly it was literally coming apart at the seams. He makes me cry and laugh consistently, even when I know it's coming. He's a writer who not only writes for story but takes care of every single word. It could be written no other way.

Ten years later and he looks like this....

...still very easy on the eyes, and he has out his first novel, The Ministry of Special Cases. It was a fantastic book, btw. While his short stories are more explosive and tight -- the way short stories are supposed to be -- he is still a gem. I cannot wait see what he writes next. I hope it doesn't take ten years.

As for all those other books, I really don't know where to start. Right now I want to dive into each and every one of them.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks the recommendation, the writer looks like quite an interesting character himself.

I replied to your comment on blog too.

Virginia Lee said...

Heh. You remind me of a woman I knew in Newport who was attracted to men with distinctive noses and long hair.

I'll look this fellow up in my library's catalog and see if they have anything by him. If they do and it's checked in, I'll pick something up by him on Tuesday when I go.

Aren't books the best!? :D

Kappa no He said...

Benjamin: I bet she is adorable! Sorry, I was replying to your reply on your blog.

The book is a heart wrencher. Over 30,000 people (many of them students) were 'disappeared' by the government. Actually on further thought it is a horror story.

Virginia: I most definitely recommend "For the Relief of Unbearable Urges". You'll laugh, you'll cry.

Sometimes I just carry books around to keep me company, stack them up, stroke their covers.

MDK said...

I've bitten off more than I can chew, too. Just about finished with "The Footprints of God" by Greg Iles. Thriller, borderline science fiction.

Good luck with that assortment.