01/01/2010 4:00 am
Culture
A Winter Reading List (For Those Feeling Merry or Mopey), by Roxanne J. Coady
Editor’s Note: Roxanne J. Coady founded R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT, in 1989 after leaving her job as national tax director at a New York-based international accounting firm. Roxanne is the co-editor, with Joy Johannessen, of The Book That Changed My Life. She is also the founder and president of Just the Right Book. Visit R.J. Julia at www.rjjulia.com.
I never know what mood I will be in at what moment; therefore, I like to have a few books at the ready in each category. If I want the quick, trashy read that I love more than I like to admit or the philosophical, thought-provoking book that will enhance my understanding of the world, or the beautifully written poetic prose that reminds me of the incredible power and magic of words — or history or poetry or the back of a cereal box — these are a few that have been just the right book at the right moment. My hope is that they are the same for you.
Love and Summer
William Trevor will always be the king, the prince, the genius of fiction for me. Stunningly, heartbreakingly real with the classic Trevor style that always, always leaves me breathless.
Mother California
You may not think you want to read about a violent criminal sentenced to life without parole — but Ken Hartman will surprise you. Join him for the journey of dealing with the brutish moral code that rules the state of California’s infamously violent prison system. In this unlikely environment he discovers his literary inclinations, meets a woman who becomes his wife and finds his voice.
Madame de Stael
To my surprise, I couldn’t put this down. This book goes in the category of learning what it is like to live in another’s shoes (not shoes you necessarily want to wear). It’s important to understand Madame de Stael, an early independent female who is full of passion, wit, courage and a force of nature in Napoleonic France. She held the limelight as a philosopher, political figure and prolific writer. What a character to spend some hours with. I was intrigued, charmed and enlightened. Perfect for book clubs or for a quiet afternoon.
The Wasted Vigil 
This is in the category of beautifully written and difficult to comprehend. This is not for the faint of heart, but it is one of the most eloquently written books about an astonishing and devastatingly sad tale of what it means to be in Afghanistan right this minute. This is a story of what it’s like to be boots on the ground — to know the lives that are lost, to see the bodies that are damaged, to meet the minds that are unraveled. You’ve read about the war, and you know about what happens, but you can’t quite understand it until you pick up The Wasted Vigil.
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There’s not a book on your list that wouldn’t interest me. Thank you for your selections. I will be embarking on Wolf Hall as soon as my husband finishes it. At the present I am reading the biography of Learned Hand, The Man and the Judge whose name I kept coming across in my other readings so my curiosity was piqued. It is written by Gerald Gunther, a Jewish immigrant from Germany, who actually clerked for Hand, and became a professor of Constitutional Law at Stanford. He is a brilliant writer and although it’s definitely a book for someone going into law or politics it is absorbing, informing, and fascinating.
The other books are a re-read of Gore Vidal’s Palimpsest and James Traub’s The Freedom Agenda.
You mentioned Francine du Plessix Gray whose Them-Memoir of My Parents was wonderful. The Madam is on my list.
I absolutely love William Trevor. There is no other writer that I can think of who can capture the nuances of love, loss and change in the subtle and insightful way as Trevor. His use of language is breathtaking - how he manages to convey such depth in such spare, elegant prose just knocks me out. This is probably his finest book, and if you have never read him, it’s a wonderful place to start.
I’m in the early stages of Wolf Hall and it is just a terrific read about a perilous time in history, with characters that are more than historical portraits - they are alive with passions and intrigues and humanity that is every bit as real today as in those distant times. And reading this book - while it will never change my opinion of Cromwell - has definitely begun to broaden my perspective on the man. Historical novels usually walk a fine line between accuracy and caricature, but not this one. It’s just a fascinating page turner. Mantel definitely earned the Man Booker!
Next in line for me is Colm Toibin’s Brooklyn. I just loved The Master, Toibin’s fictional exploration of the mind of Henry James, and from all I’ve read so far, this saga of immigration and survival should be equally as challenging and satisfying.
Every January, I like to start a new year by reading (or re-reading) a classic. This year, it will be Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain. This is one of those books I’ve read at various points in my life, and each reading opens new doors for me, as my age and experience differ from reading to reading. It’s a long and challenging read, but one with ideas that are so universal and important that it is worth every effort.
I’ve also got the journals of Dorothy Wordsworth next to my bed in the to-be-read pile. I am definitely a journal freak, and nothing is more enjoyable than peering into the personal record of someone’s life and daily activities. I’ve kept journals for many years (or maybe I should say journals have kept ME!) so this is a favorite form of writing for me. I’m looking forward to the record Wordsworth kept, and to understanding more about the life of a brilliant and - sadly - somewhat stifled woman, who lived in the considerable shadow of her brother William. My all-time favorite read in this area, though, are the diaries of Virginia Woolf. While I love her fiction (Mrs. Dalloway is simply exquisite) I honestly feel that her diaries are in many ways her greatest work of all.
Phyllis, I loved Them as well. du Plessix Gray’s parents were creative, exciting and difficult, and she captured a way of life in the upper circles of artistic life that was just fascinating. What a great writer she is, eh?
Looking forward to more recommendations for great reading in ‘10! Keep ‘em coming, wOwers!
Susan,
I just finished "Love and Summer" and "Brooklyn". Trevor is a great writer- have you read "The Story of Lucy Gault"? I get book parcels twice a year from Kenney’s Bookshop in Galway because I’m interested in Irish subject matter, history and fiction.
WOW, Susan! Magic Mountain - great idea!!!! I’m "on" it! Thank you so muchhhhhhhhh. We have similar preferences - which reminds me that what seems like yesterday, 1988, I sauntered back to university for another M.S. because I’d go into libraries and feel like I hadn’t read 1/2 the books - and felt ignorant. What a joy that time was for me - studying because I wanted to, what I wanted to study, where I wanted to study, for any and all reasons. Many of my "papers" and research of those few months are still being turned out as basis, or documents for publication to this day. Life is amazing when the path is followed.
Some time ago, I was credited with this, and it is mine… ""When we wonder about our path, if it opens up to meet us we’re headed in the right direction (Feb 2008)"
C Jay, you are spot on " when we wonder…"
it such a pleasure having you here.
Gracious, macwoof - thank you! Here I am, in the throes of having a new washing machine (that I did not need) installed, and people trying to buy my ‘old (perfect!)’ one, finding the dimensions, and some I’m sure will want to know the precise pigment components (of white!) before it’s sold, and you come in a wonderful feeling. This is just what I needed.
I ‘dashed’ out to an Asian store for fresh veggies, shrimp, short-grain whole germ rice, fish sauce, and ginger - I’ll toss up a stir fry - you’re welcome to join me in about 1 hour! ;-))
Oh, Susan, what fun to have someone like you here that not only loves literature but teaches film. I meant to reply to you on the other thread when you mentioned your appreciation for Cinema Paradiso and wanted to know if you are familiar with the films of Susanne Bier, the Danish director.
I, too, have always loved Trevor. And I recently finished reading a long essay on Dorothy Wordsworth’s journals. And I have kept journals also for much of my life, although they have become more of pieces or phrases from what I’m reading. Years ago I went through my Virginia Woolf phase but then embarked on everything India––the history, Paul Scott’s books, biography of Scott and so forth leaving poor Virginia in the lurch. Anyway, Susan, great to know I’ve got a buddy in bloom.
Roxanne,
Thank you, thank you, thank you for the recommendations! I will definitely add these titles to my list of recommendations. I usually read 2-3 hours/day so a list is always appreciated. Currently my book club is reading Lincoln by Gore Vidal, a book I highly recommend especially with today’s political atmosphere. In the next couple of months we will be readingThe GuernseyLiterary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows and The Help by Kathryn Stockett.
So many wonderful titles - too few hours in the day!
This is one of my favorites on WOWOWOW, please keep the recommendations coming!
I have written about Trevor (who I am hoping will get the Booker Prize that he deserves!) and Hilary Mantel, but the book I cannot get out of my thoughts and mind for 2009 is on the best book lists everywhere is David Grann’s Lost City of Z. In this classic adventure tale, New Yorker writer Grann—who gets winded climbing the stairs of his New York City walkup—follows in the footsteps of early–20th-century Amazon jungle explorer Percy Fawcett, who disappeared along with his son on a 1925 expedition. Grann expertly and energetically weaves the story of Fawcett’s explorations with that of his own. I believe I am past the age where I thought that exploring the unknown was doable, but I find I can follow in the footsteps made by this one. Candice Millard’s River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Terrible Journey is another true story that expands our knowledge of Teddy while immersing us in the rivers and jungles he and his son trod in South America.
Great addition, Joan - by the way, bypass Cordery’s Alice unless you have a few sharp blue pencils on hand. How it made it past the first editor’s table is beyond me. Alica, a truly remarkable person (the daughter of TR who married the notorious Longworth) led a life that deserves to be noted, but this book rips the reader from one year to another in a few lines, over and over again. One moment Alice is being courted, a few lines later, married, further on Alice is a confused, rambunctiou adolescent pondering her lack of social engagements, and it does not improve half-way through.