14theditch - BOOKS FROM THE DITCH

14theditch - BOOKS FROM THE DITCH

14theditch

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BOOKS FROM THE DITCH

[Dec. 29th, 2005|09:07 am]

In this year, 05, I turned 50, that point where you crest the largest arc in the Amusement (or lack there of) Park ride of life and begin on the long fast descent toward the end of the line. I felt my stomach drop and the increase of the wind rushing through my thinning hair. I’m not a screamer, so all there is left to do is either laugh or shut up and hold on tight. As it goes, this quarter mile of track that was 05 wasn’t too bad. There were some bummers, but by this point in my life I’ve come to the realization that you don’t get to ride for free. Mixed in amongst the sweet days of languor, the frenetic creation, the stoic clock punching and political fascism, the bliss of family and friends and the obligatory gnashing of teeth, there came some reading pleasure. To call what follows a Year’s Best list would be way off the mark as some of the books following are from other years and my reading was by no means comprehensive. I read a ton of books this year and liked many of them, but this is a list of my favorite reads in 05 in no particular order.

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks -- I don’t know how I missed this one when it came out some years ago, but this is a harrowing and powerful novel. I found it in a little grocery store up in the Highlands in Scotland, near the Isle of Skye when we were on vacation. Creepy as all get out, but I couldn’t put it down. A truly singular vision.

Magic For Beginners by Kelly Link – A collection of stories, no bummers in the bunch, and each a thrill to read. Was waiting on this one as I was on her last, Stranger Things Happen, and of course, it paid off in silver dollars. It’s been widely reviewed and listed etc, so no need to go further, but a great great book. Very nice illustrations by Shelley Jackson.

Austerlitz by W.G. Sebold – Less meandering than most of Sebold’s work that I’ve read, not that the more meandering ones are bad, I like them. This has more of a story arc in the traditional sense, but nicely meandering none the less. The spirit of an age returned to tell his tale of trying to piece together his life shattered by the rise of the Nazis and the second world war. I read it as a kind of ghost story. From the first page I was hooked and although others who’ve read it might think me loopy the book it most reminded me of is Jane Eyre.

From the Files of the Time Rangers by Richard Bowes – Bowes, Time Ranger, himself, resurrects the form of the fix-up for this one and makes it work like a charm. The thing I love about this form, when it’s done right, like The Martian Chronicles, is how much is left to implication, how much room there is for the reader’s imagination, what’s not said and how it stitches the stories together into something greater than the sum of the parts. There’s clear, unfettered prose here and fine stitch work. After I finished reading, my mind was spinning like a pinwheel with images of Gods and agents and implications.

Spotted Lilly by Anna Tambour – Faust-not with terrific writing and always the promise of interesting tangents that eventually turn back to the main story. This book has a great sense of humor – wicked and unsentimental.

Tumbling After by Paul Witcover – A coming of age story told in two worlds, both expertly rendered and subtly increasing in resonance with each other as the book progresses. Themes of childhood, play, the loss of innocence and the dissolution of the imagination are all unobtrusively at work here, layered along with nods to myth and fairy tale. Witcover is a slow careful writer who crafts prose that reads extemporaneous and unlabored. Wish there was more of it.

The People of Paper by Salvador Plascencia – A strange and beautiful melancholia. Probably my favorite novel of 05. Interweaving points of view by those caught up in the war against Saturn. Unless you read this book, you’ll have no idea what it’s like. The blend of the surreal and the everyday is so seamless here that in the end the book can only be experienced as a vibrant and viable world unto itself. I did not find the unusual structure forbidding, but it becomes evident very quickly that the way the author told his story is the only way it could really be told. The imagination is so idiosyncratic and startlingly unfamiliar, and there is real emotional payoff with characters a reader can deeply care for. A rare and welcome example of an unclassifiable novel. Besides, the actual book itself is gorgeous.

Vellum by Hal Duncan – Like a hundred tokes from a UK triple skinner. Vellum is really a vision. The energy in this novel is undeniable as is the sense that at any moment the story could just explode. Duncan keeps it this side of sanity, though, with an intricate, organic structure and a plot of cosmic dimension. Great facility of language here and a fireworks display of verbal and storytelling power. Jeez Louise, this is the guy’s first novel.

Miss Hargreaves by Frank Baker – This is a reprint from the wonderful Tartarus Press, originally published in 1940. Two friends on vacation in Europe, just for fun and to pass the time while traveling, invent a character, Miss Hargreaves. After they return home, the joke continues and it’s all low key and jolly until one of them, as a goof, drops a letter in the box addressed to the Miss and invites her to visit. Then one day a letter comes back to them addressed from Miss Hargreaves and in it she announces she is coming for a stay. And then she shows up. I loved the way the tone of the story goes from light hearted jaunt to shock to weird and then ever so subtly sinister. A book that has really stayed with me.

Skinny Dipping in the Lake of the Dead by Alan Deniro – This book will be published by Small Beer in the summer of 06, but I got a look at it this year. The stories in Deniro’s first collection exhibit a voice that’s fresh and unique. Although some of the pieces are quite bizarre, there’s a naturalness to their flow that allows the reader easy entry. Their sometimes surreal qualities don’t make hard work for the reader, or didn’t for this reader, but the after effect of many of them, as they deal with contemporary issues, social and political, and reveal the quotidian to often be either sublime or ultimately threatening, lingers in the imagination for quite a while. Don’t forget this one come summer. I think readers, looking for something new and different, will really appreciate it.

McSweeny’s Quarterly Concern #13 – This volume is an example of book making at its best. It sports a beautiful Chris Ware cover that is a comic unto itself, and within this cover are secret little pockets in which nest separate little comics. The content is equally amazing with comics by some of the leading alternative comics artists of the day R. Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Daniel Clowes, Lynda Barry, Los Bros Hernandez, Adrian Tomine, Julie Doucet, Kim Deitch. Pricey but worth splurging for.

The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana by Jess Nevins – For any writer of fiction, this volume of info on fantastic literature of the 19th century is a feast of potential stories and tidbits of imagery. Nevins is comprehensive -- mysteries, chinese martial arts novels,Conan Doyle, Verne, etc., and some really obscure stuff probably Nevins is the only one in the 21st century to know about. If you can't afford it, you should suggest your library get one of these. Your neighbors will thank you.

Move Under Ground by Nick Mamatas -- This novel appeared in 04, but I read it only this year as part of my duties for reading for the World Fantasy Awards. Kerouac & Lovecraft on the road. There's an incredible energy, facility with language, and sense of humor in this book. A fantastic first novel and worth reaching back to 04 for.

Tooth And Claw by T. C. Boyle -- The title story of this collection is worth the price of admission. Not all of the stories here are great but many are and the rest are very good. I always admired Boyle's abilities as a writer, but very often in the earlier work, there seemed to be a lack of emotion to the pieces. These later stories have what the earlier ones were missing -- for me at least. A terrific collection.

Link

Comments:

From: (Anonymous)
2005-12-29 03:42 pm (UTC)

(Link)

I'm glad to hear you dug Jess's Fantastic Victoriana. It's a hell of a book, isn't it? I still find it difficult to believe it's all the work of one guy!

-Chris Roberson

(Reply to this) (Thread)

From:

14theditch
2005-12-29 03:59 pm (UTC)

(Link)

Chris: It's a fabulous book. I can only imagine that Nevins is an extremely patient man. Great cover by John on that one too. Congrats to you and MonkeyBrain on its publication. And hope you and the family have a cool 06.

thanks so much

Re: thanks so much

Ford & Frost

Iain Banks

Re: Iain Banks

Re: Iain Banks

Re: Iain Banks

Re: Iain Banks

Re: Iain Banks

Re: Iain Banks

Re: Iain Banks

Re: Iain Banks

thanks Jeff

Vellum

Miss Hargreaves