As Good as Larry Watson

I've been a fan of Larry Watson ever since I read Montana, 1948, so of course I was very excited to see that he published a new novel recently, entitled As Good as Gone.  Watson is a master at engaging the reader quickly, with his interesting characters amidst the eastern plains of Montana.  His writing is a niche blend of mystery, novel, and Western, that I greatly enjoy.  While As Good as Gone kept me reading, I found it a bit lackluster in comparison to American Boy and Montana, 1948, which seemed more fully realized.  Then again, why not just read everything Watson has written?  His smart writing and great dialogue are sure to entertain!  

A Burning Flame

I recently re-read James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time, and I highly recommend you read it as soon as possible.  As I was taking in Baldwin's words, I found myself earmarking multiple passages on every page until I finally just gave up and realized that every single page of this fierce book is filled with powerful, unforgettable, and essential thoughts about race and racism in America, and that it is the kind of book that should be read right now, and then re-read often.  I'm going to re-read this book at least once a year, because it rings as true now as it did in 1963 when it was first published.  It would be interesting to read it in tandem with Ta-Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me, as Coates' recent memoir discusses similar themes and is written in a similar style to part of Baldwin's book (i.e. in the form of a letter to a young black man).  Bottom line - it is essential that everyone read this book.  Baldwin's message burns as bright as ever.  

Two Debut Reviews

Esme Weijun Wang's debut novel The Border of Paradise captivated me from the first few pages.  Set in mid twentieth century Brooklyn, Taiwan, and a high Sierra town in California, it explores the impact of mental illness on multiple generations of the Nowak family, and portrays how it brings the family close together and tears it apart.  Taking the first person perspectives of the different family members is not a new approach but is done in such a fresh and intimate way in Wang's deft hands.  I was curious about this very talented young writer, so I went to her website which is quite unlike other author websites I have visited.  She describes how the three themes on her mind in recent times are creativity, resilience, and legacy, all of which are touched upon in her novel.  It's evident after reading the novel and visiting her website that she someone bristling with creative ideas, and has published many essays and embarked on other artistic projects.  Highly recommended!

Yaa Gyasi's debut novel Homegoing has been hailed as a revelation - some have even gone so far as to suggest it is and will be the best book published in 2016.  This is one of those books (and I've had this feeling before, for example, when Zadie Smith published White Teeth and Chimamanda Adichie published Purple Hibisicus) in which I wonder what I was doing when I was 26 years old!  What Gyasi has achieved at such an early stage of her age is very impressive.  She's written a gorgeous, heartbreaking novel that spans eight generations and multiple geographies (coming full circle to Ghana, with many stops in between including Harlem and Alabama). What I find particularly interesting about her novel is that despite its breadth, each chapter almost stands alone as a vignette that explores deeply the characters' lives.  To achieve both breadth and depth is rare.  It's an essential read on slavery and its legacy.  

2016 mid-year reading roundup (a bit late)

It's time for my mid-year reading roundup. I read many thought provoking, memorable, and riveting books in the first half of 2016. Here are my top 10 favorites (out of about 50 total), in order of when I read them from January up until June 30th:
1. Eileen - Ottessa Moshfegh
2. Black Man in a White Coat - Damon Tweedy
3. Forgotten Country - Catherine Chung
4. The Splendid Outcast - Beryl Markham
5. Find a Way - Diana Nyad
6. House of Thieves - Charles Belfoure
7. The Hidden Wound - Wendell Berry
8. Mankiller: A Chief and Her People - W. Mankiller & M. Wallis
9. Becoming Nicole - Amy Ellis Nutt
10. The After Party - Anton DiSclafani

Wallace Stegner continues to blow me away with his range and beautiful writing (but I didn't want to crowd my top 10 list with all Stegner!). My favorites so far from this year have been his first novel, Remembering Laughter, and one of his collections of essays on the West, entitled Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs (in particular the essay "Letter, Much Too Late").

The first book I read in the second half of the year is also spectacular - The Autobiography of Malcolm X.