My favorite book of April was, to my surprise, The Shootist, by Glen Swarthout. I read the entire thing cover to cover in one sitting early one Sunday morning. The John Wayne film is a pretty faithful adaptation, but the book does a much better job of conveying what's going on inside Book's head and how prostate cancer is affecting him. And the writing is truly masterful. For almost the entire book, the sentences are short, punchy, direct and matter-of-fact, but in the final sequence, everything changes: every bullet and shot is described in minute, graphic detail, like a gory modern slo-mo sequence. This really brings out the essence of what I imagine it is to be in a gunfight, in a cold, dispassionate way. I'd rate this alongside True Grit as one of the finest Westerns ever written. Maybe this is one that
and I should discuss on at some point.
I’m feeling a little smug to have hit my annual reading challenge by the end of April. Not only that, but I finally figured out how to get through the damn Cosmere books. Each of the volumes of Stormlight is about 1250 pages, divided into several “books” of about 250-300 pages each. So I’m treating them as separate books. Each time I finish a “book”, I put it aside and read something else. That feels a whole lot less exhausting: 250 pages is a nice quick read, and if I get through one “book” a week, I’ll still finish the whole thing in a month. And by taking breaks, I find I actually enjoy the books more and remember more of the story.
On a slightly related note, most of the time these days, I read print books. I have a Kindle, but I don’t use it much: I have nothing against them, but I prefer the feel of an actual book. However, I was starting to find that reading a 1250-page book was becoming awkward, and seriously considered buying the next volume of Stormlight as an e-book, just because it would be lighter and easier to hold. But when it came to it, I didn’t. Partly because buying a used paperback was cheaper, but mostly because I just want the thing in my hands, and I like the idea of having that big fat series on my shelf, even if I never read it again.
Anyway, here’s this month’s list.
The Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. LeGuin. I’ve loved this story since I was a kid: it’s pretty much up there with Narnia, Weirdstone, and Dark is Rising. And now there’s a graphic novel, which has been getting good reviews. Very much looking forward to this one. (Side note - LeGuin seems to be appearing on the edges of my consciousness a lot recently - I mentioned her when I was talking about Grimus last month, and again last week when I was thinking about gender. Maybe it’s time to revisit her work in depth.)
The Science Fiction of Jack London. Apparently he wrote a lot of SF - there’s enough of it for a 500-page anthology! I may or may not get through all of it this month.
The Prophet’s Hair, by Salman Rushdie. The next novel in my Rushdie marathon is Midnight’s Children, but I’ve always found that one daunting. The only time I ever managed to get through it was when I was suffering from serious jet-lag on a trip to Mumbai, when it all felt very relevant. So I’m going to cheat, and this month’s Rushdie will be a short story I’ve never even heard of, let alone read. I’ll do Midnight’s Children next month.
Oathbringer and Edgedancer, by Brandon Sanderson, the third book in The Stormlight Archive and a novella that fits in right before it.
Do Nothing: how to break away from overworking, overdoing, and underliving, by Celeste Headlee, part of my research for Unhack Your Brain. I’m a big fan of doing nothing. It’s good for my mental health.
Carrion Comfort, by Dan Simmons. A good friend recommended this. Horror’s not really my thing, but I loved The Terror, so I figured I’d give it a shot. (Apparently I’ve read it before, according to Goodreads, and didn’t think much of it thirteen years ago, but Andy’s recommendations are usually solid, so I’ll try again. I didn’t bother writing a review, so I have no idea why I didn’t like it.)
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Book club selection). I know next to nothing about this, except that it’s about an aged Hollywood star, so I’m expecting something in the vein of Sunset Boulevard.
That’s a good mix of reading. What’s on your bookshelf this month?
I don't know if it will be soon, but The Science Fiction of Jack London is on my list now. I had no clue...
I'll read the Shootist and we'll discuss. The Left Hand book is one I regularly re-read it gets better on each read. Carrion Comfort is also a wonderful book. Good reading list!