Vacation paperbacks

Hmmm, new travel book reviewed in the NYTimes today - Cross Country, by Robert Sullivan. Sounds like something I'd like...

link - http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/02/books/review/02barc.html?_r=1&8bu&emc=bu&oref=slogin

"Brick Lane" by Monica Ali is the next one coming off my bookshelf.

Ah, yes, I want to read that too..

I can pass it along when I'm finished, Osso ...

My daughter passed along Margaret Atwood's "Oryx and Crake" with a, "You have to read this, Mom," so that's on my list for the summer, also.

What about Fugitive Pieces, by Anne Michaels, I think.....because it is lovely


and


Terrorist, by Updike, cos it sounds fascinating, and I have a copy on order, and I wanna have people to discuss it with!


And I am wanting to read Tariq Ali's quartet set against various periods in Islamic history:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariq_Ali


These are the four:

The Book of Saladin
Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree
The Stone Woman
A Sultan in Palermo


Though this non novel looks interesting:

The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity

"Brick Lane", another "obvious" (in my weird internal "obvious" designation), thank you!

Also "White Teeth" by Zadie Smith.

I had never heard of "Fugitive Pieces" before, it looks very good, if another of the funky ones. I love Vintage International as a publisher; when I used to work in a used bookstore I'd just grab anything they published, without any knowledge of author or the book, just because they tended to be so good. Rarely disappointed, and found some favorites that way.

I have a $50 Amazon gift certificate and most of these tend to be around $10, I think I'll narrow it down to 5 -- I don't think I'll read more than that even if sozlet is off playing with cousins the entire time.

I wanna read Terrorist too btw, it's a new (hardback) one though, right?

Maybe I'll get it from the library for discussion purposes.

There, it's checked out but I just requested it, I'm 5th in line.

Oh, goody.


Mine won't get here for about 3 more weeks.

Sure, McKenzie, I'll take that when you're done if you feel like mailing it..


Here's a list of Vintage International's titles...
http://www.literarycritic.com/vintage1.htm

I was recently in Barnes and Nobles and picked up a copy of "Crunk" from the shelf. I started chuckling as I read the cover and started putting the book back in its place, when I noticed the subtitle.

The words seemed to beckon me, to almost grab me by the shirt collar and pull me inside.

They simply said.... "Ballin' on this court.... You betta have game!"

Now, ordinarily, I wouldn't have been sucked in by such a statement, but the exclamation point screamed at me. It said, "Gus, you had better pay attention to this novel."

I cast a few furtive glances, convinced that, because this was the last copy, I would be soon fighting legions of "Crunk" fans, but the aisles remained relatively quiet and I managed to make my way to the counter uncontested and purchase this gem of a novel...



I am only on page seventeen, but the action is fast and furious, and my heart has been pounding.

I almost feel as if I am in the 'hood.

GUS!!!

There you are, you damn coot.

Where'd you travel this time?

Hope you had fun.

I was in the slammer, soz. Long story, but, rest assured, the soap remained firmly gripped in my hands.

Were not.

Unless "The Slammer" is some scenic part of the US that I'm not currently aware of.

But I understand, you're a man of mystery and intrigue, got a reputation to uphold (and a legion of fans to worry!)

were too

not

too too too

This is what I missed as I stared through the cell bars every night at the cold wafer-thin moon which taunted me and seemed to assure me that my imprisonment was real and my deep conversations with sozobe were a mere thing of the past.

Gone were the days of the "Were too!" and "Was not!"

But, I beat those bastard demons and I am back on the hallowed pages of A2K. Back to the cerebral conversations with sozobe.

And I have never felt so alive.

We are working on getting you sent back in.

Joe(missed you, you freak)Nation

I just figured it out... Gus is a mid- fielder for the Duke lacrosse team.