Archive for April, 2011

THE COLOR OF NIGHT by Madison Smartt Bell

I have chosen this rather longer quotation to show how Madison Smartt Bell can turn on a dime between a realistic description of a California druggie cult in the late sixties to an evocation of the revels of Dionysian maenads from the earliest age of Greek mythology. The link here is an acid trip, but Bell does not need chemicals to effect his alchemy. In 2001, when the book opens, the narrator Mae is a middle-aged croupier in a Las Vegas area casino. Bell’s description is realistic and immediate: “Only the whirl of lights and the electronic burbling of machines, rattle of dice in the craps table cups, and almost inaudible whisper of cards, the friction-free hum of roulette wheels turning.” But two sentences later, he has already made the shift: “It was a sort of fifth-rate hell, and I a minor demon posted to it. A succubus too indifferent to suck.”

April 6, 2011 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: , , , , ,  Â· Posted in: 2011 Favorites, California, Contemporary, New York City, US Southwest, y Award Winning Author

THE UNCOUPLING by Meg Wolitzer

Once upon a time…no. On a dark and stormy night…wait–there was no storm. Long ago and far away…but, it was only a few years ago, and not far if you live in suburban New Jersey. So, one dark and December night in the safe and tidy suburb of Stellar Plains, New Jersey, an arctic chill seeped under doors, a frigid blast blew through windows, and a glacial nipping swirled between the sheets of spouses and lovers. And, just as suddenly, the woman turned from their men, and stopped having sex.

April 5, 2011 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: , , , ,  Â· Posted in: Contemporary, Family Matters, Humorous, Reading Guide

A SHORTCUT TO PARADISE by Teresa Solana

It’s been a long time since I’ve read such a light hearted crime novel. In fact Teresa Solana’s latest mystery A SHORT CUT TO PARADISEis so amusing, it is very likely to stretch its appeal beyond the usual crime aficionados. The novel, however, is not a cozy, by any means. Instead it’s a satirically funny inside look at the highly competitive world of prize-winning Catalan literature. Some of us may not automatically think of bitter, murderous rivalry between competing authors who seek a lucrative prize, but then again the Booker Prize manages to stir some controversy every year–along with the occasional highly entertaining “what-the-hell-were-they-thinking” comment from judges, authors and readers.

April 4, 2011 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: , , ,  Â· Posted in: Humorous, Mystery/Suspense, Sleuths Series, Spain, Translated, y Award Winning Author

PYM by Mat Johnson

Chris Jaynes has just been fired from his position as the token black professor at a prestigious liberal arts college, and retaliates by visiting the president and snatching off his red bow tie. This none-too-subtle reference to the preferred attire of Leon Botstein, president of Bard College where author Mat Johnson also taught, launches the book as a satire, but gives little hint of the likability of its hero or the fascination of the study of race that will follow. Johnson turns the subject inside out, standing it on its head, looking at race with an outrageous accuracy whose aim falls on black and white alike. Forgive me, therefore, if I set the comedy aside for the moment and concentrate on the book’s intellectual underpinnings.

Much of the debate concerns the nature of blackness itself, beginning with the protagonist’s own racial identity.

April 3, 2011 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: ,  Â· Posted in: 2011 Favorites, Class - Race - Gender, Contemporary, Humorous, Satire, Unique Narrative

THE BEAUTY OF HUMANITY MOVEMENT by Camilla Gibb

THE BEAUTY OF HUMANITY MOVEMENT by Camilla Gibb is a very interesting novel situated in Hanoi, Vietnam. Its timeframe is the present but the novel also deals quite a bit with the 1950′s and 1960′s, providing an extensive history of the country. The Beauty of Humanity Movement refers to a group of artists, poets, and writers who all gathered around Hung’s pho cart in the 1950′s and 1960′s before they were arrested, re-educated or killed by the communists.

April 2, 2011 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: ,  Â· Posted in: Facing History, Vietnam, World Lit, y Award Winning Author

THE SATURDAY BIG TENT WEDDING PARTY by Alexander McCall Smith

Here are some of the things that make us smile: the sight of a beautiful baby, a glorious spring day, a sincere compliment, and a new installment, THE SATURDAY BIG TENT WEDDING PARTY, in Alexander McCall Smith’s wonderful series featuring Precious Ramotswe. The “traditionally built” Mma Ramotswe is happily married to Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni, proprietor of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, and along with her associate, the bespectacled and highly efficient Grace Makutsi, contentedly operates the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency in Gaborone. Little has changed, except that the date of Grace’s wedding to Mr. Phuti Radiphuti is drawing near. The bride has a great deal to do to get ready for this momentous event.

April 1, 2011 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags:  Â· Posted in: Africa, Sleuths Series, World Lit