nomadreader

The backstory: How to Be Both  is on the 2014 Booker Prize short list. Update: It also won the 2015 Baileys Prize  and was shortlisted for the 2015 Folio Prize . The basics: How to Be Both  is told in two parts, one from the point-of-view of George, a 16-year-old Cambridge (England) girl in current time, and the other from the spirit of Francesco del Cossa, a 15th century Italian artist. Which narrative you read first depends on the book; half the copies were printed with George's narrative first. My thoughts: A few years ago, I read my first Ali Smith novel, There But For The  ( my review ), when it was longlisted for the Orange Prize . I didn't love it, but I was impressed with Smith and her ideas, so I was eager to see what she would do next. Before starting this book, I did something I rarely do: I looked at a professional review (I usually think reviews give too much away.) I'm so glad I knew there are two orders in which to read this novel before I st...

The backstory: The Dog  is on the 2014 Booker Prize longlist. The basics: The unnamed narrator leaves New York for Dubai to work as the family officer and go-between for the very rich Batros family. My thoughts: The narrative voice of our mysteriously unnamed narrator grabbed me immediately. He's quirky and weird, and a dark humor inflects the narrative: "In Switzerland they eat dog sausages, and I cannot say the Swiss are stupid. Cold, yes. Greedy, yes. Stupid, no. But eating tigers for medicine? Very stupid. Maybe this should be our focus, the fight again stupidity. It's a very serious problem. There is a lot of stupidity in the world. It does much harm. You must understand this very well, coming from the United States." Early on, I quite enjoyed this novel. The narrative voice was fresh, interesting, smart and funny. It brimmed with interesting commentary and observation, both about himself and the world. As he (and thus the novel) moved to Dubai, I was f...

The backstory: To Rise Again at a Decent Hour , Joshua Ferris's third novel, is on the 2014 Booker Prize longlist. He's also one of The New Yorker's 20 Under 40 . I've previously enjoyed his novel The Unnamed  ( my review .)   The basics: Paul O'Rourke has a thriving dental practice in New York City, an obsession with the Boston Red Sox, and a rather pathetic social and love life. When a website for his dental practice appears, he's perplexed. Soon a Facebook page and Twitter profile emerge as well. Paul isn't behind any of them, and he's troubled someone seems to know so much about him and is misrepresenting him as religious. My thoughts: Paul O'Rourke is an instantly memorable character. He's delightfully (or perhaps annoyingly to some) quirky. He's an alarmingly honest narrator who has no problem talking about himself honestly, and he has strong opinions on everything--from the small to the very big. The two biggest themes in this b...

The backstory: The Blazing World  is on the 2014 Booker Prize longlist. The basics: Visual artist Harriet Burden and her work have long been in the shadow of her artist husband. When she recruits three young, male artists to show her work under their name, the men are heralded as brilliant and inventive artists. My thoughts: Hustvedt arranges this novel as a series of (fictional, obviously) texts put together in an edited volume. There are contributions from Harriet's journals; art critics; previously published interviews and reviews; narratives from her children, her therapist and best friend; people who knew the male artists; and the male artists themselves. The degree of difficulty in this novel is incredibly high. Hustvedt made me forget I was reading fiction. This novel reads like nonfiction or journalism. It often felt investigative; I wanted to see where the story ended, and I had to keep reminding myself Harriet Burden and her experiment aren't real. It's a...

The backstory: History of the Rain is on the 2014 Booker Prize longlist. The basics: Ruthie Swain is home from college after a medical issue arose. She lives in the attic of her family's home, along with over 3000 of her father's books, and she plans to read all of them. My thoughts: Ruthie is a delightful narrator. She's quite precocious, and at times early in the novel I had to remind myself how young she is, as she also tells her story with the wisdom of an older woman. There's also a boldness as she addresses the reader directly. Perhaps it's why I felt so connected to Ruthie--she speaks right to me in this novel. I adored Ruthie's view of the world. It was both humorous and filled with truths: "Irish people will read anything as long as it's about them. That's what I think. We are our own greatest subject and though we've gone and looked elsewhere about the world we have found that there are just no people, no subject as fascinat...

The backstory: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry , the first novel by Rachel Joyce, was on the 2012 Booker Prize longlist. The basics: When Harold Fry, a retired man who lives in southern England, receives a letter from an old co-worker and friend, Queenie, saying goodbye because she is quite ill, he sets out to post his reply letter. Instead of stopping at the mailbox, however, Harold keeps walking so he can say goodbye in person. Along the way, he remembers, thinks and meets a quirk cast of characters. My thoughts: From the first pages of this novel, there is a familiarity to its characters. Harold and his wife, Maureen, seem ordinary and the reader's first glimpse into their lives features the mundanesness of life. Rachel Joyce's observational prose, however, elevates the story. This early passage illustrates the novel itself: "He knew he was going to reach Berwick, and that all he had to do was to place one foot in front of the other. The simplicity of it was ...

The wait is over, friends. The 2012 Booker Prize longlist is here ! And so far, I've read none of them. I wasn't planning on reading the entire longlist this year for a variety of reasons, but of course once the list was announced, I got excited. I've already ordered copies of all of them. I must say: I expected a list of literary familiars. Instead, we're treated to four (!) debut novelists (just like last year) and many authors unfamiliar to me. I'm looking forward to exploring these books. Unfortunately, this list is incredibly unfriendly to U.S. readers . Several of the titles aren't even out in the UK yet. It is, however, a list one could easily read through before October 16, when the winner is announced (the shortlist will be announced September 11.) Using page numbers provided by Amazon, one only has to read 48 pages each day to finish in time ( if you can get a copy of all of these gems.) Clicking on the covers takes you to Amazon. The ones ava...

Good morning! I'm up early (for me) on a Sunday, and I'm looking forward to a day of reading on the porch before I have to go to work. I hope to finish both Helen Dunmore's divine novel The Siege  and Alan Warner's delightful novel  The Sopranos  today. Both are precursors to Booker longlist novels, and then I'm jumping back in with both feet to meet my goal of finishing the longlist (9 more novels to go!) by September 7 (only 23 days away!). 1802 Beekman Lyle Lovett The highlight of my week was venturing to Cooperstown to see Lyle Lovett and His Large Band at the Ommegang Brewery. Lyle is one of my favorite singers, and I've never seen him live. Mr. Nomadreader and I stopped in Sharon Springs to have a delicious lunch at the Black Cat (I had the BLAST: Bacon, lettuce, avocado, swiss and tomato). Then, I couldn't resist stopping at 1802 Beekman, home of The Fabulous Beekman Boys. Brent was there, and we purchased a sampling of their goat milk soa...

I think it's about time to get into the Sunday Salon habit again. Don't you? This week brought us the exciting announcement of the Booker Prize longlist . I started reading right away, and in less than a week's time, I've read three of the thirteen novels. I already wrote about In a Strange Room  by Damon Galgut . I'm thrilled to share my thoughts about Emma Donoghue's Room  Tuesday (preview: I do believe it is my Favorite. Book. Ever.) I'll share my thoughts on Lisa Moore's February  later this week as well. So far, I'm really enjoying my Booker dozen reading, and I'm even ahead of schedule. If I can keep up this pace, I'm confident I'll complete the longlist by September 7th. Most importantly, I should have time to knock out Alan Warner's The Sopranos  as well, as it's a precursor to The Stars in the Bright Sky.  I'll be starting Peter Carey's Parrot and Olivier in America  this morning. As a blogger who is rather ...