January 2002

I did a lot of reading these past couple of months, and I plan to do as much or more in the next couple. In preparation for a novel I'm about to begin, I'm reading piles of first person comic novels with impeccable literary credentials. Breakfast With Scot by Michael Downing This little gem of a comic novel is easily and enjoyably devoured in a single afternoon.

Misconceptions by Naomi Wolf You can read everything I think about this book in the San Francisco Chronicle book review section. Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik I swear I almost moved my entire family to Paris during the course of reading this terrific book of essays. I had read them before as they appeared in The New Yorker, but there was something especially wonderful about immersing myself in Gopnik's Paris for an extended period of time. Look at Me by Jennifer Egan I know Egan is a terrific writer. Her language is beautiful. But I simply find nothing even remotely interesting about models. Blame that on the fact that I'm a mere five feet tall. I read three quarters of the novel and then decided that I'd had enough. The Grand Complication by Allen Kurzwell This is a wonderfully complicated trick of a first novel. The writing is engaging and the story is fun. I've decided to believe that all the library details are absolutely correct, especially the Lord of Misrule. Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks I just love a good novel about the plague. In the Fall by Jefrey Lent I know without checking that the flap copy of this novel calls is a "sprawling family saga." Okay, I was wrong. "American family epic." Same thing. I enjoyed this novel tremendously, although I had the same problem with it that I have with all multi-generational tales. Just when I was really getting interested in a specific character, he or she would grow old and die. Shopgirl by Steve Martin I didn't want to like this book, really I didn't. I mean, isn't being a hugely successful movie star enough? Does he really get to push my husband off the bestseller list, too? But, alas, I thought it was a sweet little novella.

Disobedience by Jane Hamilton I'm so fantastically opposed to infidelity that I usually have a problem even reading about it, but this novel is an exception. I loved it. Why Did I Ever by Mary Robison I wanted to love this book, because it was recommended to me by someone whom I admire tremendously. That's all I'm going to say. The Distant Land of My Father by Bo Caldwell I found the Shanghai parts of this novel to be wonderfully interesting. I had zero interest in the life of the Los Angeles adolescent.

Tomcat in Love by Tim O'Brien Everyone in the world thought this was an uproariously funny delight. What's wrong with me? I gave up halfway through. Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland This novel faces the inevitable comparison to Tracey Vreeland's Girl With a Pearl Earring. I give the latter the nod, although I enjoyed this one enough to read it in a day. Niagara Falls All Over Again by Elizabeth McCracken I haven't enjoyed a novel so much in ages. Her writing reminds me of my husband's... The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland Read what I have to say about this novel in the San Francisco Chronicle's book review. Dreaming Artemisia by Clara Hennen Funny coincidence -- reviewing Vreeland's book about the Italian Baroque painter and then reading a friend's manuscript about the same woman. I'm sure Clara's book will be published. It's terrific.

November 2001

Did I say a couple of months ago that I would be working so hard I wouldn't have time to read? Sigh. Would that that were true... The Moor's Last Sigh by Salman Rushdie I loved Midnight's Children, and I'm one of the few people to like The Ground Beneath Her Feet, so I'm a Rushdie fan. I loved this book. It was so rich, so fabulously odd, in that Rushdie way. The ending seemed a bit tacked on, though. What's with the sudden introduction of a character we've never met before? The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen Great, fun, sprawling read. I cringed and laughed and cried along with all the characters...except the sister. She kind of bored me. Otherwise, I loved the book. It Takes a Worried Man by Brendan Halpin This memoir is about the author's wife's cancer diagnosis. It's incredibly touching, and very sad. And funny, too. It's hardly a work of genius, but it's good for a hormone-induced weep-fest. The Vine of Desire by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni This novel continues the story of the women we met in Sister of My Heart. As I've said before, I love novels about India, or Indian characters. So I whipped through this in a night or two. She's got a terrific descriptive sense. Probably because she's a poet. The World Below by Sue Miller I think of Sue Miller in many ways as the writer I'd like to grow into. Her themes are much the same as mine ? the minutae of daily life, mothering etc. No murders in this one, though. The Fortune Catcher by Susanne Pari Okay, I'll admit it -- Susanne is my friend. I gobbled up this book in a day. If you want some insight into Islamic Fundamentalism and a good read at the same time, this is your book. The Safe House by Nicci French This is the only mystery I read in the past two months. Can this be true? What a bad mystery writer I am, to have been such a bad mystery reader...This reads along pretty quickly. Could use a little humor, though. Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz What a lovely, sad, depressing book. The mystery was pretty obvious, but I didn't care. It was beautifully written, and a perfect post-partum book, if tragedy is your thing. I'm always drawn to misery when I've just had a baby. The Impressionist by Hari Kunzru This is a very strange novel, that's also compelling. It kept me up until all hours, again and again. This writer is one to watch. I told you I liked books about India. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger If you had told me that I would be blown away by a deeply religious book about cowboys and God, I would have laughed in your face. Read this book. It's amazing.

August 2001

I got off to a slow start in July, but then worked up a head of steam in August. I read enough to satisfy even myself. Now, I'm back to work on the final revisions of A Playdate With Death and plan to begin writing Death Gets a Timeout very soon. My languid days and nights of reading may be behind me for the foreseeable future. John Henry Days by Colson Whitehead This guy is a brilliant writer. Almost as brilliant as my husband. And, come to think of it, his work does resemble Michael's. Sentences in this book had me reeling, and laughing hysterically. But, over all, I felt pretty distant from the plot and characters. I wanted to love it. Really I did. But I came away a bit dissatisfied. A Traitor to Memory by Elizabeth George I was beyond thrilled to get this in hardcover from a friend. I'd exhausted my hardcover budget for the month and was sure I'd have to wait for the paperback. It was a fun read, but I called the ENTIRE plot in the first 100 pages or so. And I'm not that swift... The Night Inspector by Frederick Busch I loved this one. It felt like a delightful Victorian gothic. The language was dead on and the seemy ugliness was creepily pleasurable. Wild Writing Women by my friend Lauren Cuthbert, among others These tales of intrepid women travelers braving remarkable dangers were so much fun! They made me want to head back out to Nepal or Ladakh. The Binding Chair by Kathryn Harrison I have a real soft spot for novels about China. I liked this book very much, although I was much less interested in the Western girl's story. The Dark Room by Minette Walters I love English mysteries and am always looking for good, new authors (or new to me at least). I enjoyed this one. It was a good read while I was on the plane from New Jersey. Miraculously, the baby slept and I had a terrific flight! Getting a Life by Helen Simpson The stories were amazing but, oh my God, were they bleak. Mothers on the edge of despair. We've all been there, in some fashion or another. Still Missing by Beth Gutcheon I had to skip to the end to see what happened to the abducted child in this book. I never, I mean NEVER, do that, but I couldn't stand the suspence. Maybe I was too post-partum to deal with it. Incredible read, this. Arranged Marriages by Chitra Divakaruni Last year I was on an India tear. I must have read twenty or thirty novels by Indian writers. This collection takes place by and large in the US and is a wonderful glimpse into the world of immigrants from India. The Hotel Alleluia by Lucinda Roy The Africa parts of this book were enjoyable, but the rest left me pretty cold.

July 2001

This month's list is short, but in my defense, I did give birth on June 1. I had all this luxurious time for reading after my planned c-section, but due to the fabulous if foggy effects of Vicodin, all I managed to do was read the same article in Vogue over and over and over again. And I still don't know whether lipsticks are matte or glossy this summer. The Human Stain by Philip Roth I didn't want to like this book. Really I didn't. I mean, the man writes about prostates and fellatio. In the same sentence. But it was a wonderful book. Beautifully and even delicately written. Compelling. Sad as hell. Dating Big Bird by Laura Zigman I really don't plan to use this space to trash other writers. And hell, the book got published, so someone likes it. And I did finish it. It passed the time. 'Nuf said.

May 2001

Siam: Or the Woman Who Shot a Man by Lily TuckThis slim little novel is a wonderful glimpse into expatriate life in Thailand circa 1967. It's beautifully written and the sense of place is remarkable, but I found myself wishing for more of a plot. Make Believe by Joanna Scott After the deaths of his parents, four-year-old Bo is the focus of a fierce custody battle between two sets of grandparents, one black and one white. I don't generally enjoy novels written from the perspective of children, but I found this one thoroughly compelling. O is for Outlaw by Sue Grafton Ms. Grafton is one of the true geniuses of the modern hard-boiled mystery. Her sleuth, Kinsey Millhone, is an inspiration to all of us who are swimming in Ms. Grafton's masterful wake. This installment is particularly enjoyable, as it involves Kinsey's own past. Being Dead by Jim Crace I really didn't want to like this book, as the author beat my husband out for the National Book Critic's Circle Award, but it's impossible not to. He's a remarkable writer, and this is a haunting book. It's about a couple of corpses decomposing on a beach, but don't let that dissuade you. Anil's Ghost by Michael Ondaatje A delightful bout a forensic pathologist who returns to her homeland of Sri Lanka to discover the source of the organized murder campaigns engulfing the island. The Vision of Emma Blau by Ursula Hegi Stones From the River, by the same author, is one of my favorite books of all time. It's brilliant. This one...not so much. I just had a hard time finding a plot in it all. The Strangeness of Beauty by Lydia Minatoya If the author of this novel, about Japan on the eve of World War II, hadn't felt the need to be so "lyrical," I would have enjoyed the book more. The characters are interesting and the historical context is compelling. It's a good read if you allow yourself to skip the odd overelaborate descriptive passage. Sister Noon by Karen Joy Fowler I love this writer. I don't want to ruin anything about this book for you, so I'll just say that it takes place in San Francisco in the Gilded Age and that all the really interesting characters are women. How often do you get to read a book like that? Snow Mountain Passage by James D. Houston I'll admit it. I have a bizarre obsession with grisly stories of survival. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer was one of my favorite books of the past few years. So I was thrilled to encounter this novel about the Donner Party's celebrated misadventures in the High Sierra of California. The sections of the book dealing with their awful fate were fabulous. Creepy and exciting and sad. I could have done without the detours to the Mexican-American War.