Rediscovering John O'Hara

John O'Hara (1905-1970) is one of those fascinating authors whose reputation waxes and wanes and then waxes again. Although often considered a master of the short story, O'Hara was also a consistently best-selling author, starting in the thirties and continuing through the sixties. He themes were often money and people trying to get it, class distinctions and spot-on dialog. Fran Lebowitz called him the "real F. Scott Fitzgerald." While his works weren't often critically acclaimed, he's definitely worth a look.

APPOINTMENT IN SAMARRA is O'Hara's first novel and often considered his best. It is a concise (251 pages) and somewhat terrifying tale of hubris in the modern world. Set in 1930, it is the tale of Julian English who, at the novel's start, resides at the top of Gibbsville, PA's social structure, but who loses everything in a breathtakingly short time. English's struggle to retain his social status and everything that goes with it is tense and has a certain classical element to it. When the editorial board of the Modern Library (Random House) published their 100 Best Novels of the Century, they put Appointment in Samarra at number 22.

If you're looking for a good old-fashioned long novel that takes weeks to get through, you might want to try O'Hara's FROM THE TERRACE and RAGE TO LIVE. The library has new paperback editions of all three.

Report from Afghanistan

NPR's Morning Edition recently interviewed Sarah Chayes, author of THEPUNISHMENT OF VIRTUE: INSIDE AFGHANISTAN AFTER THE TALIBAN. Chayes worked as a correspondent for NPR from 1997 to 2002 and then took a position running the aid agency Afghans for Civil Society. In 2006 she published this book, an account of how the Taliban had supposedly been conquered and then allowed to regroup and regain power. Her perspective as a former news person working to help stabilize a fragile traumatized country is extremely interesting, especially since she had unusual access to President Hamid Karzai, his government and even his family.

Other personal stories from Afghanistan at the library include COME BACK TO AFGHANISTAN: A CALIFORNIA TEENAGER'S STORY by Said Hyder Akbar and ZOYA'S STORY: AN AFGHAN WOMAN'S STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM by Zoya Follain.

New novelist

Dinaw Mengestu immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia in 1980 and last year published his first novel, THE BEAUTIFUL THINGS THAT HEAVEN BEARS, a short powerful novel about three friends from Africa trying to lead lives in this country. The protagonist, Sepha Stephanos, is an Ethiopian grocery store owner in a slowly gentrifying Washington DC neighborhood. He and two friends, one from Congo and one from Kenya, gather often to talk about their experiences leaving Africa and coming to America. Sepha's quiet life changes when Judith, a mother with a biracial child buys the large house next door and moves in. As these characters interact, ideas of place, home, belonging and race all come into play. In it's starred review, Publishers Weekly called Mengestu's prose "assured" and "haunting."

New title by Leif Enger

In 2001 Amazon put Leif Enger's PEACE LIKE A RIVER on it's "Best of the Year" list and many people discovered this new voice of Midwestern literature. Now Enger has a new novel out called SO BRAVE, YOUNG, AND HANDSOME that is wowing reviewers and readers alike. It's the story of Monte Becket who, in 1915, is an author of a successful first novel struggling to write a second. It is at this stage of his life that he meets a somewhat mysterious older man with a very storied past. The two decide to go on a pilgrimage that forever changes their lives. This fast-paced novel is definitely worth a read. The library has two copies on the new bookshelf.

Cyd Charisse dies

Yes, I know this is called Mark's Book Blog, but there's nothing to say I can't mention some of the great DVDs the library has in it's collection.

Yesterday, Cyd Charisse, one of film's most elegant and sophisticated dancers died in LA at the age of 86. This legend worked with such stars as Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire and for such directors as Vincente Minnelli and Arthur Freed. The library owns IT'S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER, THE BAND WAGON, BRIGADOON and SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. Check these titles out and go back to a time with just a little bit more class and grace.

Too much water

The flooding in the Midwest is certainly tragic, but unfortunately, not new. David McCullough, of PBS fame, wrote an early book describing another terrible flood, one of the worst in America's inland. THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD was written when the last of the flood survivors were still living and describes the dam failure in Johnston, Pennsylvania, in 1889. One of America's most highly-regarded historians, McCullough's non-fiction reads like the most suspense-filled fiction. Other titles by McCullough include THE GREAT BRIDGE: THE EPIC STORY OF THE BUILDING OF THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE and PATH BETWEEN THE SEAS: THECREATION OF THE PANAMA CANAL, 1870-1914.

Coming to America

The library has two recently well-reviewed collections of short stories dealing with emigrants trying to start new lives in America. THELAST CHICKEN IN AMERICA by Ellen Litman tells the stories of Russian immigrants who settle in Pittsburgh. The central character is Masha, a lonely teen who tries to stand out among the other Russians in town. Other characters include an unhappy housewife, a single mother and a widower trying to begin again. Publishers Weekly called Litman a "very promising writer."

The library will be ordering ASK FOR A CONVERTIBLE by Danit Brown very soon. When it's ordered, you will be able to place holds on it. These collection of stories deal with Osnat Greenberg who has settled in Michigan with her parents after leaving Israel. All of them struggle to settle into their new country and this struggle is described against the backdrop of more ordinary issues of growing up, fitting in, finding love and family disagreements. Library Journal calls Brown a "writer to savor."

Kosovo in the news

There was a headline today about Kosovo's constitution taking affect after the province declared independence in February. The library has a very readable book called KOSOVO: A SHORT HISTORY by Noel Malcolm who has written extensively about the Balkans. It does a good job of explaining the long and complex history of the wider region and Kosovo specifically, giving a clear picture of the historic and often violent struggle between ethnic Albanians and Serbs over this small piece of land. The library also has Malcolm's BOSNIA: A SHORT HISTORY; also well worth reading.

Same-sex marriage in CA

Today is the first day same-sex couples can legally marry in California. The library strives to have materials for all members of the community and our gay/lesbian patrons are no different. There's a cool book called HITCHED! WEDDING STORIES FROM SAN FRANCISCO CITY HALL that is a collection of accounts of couples from all over the country who married when the mayor told clerks to preform such unions in 2004. Eventually the state supreme court stopped those marriages and they weren't legal until today. The essays are very personal and demonstrate how the mayor's stand affected the everyday lives of thousands of people from around the country. Seeing the news about those unions being legal statewide in California today reminded me of this interesting title.

South African fiction

National Public Radio is running a series of stories profiling South Africa's progress from apartheid to democracy and it reminded me of a couple of South African novels I've read. The first, DISGRACE by J. M. Coetzee is a Booker Prize winner and tells the story of David Lurie, a 25 year old technical school teacher who is fired after an affair with a student comes to light. Somewhat adrift, he travels to his daughter's farm on the Eastern Cape, planning to write a book. However, things on the farm don't go as smoothly as David had hoped. At only 220 pages, the novel deals with an amazing number of themes such as crime in South Africa, authority and it's abuses, race, sex, family, disgrace and redemption.

THE HOUSE GUN by Nadine Gordimer deals with many of the same themes, especially South Africa's complicated history of official racial discrimination and it's attempts to move past it. Harold and Claudia are successful professionals whose lives are turned upside down when their son is accused of murdering one of his housemates. They struggle to support their son while trying to pin down the exact events that landed him in prison. As in Disgrace, South Africa's high crime rate is a major theme, along with the country's justice system and it's complex racial history.

Check out this great series!

Crime stories. Mysteries. Noir fiction. Call them what you want, but you know you love them. The library has 11 titles in this great noir series focusing on different cities. Dark crime-ridden streets, urban jungles, murder, sex and intrigue is what you'll find in these volumes, peopled with desperate lonely characters who can't see a way out.

Each volume contains original short stories by various authors set in the title city. So, HAVANA NOIR has stories by Achy Obejas, Carolina Garcia-Aguilera and Arnaldo Correa; DETROIT NOIR has stories by Joyce Carol Oates, Craig Holden and Megan Abbott; and LOS ANGELES NOIR includes selections by Michael Connelly, Janet Fitch and Christopher Rice.

Other titles include TRINIDAD NOIR, TORONTO NOIR, QUEENS NOIR, LAS VEGAS NOIR and WALL STREET NOIR. Take a walk down these mean streets.

Wisconsin short story author

Last year I read a good collection of short stories called TIME BETWEEN TRAINS by Anthony Bukoski. Bukoski was born in a Polish neighborhood in Superior, Wisconsin and his stories feature characters living, working, growing up, falling in love and growing older in that small northern town. I was amazed that an author could imagine so many different lives with such different histories all located in a small Wisconsin town. Some of his themes include a town dealing with a declining population, once vibrant immigrant communities that are slowing losing their importance in people's lives and whole industries in decline that once supported families for generations. His other titles include POLONAISE and CHILDREN OF STRANGERS. He also has a new book that's currently on order called NORTH OF THE PORT which can be put on hold. This is definitely a Wisconsin author more people should be aware of.

Iran in the news

Iran has been in the news a lot over the last several years but even people who faithfully read newspaper articles describing current events in Iran and it's relationship to the U.S. are probably uninformed about the country's history and culture. Last year I read a great book called THE SOUL OF IRAN: A NATION'S JOURNEY TO FREEDOM by Afshin Molavi. Often, histories of a country can read like textbooks, but I didn't find that to be the case with this book. Molavi has reported on Iran for Reuters and the Washington Post and went to Iran to get a clearer picture of the current situation there, not from government officials but from ordinary Iranians. What they have to say about their daily lives, their country and it's position in the world is fascinating. Molavi alternates their stories with chapters on Iran's rich history dating to pre-Islamic Persia.

Other well-reviewed books about Iran available at the library include PERSIAN MIRRORS: THE ELUSIVE FACE OF IRAN by Elaine Sciolino, HONEYMOON IN PURDAH: AN IRANIAN JOURNEY by Alison Wearing, and IRAN: A PEOPLE INTERRUPTED by Hamid Dabashi. Check out some of these great titles at your Racine Public Library.

NPR reminded me ...

I was listening to This American Life on NPR and the show's theme was The Ten Commandments. It reminded me of an interesting series of books by the Oxford University Press and the New York Public Library. Each one deals with one of the seven deadly sins (envy, gluttony, lust, greed, anger, sloth, pride) and is written by a different author. This provocative series received positive reviews and should make for interesting reading. The library has all seven.

Three Junes and a third novel for Julia Glass

THREE JUNES is a great debut novel by Julia Glass and since reading it a couple of summers ago, I always think about it when June gets here. The structure of the book is three interlocking sections told from differing viewpoints during three important Junes over the course of a decade. The first is told by Paul McLeod, the second by his oldest son Fenno and the third is told by Fern Olitsky, an artist both Paul and Fenno come into contact with. The prose is very smooth and fluid, exploring complex relationships between people and how very differently they often see or judge their world and each other. My friend Steve from California told me about this book and since it's the one worthwhile suggestion he's made, he's very proud of it.

Glass's second novel, THE WHOLE WORLD OVER, also got glowing reviews and is kind of cool because Fenno from THREE JUNES shows up as a minor character. Both books are also available at the library on compact disc.

If you enjoy those books, you'll want to put a hold on I SEE YOU EVERYWHERE which is Glass's third novel and is currently on order. Steve from CA is reading it even as I type and says it's great.

Great summer reads

Last year about this time, I read MONTANA 1948 by Larry Watson and thought it was probably the perfect summer read. It's the story of one summer in a small Montana town told from the perspective of David Hayden, a 12-year-old-boy whose father is the town sheriff who has to arrest his brother, David's uncle, for rape. It's a fascinating story of how David tries to figure out what's happening to his family, questions of right and wrong, and how to navigate some of life's more thorny issues. The novel is told in lean, direct prose which makes it deceptively simple; the moral questions raised are extremely complex, especially for a book with less than 200 pages. Best of all, the library has five copies so there should be no hold list.

JUSTICE, by the same author, is a prequel exploring the family dynamics of David's father, uncle and grandfather.

Traveler's Literary Companions

Lots of people know about the great travel resources the library has for many many places around the world, but fewer know about the series A TRAVELER'S LITERARY COMPANION published by Whereabouts Press. The library has over a dozen titles in this series ranging from Cuba to Greece to Chile (with China, Vienna and France coming later this year). Each volume has short stories, essays and literary selections by authors from that country or city. The volume on Mexico, for instance, includes selections by Carlos Fuentes and Laura Esquivel; the volume on Spain includes Manuel Rivas and Federico Garcia Lorca.

The selections in these books are short and easily readable on the beach, in an airport or plane or in your hotel and let you discover the literary heritage of your vacation destination.

Wisconsin author

SUITE FRANCAISE deals with the German occupation of a French village during the early days of World War II. In APARTMENT IN ATHENS, Wisconsin author Glenway Wescott paints a claustrophobic picture of Greek family forced to billet a German officer in their Athens apartment.

Westcott, born in Kewaskum, WI in 1901, is an author more people should know about. Two earlier novels, THE GRANDMOTHERS and GOOD-BYE WISCONSIN are semi-autobiographical and deal with a young man leaving his Midwestern rural roots early in the century and beginning a writing career. THE PILGRIM HAWK is another interesting Wescott title. The library also owns a biography of Wescott called GLENWAY WESCOTT PERSONALLY: A BIOGRAPHY by Jerry Rosco. Discover this fascinating Wisconsin novelist.

First cool author

SUITE FRANCAISE by Irene Nemirovsky was published in English in 2006 but was written during the German invasion and occupation of France, which is also the book's plot. Nemirovsky, a Russian-born Jew, envisioned a five part "suite" dealing with an interlocking cast of characters during France's invasion and occupation. SUITE FRANCAISE is the first two of these parts and the only ones completed before Nemirovsky died in Auschwitz in 1942. It is a wonderful read describing the chaotic evacuation of Paris as the Nazis approached and the complex relationships of the occupied French and occupying Germans.

Since it's English publication, the novel has been a favorite with book discussion groups and is well worth reading. The other two Nemirovsky titles available at the library are FIRE IN THE BLOOD and DAVID GOLDER; THE BALL; SNOW IN AUTUMN; THE COURILOF AFFAIR, a collection of four novellas. DAVID GOLDER was her first work published and had established Nemirovsky's reputation as a skilled author.