Essential Reading: May 2016
This post is incredibly, stupendously late. Oh well.
True to TS Eliot’s words, April has been a cruel month. Well, at least it has been cruel to my reading as I have finished less than the average number of books that I usually read on a monthly basis but that’s the cynical view. Of course the optimistic view would be that I managed to read three books despite the distraction that is the remastered release of Final Fantasy IX for PC. Here are the books that I read last month:
- Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman (4/5)
- Mary Wept Over The Feet of Jesus by Chester Brown (4/5)
- The Little Red Chairs by Edna O’Brien (4/5)
Call Me By Your Name, arguably Aciman’s most popular novel, is a near-perfect novel if only Aciman ended it at the third part. What initially felt like a novel suspended in time and place became a more conventional at the end when Aciman decided to wrap the whole novel neatly in a bow by giving it what I deemed to be an unnecessary ending. Chester Brown’s graphic novel about the biblical implications of prostitution was an intriguing read with good artwork and storylines although the overall premise seemed a little bit far-fetched. Edna O’Brien’s The Little Red Chairs was a competent enough novel although it can’t match O’Brien’s short stories in terms of mastery and beauty. I have also started on Helen Macdonald’s H is for Hawk but I’m beginning to think that now is not the time for me to read it so I might put it off for a different month.
Anyway, here’s what I plan to read this month:
As you may know, May is the National Short Story Month which is why I decided to mostly read short stories this month. Of course, I won’t be able to finish all of these but those that I want to are those written by Sam Lipsyte, Kelly Link, Stuart Dybek, Annie Proulx, and Tim O’Brien. Reading the New American Stories edited by Ben Marcus would also be a treat. I’m also going to read my book club’s selection for May which is Patrick Ness’ We Just Live Here. I have also been trying to read some of the graphic novels and the novellas that I’ve bought recently in my attempt to make a sizable dent on my TBR. Anyway, this is probably the first month ever in which I didn’t make a concrete list of books to read and just decided to wing it. We’ll see how it goes.
For the books that I’ve bought recently, here they are:
Except for the graphic novels, all of these have been bought at various used bookstores across the city. I am particularly happy at my procurement of the three NYRBs; the first novel of Ferrante’s Neapolitan Cycle; the short story collection from Moore, Alesie, and Everett; and the two anthologies: The Next American Essay and The Portable Atheist. I’ve been in a revitalized mood of buying books once again, visiting used bookstores across the city in between trips to the museums, the movies, or author signings.
So that’s been my April. I do apologize for the lateness. Til next time.
The Book Hooligan 
thanks so much for taking the time to recommend some books and show us what you’re reading. so many familiar authors and book titles that are also on my bookshelves.