Byatt is known for mixing fact and fiction together, and using the finest brush to emphasize the most minute details of the time period she writes about.  Stories are the central motif in this Dickensian narrative.  Byatt creates a world that isn't black and white or all surfaces.  The tendril that curls its way through the pages is color.  The late 1800's and early 1900's pop to the surface in dazzling hues most certainly influenced by some of the best British writers of all time, like George Eliot. 



Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli (Pantheon, Hardcover)

The illustrations in this graphic novel have a classic feel to them, and the story that goes with it, of a professor of Architecture going through a mid-life crisis, is a compelling one.  Mazzucchelli shows the complexities of human relationships, and how sometimes it's important to revisit our memories and make new ones in the process.  A smart and complex book that is just as engaging and rewarding as literary fiction. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tinkers by Paul Harding (Bellevue Literary Press, Paperback)

 

 

 

 

Lydia Davis is the master of the unusual short story.  Anyone who cares about words and poetry should read her.  Many of her stories are what's considered flash fiction, sometimes only a pararaph or a few sentences long but packing as much punch as a longer narrative.  See "Odd Behavior" on page 182 for an example of how offbeat but simultaneously wonderful her writing is.  Lydia Davis is simply brilliant!

Mandel's first novel is an impressive debut.  At the heart of the book is the mysteries of the heart.  Why does Lilia always tend to flee from where she lives and abandon her lovers when she gets too close to them? Mandel's book has become a darling of independent booksellers, and it's easy to see why.  This is the kind of book you want to share with your friends after reading it.

 

 

 

 

This is a new favorite of mine.  Meet Danny Dragonbreath and his sidekick Wendell the iguana.  When Danny gets an F on his science paper, he has to re-do the paper--but this time he has to actually do the research. Danny takes Wendell along on a trip to visit his cousin Edward the Sea Serpent who lives in the ocean.  Edward takes them on an adventure in the sea.  There are sharks and whales and puffer fish (oh my).  Lots of fun and excitement for kids (and adults) ages 8 and up. 

 

 

What a fun book! I couldn't wait to see what would happen next, and then I was sad that it was over.  Mafia hitmen, outrageous action scences, sharks--fun, fun, fun.  It's been a long time since I had such a visceral reaction to a scene in a book, and this one was quite intense.  I still shiver thinking about it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although this book is a departure from the types of books that I usually read, I enjoyed this novel from start to finish.  Ogawa tells the story of the relationships between the three main characters-- a math professor, his housekeeper, and her son.  Following an accident, the professor is unable to retain memories for longer than eighty minutes at a time.  He remains forever in the year 1975.  I thought this was a beautifully written story about time, relationships, and the power of memory.

 

 

 

 

 

Dufresne tells the story about a family coming apart at the seams, and about the young son who is trying his best to hold them all together.  Johnny's mother is having some "issues", including a diagnosis of Capgras's syndrome (she believes her children have been replaced by exact replicas of themselves).  His father is a truck driver and rarely at home.  His sister Audrey appears to be struggling with issues of her own.  Johnny is trying to make everything right for his family, but his parents are fighting him off every step of the way.  Dufresne alternates between Johnny's life today, and the memoir that he is writing about his past.  This was a fun novel, with some serious family issues thrown in to darken it up a bit. 

 

 

 

This is an amazing and powerful collection of photographs depicting some of America's abandoned state mental hospitals.  Payne's photos are both historical and harrowing.  He has collected shots of the buildings (both prior to and during demolition), the grounds, and most memorably, the items left behind on the premises after the buildings were abandoned.  The pictures themselves are beautiful, but having worked in the field for many years, they were especially intense and moving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meet Binky, the housecat whose goal is to travel into "outer space" (also known as anywhere that exists outside of the house).  He spends his time protecting his humans from aliens, training for space travel, and building a nifty rocket ship.  Kids and adults will all love Binky and his mouse friend Ted (I'm a huge Ted fan!)