Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Elizabeth Benedict on my show tomorrow

I love it when I love what I'm reading. Right now it's Almost by Elizabeth Benedict. Just finished The Practice of Deceit, her last novel, and loved it, too. Written from a male POV. She also wrote The Joy of Writing Sex and is going to be on the show tomorrow for the entire hour.

When I walk, I listen to Anna Quindlen's new novel, Rise and Shine, which I also love. Written in first person, past tense, it's a good one to study, re: great characters and a hefty plot. I'm not at the end yet--probably another 20 pages or so--so I'll report back when I've finished. I like that Quindlen was a journalist (still does essays) and turned to fiction. You can see her skill at reporting all over the place in her fiction and it works so well.

So for my question once again: What are you reading now that you love?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm reading Iain Banks's The Algebraist and Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White at the moment. The Banks starts slow, and it isn't until after the midway point that it really grabbed me. I suspect that if this were a first novel, it would never have been sold. But the universe that's been created is fascinating and I'm starting to get disappointed that I only have 150 pages to go.

The Collins is of a different era entirely. I've been reading it rather slowly, and it's only beginning to become clear what the central mystery of the story is, and I'm not far enough in to judge how well the multiple narrators conceit works (if only because I'm still on the first narrator).

That said, I'd recommend either of these.

Anonymous said...

I'm reading Virginia Woolf's The Voyage Out and William Boyd's Restless--very different books, but very good. I just finished Chimamanda Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun--brilliant, beautiful book.

Anonymous said...

EVENING by Susan Minot, which I love.

And THE GIRL WITH THE GALLERY by Lindsay Pollock about the American Modern Art movement in New York. Not the most well-written book I've ever read, but one that I'm learning so much from, I cannot put it down.

Anonymous said...

I'm reading Rebel Angels by Libba Bray. I love her writing. It's fresh and beautiful and honest.

I just finished Outlander by Diana Gabalon. Wow. I was exhausted when I got to teh end but now I'm hooked.

Best,
Mary