Books December 2019
I was somewhat disappointed in how much reading I was able to finish this month, although to be fair I've been working on several books simultaneously. So it's not like I wasn't reading . . .
Both of these books were a treat, each for different reasons. I find Joe Hill's approach to storytelling kind of mesmerizing, and this was one story collection that I was in no hurry to rush through. In particular I found the story ‘The Devil on the Staircase’ gripping, and ‘You Are Released’ lived up to the hype. A number of people in the social media chit chat have mentioned this as a striking story, and I agree. It rings true in light of the current shithouse fire we have in Washington D.C., and is cleverly told on top of that.
The Real Lolita is a book that I had been loooking forward to reading since before its publication, and it lived up to my expectations as well. It dodges back and forth between recounting the nightmarish ordeal of the girl who inspired Nabakov's Lolita and the ups and downs of the novel Lolita's writing and publication. Fascinating stuff, especially if you are – like me – a fan of this superb book.
Jesus, did I just use the word ‘superb?’ Yuck.