I’m usually a lukewarm John Grisham fan. I was a youngish paralegal when he hit it big with The Firm, but I found too many holes in the next few legal thrillers to enjoy them much. I’m too much of a southern girl not to love A Time to Kill and I like some of his non-legal stories. I love what he did for the Oxford American. All in all, you could say there are writers I usually like more but that’s not true today. Today, I found out about Gray Mountain and this evening, I read the book. I had to because this Grisham thriller touches a field close to home. This is his book about coal. For those who don’t know, coal generates a lot of the USA’s electricity. Right now, it supplies about thirty-nine percent, more than any other single source, and that’s way down from what it used to be. Coal mining is a big, tough industry and it has a huge impact where I live. People have jobs and incomes here that they probably wouldn’t have except for coal. On the other hand, the toll mining takes on a human body is scary. Even with…
Now many books take on a life of their own. Any reader of note can cite a half a dozen books that catch the heart and imagination of the public (Make that fifty books. Harry Potter turned the reading world on its ear more times than I can count on one hand) and a play or a film will sometimes add up to more than the sum of its parts. We’re all glad when these moments occur. It isn’t often, though that the production of a play makes that big a stir. If a play is memorable it’s revived often, people start putting new interpretations on it and pretty soon the initial production is a faint and lovely memory. It’s late and my brain may not be working but I can only think of one time where the book, the play and the production of the play all became moments that people discuss later. And the all three are named The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. I talked about the book yesterday and mentioned how Dickens indulged his love of the theatre by incorporating a sub-plot about an acting troupe. Well the theatre has always returned the author’s affections…
Mythology is a fascinating subject. The elders of every culture create stories that explains their view of the world to themselves. They pass those views and stories on to their descendents and the children incorporate or revise those stories to suit their own world view. An observant human can trace the changes of a civilization by reviewing the variations in a myth. As cultures go, the American one is still fairly young and versatile but there are a few stories that have lodged in our national psyche and show signs of becoming a cultural touchstone. One of the strongest is the children’s classic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The Wonderful Wizard is about 114 years old now and has attained a level of popularity that Harry Potter only dreams about. Between the author and his publishers, more than 40 sequels of the original story were published and another fifty or so accompanying and revisionist novels or comic books have been added to that list. There are a dozen and a half movie adaptations, about two dozen stage productions and enough material referencing Dorothy Gale’s adventures to sink the Emerald City. Every generation since its birth has reviewed, amended, attacked and…
It’s easy to fall in love with fiction. If the writer’s done his/her job, a reader can sit back with a well-formed story, a balanced plot and distinctive characters with unforgettable lines. Everything should work out in fiction. Non-fiction’s not quite so easy. Perhaps the hero didn’t have a memorable speech or the author missed meeting that all-important member of the cast. That author can either tell the truth or stretch it, both of which create their own downsides but, if a talented writer finds an interesting subject and is willing to do the research, some non-fiction books are terrific. But reference books are the Rodney Dangerfields in a printed world: they rarely get any respect, so nobody wants to write them. Without plot or characters, the tomes seldom get attention. I know of three exceptions to the rule. You can read them for reference or for pleasure but either way, you’ll never be bored. Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management. This book is history, itself. An English publisher named Beeton talked his wife into assembling this household bible in the 1850’s and for decades it reigned in the homes of British middle and upper class citizens while Victoria reigned…
I thought I read a lot until I met J_, We were working in the same law firm and introduced to each other as great readers. But J__ leaves me in the dust. For example, when we first met and ran over lists of our favorite books she added, “And of course, I love A Confederacy of Dunces.” That brought me up short. I hadn’t even heard of A Confederacy of Dunces. If you haven’t, get ready. This isn’t one great story, it’s two. The story behind the story is incredible. This young guy, John Kennedy Toole, writes a comedy novel during the late 50’s and early 60’s while he’s serving in the army. He comes home to his native New Orleans, starts teaching and finishes the draft of the book. He finishes the novel and ships it off to one of the best publishing houses at the time, and the editors indicate they are interested in publishing it. (This rarely happens to a first-time novelist). The book needed work, they said, but they’re interested. So Toole goes back and revises. And revises. And revises. After almost a decade of rewrites and revision, the publisher turns the book down. All…