Sometimes, as I sun myself on my favorite rock, the ocean delivers up a little surprise. Most of the time it's just medical waste, but occasionally it will be something that somebody did not mean to lose. Yesterday was one such day. A crate washed up next to me and after eating all the seaweed caught among its slats, I decided to open it. Oh, sure, I was hoping for more food or perhaps some fine wine, but was overjoyed to find that it contained books.
So now I turn to you, Steve's friends and my few acquaintances, to tell me which one I should read. You may base your vote on having actually read the book, or you may be completely arbitrary and play eeny meeny miny moe with the choices. You may choose the book based on the cover being your favorite color or once having been friends with someone who shares the same first name as the author. I don't care. Just tell me which I should read and give me a brief reason why.
These are the books which washed up:
1. The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers
2. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
3. The Duke's Children by Anthony Trollope
4. The Blood Doctor by Barbara Vine
5. The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman
6. Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
7. The Diviners by Margaret Lawrence
8. The Geographer's Library by Jon Fasman
9. The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by Gordon Dahlquist
10. Operation Shylock by Phillip Roth
11. Lord Byron's Doctor by Paul West
12. The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon
Ministry of Fear (1944)
2 years ago
14 comments:
I haven't read a single one of the books in the crate, so I'll recommend "Cages" by Dave McKean.
Heh heh.
Oh right, a blog where we talk about books. That's such a great idea.
I also have never read any of the books on your list so I will chime in with my latest purchase: the new Pevear/Volokhonsky translation of War and Peace. Yes! I know Steve has a low opinion of these translators because he believes that one of the couple can't speak Russian and neither can speak English. But I love 'em and have read Bros K, Crime&P, and Anna K as translated by them and am always enthralled. I tried to read Crime & Punishment in the Penguin translation one time and then lost the book after 200-ish pages and replaced it with the Pevear. It was so much better I just started over. I've been waiting for them to tackle War & Peace for the past 10 years and will be starting it on a bus trip to DC this weekend. I will let y'all know how it was when I finish it in another 10 years.
Jeff E.
I've only read Battle Royale, so I guess that's my recommendation. It's a very fun read. Especially, if kids blowing other kids away intrigues you.
Can't go wrong with Edith Wharton either.
I don't know if I read a good 'Bros K' translation or bad (it was done by Andrew R MacAndrew, which almost sounds like a character in a Kundera novel), but it did have that lovely 30-year-old paperback smell.
Needless to say, I've read all the books from your washed-up crate, and although the Wharton is the best, there's one clear choice in terms of comforting Beepy: The Duke's Children. It gets my vote, flippers-down.
"The Duke's Children"... Isn't that about a pedophiliac boy band producer?
Oops, sorry - wrong blog.
What is Thomas Friedman doing on this list? Trying to keep up with the Joneses?
'The Age of Innocence' is virtually note-perfect. I think it might be even better than 'The House of Mirth.'
And: Go, Jeff, go!
Jeff, you gotta let us know what you think of the new translation. Have you read "War and Peace" before?
My problem with new translations is I usually have nothing to compare them to. So I'd basically have to sit down and read the novel five times in a row to be able to have any opinion about the translation.
Kevin, I'm with you on that old paperback smell. I'm just finishing up "Lady Chatterley's Lover". I had dated the copy when I bought it back in November 1984, It's scary when you figure out that the book you are reading is older than half your co-workers.
(By the way, I bought the book with the money the tooth fairy left me when I lost my baby teeth. How else could I own such an old book?)
I'm going to say the world is flat because it's the largest audio book I've seen in a while. I know it has nothing to do with nothing--that's why it makes perfect sense.
Battle Royale is a great book though rather violent and it is true that you cannot really go wrong with Edith Wharton; however, the Blood Doctor has the most intriguing title (though I have never read it.)
I've read precisely squat from that group. My vote is for the luscious and talented Edith.
There wasn't a single Gossip Girl title in the crate?!? *sigh* Well, after Battle Royale, how about The Yiddish Policeman's Union? The title with that funky blue and red (or is it fuschia) pattern always catches my eye.
Maybe the next crate will have some kids books including "Gossip Girl" titles. Thanks for voting, Jen.
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