Monday, December 8, 2014

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Last week was really crazy for me and Monday was the worst of it, so I never got around to doing a What Are You Reading? post last week. I finished The Great Beanie Baby Bubble, The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Augustus, and I read Elena Gorokhova's new memoir out in January, Russian Tattoo. I read her first book, A Mountain of Crumbs, several years ago and loved it. That book covered her youth in 1970s Russia; her new book is about coming to the United States. It was very good!

This week I have a whole new slate of books.

I started I Hate Martin Amis Et. Al., by Peter Barry, a weird and compelling book about a half-Serbian Englishman who goes to Sarajevo to be a sniper at the height of the siege during the Balkan Wars. I picked it up in London last year.

I've also been reading Assaf Gavron's The Hilltop, about an unofficial Israeli settlement that has been ordered to disband. It tells the story of a group of settlers, their lives and conflicts, in a black-comedy style.
My new at-the-gym book is Alan Cumming's memoir, Not My Father's Son. It's much darker than I expected and I have to say, I'm loving it. The writing is fresh and accessible and better than the average celebrity book, and I'm finding his story fascinating. I wouldn't really call myself a fan of his acting- I'm not that familiar with his work- but I've heard so many good things about the book and so far it's great.
Finally I decided to treat myself to some Iris Murdoch, one of the best English-language writers of the 20th century. I picked The Bell, about a lay religious community and the shenanigans within. It's just wonderful. Murdoch is always a delight to read.

4 comments:

JoAnn said...

I've had The Bell on my shelf for years... thanks for reminding me!

bermudaonion said...

I've got to make the time for Not My Father's Son. It sounds so good!

Booksnyc said...

Glad to hear you like Not My Father's Son - I am interested in reading (or maybe listening to) it!

Stirling Newberry said...

Reread Geodel,Escher, Bach