Books I Read April 14th, 2020

I got things to write, music to listen to, weights to lift, walks to take, elderly folk to assist (email me if you want to help!) and of course, books to read. I'm hanging on, and I hope you're doing the same.

I read these books the first two weeks of April...

Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard – Re-read for a thing I'm writing. Still great.

High-Rise by J.G. Ballard – Disturbingly appropriate.

The High Window by Raymond Chandler – Pitiless mothers, weak-willed sons, Chandler's archetypal noir protagonist, surely you can't fault a fellow for seeking literary comfort in these dark times.

The Thief's Journey by Jean Genet – The scattered reflections of a minor thief, thug, and homosexual prostitute, some bizarre amalgamation of Edward Bunker and William Burroughs. As a youth Genet set out to explore the darkest and most sordid corners of the human psyche, in part as a deliberate reaction against conventional human morality and in part just because it seems to have given him a kick. It's weird and disturbing and kind of amazing. I'm not sure I'd recommend it to everyone but if you can force yourself through all the nastiness it's worth your time.

The Singapore Wink by Ross Thomas – A stunt man is drawn into an elaborate web of criminal conspiracy. I turned the pages quickly enough but can't say I got tons out of this.

The Queen of Katwe by Tim Crothers – The story of a bitterly impoverished Ugandan girl rising in the ranks of woman's chess made for a fabulous long form essay and an an absolutely interminable 200 pages.

The Blacks by Jean Genet – A surreal symbolic depiction of the plight of black folk in the West. I guess it must have been staged at some point, but I can't imagine how that would have went.

Triggernometry by Stark Holborn – Fair warning, Stark and I are old friends, but this brief story of a mythical west where mathematics have been outlawed and rogue academics rob trains was thoroughly enjoyable and well worth a few hours of your time. Lots of fun.

Winter Mythologies and Abbots by Pierre Michon – A delightful series of interlinked vignettes discussing god, belief, the power of story and faith. The prose is lovely, the narratives surreal and clever. Reminded me of Borges. Lots of fun, I'm going to check out more by Michon soon.

Family Life by Akhil Sharma – A man recalls his childhood emigration from India to America and the tragic results that befall his fractured family. Didn't do much for me personally.