Books I Read August 28th, 2023

Back in blistering, beautiful LA. Read the following.

City of Bohane by Kevin Barry – This story of saudade-riddled gangsters warring for a ruined city in a dim future Ireland remains a personal favorite after a second read. The language is fabulous, the action is brutal, it's lyrical and funny and sad and quick and lots of fun. Definitely check it out if you haven't.

All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby – A black sheriff battles white supremacy, serial killers in a small Virginia town.

Ronin: A Novel Based on the Zen Myth by William Dale Jennings – Another favorite which, on re-read, remains as good as I remember. Cheers for you, Danny! Thanks, Danny. Cheers also for William Dale Jennings, an early gay rights activist and occasional writer who tossed off this absolute gem of a book, about a monstrous thug and the boy samurai who seeks vengeance against him and the impossible entanglements of human fate. The language is very finely wrought, with no tossed off words and every sentence practically a koan. A book desperately demanding re-discovery.

A True Story of Murder in America by Jill Leovy – The murder of a the son of a policeman in South Central Los Angeles serves as a vehicle to explore America's indifference to violent crime in black neighborhoods. Compelling in the sense of both 'readable' and 'makes a strong argument.' Excellent literary non-fiction.

Pavel's Letters by Monika Maron – An investigation into lives and deaths of the author's maternal grandparents, pseudo-Jews caught up in the shoah, as well as her mother, a prominent member of the East German government against which Maron was a vocal dissident. A thoughtful meditation on the opacity of memory, inter-generational betrayal and the necessity of forgiveness.