1.
Getting Stoned with Savages, J. Maarten Troost, Rating: 2.9
Troost's greatest strengths are clearly 1) his willingness to seek out and live on far-flung islands, and 2) the ability to generate great book titles. His first travel memoir,
The Sex Lives of Cannibals, came out a few years ago; this book was published in June. This book is even more of a disapointment than the first.
2.
Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov, Rating: 4.2
Finally I've read this - it's been on my to-do list for years. I really liked it, and was completely surprised by the story. The prose is every bit as beautiful as you've heard, but the story was dark and meadering and manipulative. I expected "sexy," but there really isn't much about it that fits that description. I was surprised to learn that it was written originally in English - intentionally so, as Nabokov describes this as his "american novel."
3.
Crawling, Elisha Cooper, Rating: 4.0
I've known Eli for years now - he published several books with Chronicle when I first started working there. He writes children's books primarily, and this is his first primarily prose book for adults. It's about his first year as a parent, and is also a tribute to his life in Berkeley (he now lives in Chicago). I thought it was funny and surprisingly candid.
4.
The Master Butchers Singing Club, Louise Erdrich, Rating: 4.6
Thanks to my friend Elese, who gave me this book for my birthday. Based on the cover and the title, I would have never picked it up. It's full of interesting characters and has a sweeping, emotionally packed storyline. I don't want to give too much away about the story, except to say that the title isn't even accurate - there's just one butcher. It is correct to say that he sings, though.
5.
The Road, Cormac McCarthy, Rating: 3.2
This rating is probably too low, but I feel uncomfortable recommending this novel to most people. It's DARK. Intentionally so (the main theme is the end of the world), but (having loved McCarthy's
Blood Meridian) I was surprised by how tough this novel is. I read it almost entirely on the commuter train, because it was too creepy to read at home alone. That said, this is an incredibly well-done story and worth reading - if you can stomach it.
These next two are of our campsite. We were having awful luck - every campground we tried was sold out - and finally gambled on the last listing in our book, which was 11 miles inland, way up in the mountains. Along the way a local told us to take a dirt road to better options, and we ended up with a mountaintop to ourselves, and panoramic ocean views.
