This is the first time in months that I was able to do a lot of reading for pleasure. Yes, I had other things to read and work on, but my time is starting to ease up. Yay! And more yays…I’m keeping this one up in real time. I will be publishing the lists I missed over the next few months, but I’m going to try to keep up with the current months as I go. I managed in October, which was a real victory. I enjoyed a lot of what I read, as you can see below, but also had to complain about a few books (without author names attached).
I guess I’ll start with the complaints. I read a standalone novel by a writer whose work I usually love. The novel was predictable and deeply unpleasant. I kept waiting for a twist, but none came. And the ending had no validation at all. The story just ended. It was almost offensively awful. I kept reading, thinking that something would pay off. This is what happens when you love an author’s work. You trust them to tell a story you’ll like. However, when they don’t, you usually don’t punish them. I will certainly buy his next. However, if the books continue to offend or displease me, I’ll stop. Fortunately, this one was from 2018, and he’s written a lot of books I like since. So this was a one-off. I also know that there are some topics he writes about that just don’t interest me. I think the problem on this one was marketing. It was marketing like the books I like, even thought it’s nothing like them. Whoops, traditional publisher. You didn’t give me enough information to make an informed choice. That same publisher did something similar on a book that came out last year. I wouldn’t have bought it, if not for a reader review that mentioned something in the book that made it a must-be (and a favorite read) for me. So marketing really does matter. Communicating the right thing to readers really matters.
Then I read a book in a series that I like a great deal, but this one was so mediocre that I was scanning by the end. And then I looked at Amazon to see when the next book was coming out…and it wasn’t. (She’s traditionally published.) That broke my heart a little. If she were indie, she’d have a next book which I would read, thinking this one a blip. (Sigh.)
And a third book that I’m not going to recommend, from yet another favorite writer. I read it…slowly…as my before-bed reading because it wasn’t challenging. Until it was. It became a challenging read because (I realized) there was no story if the heroine wasn’t TSTL (romance terminology for Too Stupid To Live). And if she and the hero had just talked, there would be no book either. Not that the secondary characters were any smarter. I finished it because…because…I didn’t quit. I think if I had been reading it at a different time of day, it would have gone into the trade-in pile much sooner.
Ironically, I’m rereading a book by the first author as I type this, and I’m reading another book by the third writer I mentioned. These duds didn’t scare me away. I couldn’t read another book by the second writer because there were none available. (Waaaaaah)
And now, below, on time! the books and articles that I can recommend from October.
October, 2024
Burt, Stephanie, “Swift 101,” Vanity Fair, July/August 2024. Stephanie Burt taught a class in Taylor Swift and her many influences at Harvard. The class isn’t just about music. In fact, it’s in the English Department. The things she learned and taught are fascinating. Makes me wish I could take the class next year…and I’m not a Swiftie (although I like many of her songs).
Colapinto, John, “Jon Bon Jovi’s Long Journey Back,” AARP The Magazine, June/July 2024. As many of you who read these lists a lot know, I’m fascinated by how people manage to have very long careers. Jon Bon Jovi’s career has lasted more than 40 years. And then, despite great self-care, he lost his voice. This is about the ways that “life happens,” as he says. The interview is about survival and art, and is really worth reading.
Connelly, Michael, Desert Star, Little, Brown, 2024. It’s been a long time since I blew through a book as fast I blew through this one. Connelly’s books are uneven for me, but they’re always readable. This one had actual tension that kept me turning pages. Renée Ballard goes for her usual morning surf, and while she’s in the water, someone steals her wallet and badge (hidden on her car). Because she faces discrimination in the office, she doesn’t want to tell her boss that her badge is missing. So much of the early part of the book is about the recovery of her badge, and of course, things get worse. She involves not only Harry Bosch, but his daughter Maddie, and then there’s a twist—and well, I went through this in just a few hours. If you like this series, you will as well.
Dailey, Hannah, “K-Pop Is Everything,” Billboard, August 24, 2o24. Universal Music Publishing Group runs an international songwriting camp. The teaser on this article is that the camp is designed to produce “the next real batch of surefire hits for [K-Pop’s] young stars.” The pressure, the work, the procedures described in the article remind me of the music factory at the Brill Building in New York in the early 1960s, a place that truly was a hit factory. The difference, though, is the writers know that the lyrics will get translated. (Translators get a royalty split.) Fascinating read.
Fell, Nicole, “Finding The Right Palette for Red, White & Royal Blue,” The Hollywood Reporter, August 15, 2024. I loved the book Red, White & Royal Blue, and I’ll be honest: I haven’t seen the Amazon film yet. It’s a romance, and neither male lead looks like the men I’d had in mind while I read. So I’ve been putting off watching it. (Yes, I’m that superficial.) But Casey McQuiston, the author, was interviewed (along with one of the actors) for The Hollywood Reporter, and I did read that avidly. There’s a quote in the middle of this piece about the differences between a novel and a film, from McQuiston’s point of view, and it’s absolutely worth reading. (The book is too.)
Friend, Tom, “Peter Gammons: Diamond Vision,” The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2024, edited by Jane McManus, Triumph Books, 2024. Form follows function. In the middle of this essay, about Peter Gammons and the day he nearly died, Friend mentions that Gammons told his writing instructor back at the beginning of his career that he didn’t want to write bland prose. He wanted to be part of the story. There is nothing bland about this essay. Its structure is unique and appropriate, and allows for the kicker of an ending. It’s very well done.
Havens, Lyndsey, “Spinning Another Year,” Billboard, August 24, 2024. Most of the trick to staying in business is about learning how to survive massive ups and downs. For United Record Pressing—a company that makes vinyl records, the actual product—the secret to their success has been perseverance, and giving up, even when vinyl was at its lowest sales figures (two decades ago). If you want to survive in business, then this is one of those must-read articles.
Herron, Mick, Dophin Junction, Soho Press, 2021. I got sick at the beginning of the month, and I’ve learned that when I’m down, I need to read spectacular wordsmiths who can also tell a story. I’ve read all of Mick Herron’s Slow Horses books, and I’m not that fond of his detective series, so I grabbed this short story collection off my shelf. It does feature stories from his various series, which are good enough, but the standalone stories are the best. I’ve pointed out a few here. Several of the stories contain surprises, but if I point that out in my mini-review of them, that will spoil them. So I’m just going to comment briefly on the ones I like.
I should note that the volume contains one of my very favorite short stories, “The Usual Santas.” I recommend it to writers often so that they can see how a masterful writer handles names and naming. Every character (and there’s a lot of them) is named Santa. Yet you can keep them straight. I usually post about this story in the Holiday Recommended Reading List, which you’ll see the day after Thanksgiving.
Herron, Mick, “Lost Luggage,” Dophin Junction, Soho Press, 2021. “Lost Luggage” focuses on a game that couples often play—looking at a stranger and seeing if they can figure out (without asking) who or what the stranger is. The game is familiar, since Dean and I do it as a writing exercise…and occasionally argue about our opinions. Of course, we never ask. Does anyone?
Herron, Mick, “Remote Control,” Dophin Junction, Soho Press, 2021. Lovely, twisty little story that has the benefit of being beautifully written as well.
Herron, Mick, “What We Do,” Dophin Junction, Soho Press, 2021. Even though above, I mentioned that I don’t like Herron’s regular detective series much, that might be a function of viewpoint. Usually he writes from the point of view of Joe Silvermann who is just incompetent. I don’t find him interesting at all. Zoe, his (sometimes?) wife, on the other hand, is exceedingly competent, as is exemplified in this story. The book ends with it, which is usually the slot for a strong story, and it fits the bill.
Jenkins, Sally, “Bitter Rivals. Beloved Friends. Survivors,” The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2024, edited by Jane McManus, Triumph Books, 2024. I already bought my sister a copy of this book, based on this essay alone. My sister adores tennis, always has, and I knew she would love this essay. It first appeared in The Washington Post in 2023. The essay discusses the relationship between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova over the decades. They met as teenagers, had a sports rivalry, but came to a deep friendship and understanding. Then they both got cancer a few years back. This essay, about friendships and living long full lives, is worth the price of admission into this volume. Extremely well done.
Land, Barbara, and Land, Myrick, A Short History of Las Vegas, University of Nevada Press, Reno, 1999. Dean had this book in his office and put it in the should we keep this pile for me. We cull our books every now and then, and most of the ones he had in that pile I was happy to let go. I read this one. It’s fascinating. The front part is clearly about the history of the city, and didn’t really date. The latter part was like reading a novel in that I knew what was going to happen to all of the players later on. There was so much rah-rah stuff in the second part, and I knew it would go south for almost everyone mentioned. Still, I found myself quoting some of this stuff at one of our writer meetings. And I also learned why the streets downtown have the names they do. So I liked it. I’ve put up the cover for the second edition. I have no idea if there were many changes, since I read the first edition, and found it fascinating in so many ways.
Lewinsky, Monica, “In Praise of Alternate Endings,” Vanity Fair, July/August 2024. I admire the crap out of Monica Lewinsky. She could have put a metaphorical blanket over her head since the 1990s. Instead, she has taken care of herself, and gotten healthy after the awfulness that was put upon her by so-called friends and the former President of the United States. She writes a lot about how to survive, and wowza, you know she’s survived a lot more than many of us. So I always pay attention to what she writes. This time, she’s talking about never losing hope. It was important in July/August. It’s more important now. Read this.
Marchese, David, “Al Pacino Is Still Going Big,” The New York Times, October 5, 2024. Fascinating interview on a long-time career. I’ve always found Pacino interesting, and that was confirmed in the interview. His attitude toward work, toward being an artist, toward managing money (which really struck me, considering my summer), and on just plain old survival really struck home. It’s worth getting the free subscription at the NYT.
Paiella, Gabriella, “Casual Luke Rides The Big Wave,” The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2024, edited by Jane McManus, Triumph Books, 2024. This essay is about the winner of the original Big Wave competition, in Hawaii. I know a lot about big wave competitions. I used to be able to watch one from my house on the Oregon Coast. When the waves get so large that no one in their right mind would go near them, surfers travel from all over the world to compete and see who can survive them. This particular competition was won by a local, a guy who was working as a lifeguard on the beach at the same time as the competition went on. It’s an amazing story about doing something for the love of it, which I think is at the center of sports.
Rys, Dan, “A Man’s World,” Billboard, August 24, 2024. A creepy and somewhat surreal article about James Brown’s actual estate. Not just the money and the management, but his actual home, frozen in time from the day he was rushed to the emergency room before he died. That part is…strange. But the things the estate must deal with, including Brown’s rather tarnished reputation, is quite fascinating and worth the read.