Anyway, I thought I'd take some time and talk about some book I recently read that I want to recommend. Why would I do such a thing? Because it's my blog, and that's what bloggers do...act like narcissists.
First up is "The Unnamed," by Joshua Ferris. This is a GREAT book. I read his first one, "Then We Came to the End" which was quite good, but "The Unnamed" is SO good. In a nutshell, it's about a guy, married, one kid, lawyer, who suddenly, without explanation, begins to walk. Middle of the night, middle of a meeting, whatever he's doing, his body takes over and he up and starts a walk. Often he'll walk for miles and miles until his body stops working and he collapses and sleeps, where ever he might be.
The novel is about this guy, with this affliction, and what it does to his life and his family and it is so profound, so good, that really nothing I can write here will do it justice. It's funny, touching, frustrating, strongly-written. It made me appreciate my life and want to work harder at being a better person, because whether it's some fantastical, unnamed affliction, a real-life tragedy, or just the march of time, so much of what is good in life can slide by or disappear completely, without being fully enjoyed. It's that good and there isn't anyone I wouldn't recommend this book to. A slam dunk, four star book and one of the very best I've read in a long while.
I'm also a big history fan, most specifically around the Civil War (my son's middle name is Lincoln), and I just finished "Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson. I actually read another book about the same subject a few years ago, but this book was really great. It read so quickly, despite being close to 400 pages, and the small details that were added made this a very engaging read (for example, one of the actresses in Ford's Theater at the time, rushed to the box seats where Lincoln had been shot and asked if she could cradle the president's head, just so she could get some of the president's blood on her dress...then spent the rest of her life being tormented by people that wanted to see the dress). That's good stuff, and the book is full of those kind of details. Also highly recommended.
For fans of mystery novels, I read a few recently that couldn't be more different. John D. MacDonald, considered one of the grandmasters of the genre, wrote a long series about Travis McGee and I re-read the first one, "The Deep Blue Good-By." It's pretty dang good, and has a looseness about it, much like the main character, who lives on a big house boat in Florida. A good book, that makes me want to read more, with a powerful ending. If you like mystery novels of this ilk and haven't read any Travis McGee books, get on it.
Also read Philip Kerr's "Berlin Noir," which contains the first three Bernie Gunther novels. These aren't great mysteries (the actual crimes aren't that important, and while I never guessed what was going on, that's only because I didn't try to), but the setting is REALLY interesting. The first two books take place in pre-WWII Germany, as the Nazis are building up their power, and Gunther's two cases brings him into contact with them. It's a fascinating look at that era, something that could be learned from non-fiction books, but not nearly as interestingly. The third book picks up about two years or so after the war ended, as Germany is slowly pulled apart by all the countries that helped push out the Nazis. And of course, those countries aren't any better than the Nazis were. All three books are very good, if a little bleak. I'm not a historical fiction kind of guy, but the setting of this one really sets it apart from other, similar books.
I guess that's enough for you folks now. I will say that reading is one of those things that everyone should do more of...I've been reading constantly since at least sixth grade, and it's one of those things I couldn't imagine not doing. Hopefully you feel the same.
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