The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream

I'm reading this book. Very interesting! Picture is of a wildflower meadow in the park next door. Happy New Year to all.

Pam wants to read Roberto Bolano's novels but they sound so violent. I'm a wuss.

See reference to Bolano here.

Pam is reading this and liking it.

A proposal

How about if we try one more time.

What I'm thinking is trying something new that others have recognized as worth reading.

Specifically, I'm thinking about one of the award winners:

National Book Awards:
Shadow Country by Peter Matthiessen (Fiction)
The Hemingses of Monticello by Annette Gordon-Reed (Nonfiction)
(I don't usually read nonfiction but am willing to try this.)

Man Booker Award
White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

I am making this suggestion somewhat hesitantly because I'm the one who picked up The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. Pam would probably say a particular book 'didn't hold her attention.' In the case of Oscar Wao I'll just say it outright: I hated it. BTW it didn't hold my attention either.

Let me know what you think.

Ed

About "The Mercy"

On Dec 3, Paula asked: Is Mercy worth reading?
Pam's reply of Dec 12: No. I read 74 pages and decided today that the book just isn't keeping my attention. And the story can be confusing if you're not fully engaged.
Pam

The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit

First of all: Yes. I'm going to be in Silver Spring Feb 11-24. Hope we can get together.

Now I'll tell you what I'm not reading: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I disliked it intensely.

OTOH what I just finished is The Man in the White Sharskin Suit. Written by the youngest child from a Jewish family that left Cairo in 1963. As one of the reviews suggests, it's a real "riches to rags" story. The narrative is helped by the fact that the author now writes for the WSJ. Her portrayal of life in Cairo -- even after the establishment of the State of Israel and another war in '56 -- is all the more poignant because you know what has to happen. It's just a matter of when and how. And of course what happens after they leave Cairo. I know there is no lack of memoirs that search for a missing family or a missing life. But this one is different.

I'm debating about my next read. I'm considering Divisadero (Michael Ondaatje), On the Road (Kerouac) and Kafka on the Shore by Murakami. I've also got The Reluctant Fundamentalist but I think given the events in Mumbai last week I may postpone that for a while.

That's it for now.

Ed.

What's everyone else reading?