My friend Jay, who makes terrific art, commented that–to paraphrase–my last post was a little bit slackery, since I didn’t write anything *about* the books, just listed them. Very well, Jay. Here are some preliminary thoughts, just for you.
My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler: Laugh-out-loud funny in 3-4 places, but that was about it. She’s not about to join the ranks of David Sedaris, or (a hush falls over the crowd) Fran Lebowitz. Then again, unlike Fran Lebowitz, Chelsea Handler is actually writing these days, which is worth many additional points.
Blue Shoe by Ann Lamott: Although I remember enjoying this book as I was reading it, and thinking that it was well-plotted, I cannot recall a single thing about it. This seems like a bad sign.
God Says No by James Hannaham: I read this one with a book club. It’s about a devout Christian who realizes he’s attracted to other men, then starts acting on these impulses. When he sees an escape from his straight married life, he takes it. Most of the book isn’t about his struggle to accept who he is–it’s about his struggle to somehow get around it. Other members of my book club didn’t take to it, particularly, nor did they find it believable. I thought it was interesting, though–it’s not easy to write a deeply religious, not-especially-bright-or-introspective character believably, and I thought Hannaham did a good job of it. I would have liked to see more development of minor characters, some of whom seemed pretty two-dimensional, and if the book *had* to end with a whimper, I would have liked it to end with a louder one.
My head cold is making me tired, so I’ll switch gears and make a quick plug for paperbackswap.com. It’s a good site for swapping books (not just paperbacks), both fiction and non-fiction. Sign up immediately. There’s a really great selection, and I’ve had good luck with the condition of books, as well as people’s promptness in mailing ‘em.
