Stuff I've Been Reading July 2021

 

Books Read July 2021

1. The Farmer’s Daughter by Jim Harrison. (library hardcover and audible audiobook). 308 pgs. 308 running pgs. 3 July.
2. Temple of the Golden Pavilion by Yukio Mishima. (library hardcoverand audible audiobook). 247 pgs. 555 running pgs. 3 July.
3. The Human Stain by Philip Roth. (kindle and audible audiobook). 379 pgs. 934 running pgs. 9 July.
4. Fair Warning by Michael Connelly. (library hardcover and overdrive audiobook). 399 pgs. 1333 running pgs. 11 July.
5. Rez Dogs by Joseph Bruchac. (library hardcover). 192 pgs. 1525 running pgs. 12 July.
6. The Dying Animal by Philip Roth. (library hardcover). 156 pgs. 1681 running pgs. 14 July.
7. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob DeZoet by David Mitchell. (kindle and audible audiobook). 530 pgs. 2211 running pgs. 24 July.
8. Shakedowners by Justin Wooley. (kindle). 238 pgs. 2449 running pgs. 26 July.

 

Books Purchased July 2021

1. The Human Stain by Philip Roth. (Audible audiobook). 6 July.
2. The Shape of the Journey: New and selected poems by Jim Harrison. (Hardcover). from amazon. 7 July.
3. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet: A Novel by David Mitchell. (kindle and Audible audiobook). 11 July.
4. Europe Central by William T. Vollmann. (kindle and Audible audiobook). 25 July.
5. The Most Dangerous Book by Kevin Birmingham. (Kindle). 25 July.

 

Comments:

I always feel good when I read more than I buy. As far as thoughts about the books I did read in July:

The Farmer's Daugher. The late Jim Harrison may not have been a genius, but he deserves more readers. This book is a triptych; my favorite was the novella about Brown Dog. Brown Dog is a modern day wild man attempting to live in the American Midwest off the grid. He may not be economically successful, but he is deeply devoted to pursuing happiness his own way in the north woods.

Temple of the Golden Pavilion. I was inspired to read Mishima after watching Paul Schrader's movie about the author -- a good movie, at least in my opinion. I found the experience of reading this book to be satisfying, even if I may never understand the mind of Yukio Mishima.

The Human Stain. The last of Roth's big full-length novels before he turned to his final series of novellas. It starts as a book about campus sexual improprieties and by the end is a book about race and passing. Not as good in the first book in the trilogy, American Pastoral, but worth reading.

Fair Warning. I do enjoy reading the occasional thriller. And the fact that I was able to read a public library copy means that it was a guilt-free experience.

Rez Dogs. Excellent middle grade reader (book written for children 8-12) about a Native American girl surviving life during the pandemic. She did not expect that her visit to her grandparents would coincide with a COVID lockdown and an entire of year of online school away from her parents in another state. I saw this one on the shelf in the children's section at the library, recognized the author, checked it out, and read it the next day. Good children's books have as much literary gravitas as literary fiction written for adults.

The Dying Animal. Short Roth novel on the twin themes of EROS and THANATOS. Not Roth's best book, but this will appeal to people who enjoy contemplative novels that are not put off by the explicit sex and cancer/death talk.

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob DeZoet. As recommended by Ted Murphy. Epic historical novel about the Dutch empire and Japan. Long and worth reading. Probably Mitchell's best.

Shakedowners. I read somewhere that this was a comic novel on par with The Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy. It is nowhere near that entertaining. I stopped at about the halfway point.