I haven’t blogged in a while since I last wrote about trying to tackle the New York Times “Best of American Lit”. 

I read “American Pastoral” by Philip Roth which was Runner-Up to Number One.  It was very well done, but somewhat repetitive.  By page 100, I got the point: the American dream is dead. Then there’s 300 more pages of the same deal.  I had to wonder, why is this the best of American Lit?  Why isn’t “Revolutionary Road” by Richard Yates on the list?  Why aren’t there more women on the list, like Lorrie Moore or Jane Smiley?

So instead of reading the myriad Rabbit novels by John Updike on the NYT list (one word: ugh), I decided to drop the list and read for pleasure, again (yay!).  Recently read:

O, Pionners by Willa Cather: Brilliant novel about the power of the American Midwest

Autobiography of a Fat Bride by Laurie Notaro: Laugh-out loud funny essays on getting married, moving into a ramshackle house and more.

Comics by Julie Doucet: Richly detailed, dark and nightmarish but absolutely wonderful.  I’ve been stocking up on Julie Doucet’s old comics from the ‘80s by ordering her collections from Drawn & Quarterly.  I can whole-heartedly recommend: My New York Diary; My Most Secret Desires and Lève Ta Jambe Mon, Poisson Est Mort! (Lift Your Leg, My Fish Is Dead!).  If you liked Charles Burns’ Black Hole, you’ll like Doucet’s striking work. 

Now I’m reading Richard McCann’s stirring collection Mother of Sorrows.  And it’s fantastic.  He used to live in Richmond and now heads up the creative writing department at American University.

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