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It’s been a long time since I did one of these. Summer is the time for reading. Actually, ANY time is the time for reading! The last few weeks when I was ill, I did a lot of reading. This report is on a few of them.
Moulin Rouge (1950) by Pierre La Mure
This was a novel based on the life of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. I’m sure there were some liberties taken with the veracity of the telling, but it was very well done and gave a real flavor of that time period. Lautrec seemed to be a contemporary of many artists of the time who later became very famous, himself included. Enjoyed the book a great deal.
The Name of the Wind (2007) and The Wise Man’s Fear (2011) by Patrick Rothfuss
I have a real bone to pick with this guy. This was supposed to be a TRILOGY of books telling the tale of the mighty warrior and magician Kvothe. It was supposed to be a 3 day telling of his life to a chronicler. The Name of the Wind was the first day. Wonderfully thrilling story. Ending on a cliff hanger. As expected. The Wise Man’s Fear was the second day. Continuing the tale and ending on a cliff hanger. THEN THE AUTHOR STOPPED!!! It’s been FOURTEEN years since the second book!! I read a blurb by his editor/agent/whatever stating that she hadn’t even seen a HINT or rough draft of the third book. So BOO ON YOU, MR. ROTHFUSS!!!
Life of Pi (2001) by Yann Martel
Very interesting book. I haven’t seen the movie. The book is clearly a novel, not a true story, but it’s written like it is a recounting of a true story. A young boy and a Bengal tiger are the only survivors of a disaster at sea. Very enjoyable. Very believable as a tale that could be true, except for one part that was plainly fiction. I enjoyed it very much but have no real desire to see the movie. I know it got great reviews, but I saw it all in my head as I was reading it and am content with that.
Just Off Fifth (1959) by Edith P. Begner
I loved this book. I had read it many years ago and wanted to read it one more time before donating it. The setting is one of my favorites: an upper-scale apartment house in New York City with many tenants from different walks of life, all interacting with one another. Great flavor of the 1950s. Would love to see this made into a movie.
The Writing Retreat (2023) by Julia Bartz
Excellent mystery/thriller. Another one of my favorite settings: snowbound people in the middle of nowhere and one of them is a murderer. Several women would-be authors get the chance for an intense writing retreat with a famous established authoress who will grant the best writer a bunch of money and a published book. This would be a good movie too, except for the explicit sex that I didn’t particularly enjoy.
