Freedom: Sunday New York Times Book Review

The Sunday New York Times book review sections always energizes me.  It's the first section of the times I read every Sunday.  Today features Jonathan Franzen's new book, Freedom.
I read The Corrections and thought it was up there right along with Beloved and The Poisonwood Bible.  A great novel, in other words. I am in awe of Franzen. I heard him speak a couple years ago at Boston's Grub Street, The Muse and the Marketplace.  He gave a thoughtful, even profound, speech. 
There is a brouhaha (isn't that a wonderful word?) to do with Jennifer Weiner (on the best seller list today) and another woman writer over the fact that women writers do not make the cover of Time Magazine.  Anyone who belongs to Sisters In Crime knows that women's books are reviewed less by major (and probably minor) newspapers and periodicals.  Folks, this is hardly news and it seems a bit mean-spirited to point this out and (maybe) diminish Franzen's place in the sun.

I have no doubt that Franzen would be able to make first rate fiction out of it.  He's no stranger to controversy what with the Oprah hoo-ha (another great word--why do words describing a dust up or tempest in a tea top event have a "ha" in them?) Ha ha! 
Franzen is a brave writer, the kind of literary writer I would give me genre-gnawed eye teeth to be.
From all discussions, Freedom seems to be a significant literary event.

Hmmm.  Maybe his publisher should have been hawking  Freedom out at the Lincoln Memorial yesterday.  Some of the people on the red and blue sides of the fence are portrayed in  the book.  Who of us will recognize our sorry selves?

King and Kingsolver

The first thing I do on Sunday morning besides drink coffee is read the New York Times Book Review. This week I got Stephen King's On Writing from the library and began reading it last night. A real mashup of happy and sad and poigant and pithy. I laughed out loud at his hijinx with the high school newspaper, because it reminded me so much of my younger self.

The book review featured King's new novel, a 1000+ page behemoth that sounded intriguing and readable. (Under the Dome). The Times' also reviewed a new novel by Barbara Kingsolver. (The Lacuna). I discovered Kingsolver when she was writing about Arizona and what a great writer she has become! The Poisonwood Bible was just terrific. So I can't wait to read the new book, much of which takes place in Mexico with Kahlo, Trotsky and Diego Rivera. We saw the movie recently and enjoyed it immensely. They were all larger than life characters.

Just reading the reviews I had a couple ideas for my WIP, In Flight, and even my California book, not yet written. I'm wondering if that is the book I should plow into and not stop until finished, writing in a fine but unburnished passion, permitting myself to write the "shitty first draft."

It was so heartening to see King leave poverty behind with the paperback sale of Carrie. I hope he made another bundle on the movie. And what a loyal wife who is herself a find poet and writer.

Did I mention Kingsolver's non-fiction? Also great.

Hat's off and raise your glass to Stephen King and Barbara Kingsolver. Let fiction reign.

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/index.html

Grapeshot

A new calf

Most unexpectedly (for me) one of the Highland Scottish Cows bore a calf today. This is (I think) Mary Ann, who has a half-grown calf that is ailing. He lies in the pasture all day and flicks his ears. The poor little thing must have ear mites or worse. wish the farmer would take action and do something and am debating stopping by and mentioning same. Nothing like a nosy busybody, is there?

The calf with the ear problem is lying on the right, and the brand new calf is a darker brown and lying with his/her mother licking him. Cow mothers are very attentive, at least for a while. We fed them scraps today, and Maggie's baby will eat out of my hand which is unusual for the calves who tend to be more skittish.

The pair of ducks seems to be nesting close by us in the slough. The big obnoxious black birds appeared a few days ago and ate all the suet, even the suet in the feeder for small birds. Their beaks are so long they can reach in and eat it. Major bummer. Do not like those birds.

I had to refill the thistle seed yesterday, and noticed the trillium is blooming, and about 30 solomon's seals are coming up. Bleeding heart is also abloom, and some of the wildflowers look healthy, but the creeping phlox is a train wreck. Spare and no blooms. My heath really looks good. Maybe photos tomorrow.

I would ordinarily be arriving in Gerlach, Nevada right now, had the fates so decreed. Instead I'm leaving Thursday and coming back on Tuesday for a much shortened trip, and the fun stuff like Soldier Meadow and Squaw Reservoir will be what doesn't get done. So it goes, in the words of the immortal Vonnegut.

The Corrections just blew me away. I finished it last night and haven't read such a tour de force since The Poisonwood Bible. God what a joy a long novel that's really fun to read can be. One of life's great pleasure. Hallie Ephron has a new book out: 1001 Books for Every Mood: A Bibliophile's Guide to Unwinding, Misbehaving, Forgiving, Celebrating, Commiserating (and I'm looking forward to getting some good suggestions from that. There must be delights of good reading I probably overlooked or was never assigned. Just like Sinclair Lewis's Oil, also a great novel. I've had a good reading spring and late winter.

Submitted a short story to Glimmer Train and an agent wanted 3 chapters of Festival Madness. No great hopes, because I don't think FM is going to be her thing, but I'm sending them anyway.

Maybe if she likes it, she'll recommend another agent. I have the feeling it's more of a man's book. Crazy, huh?

Onward,

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