On Reading with Spring Book Ideas

Constant Reader on Reading

by Joan M. Baril

I just read and read as all my friends know. Before I go to the library, I consult my book list and check to see if what I want is available. I take out five or six books, knowing I will probably read only one or two.

Picky? Yes. I’ll read old and new, classics and graphics, fiction and non-fiction but I have personal quirks. I rarely read fantasy and dislike horror. I’m unable to read about children being harmed. I dislike sarcastic books by authors who consider themselves superior to everyone and everything around them. I dislike misogyny whether written by male or female. I feel cheated when a book turns religious. I also dislike books about fourteen year old boys who are seduced by the beauteous forty-year-old neighbour next door.

I hate blurble, long philosophical sentences I cannot understand. I often think the author throws this stuff in to elevate the tone, to show she/he is above the commonplace. Suddenly, the heroine, standing at the sink, surrounded by her dysfunctional family, goes into a meditation about the nature of time. I dislike books which consider the nature of time. I want fiction to be probable. Come to think of it, I am getting a bit tired of the dysfunctional family. I sometimes wonder if that is the only topic studied in MA writing programs. Like Truman Capote, I want writers to get out and live a bit. I dislike travel books by authors who go to far places and never meet/see/ or are interested in the lives of the women. I dislike pundits who insist on defending “Lolita.”

I love good writing, a good story, interesting characters. Okay, so who doesn’t? I read a lot of historical stuff. I love historical diaries and memoirs. Also Canadian books. I buy local stuff at the museum book store. I read (and reread ) a lot of short stories, not only because I write them, but because the stories of Joyce, Chekhov, Munro, Hemmingway, Atwood, Lucinda Berlin, and many others just pick me up and carry me away.

 I get ideas for my book list from the recommendations of friends, my book club, the Drury Lane newsletter, the Giller, Booker and GG long lists, essays in literary magazines and book review publications and reviews by trusted people such as Margie Taylor. I keep a diary of what I read and it shows a veritable mish mash. It also prevents me from reading the same book twice and not realizing it until I am half way through.

 Right now I am reading, “All That Man Is,” by David Szalay. This book of short stories, organized around the lives of several men, won the Mann Booker Prize in 2016. It is a warm hearted work of fiction where each character strives to be alive and understand life. A pleasure to read.  

Here are a few recent books I liked very much.

The Horseman by Tim Pears takes place in 1913 in Devon. We are introduced to young Leo, a shy silent boy, and his rural family. His father is head carter on the local estate. Lovely descriptions of farm work, nature, and above all horses make this book a pleasant read. The interplay among the various workers is very well done. But the Master, or lord of the manor, has a young daughter who plays with Leo. After they are seen swimming naked, the family is removed from job, house and land. A beautiful book of an old rural culture long gone.

The Wanderers by Tim Pears. This book follows The Horseman. A series of tales as the boy, Leo, wanders from place to place, lives with Gypsies, meets a tramp, works on Dartmoor and so on. An authentic look at times gone by.

Ten Generations – Then an Artist. The Susan A Ross Story by James R. Stevens. Wonderful look at her life with lots of illustrations: paintings, etchings and drawings. This book is available at the Thunder Bay Museum which also did an exhibition of her works. A great Canadian artist.

A Large Harmonium by Sue Sorensen. Our heroine is clutzy, lacks confidence, cannot do anything such as organize her work, do stuff on time, clean up etc. and yet her inner voice is one of sharp sarcasm as if from a different kind of character. The other characters are very well done and complete. They include her son, Little Max, her husband and his friend Jam. This novel treats us to humour and sharp dialogue and lots of comments about Winnipeg, teaching and the draining confusion of family life.

City Poems by Joe Fiorito Here are mini stories presented as sharp, short tough gems.  Fiorito is dealing with the underbelly of Toronto life: the dealers, the druggies, the homeless and the criminals. Joe’s poems are startling, wise, compassionate, and clear-sighted like the author himself. In short, memorable.

The Dry by Jane Harper. Australian mystery thriller. Very good book, well written and well plotted. A perfect mystery story in an unusual but interesting setting.

Fair Play by Tove Jansson. Two women artists live together on an island. Each chapter is a vignette beautifully written. Also, each chapter says something profound about art. The intro by Ali Smith says a lot too. All Jansson’s novels, especially The Summer Book are unforgettable. Jansson is the Finnish writer who gave us the children’s series about the Moonmins.

Loitering with Intent by Muriel Spark Just a great book with a happy, assertive, female protagonist who gets involved with the strange Autobiographical Society. When they steal her novel, the feud is on. The sly humour, the perfect pacing, the strange but believable situations make this book one of my all time favourites.

How to Shoot a Naturalist by Gerald Durrell. Durrell and his wife star in a nature film in various parts of the world. Durrell’s writing is, as ever, colourful, catchy and fun with lots of information about the natural world.  

Bow Grip by Ivan Coyote. A poignant story of a man dealing with his divorce. He is a working class guy, the type that is called a good guy, a rather silent fellow who tries to take up playing the cello and tries to accept meeting his wife with her lesbian partner. A well-crafted character in an authentic Canadian setting. I think Coyote is one of out best writers, strong and unsentimental.

The Customer is Always Wrong by Mimi Pond. Excellent graphic novel. A waitress in a restaurant in California is embedded among a mixed bag of employees and their friends. Drugs play a big role in this down town Oakland scene. I visited Oakland once, after the 70’s riots, and the place scared the hell out of me. I find life there so different from the Canadian scene described in Bow Grip.