nomadreader

The backstory: To Rise Again at a Decent Hour , Joshua Ferris's third novel, is on the 2014 Booker Prize longlist. He's also one of The New Yorker's 20 Under 40 . I've previously enjoyed his novel The Unnamed  ( my review .)   The basics: Paul O'Rourke has a thriving dental practice in New York City, an obsession with the Boston Red Sox, and a rather pathetic social and love life. When a website for his dental practice appears, he's perplexed. Soon a Facebook page and Twitter profile emerge as well. Paul isn't behind any of them, and he's troubled someone seems to know so much about him and is misrepresenting him as religious. My thoughts: Paul O'Rourke is an instantly memorable character. He's delightfully (or perhaps annoyingly to some) quirky. He's an alarmingly honest narrator who has no problem talking about himself honestly, and he has strong opinions on everything--from the small to the very big. The two biggest themes in this b...

The basics: The Middlesteins  is the story of the Middlestein family: its obese matriarch Edie, her husband Richard, their adult children Robin and Benny, and Benny's wife and children. The family lives in the Chicago suburbs and the narration shifts between these main characters and moves through time non-linearly. My thoughts: The experience I had reading The Middlesteins   is one of my favorites: I knew very little going into it, so I was able to enter the journey of this novel without any preconceptions. Early on, I fell hard for Robin's sharp, raw observations about herself and her world: "Robin looked at Daniel and had the meanest thought of her entire life. He'll do ." I was so enamored with the way she sees the world, I was sad when the narration shifted to Benny's wife. Attenberg soon alleviated this pain, however, as I discovered each of the narrators were fascinating. I adore this scene, in which Rachelle outlines all of the lies she's told...

The backstory: Foreign Bodies  is on the 2012 Orange Prize shortlist. The basics: Inspired by The Ambassadors  by Henry James, Foreign Bodies  is the story of Bea Nightingale, a middle-aged divorced English teacher living in New York City. The novel opens in 1952 with a letter from Bea's estranged brother Marvin asking her to go track down his son Julian, who has jetted off to Paris. My thoughts: I haven't read The Ambassadors , but Ozick swept me into this world immediately. I had an instant reaction to Marvin's haughtiness and condescending nature and thus was immediately drawn to Bea. There's an element of fantasy here too. Yes, Bea must uproot her life to jet off to Paris, but she gets to be in Paris in 1952. The setting entranced me more than it did Bea, which was a refreshingly realistic perspective. Ozick describes the idealized Paris of this time comically: "They were mostly young Americans in their twenties and thirties who called themselves "e...

The backstory: Binocular Vision: New and Collected Stories  is a finalist for the 2011 National Book Award . The basics: This collection of short stories is not connected by a common theme. The stories dart through history and feature numerous locations worldwide. Most stories do, however, feature Judaism or take place in Boston, and sometimes both. My thoughts: Mr. Nomadreader and I are huge fans of The Next Iron Chef,  the reality competition show to pick the next Iron Chef. (Stay with me here.) A recurring theme on the show is the danger of making duos and triples with the secret ingredient because it allows the judges to judge you against yourself rather than your competitors. As the only short story collection to be a finalist for the National Book Award, at times it felt Edith Pearlman is competing against herself, and it wasn't always successful for me. Pearlman is a brilliant writer and storyteller, yet my lack of fondness for short stories came th...

The backstory: Entertainment Weekly  named How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less  as one of the 10 Best Graphic Novels of 2010 . The basics: Sarah Glidden goes on a birthright trip to Israel with trepidation because of Israeli policies. Is it all propaganda or will it be a great experience? My thoughts: For some reason, I have been having an incredibly difficult time reviewing this lovely graphic memoir. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It was a fascinating look into the birthright trip experience, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and young adulthood. Sarah Glidden is refreshingly honest about her struggles with Israel and Palestine. She wants there to be a right answer, and she hopes to find it through her thorough pre-trip research and open eyes throughout her trip. The verdict:  I shared in Glidden's frustrations at the complexity of life. Her trip is emotional in so many ways, and I truly felt I experienced it with her, through both her watercolor art...