5. James Frey, Bright Shiny Morning. OK, let me explain a little back story here: first, I found myself sequestered in a Target store, looking for anything to distract me. Second, anyone who has lived in Los Angeles can attest that the cover image on the hardcover of this book intangibly captures the strange light…
Most of my “professional” reading (which I don’t usually chronicle here) falls into the “nonfiction” category. So my reading “for pleasure” tends to be thinner in this area. But here are five standouts (with one hat-tip to a professional book worth mentioning): 5. David Kelsey, Eccentric Existence: A Theological Anthropology. I’ll give one shout out…
5. Sherman Alexie, Face. I’m a late comer to Alexie, but was immediately hooked. Granted, in the vein of Billy Collins, Alexie is probably one of our most accessible poets, but without the schmaltz of, say, Mary Oliver. I found this collection sincere and searingly honest, opening up worlds for me that would otherwise have…
As with almost all of these categories, it’s tough to narrow down to just five favorites, but here goes: 5. Thomas Wolfe, “The Lost Boy,” in The American Short Story, ed. Thomas K. Parkes. I’ve got a big soft spot for Thomas Wolfe, so it’s difficult for me to be objective. This story presages the…
As per my custom over the last several years, I’ll spend the next week recounting some of my reading highlights from 2010. I used to do this over at What I’m Reading, but having effectively abandoned that blog, I’ll incorporate the tradition here at Fors Clavigera. I will choose five favorites from four different genres:…