Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
Of all tasks, describing the contents of a book is the most difficult and in the case of a marvelous invention like Invisible Cities, perfectly irrelevant. - Gore Vidal
They say that when Marco Polo was on his death-bed, a priest begged him to confess to having invented much of what he claimed to have seen on his famous journeys. Marco’s answer was this: “I have not told half of what I saw.”
The not-quite-a-novel, Invisible Cities, takes us to the court of the aging Kublai Khan where Marco Polo serves as a special emissary. The Khan has grown melancholy, and each evening he has the young Venetian tell him of one of the fabulous cities he has visited.
There is no plot in this book, only cities. And it is possibly the most beautiful work I have ever read.
Ty
Book Reviews | Comment (1)A Million Little Pieces, by James Frey
What an incredible, dizzying achievement.
Of course, the dizziness may just be from the amount of nitrous I was huffing when I read this book. Not that I could feel it, though. I finished A Million Little Pieces at 6:00pm, but I’d been chasing my vicodin with demerol since noon. And I needed it. I’d only brought the book with me to have something to do in the doctor’s office while I waited to have a tattoo removed.
I never mentioned this to my mom, but when I was in high school, I had the name of an ex-girlfriend tattooed on the back of my left eyeball. Yeah it hurt, but that’s love. Anyway, the other day I was stretched out on the kitchen table having a mild seizure after snorting a mixture of super-glue and lit butane (I call them “Krazy Ballz”). So while I’m doubled over backward, and my eyes are rolled so far back I swear to hell I can see the top of my spinal column, Kirsten walks in. Well, she spots that tattoo right away, so as soon as I’m back on all-fours she makes me call a plastic surgeon. I bit half-way through my tongue, but I made the call anyway, because I’m kind of a bad-ass.
So the doctor’s going at my optic nerve with 10 grit sand paper, and I’m not on any pain-killers outside the vico-rol coctail and the laughing gas (I wanted to be sober so I could blog about it later), and right then I finish Frey’s memoir. What a great read.
Update: In light of the recent revelations about the veracity of Million, I must shame-facedly confess that I never in fact read this book. I apologize to my family, friends, and most of all, Oprah.
Book Reviews | Comment (1)Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clark
Todd described this book as “A cross between Harry Potter and Jane Austen.” I couldn’t agree more. The setting is England, and the events are planted firmly in magic. The book is also about collecting books, which I can completely relate to. You know how in Harry Potter the magic world and the muggles world don’t interact, well in this book they do. Magic is used to win wars and help seaside villages. It seems so plausible. I personally think that fax machines are magical.
I have a copy in Lima if anyone wants it.
Book Reviews | Comments (2)The Catcher in the Rye
I know, I know – it’s mandatory high school reading material, but I never read it in high school, and when John Lemley mentioned he was teaching it, I decided it was high time I read it.
The most astonishing thing about the novel is that it was written over 50 years ago! I had to keep flipping to the publication page to make sure I read it correctly. There are some definite things that signal its age, but the issues that teenagers face: conformity and identity still ring true. I think it was especially meanful to me as a high school teacher who constantly struggles to relate to 14 and 15 year olds.
Thanks John Lemley. Keep in touch so I know what to read next.
Book Reviews | Comment (0)