Fiction

Week 5: Tepper Isn’t Going Out – Calvin Trillin

Within just the first few pages of reading TEPPER ISN’T GOING OUT, I knew I was in for a pleasant ride (or perhaps I should say stay). Calvin Trillin’s slim story is a humorous tale of one Maury Tepper and his quest to find a perfectly good “legal spot” and park his Chevy Malibu to enjoy a read of the New York Post. His simple act to steal some quiet time puts the city in an absolute tailspin. Consipiracy theories abound as to why a middle-aged man would take to reading in his car versus an easy chair.

The behavior befuddles his wife Ruth and their daughter Linda. His business partner and friends are certain something must be wrong. And rather funny things start to happen when strangers begin to notice the man in the parked car. Of course he gets his share of “Ya bastard, ya! That’s a perfectly good spot!”–it’s New York. But Tepper also gains a following of strong supporters, which he’ll need when his story hits the desk of the city’s tyrannical mayor and even makes the very newspaper he parks to read.


What the plot lacks in depth, it more than makes up in great humor and solid writing. It’s just a perfect read for a perfect day when you have found yourself the perfect spot to park yourself–wherever that may be.


Rating: 3 stars
Pages: 213
Genre: Fiction
By |February 6th, 2010|3 stars, 52 Books in 52 Weeks of 2010, Fiction|5 Comments
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Week 4: The Last Report of the Miracles at Little No Horse – Louise Erdrich

This week’s entry was picked for me as my February Book Club’s selection. Admittedly, it actually took me two weeks to read it, but finishing it up this week, I am counting it now. For those that know me well, I considered heavily (probably too much) if I should count this or not since I didn’t read this in an actual week and then I was quickly reminded that I had many more mundane things I could be fretting over and moved on.

So this is my third Erdrich undertaking, the first being The Master Butchers Singing Club (a literary marvel and masterpiece and all that good stuff that comes when you read something remarkable). Second, I tackled her first novel, Love Medicine, and fumbled big-time. I couldn’t get through it. The third and most current is THE LAST REPORT ON THE MIRACLES AT LITTLE NO HORSE, which falls somewhere between the two. And, just so you know, here on out I will refer to it as LITTLE NO HORSE because the title, while wonderful is just too much to type and I have too many acronyms I have to deal with in my 8-5 job, so TLROTMALNH was a headache-inducing proposition and so quickly off the blog posting page it falls.

All of my Erdrich readings have been due to my book club and I am not sure I would have picked her up otherwise. I love, love, LOVED The Master Butchers Singing Club and went into LITTLE NO HORSE with much anticipation, it being a National Book Award finalist and all. But unfortunately, the love affair faded rather quickly.

There is no doubt that Erdrich has crafted a truly unique story with LITTLE NO HORSE. She’s an extremely talented writer. To create a full community of feuding Ojibwe Indian families, their difficult life on desolate land and their desire for counsel and guidance from a dedicated priest (Father Modeste) is an achievement. She crafts a story of major transgressions, dark violence and closely held secrets. One where thought I would be quick to turn the page and slow to put down, but that wasn’t the case. Certainly, there were moments that were pretty spectacular and then there were more times than I expected that I found the book to drag on and, dare I say it?, where I was a little bit bored.

This is not a book to consume quickly. It takes a bit of time, focus and quiet. The sentence structure is long, the list of characters complex and, at times, it’s hard to follow. At least, that was my experience. And I don’t officially award books with prestigious honors or even seals; so who am I to say? I just read some of them and write about them on this little blog that a small contention of folks follow. So at the end of the day read it at your own risk and decide for yourself. And if you do that, let me know what you think.

Rating: 2 stars
Pages: 361
Genre: Fiction

By |January 31st, 2010|2 stars, 52 Books in 52 Weeks of 2010, Book Club, Fiction|1 Comment
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Week 1: You Remind Me of Me – Dan Chaon

My January book club’s selection of Dan Chaon’s YOU REMIND ME OF ME is my first read of the first week of the year. It also happens to be my hosting month and this was one of three options I gave the group.

It has been a while since I have read something that is just so exquisitely written and Chaon’s first novel (after reaching critical success with a collection of short stories, Among the Missing) is one that I am adding to my short list of all-time favorites. Following a shifting timeline, Chaon takes the reader Bowville, South Dakota and St. Bonaventure, Nebraska to tell the story of three troubled individuals seeking to understand their role in the world, find connection and uncover meaning. Spanning over 30 years, the book opens with a tragic accident that will shape the main character, Jonah, and forever change his view on the world and other’s view of him.

Chaon is a master of the details without being overbearing and has painted such clear pictures of pain, loneliness and isolation that I couldn’t help but feel empathy for his lot of misfits, who, in actuality have a lot about them that is unlikeable. However, Chaon writes with objectivity, simply telling their story, free of judgment and it’s this perspective that enabled me to embrace these characters and plow through the book not wanting to put it down. In fact, YOU REMIND ME OF ME would be the perfect book to pick up on a long rainy weekend, when a comfy couch and a warm blanket are within arm’s reach.

Rating: 5 stars
Pages: 356
Genre: Fiction

By |January 10th, 2010|5 stars, 52 Books in 52 Weeks of 2010, Fiction|2 Comments
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