Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Award-winners and such
Kiran Desai, Anita Desai's daughter, just won the Booker Prize last night. From the press release:
"Hermione Lee comments,
'We are delighted to announce that the winner of the Man Booker Prize for 2006 is Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss, a magnificent novel of humane breadth and wisdom, comic tenderness and powerful political acuteness. The winner was chosen, after a long, passionate and generous debate, from a shortlist of five other strong and original voices.'"
Anyone read it yet? A humane and funny novel winning the Booker, geez, sounds like a dream come true. I thought Man Booker winners had to be cutting-edgy and depressing as hell... I read Anita Desai's novel Clear Light of Day years ago and remember loving it, but not much else, unfortunately. I have a terrible problem retaining what I've read, but luckily this allows me to re-read favorite books again and again and never tire of them.
I just picked up a softcover of John Banville's The Sea for fifty cents off a local library's perpetual booksale shelves (last year's Booker winner, I know, but I am perpetually behind in my reading habits - a few centuries behind, usually). I am contemplating reading it. Shall I? Other Booker winners in recent years have left me cold.
Other news in brief: my back is better - I am thankful, thankful, and have been back at the easel the last few days. A few customers straggling in here and there at the shop, including my friend and fellow bookseller David who just proposed to his girlfriend, and was accepted - congratulations and thanks for buying some books! I've also been reading a lot in the past two weeks, more on that soon.
"Hermione Lee comments,
'We are delighted to announce that the winner of the Man Booker Prize for 2006 is Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss, a magnificent novel of humane breadth and wisdom, comic tenderness and powerful political acuteness. The winner was chosen, after a long, passionate and generous debate, from a shortlist of five other strong and original voices.'"
Anyone read it yet? A humane and funny novel winning the Booker, geez, sounds like a dream come true. I thought Man Booker winners had to be cutting-edgy and depressing as hell... I read Anita Desai's novel Clear Light of Day years ago and remember loving it, but not much else, unfortunately. I have a terrible problem retaining what I've read, but luckily this allows me to re-read favorite books again and again and never tire of them.
I just picked up a softcover of John Banville's The Sea for fifty cents off a local library's perpetual booksale shelves (last year's Booker winner, I know, but I am perpetually behind in my reading habits - a few centuries behind, usually). I am contemplating reading it. Shall I? Other Booker winners in recent years have left me cold.
Other news in brief: my back is better - I am thankful, thankful, and have been back at the easel the last few days. A few customers straggling in here and there at the shop, including my friend and fellow bookseller David who just proposed to his girlfriend, and was accepted - congratulations and thanks for buying some books! I've also been reading a lot in the past two weeks, more on that soon.
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I didn't read Inheritance of Loss but am not surpised that Desai won,the book got great reviews. The odds-on favorite was Sarah Waters for The Night Watch(I adored Fingersmith,such an absorbing read!).
Glad to hear you're painting again-have the leaves turned colors where you are yet? It's been a mixed bag of weather in my neck of the woods so the only shade the leaves around are becoming is brown.
Glad to hear you're painting again-have the leaves turned colors where you are yet? It's been a mixed bag of weather in my neck of the woods so the only shade the leaves around are becoming is brown.
I haven't read Sarah Waters either, now I'll be on the lookout for her books. I took a look at the Booker shortlist and recognized a few names, but I don't think I've read a single book by any of them, oh well.
Fall is falling here and the leaves are too, the maples are at peak or just past peak, very beautiful. We go to Mount Desert Island tomorrow for the MDI marathon, which skirts around Acadia National Park, and the weather's going to be perfect - sunny and chilly - so I'll do some tree-peeping as I hand off Gu and Gatorade to my runner as he races by...
Fall is falling here and the leaves are too, the maples are at peak or just past peak, very beautiful. We go to Mount Desert Island tomorrow for the MDI marathon, which skirts around Acadia National Park, and the weather's going to be perfect - sunny and chilly - so I'll do some tree-peeping as I hand off Gu and Gatorade to my runner as he races by...
I finished reading The Inheritance of Loss late last night. The writing is lush and playful. Her descriptions of living in the clouds with the mists, ferns and butterflies are lovely. I also loved her picture of the monsoon season with the rain, the mold and the singing frogs. I had a great deal more pleasure reading this book, than I did reading The Night Watch (dreary) or The Secret River (rushed, with abrupt transitons).
# posted by 
: 3:36 PM
: 3:36 PM
You people are so literate and well-read, what a pleasure to swap book opinions with you all! How glad I am that people still READ!
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