Reading Envy 189: Surreal Superpowers with Tim Ewins

First time novelist Tim Ewins joins Jenny in the Reading Envy Pub between their mutual time zones. We discuss humor and surrealism, translated works, and indie presses.

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Books discussed:



All My Friends are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman
Crazy Brave by Joy Harjo
A Right Royal Face-Off by Simon Edge
Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi, translated by Marilyn Booth
Elefant by Martin Suter, translated by Jamie Bulloch


Other mentions:

We Are Animals by Tim Ewins
Eye and Lightning Books
Roald Dahl
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning by Alan Sillitoe
Jeanette Winterson
The Beat of the Pendulum by Catherine Chidgey
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Brutally Honest by Melanie Brown
Good-bye Pink Pig by C.S. Adler (the only copies are worth almost $1k!)
The Codes of Love by Hannah Persaud (not out in USA as of now)
The Ticking Heart by Andrew Kaufman

 
Stalk us online:

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Tim at Goodreads
Tim's website
Tim is @quickbooksummaries on Instagram

Library Books Mid-September 2015

The Places that Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times by Pema Chodron
It Will End with Us by Sam Savage
The Coroner's Lunch (Dr. Siri #1) by Colin Cotterill
The Complete Visual Guide to Good Dog Training: The Balanced Way to A Well Behaved Pet by Babette Haggerty
All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews
Man at the Helm by Nina Stibbe
The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick
The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma
The Chimes by ANna Smaill
A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?: A Memoir by Roz Chast

This month has been a busy month of books from the library (libraries, really). Three of the books on this pile are on the Man Booker Prize Longlist (Obioma, Smaill, Tyler) and I was trying to read at least the first 50 pages of as many of those books as I could.

I went to our leisure reading collection to pull the Chast because I was preparing to speak with a librarian who specializes in comics and graphic novels, and I was thinking I would have one fresh in my mind to talk about, and knew the Chast had been a finalist for the National Book Award (USA) last year. I ended up not using it as one of my primary choices, but I can say I have read it! When I was over in that collection, the Helm, Quick, and Toews followed me home. Whoops.

The Savage seemed out of place in the New Books section, a slim black paperback in a sea of academic hardbacks. Reading the description I found it is set in South Carolina, so decided it was worth a try, maybe a quick read.

I had wanted to read another Chodron after reading her book When Things Fall Apart. This one was not as easy of a read, but still great. I requested the Cotterill from interlibrary loan immediately following the recording of Reading Envy Podcast 037, where Juliane mentioned that series in passing. That was enough to peak my curiosity, not to mention that it is set in a country I had yet to read a book from for my Around the World challenge.

The dog training one was a whimsy pick from the new books section at the public library - I have two dogs who badly need training but we haven't taken the time to do a class yet.  I thought maybe it would help!

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (audiobook)

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I fear I am heartless.

Some people I respect as readers give this book five stars and I just can't.

Basically, it is about a man taking a walk. Beginning, middle, end. He gets bad news about an old friend and just starts walking, wearing the wrong kind of shoes and without telling bringing his 'mobile.'

Most of the book is about regret and finding his way back to what matters. So, I get that, but it didn't poke through my tough exterior, I guess. You have my permission to call me heartless.

I listened to the audio, which may be partly to blame for the plodding pace to the book. Still, Jim Broadbent was a great reader. I shall have to try to find him reading something else!

This book was on the longlist for the Booker, but didn't make the shortlist. One book that did is also about a walk, but has far more complexity and emotional range. I'd recommend it entirely. (The Lighthouse)

I'm noticing that lately, books about humdrummity are really getting to me. I need some profundity and depth, or lacking that, some interesting characters with interesting lives.

Some of Harold's observations:

"Life was very different when you walked through it."

"Life is made up of people putting one foot in front of the other."

"Nobody's frightening, if you stop and listen."