What books are currently on your nighstand?
I usually read a mystery
at work and a non-mystery at home. Lately I’ve been fascinated by
RAINTREE COUNTY by Ross Lockridge, Jr., which I think might be the
legendary great American novel, so I’m reading a memoir/literary
analysis/biography by his son Larry Lockridge called BENEATH THE
RAINTREE. It’s quite good and moving (Ross killed himself when Larry was
five) and I don’t think the dealer who sold it to me knew it was
signed! My current mystery is the ARC of Steve Hamilton’s new book THE
SECOND LIFE OF NICK MASON and, surprise, it’s fantastic. Steve really
knows how to suck the reader in. It’s supposed to be the start of a new
series, which would be great as long as he also writes more Alex
McKnight installments.
Who is your favorite novelist of all time?
In literature it has to
be Knut Hamsun, a Norwegian who was a great writer but not that great a
person. In mystery, Ross Macdonald knocks me out whenever I open one of
his books.
What books might we be surprised to find on your selves?
We have a very large collection of Archie Comics Digest, though they’re often found in the bathroom.
Who is your favorite fictional hero?
Elizabeth Hand’s Cass
Neary isn’t exactly a saint, but when the chips are down she always does
the right thing. I just know Cass and I would be great friends. You
wouldn’t want to be her enemy!
What book do you return to?
I’ve probably read PAN by Knut Hamsun almost every summer. It’s a magical book.
4 comments:
Another RAINTREE COUNTY fan--hooray! I always advise people to read SHADE OF THE RAINTREE either before or while they read RAINTREE COUNTY. Lockridge envisioned producing an American ULYSSES, but today it's remembered as a sort of GONE WITH THE WIND-lite thanks to the melodramatic technicolor movie Hollywood made with Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor. Lockridge (who suffered from depression anyway) never recovered.
And this book looks at his death as well as Tom Heggens.
http://www.amazon.com/Ross-And-Tom-American-Tragedies/dp/0306809923
Thank you for the recommendation. How did I not know about this book? I've added it to my tbr list.
Glad to have served some useful purpose on such a bad day!
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