Wolf Hall

Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel is the first of two historical novels centering around the life of Thomas Comwell who was a key player during the reign of Henry VIII. The tale is vividly told and is highly recommended for fans of this period of history (think of the cable show The Tudors). The central drama in this novel is the divorce that Henry seeks from his wife Katherine so that he could be free to marry Anne Boleyn. The decision to pursue the divorce has geopolitical ramifications and ultimately impacts the power of the Roman Catholic Church in England. There are some extremely violent sequences where "heretics" are burned to death. The reader gets a real flavor for life during those times for both the royalty and the commoners. Overall, it was an excellent novel.

What I Am Reading Now

I mentioned before that I usually have multiple books going on at once. I can't help it. It is not my style to read one book at a time. I have the book that I read on the train (just finished The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke and I just started From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne). There is the book I am reading in my comfy chair in the bedroom - Lincoln by David Donald Herbert. This choice was inspired by seeing the Spielberg movie, but is not the book that the film is based on. Also, I started reading the Hobbit around the time that that movie came out, but it's been sitting in my living room largely unread. It's cold in my living room, so this may contribute to my pokey attitude towards Tolkien. When I find myself somewhere without a book, I pull out my IPhone and read The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle. I am not a huge fan of e-reading. I prefer the tactile quality of a paper book. However, the e-book is fine in a pinch. So, I am in the middle of four books. I bet there are people that are in the middle of many more. Please share the titles that you are juggling. I would love to hear from you.

This is How You Lose Her

Junot Diaz was recently quoted: "Mother****ers will read a book that's 1/3 Elvish, but put two sentences in Spanish and white people think we're taking over." It is a funny quote. He is reacting to some people's comments regarding his writing style, which peppers Spanish words and sentences throughout his narrative. This style is evident in his latest collection of stories entitled "This is How You Lose Her." These connected stories tell of a Dominican family that emigrates to Northern New Jersey in the late 1970s or early 1980s. The stories are told either in the first or second person and pop with energy, passion and wit. Some of my non-Spanish speaking friends find the "Spanglish" device annoying at times, but appreciate the authenticity that the author brings to the characters' voices. There are some stereotypical depictions of Dominican men as cheaters and the women being either long suffering or opportunistic. However, the protagonist's journey is fascinating. Yunior is clearly an alter ego for the author. His arrival as a child in the US, his assimilation into American society, his adolescent and early adulthood struggles, mistakes and adventures with his family and girls form the emotional core of these stories. At his root, Junot Diaz is exploring what it means to be an American. It is wrong to think about these simply as Latin stories. These are American stories.