Here are the books I read in the month of July.
· The Art of Solitude, Stephen Batchelor. One of two nonfiction books this month. A meditation and celebration of solitude through meandering stories of the author’s varying experiences being alone.
· Impossible Views of the World, Lucy Ives. Another enjoyable offering from Ives, this time a novel based in a New York art museum with several different mysterious texts, a missing colleague and a fun search for personal meaning.
· Getting Through, John McGahern. A short story collection out of Ireland. These are well-written stories with an apt title as the bulk of characters and situations involve near desperate attempts at ‘getting through’ hardships of life. A quiet contemplation.
· Will, Jeroen Olyslaegers, translated by David Colmer. This novel unfolds at the beginning of WWII and is an interesting delve into the question of how involved one should be in the face of cruelty and evil. Very fitting in today’s political climate.
· Zen and the Art of Happiness, Chris Prentiss. The second nonfiction of the month, this one a fairly basic introduction to accessing happiness with emphasis on how we choose to interpret our experiences.
· Was, Geoff Ryman. An interesting novel consisting of three interlinking narratives all somehow related to the Wizard of Oz.
· Attrib. and Other Stories, Eley Williams. Brilliant wordplay, great investigation of words and meanings and the difficulty of human communication. I really enjoyed this collection.
· Monday or Tuesday, Virginia Woolf. Another short story collection. Every now and then I feel the need to read some Woolf and these stories did not disappoint. Impressive presentation of characters’ inner lives.
· Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf. More great Woolf, this time taking place in the course of one day. She is so good with inner monologue and stream of consciousness story telling.
