Monday, July 28, 2008

Reading In Los Angeles

Here are the books I read while in Los Angeles...
... I loved Deanne Stillman's Mustang, a gripping history of wild horses in America, with some very sad insights into those gorgeous creatures' situation today...
... thank you to blogger and avid reader Hila, who recommended I read Amos Oz (Fima reminded me of some passages by Philip Roth and JM Coetzee), as well as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, a superbly written classic that moved me deeply...
... I have already mentioned great dancer Carlos Acosta's emotional No Way Home - get it, read it, enjoy it!...
... Iran has been dear to my heart since I lived there as a little girl, so I was excited to delve into The Septembers of Shiraz, by Dalia Sofer, a worthwhile but tough novel that leads you straight into the prisons of Tehran...
... finally, I tore through the witty and smart letters of Nancy Mitford; Mitford should be given a lot more credit as a top-notch writer, and I try to do her justice in an Anthology of British Literature, to be published in France soon, in which I wrote the chapter about her - as far as I know, it will be the first time she will be included in such an anthology. Nancy rules, and that will be my last word today.

25 comments:

yasu said...

you always lead me to learn about unknown writers and books. wish i had more time to read!

Anonymous said...

oh....would love to read: The Septembers of Shiraz, by Dalia Sofer!! Oh and brava!!!! for writing the chapter on Nancy Mitford. (have long heard her name but must admit I have never read anything by her...) But now since you ended your post with "Nancy rules, and that will be my last word today." the pressure is on..Oh ! and I hope you are enjoying Paris now that you are back...:)
Nancy

Mary-Laure said...

NANCY - All of Mitford's novels are fabulous, but you may want to start with her classic "The pursuit of love" or her more intelligent and subversive "Love in a cold climate"; both were out of print for ever but are now back in print, so go ahead!!

tangobaby said...

All of these books should be on my list too. You are a very fast reader to have read all of these while on vacation!

mansuetude said...

your "last word today." are you certain you haven't used a word since??? I have GROWING list of books to read; you read fast, i am a turtle.:)

Strange, just yesterday i found Hila's blog (via those awards going around) and decided to try Andrei Makine--because of her lists.

Anonymous said...

Oh what a great collection of summer reads- i am interested in the Septembers of Shiraz. I have read sevearl book about iran as well

/// said...

You were certainly a busy lady! :)

STYLE DU MONDE said...

Wow incredible! Thank you for sharing this!

xx

Mary-Laure said...

NADIA - I wonder, what books about Iran did you read?
I'd love to read more, so I'd appreciate some pointers if you have any... I only read the great Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and of course Reading Lolita In Tehran...

Hila said...

oh I'm so glad you enjoyed my book recommendations, and this is really sweet of you. Looking forward to seeing what other reading you'll be doing in the future.

Unknown said...

Oh goody, another blogger who enjoys reading. Wow I see you lived in Kenya as a child. I lived in Bali, Indonesia.
Nice blog. Loving the cute details.

marie said...

you were busy :) i need to read more!

kate said...

Wow you read so fast!
This is such a lovely book, and I have come across it on such a good day because I need a new book to read!

Hila said...

mary-laure, I've awarded you with something, so go check out my latest post :)

lu-n-am said...

This kind of makes me want to read Frankenstein now... :) if you're looking for more great books to read I highly recomend Khaled Hosseini's new novel A Thousand Splendid Suns. I read it this summer and LOVED it. :)

Mary-Laure said...

LU - yes, I heard A Thousand Splendid Suns was really a fabulous read, thanks for the tip!
And do read Frankenstein, it's a masterpiece.

HILA - aaaaaaw, thanks!

Unknown said...

Que bueno que leas tanto, sigo agregando autores a la lista.

Laura Neulat said...

I'm impressed!

Laura Neulat said...

And as Nancy said, the pressure is on. May I borrow one of Nancy Mitford's novels?

Mary-Laure said...

LAURA - SURE!!! I'd love you to read one of her books...

Sarah said...

What a great stack - love the writing of Nancy Mitford and will have to get hold of a copy of those letters

Anonymous said...

Why did you find Frankenstein moving?

Mary-Laure said...

SARAH - Nancy Mitford's letters are out of print, actually... But you may have a chance to find them in used books stores or on Amazon's Marketplace. I got lucky!

PIERRE - Frankenstein is moving because it tells the story of a creature who is different from "regular" people and is thus rejected, though he just longs for friendship, human interactions and of course, love. He is also a cruel murderer, but beyond it all you hear the voice of someone who is shunned by society just because of the way he looks and is in intense pain.
You should read it!

Disa said...

it is WONDERFUL to see how many (female) iranian writers are published. i have quite a collection myself. and plenty of humorous ones too.

P said...

I'm totally fascinated by Iran - how amazing that you grew up there. Would love to hear more about that. I will definitely pick up The Septembers of Shiraz.