I don't mind that this weekend is forecast rain, as it is also blissfully cool outside. I have turned off my AC and opened the windows and am thoroughly enjoying the relief from the heat. The weather has been wonky this spring and summer, and for myself, pretty miserable. Rain just means I can read inside somewhere or go see a movie or two (and do so in long sleeves!).
This weekend's reading? I'll still be spending lots of time in Australia. I am not sure why it has taken me so very long to work my way through Nevil Shute's A Town Like Alice (I think I was just dreading the difficult parts and there were a few rocky moments in the story as the women were on their death march in Malay), but now the war is over and the story is far more optimistic and there is even the chance of a little romance. I think I will also try and finish Emily Bitto's The Strays which won the Stella Prize in 2015. And I love John Wyndham and have finally picked up another of his books, Stowaway to Mars. Now that is a journey and a half. To complement my travel literature I am also reading Sylvia Smith's My Holidays which is quirkily charming and I quite like the ordinariness of her travels.
I expect you have heard about the total solar eclipse happening August 21? It will be crossing the state of Nebraska for about two and a half minutes midday (and apparently we are a prime viewing location--fingers crossed for good, clear weather), though sadly Omaha is not quite in the range for the total eclipse. I don't think I will be able to get to a place where I an experience the total eclipse, but of course I plan on getting out to see the phenomenon. I feel like I should read something about it to mark the occasion . . . May have to look for a suitable book this weekend (and can I squeeze it in in the next two weeks?).
Have you heard about the new PBS series that is forthcoming in spring 2018 called The Great American Read? It is going to be an eight part series that "explores the joy of books and the power of reading". I am always ready for that conversation. I wonder which 100 books will make the cut?
I really want to read Sarah Schmidt's See What I Have Done and am waiting (im)patiently for a copy from the library. (I am far down the list, so I might end up buying my own copy . . .). It seems to be popping up all over the place in book news. You can read Sarah's take on writing the book here, and it has made a list of best reviewed books via LitHub. And then there is this list of books about female killers in fiction where it is listed prominently.
Since I am on the subject of famous murders in America, there are two new series coming about the 1959 murders of the Clutter family in Kansas which was made famous by Truman Capote's novel, In Cold Blood. I read it a few years ago and it is indeed quite chilling. Apparently there has been new evidence brought to light that has been suppressed, which means of course I am really curious about it.
This month's NYRB subscription book is Dorothy B. Hughes's In a Lonely Place, which I read just last year. It might be a bit too soon to reread it, but I am happy to have the new edition as part of my collection and look forward to reading the afterword. There is an interesting piece on the book and American Noir in the Paris Review that is worth reading. Maybe it is time to see the movie adaptation, which I think is supposed to be very good.
I tried really hard to get through The Lie by Petra Hammesfahr, but for some reason I just could not do it and eventually gave up on the book. Maybe I should have tried The Sinner instead. It looks as though it was just adapted to the small screen and has started airing--perhaps I can try the movie version (I think I have the book somewhere in my reading piles).
Sheesh, I have only "met" four of the ten top female detectives in fiction, I guess I need to rectify that. I am happy to see Mary Russell on the list!
I have to leave you with a list or two, of course. Here are 100 Great Works of Dystopian Fiction. It is an interesting list, and I have read a number of them. I will be perusing the list more closely (because you can never have enough reading suggestions, right?).
And I swear I would love to see just one author admit to having a Mary Stewart or Agatha Christie or some other pure comfort read on their summer reading list. So very highbrow. They always make me inwardly shake my head (in shame). But then I return to my own reading pile quite happily.
Happy weekend reading everyone! (Whatever you happen to reach for--highbrow or low!).