I gotta say...

Picks of the Week

Adam Thirlwell: Politics: A Novel (P.S.)
One would think this book is about sex, And while it is, since the characters have so much about it, some of it is kinky, and threesomes play a big role in the narrative. mostly POLITICS is about everything else: the mechanics, the logistics, the emotional minefields, the awkward questions, the moral dilemmas, and, well, the politics of what it is to be with someone you love or someone you don't, and how an act that should be simple is anything but. Thirlwell was disgustingly young when he wrote this but he absolutely understands that to make this book work, there must be an underlying sweetness and sincerity to the entire story. Now I want to see what he's up to more recently. Amazon | Indiebound | B & N | Borders | Powell’s
Jennifer Mascia: Never Tell Our Business to Strangers: A Memoir
Years ago I was blown away by Mascia's Modern Love piece describing her parents' secret past: her father was a mobbed-up convicted murderer, and her mother not only knew all about it, but aided and abetted her husband when life required being a fugitive, selling drugs, and living at great highs and crushing lows. Mascia's book tells a more whole story about her peripatetic life, and even with every new shocking revelation what remained consistent was how much she loved her parents, no matter how deep those lows went, and how much she misses them now that they are gone. Unconditional love never goes away, no matter if those who receive it deserve it. Indiebound | Amazon | Borders | B & N | Powell’s
Juli Zeh: In Free Fall
Give me a novel of ideas and if the story is good and the characters are believable and entertain me, I am there. Give me a crime novel of ideas, where two physics professors, friends and rivals, opposites but startlingly similar, do emotional battle on an intellectual canvas, raise the stakes through betrayal, the possible kidnapping of a child, and embroil a romantic-leaning police detective in the complicated machinations of quantum theory, and holy hell, I think I have myself one of my favorite books of the year. Powell’s | Indiebound | Amazon | Borders | B & N
Simon Lelic: A Thousand Cuts
It appears to be a crime with an easy solution: a disgruntled schoolteacher shoots up his place of employment and kills several students in the process. But really, Lelic's novel is about the catastrophic consequences of bullying, and how this act is hardly limited to kids turning on other kids, but burrows deeply into adult relationships as well. He evokes empathy for the killer and sympathy for Lucia, the investigating officer who has to fight for every scrap of dignity as she pieces together the far more complex truth of what really happened at the school. Powell’s | Amazon | Borders | Indiebound | B & N
William Lindsay Gresham: Nightmare Alley
I cannot stop raving about this book to people. The circular narrative structure, the demented feel of a traveling carny troupe, and the extraordinary rise and precipitous fall of Stan Carlisle give off the persistent, raging feeling that hell is always with us, and success is basically a sucker's game. No matter what the biographical evidence on Gresham's state of mind leading up to and after the book's bestseller (and movie basis) status in 1946, I don't think we can really know what demons plagued him to produce this marvelous noir gem. B & N | Indiebound | Amazon | Borders | Powell’s

September 12, 2007

But still, it's time. Just as it's time to continue the mad rush in preparation for Rosh Hashanah. Which means something akin to radio silence for the rest of the week, then back Sunday for the Weekend Update.

Till then, folks.

Posted at 12:00 PM in Personal | Permalink

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Comments

The best of new beginnings, Sarah!

Posted by: Clair Lamb | September 12, 2007 at 02:15 PM

L'shanah Tovah, Sarah. I'll miss you at GalleyCat, but am looking forward to where you can take me next (no pressure or anything)!!!

All the best!

Posted by: Susan Helene Gottfried | September 12, 2007 at 03:41 PM

Here's to new beginnings! Much luck to you!

Posted by: Christa Miller | September 12, 2007 at 04:13 PM

good for you darling. you're gonna knock 'em dead with what's next!

Posted by: christin | September 12, 2007 at 05:11 PM

Happy new year and I'm looking forward to hearing all about your NEXT adventures!!

Posted by: Cornelia Read | September 12, 2007 at 08:08 PM

Very exciting, Sarah. You did a wonderful job at GalleyCat and will again at whatever comes next. (And selfishly I'm glad to see you're planning to spend more time on this site!)

--C

Posted by: Charles Ardai | September 12, 2007 at 08:22 PM

When you come to the cliff's edge, sometimes you gotta jump. Good luck and a happy, healthy, and prosperous 5768. Keith

Posted by: Keith Raffel | September 12, 2007 at 08:26 PM

Yes, best of new beginnings--I'm very excited about all that's in store for you this year!

Posted by: Jenny | September 12, 2007 at 09:51 PM

Happy New Year! And all the best for new beginnings, Sarah!!!--xxx Anne

Posted by: Anne Fernald | September 12, 2007 at 10:00 PM

May you be inscribed in the blog of life!
===================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

Posted by: Peter | September 12, 2007 at 11:09 PM

Good luck, Sarah. I'll miss you on Galleycat glad you'll still be in the ether elsewhere (like here) ...

Posted by: Liz Hand | September 13, 2007 at 07:26 AM

Retirement is all it's cracked up to be and MORE!
A tip of the gin pail to you.
Even Killer Yapp (despite your loathsome cat affiliation) will miss you.

Posted by: MissSnark | September 13, 2007 at 11:37 PM