Books in 140 Seconds: Natural Order

Exhausted by the afternoon desk job drowsiness? Books in 140 Seconds, the expresso shot of book clubs, is here to give you a little buzz. Last week we talked about the ripple effect of a gay teen’s death in Suzette Mayr’s (recently giller longlisted!) Monoceros, and this week we’re still talking about struggles with sexuality, in this case a mother’s with her gay son’s, in the incredibly moving and empathetic portrait of motherhood that is Brian Francis’s Natural Order. Have a look:

In some cases the videos are able to contain most of my thoughts or feelings about a book. In this case, I feel like I didn’t do it justice, so I’m really going to try to write a review of this extraordinary book. Other things I hope to share in this space soon: a post on the bookstores of Iceland and a post on my literary pilgrimage through London (and beyond). I do have a book deadline, so we’ll see how this all shakes out . . .

Anyway, next time on Books in 140 Seconds, we move away from motherhood into the land of men with D.W. Wilson’s short story collection of blue collar small town men, [...]

Books in 140 Seconds: Monoceros

I may be busy, but I still have 140 seconds to spare, so Erin and I are back with your bi-weekly book club blast. Last time we rhapsodized about the Rapture in Tom Perrotta’s The Leftovers, and this week we’re talking about a book that focuses on the aftermath of just one person’s early departure from this world, Suzette Mayr’s Monoceros. Have a look:

I don’t know how a book about a tragic high school suicide turned into a group hug, but leave it to Erin and me.

Next Up: We dive into an eagerly anticipated title from the author who gave us Fruit, Brian Francis’s Natural Order.

Books in 140 Seconds: Snowball, Dragonfly, Jew

Annnnd we’re back with the bi-weekly bite-size book club that is Books in 140 Seconds. Last week we sauntered through Shawn Micallef’s Stroll, and this week we’re going on to a novel that provides a much less straightforward journey, Snowball, Dragonfly, Jew by acclaimed poet and short story writer Stuart Ross. Here’s what we thought about a book that might be as bite-size as these videos, but gives you a lot to chew on:

It’s a short book, but we really only scratched the surface of things to discuss. You can read it in one sitting, so if you didn’t read along, what are you waiting for?

Now, because Stuart’s such a great reader, a bonus video! Here’s him reading a scene from Snowball:

In two weeks we’ll be back with some lighter fare for your next sun-baked read, Jennifer Close’s Girls in White Dresses.

Related Posts with Thumbnails