Books |
See you in September? Yes, but I leave these for you
By
Published: Aug 22, 2017
Category:
Fiction
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The other day, reading a friend’s site, I came upon this: “Gone fishing! We’re on a break through Labor Day. See you in September.” I was stunned. I’ve been writing like a madman for months — an edit/rewrite of a book about a great injustice for the man who engineered a better ending; my screenplay for Bringing Home the Birkin; touch-ups for the Matisse play — and I’ve barely realized it’s summer. And the thing is, every summer for the last 14 years, Butler has gone dark during the last two weeks of August. As it will now.
You may welcome a breather. But in case you’d like some vacation reading and viewing, here are some of the Greatest Hits. Below those are a few books I’ve wanted to review. I’ve started to read them. I’ve liked what I read. But I fear I’ll never get to finish them.
See you on September 5th. Take good care.
FICTION
Exit West
Bonjour Tristesse
THRILLERS
Night Life
Defectors
The Four Just Men
THINGS
Cleaning solution for iPhones, iPads, iMacs
Palomino Blackwing Pencils
Good Vibrations: “Eva” and “Fin”
CITIZENSHIP
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century
BINGES
Borgen
Top of the Lake
HELP & HEALTH
Colostrum
Anthelios
Drinking: A Love Story
Mind Over Meds
BEAUTY
Mane ‘n Tail
IF THERE WERE WORLD ENOUGH, AND TIME…I’D FINISH READING THESE BOOKS
Spies in the Family: An American Spymaster, His Russian Crown Jewel, and the Friendship That Helped End the Cold War
Eva Dillon thought her father worked for the State Department. Later, much later, she discovered that he was a spy — and that he handled the CIA’s highest-ranking double agent. To read an excerpt, click here.
Wild Girls
College friends from the 1950s make their complicated way into the ‘60s — it’s a favorite subject for female novelists of a certain age. Erica Abeel just happens to do it better, avoiding cliché, bringing in unexpected characters (first sentence: “It’s 6 AM in a Paris coming awake and she’s about to climb to the room of Allen Ginsberg.”), just generally keeping it real. To read an excerpt, click here.
Imagining Diana
What if Diana didn’t die in that Paris tunnel? Diane Clehane, one of the savviest observers of the New York publishing and celebrity scene, dares to imagine the life she might have had. Her Diana doesn’t go to live on a Greek island with JFK and Elvis. She does, despite her insecurities, find happiness. Here’s a Times piece about the book and the concept.
You, Talking To Me
“Legendary” usually should be followed by “in his own mind.” Not, however, when we’re talking about Lawrence Grobel, who conducted masterful interviews for Playboy, among others. Here, in short takes, he drops the veil and shares what he learned. Among those he celebrates and skewers: Never Give Up Control (Barbra Streisand), Quiet People Often Hide Their Inner Rage (Anthony Hopkins), Bizarre Clothing Can Score Big (Warren Beatty), Comedians Are Seldom Funny Offstage (Steve Martin), Don’t Piss Off the Secret Service (Nancy Reagan), Some Stars are Willing to Get Their Hands Dirty (Robin Williams).
