Depressing novels, new and old, and "singing fish"

Depressing sells books.
Nothing new here, but it never ceases to amaze me. My latest case in point is The Gathering from 2007...by Anne Enright, winner of the Man Booker Prize. The poverty and ignorance that pervades all modern Irish tales is one thing--sometimes those themes can be written in such a way as to be uplifting, even...but why does every post-modern novel (or is it post-post now?) published have to revolve around the lingering effects (depression, drugs, alcoholism, suicide) of some sort of childhood abuse?
I am also reading Crime and Punishment (click here for a public domain ebook), which isn't helping. Dostoevsky didn't just blame everyone's parents and teachers--and policemen and priests--he blamed society itself for the evils of society.
Both of these novels are gorgeously written, at times, but they are a sure cure for insomnia if taken in large doses. This is quite helpful when a loud hum goes through the hull of one's boat from about 2 am to 4 am, leading you to speculate on everything from illegal underwater generators to mysterious undersea divers and what they might be up to. Some local Catalina Harbor fishermen suggested it was the sound of local fish, "Midshipmen" by name--but we pooh-poohed that answer...Finally Googled "midshipmen fish" and "hum" and got this from wikipedia:
"Mating in midshipman fishes depends on auditory communication; males during the breeding season broadcast a sound usually described as a hum, generated by rapid contractions of the muscles in the swim bladder. The sound can be kept up for up to an hour, and is loud enough to be heard by (and to puzzle) people on nearby land and houseboats; the hulls of the boats tend to amplify the sound to sleep-disrupting levels. Reproductive females develop a selective sensitivity to this sound, and respond by laying eggs in the rock nest of a singing male."
Solves that mystery, and just goes to show what you can learn while out and about in a boat...The whole article, complete with illustration of the ugly devil is here.
hasta pronto!

Reading "New York" in Avalon

Enjoying a week in beautiful Santa Catalina Island and also enjoying New York: The Novel by Edward Rutherfurd.
I lived in NYC for many years and find the history of this dynamic city fascinating. In this epic history, the author follows a few families from the earliest European settlers in what was then New Amsterdam.
But I was reminded of one of my pet peeves--editors that are not consistent with adverbs; one page has a line in which the character would: "...laugh when it was called for, though not too loud and not too long."
Wouldn't that be "loudly"? I say, bring back the "ly"... But then, I'm an editor, so maybe I am just being picky. The more informal usage sounds more like what someone would say, but does that might it right, or desirable? I say it depends on the book, and its genre. Seems inappropriate in a history, where the author's language should ideally be "invisible."
hasta pronto!

A Super-short Spring Break Post: Editing & e-books

Still slogging north (upwind sailing is no fun) and still slogging through "Count of Monte Cristo" too...Reminds me why authors need editors. So many "great" classical writers wrote on and on--turning out great long tomes every time out--and never seemed to worry about repeating themselves. It irritates me to read something in chapter 35 that I read in chapter 29, or anywhere, for that matter. Maybe it comes from being paid by the word or page? Who knows.
Anyway, it's Spring Break and I should be reading some "beachy" trash book anyway--I searched through my library to come up with a more fun read and found it--Two Gentlemen of Lebowski, which I had bought the Captain for Christmas and never read. What a hoot--the entire story of "The Big Lebowski" written in Shakespearean verse, with an ironic, sly wit. If you are a Big Lebowski fan, I suggest that you give it a try.
Meanwhile--a free ebook, by my dear friend CM Mayo, awaits all those who join the "Dancing Chiva" newsletter. The site sez: "Membership in the Dancing Chiva Literary Arts Club is free. Simply sign up for our newsletter, a brief and informative e-mail that will arrive in your e-mail 5 - 6 times a year. You'll be the first to know about new books, workshops, and special promotions."
Here's the link to the page with the info.
hasta pronto!

From Monte Cristo, Across the Universe...

Getting ready to set sail for a Spring Cruise and I'm reading The Count of Monte Cristo, which turns out to include quite a bit of the ol' "seafarin' yarn" in it...as well as quite a few familiar plot twists, like the unjustly accused man who serves years in prison, the "romantic robber", and a search for "hidden treasure" on a desert island. The thing is, Dumas wrote this long before most of those other books were written, so it's not derivative--it's original!
And, yes, in answer to an email--I do read most of the classic books I discuss here as ebooks on my iPod (with the Kindle app for iPhone). Not only is that much more practical for someone who live son a 35 foot vessel, but I like having the illuminated screen for midnight reading, without turning on a light. Here is the link to the free public domain book at Amazon.
Last night, going through the DVD collection, we happened upon Across the Universe, known to most of us Boomers as "the Beatles Musical." We both remembered liking the movie, but the second viewing was even better! Unlike most musicals, this movie has a script--and because so much time is spent on songs (and a majority of the covers of the Beatles tunes are amazing and heartfelt) the script has to be succinct and clear. And it is that and more.
One scene is memorable--a great singer is courted by a semi-sleazy record producer and he offers her a deal. She demurs, saying it sounds like a good deal, she has to ask the guys in her band.
"No, you don't" he replies, simply but tellingly.
Those three words say so much about him and her and the whole backstory of her and the band. Great writing.
Back to the list of items I have "to do before sailing"...
hasta pronto!

The Horror...The Horror!

Recent reading: Frankenstein by Mary Shelly and Dracula by Bram Stoker--which I just finished this morning.
My review on these horror classics is simple: Frankenstein gets the thumbs down--Dracula, thumbs up!
Part of this is style--Shelley's tome is a story within a story (and sometimes even another level within that--and so never really grips one. Stoker, on the other hand, though he tells his whole vampire story in diary and journal entries, along with letters and such, often feels quite immediate, and often quite eerie.
Neither is the sort of horror tale to keep one up at night with lights on--or give one bad dreams--though Dracula definitely produces a shiver or two.
Another recent read: Wuthering Heights, which certainly qualifies as ranking in the eerie literary world, full of ghosts and such, is still set in a more real unreal world. Heathcliff is a scary old bastard, that's for sure, but the "love story" never gripped me--guess I'm not a true Bronte fan.
Best horror tales I've read would definitely include some Stephen King, like The Shining, Pet Sematary, and It.
Oddly, the spookiest book I ever read was Communion: A True Story, by Whitley Strieber, which is about aliens and the like, but written from such a skeptical "voice" that--true or not--it really frightens!
Next I return to the "scary" world of reading modern fiction...whoo-ooo...
hasta pronto!