3/20/2007

Reading Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell. The structure, he says, is a puzzle. The author uses different genre styles throughout, so it seems as if the book was written by several different authors. The first character introduced is a nineteenth century explorer who is stuck on an island waiting for his ship to be repaired and then the text just stops abruptly and continues on with something else. Right now, midway through the book, he's reading about a horrific future distopia where clones are treated as slaves.

Recently he read All the Kings Men, by Robert Penn Warren and The Once and Future King, by T.H. White.

His favorite author has been Saul Bellow ever since a friend of his recommended he read Herzog, which he considered a work of genius. His favorite book by Saul Bellow, however, is The Adventures of Augie March, for Bellow's ability to capture the most of humanity in one grand effort, with tireless energy and exuberance. He said that most modern authors approach the world with nihilism, cynicism, all of those isms....but Saul Bellow uses none of those --isms.

Something to envy--he has the privilege of working at not one, but two bookstores and is able to (unlike envious me) read at work.

Check out his blog at thisisdavi.livejournal.com.