Greetings. I was away last week playing in a tennis tournament in Victoria, B.C., so I’ve been absent from the blog for a while. I flew over the mountains to the coast and should have taken a photo coming in over all the scenic islands but somehow I missed that opportunity. Still I will leave you with this shot of a freighter in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, looking toward Washington State in the far, far distance. The Victoria area has a lot of pretty sights and their spring bloom was out in nearly full mode, unfortunately it was an indoor tournament so I didn’t get to see all that much, so I will have to return there someday. Luckily though the tennis went well and I placed runner-up in doubles and won the consolation singles draw. I’m recovering now from all my ailments, ha.
Still I am glad April is over and the tax season and snow are safely behind us (fingers crossed). It’s not my favorite month as I have to file taxes for two countries, which is no fun — no fun at all. The month of May is much better, and it’s a lot warmer too. It’s like we went straight from winter into summer this year — a bit of an abrupt transition, but I’m liking it. The grass is turning green and the buds are making their way onto the trees and shrubs.
I’ve been looking at new book releases this month — and although Michael Ondaatje (“The English Patient” author) and Rachel Kushner (the author of “The Flamethrowers”) both have new novels out — I might be steering clear of them … for a few others. Shame on me. But what I’ve read of Kushner’s novel “The Mars Room” is that her book is “shackled with so much importance” … and she’s determined to teach us what she’s learned about California prisons. In the process she has sentenced her readers to “more than 300 pages of despair, cruelty and illness,” so writes critic Ron Charles of The Washington Post. I think I will pass on it, though if you really like the TV series “Orange Is the New Black,” which I never did try, you might like this one as well.
As for Ondaatje’s new novel “Warlight” I might give it a chance, though I wasn’t overly enthralled by his last one “The Cat’s Table.” Still if you live in Canada, you must read everything that’s put out by Ondaatje, as he is pretty much considered literary royalty here — along with that lady named Atwood, of course.
Though instead I’m curious about Stephen McCauley’s novel “My Ex-Life,” which has received a lot of praise and seems to be about a man whose life is falling apart who decides abruptly to shelve his problems to fly across the country to help his ex-wife— who he hasn’t seen in almost 30 years — with hers.
As author Tom Perrotta says “My Ex-Life is a pleasure of the deepest sort―it’s a wise, ruefully funny, and ultimately touching exploration of mid-life melancholy and unexpected second chances.” Oh I like that theme. And as Kirkus Reviews calls it: “a gin and tonic for the soul.” Hooray, I can handle that concoction — what more do you want?
I’m also game for Heather Abel’s debut novel “The Optimistic Decade,” which appears to be a coming-of-age story about the lives of five characters come undone at a remote Colorado summer camp set in 1990. Apparently it touches on the bloom and fade of idealism and how it forever changes one’s life.
As author Nathan Hill says it’s “perceptive, funny, and utterly original — The Optimistic Decade is a book for anyone who’s navigated the twin crises of idealism and youth.” And author Andrea Barrett calls it “bighearted, wise and beautifully written … an exploration of idealism gone awry that engages at every level.” Hmm, it sounds a bit political too about the Reagan/Bush years, so count me in.
Next up, I got to dive into Paula McLain’s new novel “Love and Ruin” about the passionate and stormy marriage of Ernest Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn. Are you kidding me? I’m likely a sucker for this story based on the the lives of these two war correspondents and writers.
I liked McLain’s last novel about aviator Beryl Markham — who is one of my heroes after reading her books “West With the Night” and “African Stories.” And I’ve long been intrigued by Gellhorn’s life and journalism career too. Caroline Moorehead wrote a biography of her, which I have waiting on my shelves, and I’m sure I’d like to read Gellhorn’s own memoir as well. Apparently she was the third wife of Hemingway and stayed married to him from 1940-1945 — such formative years! What more do you want?
Last up, there’s Rachel Slade’s nonfiction book “Into the Raging Sea: Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, and the Sinking of El Faro.” Yikes. This nerve-wracking, tension-filled narrative is about the container ship that left Florida on September 29, 2015 headed for Puerto Rico. It carried a cargo of 391 shipping containers, about 294 trailers and cars, and a crew of 33 people—28 Americans and 5 Poles. Unfortunately it came too close to Hurricane Joaquin and was swallowed up and sunk, resulting in the worst American shipping disaster in 35 years. Called harrowing and gripping, the book and its reporting has earned a lot of 5 star ratings. For those who were into “The Perfect Storm” story— you apparently haven’t read anything yet.
As for movies in May, there’s some light comedies coming out with Melissa McCarthy’s “Life of the Party” — about a middle-age mother who returns to college to finish her degree (uh-oh) — and “Book Club” about four 60+ aged friends whose lives are changed forever after reading 50 Shades of Grey. Hmm, seems sort of ditsy to me, but maybe it has a few laughs. “Tully” — the movie with Charlize Theron playing an overburdened, sleep-deprived mother of three — seems to be generating controversy for its portrayal of postpartum depression. Hmm. I think I might pass on it.
Though I am a bit curious about the movie adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel “On Chesil Beach,” which comes out this month, but unfortunately it’s not getting very enthusiastic reviews. Still Raoirse Ronan plays the young woman who has a very awkward and fretful wedding night, set in England in 1962. Ronan is often so good that I will likely see the movie anyways. I recall her starring in “Atonement,” which was a terrific movie based on another one of McEwan’s novels.
The movie with perhaps the most praise this month is likely the Paul Schrader film “First Reformed” about a pastor (played by Ethan Hawke) who is called on to counsel a radical environmentalist, which leaves him reeling from his own tormented past and despairing future. Hmm. Set in upstate New York, it sounds quite dark, but I’ll probably give it a go. It looks to be a gripping drama apparently about a crisis of faith.
Meanwhile we’ve been watching lately the AMC TV series “The Terror,” which is roughly about John Franklin’s naval expedition that went searching for the Northwest Passage in the Arctic in 1845, with a crew of 24 officers and 110 men. Uh-oh. You remember their two ships — Erebus and Terror — that got stuck in the ice and the men had to winter over. Oh good grief, the hardships they endured: the dwindling food (laced with lead), the frozen conditions, the endless trekking to find a way out etc. Well on top of all that, this adaptation introduces a monstrous predator too — like a killer polar bear combined with an abominable snowman. It’s based on the novel by Dan Simmons. Holy Smokes, did they really need to add that? Still I’m mostly liking it so far. Some fine actors in it and an authentic looking set too!
Lastly for new albums in May, there’s quite a few excellent ones coming out by artists I like, including those by soul singer Leon Bridges, country singer Kelly Willis, singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne, as well as Canadian singer-songwriter Jennifer Castle — and if you want to throw in one by veteran singer Joan Armatrading, go ahead. Perhaps it’s the best month we’ve had this year.
I used to live near Washington, D.C., where I got to see great singer-songwriters in concert all the time, but not a lot of them get out this way — just once in a very blue moon. Still there’s some excellent Canadian singing artists in this vast country. But for this month I’ll pick New England singer Ray LaMontagne’s new album “Part of the Light” as my top choice, though I plan to check out the others as well. That’s all for now.
What about you — which releases this month — are you most looking forward to?