Happy March. We’ve just about made it to the start of spring, which is always a bit exciting for those living in a Northern country. Though May is usually the time when a lot of flowers open and things turn green up here. Still it’s the thought about “spring” that counts. But this past week has been rough as I unexpectedly had to return to D.C. to visit a friend under palliative care in the hospital. I’m glad though that I was able to visit with her and her daughter for a few days; it made a big difference for me and hopefully I was able to help a little.
While in D.C., I was sorry to hear that author Pat Conroy had passed away on Friday. I was a big fan of his novel “Prince of Tides,” which I remembered sneaking away to read in the employee breakroom at the U.W. Many years later, I took my page-worn copy and stood in line while Mr. Conroy was on a book tour with his novel “Beach Music.” I remember the line to meet him wrapped around the building and parking lot of a shopping mall in Virginia and round and round it went, but I was determined to meet him so wait I did. I finally got to the front of the line and he said some nice things and signed my copy of “Prince of Tides.” I thought he was great. He was a Southern rock star of a writer and a good guy to boot. “Prince of Tides” was undoubtably my favorite book of his, but which one is yours?
As for new fiction releases, this month is plentiful with an array of talent. There’s new ones by veteran authors: Pat Barker, Edna O’Brien, Tracy Chevalier, and Jim Harrison among others. And I’m hopeful that Helen Simonson’s new novel “The Summer Before the War” might be as good as her charming 2010 debut “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand,” although I’m seeing a few mixed reviews about it, so we will see.
In the meantime I’ve picked up “The North Water” by British author Ian McGuire, which a publisher passed my way, about a 19th-century whaling ship that sets sail for the Arctic with a killer onboard. Author Hilary Mantel calls it a “tour de force of narrative tension and a masterful reconstruction of a lost world that seems to exist at the limits of the human imagination.” So far it’s a fairly coarse, but seemingly realistic depiction of seamen in the 1850s whaling trade. But the story has me in its grip. So stay tuned: I plan to review it next week.
Other March novels that look enticing include: Lyndsay Faye’s new one “Jane Steele,” which is said to be a Gothic retelling of “Jane Eyre” — a reimagining of Jane as a gutsy, heroic serial killer. It’s said to be “wonderfully wicked” with author Suzanne Rindell describing it as a “darkly-humorous, elegantly-crafted story of an ‘accidental’ vigilante.” I haven’t read Lyndsay Faye before, though her novel “The Gods of Gotham” received considerable recognition when it came out, so count me in for this one.
Also Montana author Rick Bass has a new collection of short stories out called “For a Little While” that gathers his best stories together, 18 from previous collections and seven new tales. Admittedly, I’m not usually a big reader of short story collections, but Bass’s latest has been getting rave reviews and wide recognition. Joyce Carol Oates calls it “nothing short of remarkable” and William Kittredge says Bass’s “name will be on notices alongside Raymond Carver and Flannery O’Connor.” So I’d say it’s about time I sampled his short fiction.
Lastly two other books from authors across the pond have caught my attention. First British author Jonathan Lee’s new novel “High Dive” is based on the real 1984 assassination attempt on Margaret Thatcher’s life by an exploding IRA bomb at Brighton’s Grand Hotel. Publishers Weekly calls it an “incredible novel of rare insight, velocity, depth, and daring,” and authors Lauren Groff and Tea Obrecht are among many others hailing its praises. It makes me think “High Dive” could be one of the year’s best, but we will see.
The other book is a debut novel by Irish author Sara Baume called “Spill Simmer Falter Wither,” which is about a misfit man who adopts a misfit dog. Apparently after the seaside village where they live shuns them, the unlikely duo takes to the road, providing comfort to each other’s lives. Anne Enright says the book is “a flame in daylight: beautiful and unexpected,” and Booklist calls it “elegant, heartbreaking, and inspiring.” I can’t resist a good dog story so count me in for this small, quiet novel.
As for movies in March, all the talk is about “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Ben Affleck vs. Henry Cavill. I’ll take Cavill thank you very much. In this movie apparently the Caped Crusader has a tiff with the Man of Steel (okay it’s more than a tiff) but eventually they team together to fight Lex Luthor, this time played by a seemingly demented Jesse Eisenberg. It’s true that I’m not the big superhero, movie-watching girl that I once was in the Christopher Reeves days — I never even saw the 2013 flick “Man of Steel” with Cavill and Amy Adams — so I’m not likely to rush out to see this one, but who knows? Maybe I’ll need a Henry Cavill fix, or an urge to revisit the Caped Crusader’s mask once again.
My two actual movie picks this month include “Midnight Special” about a kid who possesses special powers, which looks a bit like a “Close Encounters” kind of movie. It’s by the same writer and director who made “Mud” and “Take Shelter,” which I liked, so this one should be decent too. Then there’s Nanni Moretti’s Franco-Italian film called “Mia Madre” about a film director in the middle of an existential crisis, who’s unable to accept that her mother’s dying. It looks good and has received a 91 percent favorable rating on Rotten Tomatoes. So “Mia Madre” it is for me.
Lastly in albums for March, there’s new ones by three notable male singer-songwriters namely: Ray LaMontagne, Pete Yorn, and the late Jeff Buckley. Wow what a trio. I’ve long been a big fan of LaMontagne’s music. He’s wonderful as is his music, though his latest album the cosmic “Ouroboros” sounds a bit like a departure from his folk roots kind of stuff, which I might lament. But if I need more of that perhaps I can turn to Jeff Buckley’s posthumous album “You and I.” It’s a collection of 10 of his demo tracks, which are mostly covers, or I can check out Pete Yorn’s sixth studio album called “Arranging Time.”
What about you — which books, movies, or albums are you looking forward to this month?
North Water sounds great — I am absolutely fascinated by the whaling trade. I’ll look forward to reading your review. Have a great week!
Thanks Ann. So far The North Water is keeping my interest. I’ll let you know!
I’ll be honest that I’ve never read any Pat Conroy. Maybe someday.
Oh, Batman v Superman is at the end of the month (thanks for reminding me to check), just in time for my Easter break. I’ll probably go see it by myself since my wife isn’t really into the dark superhero movies.
Musically, I’ll be honest that I can’t think of anything I’m looking forward to, as Loretta Lynn just released her latest album and made me dig back to her last album, Van Lear Rose, which I’m also enjoying. I’m also liking the demos from To Pimp A Butterfly that Kendrick Lamar just released.
Yes Bryan I’m curious too about Loretta Lynn’s new album. I hope to listen to it. I’ll be interested to hear what you think of the Batman v Superman movie. Enjoy!
So much literary goodness here!
I always had great intentions of reading Pat Conroy but never managed to find the time. I think in honor of his passing I need to move Prince of Tides to the top of the TBR list.
I am always looking for a great dog story and Spill Simmer Falter Wither (what a great title…) sounds like a must read for me.
Yeah Molly I’m curious about the dog story too but wondering if it might be too sad? Still I want to check it out. Prince of Tides is all about a family on the brink. I read it quite a long time ago — so I wonder a bit what I would think if I reread it now. hmm
I’m hopeful about The Summer Before the War, too. It’s a time period that interests me.
Yeah I agree Joy. It’s an interesting time period and the author did a wonderful job with her first novel — so I’m hopeful about this one!
Lots of intriguing titles!
So sad about Conroy…Prince of Tides, both the book and the movie, were my favorites of his, although I also loved Beach Music. It was pretty hefty, though, so it took me a long time to get to it.
The Summer Before the War looks good…I enjoyed Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, which was one of those “sleeper” books. Quiet moments.
Thanks for sharing, and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES
Thanks Laurel. Yeah I was really sad to see the news about Pat Conroy. Ugh. I sort of want to go back and read some of his earlier stuff like The Great Santini and The Water Is Wide. And I’d like to get my hands on The Summer Before the War for sure! If you beat me to it — I’ll be interested to hear what you think.
I have never read anything by Pat Conroy, but Sarah @ Sarah’s Book Shelves is always singing him praises, so I bought The Great Santini because of it and one of these days I’ll take the plunge. I enjoyed the movie The Prince of Tides, so hopefully if I decide to read the book, I’ll like it too.
I would love to watch Batman vs. Superman. I am a superhero kind of girl, so this one appeals to me. I’m still not sure about Ben Affleck as Batman, but I’ve been seeing promo trailers from this movie and they look dark and good.
Yes Carmen, I’d love to hear what you think after you see the new Batman vs. Superman movie. It sure has gotten a lot of press and hype! I’m not sure about Affleck at Batman either. Not too thrilled. I think I could go back and read some of Conroy’s early books because I remember them from a long time ago. Did you ever see The Great Santini movie? With Robert Duvall. Conroy had a bad childhood that fueled most of his novels.
I didn’t know there was one, but now I’ll make sure to look for it.
I’ve got The North Water and Spill Simmer on my list. I love a good story that takes place at sea – even better if it’s in the Arctic! And, I’ve seen several good reviews of Spill Simmer.
I’ve seen Jane Steele around but didn’t know what it was about until now. I don’t usually have a lot of interest in classic spin-offs, but this one sounds like if might be fun! I hope I don’t miss your reviews for them. I was just assuming you had a wordpress.com blog, but now I see that it’s self-hosted, which would explain why I rarely see your posts in my feed. Now that I know, I’ll have to make a point of popping over more often. 🙂
Oh thanks Naomi. Hope you pop over more. Good to hear you have North Water and Spill Simmer on your list too. So much to read, so little time, ha.
Glad to hear The North Wave is engaging! I have a copy set aside to read soon, too. Spill Simmer Falter Wither is on my library list and I’m totally with you that it fits into so many categories I really enjoy.
The North Wave is on the lurid and coarse side a bit — with an evil bad guy but it’s against a backdrop that’s fairly engaging. I have high hopes for Spill Simmer; anything with a dog story gets me. I just hope it’s not an animal story that totally breaks one’s heart. hmm.
Thank you for sharing your memories about Conroy, Susan. I haven’t read any of his books. I am adding the ‘The Prince of Tides’ to my TBR.
‘The Summer Before the War’ sounds interesting. I have been reading a lot about it, and the cover is lovely too. I look forward to reading your review.
I read ‘Spill Simmer Falter Wither’ last November. It’s a profound, unsettling, heartbreaking book indeed. If you like atmospheric novels, I am sure you will enjoy it more. Sara Baume’s prose is lyrical. I intend to reread it.
Have a good week ahead!
Wow good to know Deepika that you’ve already read “Spill Simmer Falter Wither” — I’m a bit worried it’ll be too sad. hmm. But it’s sounds worthy to try out Baume’s prose! I also think The Summer Before the War has a great book cover. You will fall for The Prince of Tides which is about a family on the brink! A lot of heart ache in that one.
I was so sad to hear of Pat Conroy’s passing! Beach Music is my favorite of his novels, with Prince of Tides a close second. I’ve been meaning to reread Beach Music for years. Perhaps I’ll actually do it now.
Interesting JoAnn. I couldn’t get into Beach Music the same as I could get into Prince of Tides. But perhaps I should try it again. That was quite long ago! I agree with you — the passing of Pat Conroy is a real terrible loss. Ugh.
I love the Pat Conway story. When favorite authors die it feels like we have a lost a good friend. Glad you have th signed book as proof of that “friendship.” Hope all is well with your friend, too.
http://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/2016/03/sunday-salon-march-6th.html
Thanks Anne, very nice of you to say. Yeah the loss of an author makes me want to revisit their books. So I’ll have to rummage through my shelves for some Pat Conroy.
I loved many of Pat Conroys books – a great loss for readers everywhere.
I agree Diane. A huge loss. Thanks for stopping by.
I had to go add Spill to my wish list. Thanks for sharing it!
I’m glad Deb. I know, that novel is calling to me big time!
It’s like we all lost some part of ourselves with the passing of Harper Lee and Pat Conroy. I think some re-reads are in order.
Yeah you got that right Kathy. I need to get out my Pat Conroy books pronto. It makes me miss him.
I love your mentions of upcoming books. Not that I need more on my list but you always find ones that I didn’t! I am looking forward to Behave by Andromeda Romano-Lax, Innocents and Others by Dana Spiotta, Shelter by Jung Yun and The Little Red Chairs by Edna O’Brien.
Thanks Judy. So glad you’re going to read these other titles for me 🙂 I think I looked carefully at the ones you mention. I could’ve gone with them as well. Who knows where to draw the line, gulp.