I have been a bit behind my pace so far in 2016, but I did catch up a little in April by finishing 3 books.
I finished the Winter 2015-2016 issue of Ploughshares (technically not a book but with 200+ pages of stories and poetry, I’m counting it). There were quite a few stories I really enjoyed in this issue. My favorites were “Here I Am Laughing with the Boers” by Laurie Baker, “Ghost” by Meng Jin, “Collectors,” by Joan Murray, “Imagining Roses” by Lisa Julin Sharon, and “The Disturbance” by Ryan Ruff Smith.
None of the poetry really struck a chord with me, but it seldom does these days. I used to be much more into poetry and have been wondering recently what, if anything, might rekindle that interest.
The second book I finished was Sally Mann’s fabulous Hold Still.
I first became interested in the work of Sally Mann in the early 1990’s at the time of the controversy over her Immediate Family photographs. This was shortly after all the NEA bruhaha of the 1980’s when Reagan wanted to abolish support for the arts and all the backlash against Mapplethorpe, Serrano, Finley, et al erupted. I was very interested in and horrified by what was going on at the time.
After the controversy over Mann’s work subsided, I didn’t really follow her work until about a decade ago when I saw the stellar documentary What Remains. That film rejuvenated my interest in her, so I was very excited to find out she had written a memoir.
The book certainly lived up to and exceeded my expectations. I knew, of course, she is a fascinating photographer but had no idea what an excellent writer she is.
Mann does not tell the story of her life in a strict chronology. Instead, she organizes the book with sections about the place where she grew up and about the important people in her life (her mother, her nanny, and her father). She is brutally honest about her relationships, her creative impulses, and growing up in the South where she struggled to understand the prevalent racism she witnessed in her town and that directly affected the black woman who helped raise her.
Of course, the most fascinating parts of the book are when she talks about her photography. She is very self-aware of her thought processes and is able to explain her technique in ways that most non-photographers should be able to understand. She insightfully delves into discussions about her most famous and controversial works, including those of her children from Immediate Family and the challenging images of death and decay from What Remains.
Mann’s engaging story is supplemented by plenty of photographs, not only from her professional work but also from her personal family collection.
After reading the book, I had to re-watch What Remains. I loved What Remains when I saw it a few years ago, but watching it again after reading the book made it all the more fascinating having more context. The DVD also includes a short documentary, Blood Ties, created at the time of Mann’s controversial Immediate Family collection.
I ended the month by finishing Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice, which I had on my list to read, but it wasn’t particularly high on my list. The to-read list is long, so plenty of things drop off my radar.
However, Holly read and loved it. In fact, she loved it so much, she read the other two books of the trilogy and then immediately re-read the trilogy. How could I not be curious?
I also liked Ancillary Justice but not as much as she did. I found the idea of the main character being an element of a ship’s AI fascinating. The world building was compelling, especially the aspect of the culture where everyone was referred to by the pronoun “she.”
Leckie throws the reader into this world without much explanation. The opening chapters bounce between the present of the story and an extended flashback. The two stories are clearly related, but Leckie creates suspense by holding back the reason why the early story set the later story in motion. Because of that, those early chapters are a bit challenging but in a good way. It’s worth the effort to stick with the story because once those plot lines connect, the novel really takes off.
I will definitely be getting to the next books in the trilogy soon!
So far in 2016, I’ve read 8 books:
The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2014 (ebook)
The Fracking King (ebook)
The Ocean at the End of the Lane (library book)
Americans Against the City (library book)
Ploughshares Winter 2015-2016
//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=tomiprinet-20&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=0316247766&asins=0316247766&linkId=355c92364c5f06d0ea575dd2756e00d1&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true
//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=tomiprinet-20&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=B0013UQUQE&asins=B0013UQUQE&linkId=6c32111370fc62df64446470d1725de7&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true
//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=tomiprinet-20&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=031624662X&asins=031624662X&linkId=0cff2e66bae8dcb55efe3bc60f4da67b&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true
New Blog Post: April Reading Update I have been a bit behind my pace so far in 2016, but I did catch up a little in April by finishing 3 books.
