Recent Reads

I recently finished Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes, and I highly recommend it.  Marlantes, a decorated Vietnam veteran, has received a lot of positive press lately for his new nonfiction book What It Is Like to Go to War, so I thought I would read his previous book first.

Highly regarded by critics and veterans alike for its accuracy and attention to detail, at the beginning I felt this was a "real man's book".  I persisted in reading this lengthy story (500+ pages) and soon became very involved in the characters' lives and experiences.  This book gave me a real sense of the futility of war in the same way that the movie Das Boot does.  I passed it along to Ross and I'm curious what he will think about it.

And now for something completely different:  a couple of years ago I enjoyed reading Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan so I picked up a copy of her recent Shanghai Girls.

This story of two sisters from China and their new lives in America is fast-paced and full of action.  I learned a lot about Chinese history and culture in an entertaining way, and I look forward to reading its sequel, Dreams of Joy. Is it Literature with a capital L?  Probably not, but it's a good story!  Right now critics are raving about Haruki Murakami's books and the way he is taking the novel in new directions--but I hated his The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and have no interest in reading anything else by him.  So what do I know?  I know a good story when I find one!