"Toby's Room," by Pat Barker

I had been hearing about Pat Barker's novels for a while, and when I finally read "Life Class," I was very impressed. Now I have just read her newest novel, "Toby's Room" (Doubleday, 2012), and although I liked it, I felt a little let down; although it is a sequel to "Life Class," it didn't seem as strong a novel. Both novels deal with young people in London and environs during World War I; some of these young people fight in the "Great War," while all of their family and friends back home are also deeply affected by the war. The main characters in this novel are Elinor Brooke, an art student and independent young woman, and her brother Toby, who goes off to war. The two of them are very close, and when he is reported "missing, believed killed," she cannot rest until she finds out his fate and how it happened. Part of the appeal of this novel, for me, is its setting in England, during this critical time period in England's history, when life seemed to be more intense for everyone. I am also interested in stories of young women of the time who were realizing they could be more independent, and have careers and love affairs. The writing is good, the story is compelling, and the characters are well-drawn. There is romance, friendship, suspense, and more. So I am not sure why I felt let down, but there it is... By the way, I found it interesting that the publisher mentions in the inner-cover prose that "admirers of 'Downtown Abbey' will be enthralled."

"Elsewhere: A Memoir," by Richard Russo

Richard Russo has written a reflective, thoughtful, self-aware memoir ("Elsewhere," Knopf, 2012) about his long, loving, but fraught relationship with his deeply troubled mother. From his childhood she made sure the two of them were a unit, a team, with a special relationship. His father was a presence in his childhood, but not a regular or reliable one, partly because of his gambling problem, and partly because he early on decided that his wife, then ex-wife, was "nuts." The author and his mother lived with his maternal grandparents in the small upstate New York town of Gloversville for a good part of his childhood, and although Russo needed to get away from that town, he still feels formed by it. Russo always tried to be a good son, and his mother depended on him inordinately until her death in her 80s, in 2007. This often made life difficult for Russo and his own family; Russo's wife Barbara seems to have been a saint to deal with all this entailed. But the book is not an extended complaint; Russo tells the story compassionately, and gives credit to his mother for being, when she was young, a strong and independent woman, and for being the one who inspired him as a reader and a writer. He also examines himself to see if he did the right things in the way he treated her; was he an enabler? Finally, after his mother's death, Russo realizes -- spoiler alert -- that his mother probably had OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). Although the condition was not a well-known one until fairly recently, he feels sad that he didn't realize she had a clinical mental illness. He is hard on himself, yet also philosophical. It seems to me as a reader that he (and his wife) did much more for his mother than most sons could or would have done, letting her needs and wants and psychological issues determine many parts of his and his family's life for nearly half a century (she generally moved with the family every time they moved to a new location, and although she had her own apartments, Russo would find those apartments for her, visit her almost daily,and take care of all her shopping, financial business, doctors' visits, and other needs). There is another unhappy turn of the story toward the end of the book (after the author's mother's death), but thankfully one that can be addressed and managed. For some time I have been a big fan of Russo's wonderful novels, such as "Empire Falls," "Bridge of Sighs," "Straight Man," and "That Old Cape Magic." These novels are "old-fashioned" in the sense that they are not experimental, and they have interesting, moving plots and compelling, believable characters. They often deal with working class characters and families, or characters who have come from the working class, even if they are now middle class. Aside from admiring his great gifts as a writer, I have always gotten a sense that Richard Russo is a good man; the word "decent" comes to mind. This memoir reinforces that impression. If you haven't read the Pulitzer Prize-winning Russo's novels, I strongly recommend them.

"Read This!" Say Indie Bookstores

I am generally a bit suspicious of books telling me what to read. They often strike me as gimmicky, slapped-together. But "Read This!: Handpicked Favorites from America's Indie Bookstores" (Coffee House Press, 2012), a small book edited by Hans Weyandt, had me at the word "indie"; the book immediately had credibility. I am (as I am sure you are, and as I have written about here before) a great supporter of independent bookstores. Although they are threatened by various forces, mainly electronic, and although many of them have -- sadly -- closed over the past few years, there are still many vibrant, wonderful, sometimes quirky such stores, and they are a great pleasure to visit. One of their characteristics is employing well-read, knowledgeable booksellers who are happy to help customers figure out what to read. This book expands on that concept. The editor asked booksellers at 25 independent bookstores across the U.S. to "name fifty books you love or love to pass on to other readers." The lists are the core of this book. Each "chapter" introduces the bookstore and then the bookseller at that bookstore who chose the list of 50, lists the 50 books, and then annotates a handful of those choices. The book opens with an introduction by the author Ann Patchett, and closes with some interesting facts about the lists, such as "Which book is listed most often?" (Answer: "The Things They Carried," by Tim O'Brien), and "Which author is listed most often?" (Answer: William Faulkner). Another reason to buy the book is that the proceeds go to the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression. I am particularly glad to see that two of my favorite local bookstores, Book Passage and City Lights, are among the bookstores providing lists. My only small regret is that only a few of the books listed are annotated, but obviously annotating them all would be a major space issue. This book is enjoyable to browse in, check which books one has already read, and get ideas for new books to read. "Read This" is a small treasure.

Happy 40th, Ms. Magazine!

I have written about how important Ms. Magazine is to me (2/19/10). The current issue (Fall 2012) of Ms. celebrates 40 years of publication. The magazine has gone through various changes over the years, but from the beginning, it has been inspirational, informative, and most of all, feminist. This issue includes letters from readers who have been inspired and influenced by Ms. over the years; some feel Ms. changed their lives. I have been subscribing to and reading Ms. since the beginning, and it has meant a lot to me. I was surprisingly moved to see my name on a list of Ms. supporters published in the current issue. It made me feel part of a community of feminists who have supported not only Ms. but the causes it represents. I have been a feminist since the early days of the second wave women's liberation movement in the heady 1970s; I have woven my feminism into my life and my teaching all these years; feminism continues to be extremely important to me. I thank Ms., once again, for its influential and important part in the movement, and for being there for so many women over these 40 years.

Saving Newspapers While Away From Home

I have written more than once about how much I love reading the newspaper, the physical newspaper (online only in a pinch or for updates on urgent news). The main newspaper I read, as a San Francisco Bay Area resident, is the San Francisco Chronicle, which I have subscribed to for many, many years. My day doesn't feel complete unless I have read the Chronicle. (I also, supplementarily, intermittently read the New York Times on paper and online, and have subscribed for years to the New York Times book review.) When I travel, I always ask my husband to save the newspaper while I am gone. If we both go, I ask someone else to pick it up and save it for us, or ask the Chronicle to hold and then deliver all copies. Of course when I get back, it takes a while -- usually gradually over a period of a few days -- to work through the pile of back copies. For example, I got back from a five day conference trip to Seattle this past Monday, and only this morning finished plowing through the backlog of Chronicles. And I do skim through them faster than I would normally. I have had some friendly ribbing about this from various family members and friends, but I can't, and don't see any reason to, change this habit. (At least one of my brothers does the same...). Even if I have read local papers at the place I am visiting, or the New York Times, while I was gone, I want to catch up on state and local news, my favorite columnists, and more. I guess I am one of a diminishing tribe of addicted readers of the old-fashioned paper newspaper...and proud of it!

Baseball Fever!

San Francisco Giants fever has taken over in our house, as it has throughout the Bay Area, and we were all thrilled when the Giants won the National League championship last night. Actually, as some of you might know or guess, I am not a big sports fan. But when a team from my city, or from a college I or a family member has attended or worked at, I do support them. I support them more enthusiastically when they are doing well, which I admit puts me into the "fair weather friend" category. In any case, this was the perfect time to read (actually listen to) "The Art of Fielding" (Hachette Audio, 2011), by Chad Harbach; I completed it during the Giants playoffs. This book was a big bestseller that I resisted when it was first published (see my post of 5/10/12) because it was about baseball, but when I listened to it in my car, I found that although baseball was the focus, there was much about relationships, family, love, and others of my favorite topics. The plot centers on the baseball team of a small liberal arts college, and the main characters are three student players, the president of the university, and the daughter who has recently come back into his life. The college part was, of course, of interest to me, as a college professor. I actually found the baseball part much more interesting than I expected to, as well. This book was quite engaging, and I got caught up in it and enjoyed it.

Hilary Mantel Wins the Booker!

Hilary Mantel just won the UK's very prestigious Booker Prize for literature! She won for "Bring Up the Bodies," the sequel to the extremely well-received "Wolf Hall," and the second novel of a planned trilogy. "Wolf Hall" itself was the Booker winner in 2009. The San Francisco Chronicle describes "Bring Up the Bodies" as a "blood-soaked Tudor saga." On 10/13/12, I wrote about Hilary Mantel as portrayed in a New Yorker profile, so I post this news about the Booker as a follow-up to that post.