Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Books, 1 free, 1 recommended
Okay, so Pete Townshend told me to read a book. (He seems to read a lot [must have a lot of free time on tour], and even once owned a bookstore called Magic Bus. Gotta love it.)
This is part of what he said about it:
"It is Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold. It is, incredibly, his first novel. Gold writes like an old-timer, but with the energy of a pup. The fictional elaboration of the story of a real-life magician from the '20s called Charles Carter, it is a long book in two or three parts, each part a novel in itself. I was quite depressed when I got to the last page. My world had been enriched and ennobled as I read, and suddenly I was dumped back into the honking horns and heat of Madrid where the Who just played a concert. Madrid is magnificent, but not as glorious as the world Gold had helped me occupy in my imagination."
My observation--if this is really the guy's first book, OMGWTFBBQ11!1! It's complex, enthralling, the pace never gets saggy and sloppy, and he ties up every blessed plot thread of a VERY complex story by the end.
Here's some more from Pete (yes, I'm just being lazy):
"In this wonderful book there are pirates, an U.S President assassinated via the theatre stage, the real inventor of television (young farmer Philo Farnsworth), a blind and beautiful heroine of early radical feminism, elephants, lions, dogs and secret service men. There are lots of magic tricks, brilliantly described in real-time; it's like having a seat at the show. There is even a sexy and excitable librarian. It is only my notion, but possibly a safe one, to assume that the wonderfully empathetic treatment of his mistreated female principal characters could be rooted in the fact he is married to the real-life heroine, 'survivor' and author Alice Sebold."
It was the married to Alice Sebold thing that really sold me. I read and was deeply impressed by The Lovely Bones. It seems to me it's pretty rare that one really good writers can stand to be married to another one.
Anyway, you can get very inexpensive used copies on Amazon or Half.com, if you want to give it a whirl. I've passed my copy on already, to someone I am sure will enjoy it. But I DO have another one which is more in need of a search to find it just the right owner.
It's called "The Broons - Scotland's Happy Family That Makes Every Family Happy". It seems to be a comic that runs (ran?) in the "Sunday Post" (London, I'd say). Think the older version of Gasoline Alley, but everyone speaks in dialect/accent. This is a book for someone who is extremely enamored of all things Scot. If that is you, or someone you know, tell me and I will send it to you!
This is part of what he said about it:
"It is Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold. It is, incredibly, his first novel. Gold writes like an old-timer, but with the energy of a pup. The fictional elaboration of the story of a real-life magician from the '20s called Charles Carter, it is a long book in two or three parts, each part a novel in itself. I was quite depressed when I got to the last page. My world had been enriched and ennobled as I read, and suddenly I was dumped back into the honking horns and heat of Madrid where the Who just played a concert. Madrid is magnificent, but not as glorious as the world Gold had helped me occupy in my imagination."
My observation--if this is really the guy's first book, OMGWTFBBQ11!1! It's complex, enthralling, the pace never gets saggy and sloppy, and he ties up every blessed plot thread of a VERY complex story by the end.
Here's some more from Pete (yes, I'm just being lazy):
"In this wonderful book there are pirates, an U.S President assassinated via the theatre stage, the real inventor of television (young farmer Philo Farnsworth), a blind and beautiful heroine of early radical feminism, elephants, lions, dogs and secret service men. There are lots of magic tricks, brilliantly described in real-time; it's like having a seat at the show. There is even a sexy and excitable librarian. It is only my notion, but possibly a safe one, to assume that the wonderfully empathetic treatment of his mistreated female principal characters could be rooted in the fact he is married to the real-life heroine, 'survivor' and author Alice Sebold."
It was the married to Alice Sebold thing that really sold me. I read and was deeply impressed by The Lovely Bones. It seems to me it's pretty rare that one really good writers can stand to be married to another one.
Anyway, you can get very inexpensive used copies on Amazon or Half.com, if you want to give it a whirl. I've passed my copy on already, to someone I am sure will enjoy it. But I DO have another one which is more in need of a search to find it just the right owner.
It's called "The Broons - Scotland's Happy Family That Makes Every Family Happy". It seems to be a comic that runs (ran?) in the "Sunday Post" (London, I'd say). Think the older version of Gasoline Alley, but everyone speaks in dialect/accent. This is a book for someone who is extremely enamored of all things Scot. If that is you, or someone you know, tell me and I will send it to you!
Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
