Category Archives: Reading America

Glamour, Fantasy and Heartbreak: ‘Blonde’ by Joyce Carol Oates

Posted on February 1, 2021 by shoshibookblog

I must confess, it was the stunning cover of the 4th Estates paperback that made me read Joyce Carol Oates’ brilliant fictional biography of Marilyn Monroe. Of course, when a book’s subject is one of the most famously photogenic women … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography, Joyce Carol Oates, Reading America | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Another kind of Western: ‘True Grit’ by Charles Portis

Posted on August 21, 2019 by shoshibookblog

My edition of ‘True Grit’ has a picture of a smoking gun on the cover, but no images of any of the action or characters, certainly no kind of introduction to the narrator who would so charm me for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Charles Portis, Reading America | 3 Comments

‘Nothing makes any waking sense’: ‘V’ by Thomas Pynchon

Posted on January 2, 2019 by shoshibookblog

Oh dear, it was over a year ago that I actually read ‘V’ by Thomas Pynchon.  Needless to say, my new year’s resolution has nothing to do with prospective reading challenges and is far more concerned with catching up with … Continue reading →

Posted in Reading America, Thomas Pynchon | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Oh, the misery and isolation … ‘Couples’ by John Updike

Posted on November 5, 2017 by shoshibookblog

John Updike is one of those Great American Novelists who have always left me cold. I was turned off by his modern classic ‘Rabbit Run’ and was delighted when, after reading it, I learned that Updike is now considered a … Continue reading →

Posted in John Updike, Reading America | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

A Classic Western: ‘Lonesome Dove’ by Larry McMurtry

Posted on September 28, 2017 by shoshibookblog

I never would have called myself a fan of Westerns.  As a bookish woman who loves living in London, I felt that even the premise of epic escapism would not be enough to make me want to spend imaginary time … Continue reading →

Posted in Larry McMurtry, Reading America | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Beyond ‘Brokeback Mountain’: ‘Close Range: Wyoming Stories’ by Annie Proulx

Posted on March 20, 2017 by shoshibookblog

I have been meaning to read ‘Close Range’ for years.  I even managed to kid myself that I’d read most of it, when I found a stand-alone edition of ‘Brokeback Mountain’, the last novella in the collection, at my local … Continue reading →

Posted in Annie Proulx, Reading America, Short story collections | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

One of the Best Books You’ve Never Read: ‘The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones’ by Charles Neider

Posted on March 2, 2017 by shoshibookblog

Last year Apollo books published 8 novels in their provocatively titled list ‘The Best Books You’ve Never Read.’  I felt utterly shamed by the collected novels; they were right, I’d read none of them.  The gauntlet had been thrown down, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Charles Neider, Reading America | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson (2004)

Posted on September 17, 2015 by shoshibookblog

I loved ‘Lila’, but more than anything, it left me with the urge to re-read the book that first introduced me to Robinson’s unique and powerful narrative voice.  I’ve now read all three books in this series (‘Gilead’, ‘Home’ and … Continue reading →

Posted in Marilynne Robinson, Reading America | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Lila, by Marilynne Robinson (2014)

Posted on September 13, 2015 by shoshibookblog

In order to get in before the short-list is announced on Tuesday, I’d like to proclaim that I have review ready for one entry on the Man Booker long list! There really is no one like Marilynne Robinson.  I’ll admit, I don’t read … Continue reading →

Posted in Man Booker Prize, Marilynne Robinson, Reading America | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

How to buy a drink in Prohibition America: ‘Babbitt’ by Sinclair Lewis (1922)

Posted on August 4, 2015 by shoshibookblog

Reading ‘Miss Lonelyhearts’ really got me thinking about prohibition in novels.  It’s funny, because it’s one of those historical events that I have trouble believing ever happened so I keep missing it in fiction, unless banged over the head with … Continue reading →

Posted in Nobel Prize for Literature, Reading America, Sinclair Lewis | Tagged | 9 Comments