recent reads

I've banged out a couple good books in the last while that I thought I would recommend--though I'm a librarian, I don't tend to recommend books all that often, especially on my blog. I don't know why that is...perhaps not wanting to live up to some kind of librarian cliche? Anyway, I digress...

Because I took my time, I only just finished my friend Matthew's debut novel, Deloume Road. I realize that I'm not the most unbiased reviewer, but it was really beautiful and incredibly well-written. Matthew captures southern Vancouver Island perfectly, the language summoning up familiar images of my own growing up and the landscape that makes this part of the world so breathtaking and remarkable. The story builds to a crescendo and it's littered with fascinating characters whose lives interweave in unique ways. The book left me feeling a bit melancholy (if you want an easy and uplifting read, this likely isn't the book for you), but I was also sad when it was over because it was such an engaging read and I know I'll be waiting for awhile before I see another novel from Mr. Hooton. I'm very proud of my friend for what he's accomplished and he can be justifiably proud of himself for a stunning literary debut!


In a completely different genre, that of sports biography, I burned through Andre Agassi's autobiography Open and it is one of the finest sports autobiographies I've ever read. I grew up watching and loving tennis and I recall being 13 years old and watching Agassi win his first Wimbledon title against Goran Ivanisevic in the summer of 1992 when I was visiting my father in Port Alberni. This book has been both lauded and slammed, but personally I loved it! I admired Agassi's candour as well as his choice of ghostwriter (J.R. Moehringer = an inspired choice). He comes across as very human, his frailties exposed, his (fragile) psyche laid bare. I think what I loved most, however, were the descriptions of tennis: the big matches, the inner scoop on the ATP tour, and the psychological machinations of the game--Agassi has a great memory and Moehinger helps craft those memories into exhilarating prose. A truly great read!