Book of the Week: 23-29 August

Amy the Dancing Bear

by Carly Simon

illustrated by Margot Datz

Though it's written by Carly Simon -- yes, THAT Carly Simon (the famous singer-songwriter) -- don't read Amy the Dancing Bear for the prose, which can seem at times like she's trying too hard to sound quaint and charming. What I love about it are the soft illustrations and the blossoming page borders, which are perfect for an end-of-August evening. The words work in concert with the drawings to evoke a lovely, fragrant summer night, and it's impossible not to feel relaxed and comforted once you reach the end of the sweet little story about an impetuous young dancing bear whose mother just wants her to go to sleep. In essence, it's sort of the literary equivalent of an Enya song -- relaxing and beautiful, but not too substantive. It's not going to win any literary awards, and it's certainly not going to make you contemplate the deep philosophical questions of the universe, but I love it for the mood it creates and its pitch-perfect recreation of a perfect summer night.

Book of the Week: 16-22 August

Atonement

by Ian McEwan

Have you ever waited for something with incredible excitement and anticipation, building up a near-impossible, idealized image of what it will be like? And have you ever had the real thing exceed that expectation? 

That's essentially what happened for me with Ian McEwan's novel, Atonement. I saw the film adaptation starring Kiera Knightly and James MacAvoy in 2008 and immediately wanted to read the book. I was curious how the stunning visuals and cinematography would translate to the page. On a whim, I read one of McEwan's short stories before I was able to get my hands on Atonement and was struck by his ability to fearlessly confront the darkness of the human spirit without veering into the melodramatic. This particular short story, entitled "Solid Geometry," was macabre and, ultimately, deeply disturbing, but was executed with such precision and beauty that I was left pleasantly stunned and wonderfully uncomfortable.

I finally found a copy of Atonement at my local library (three cheers for the public library system!) and could not have been more pleased with it. I'm fairly sure McEwan could describe, in intimate detail, the subtle grace and beauty of a piece of belly button lint, and I would eagerly devour every word. The landscapes he paints are as vivid as technicolor and are pulsing with life, but he also appeals to the other senses by showing you exactly how a hot summer day in the English countryside smells and feels and sounds.

In addition to the immersive scenes he creates, which I was almost expecting after the gorgeous and dreamlike visuals of the film, each of his characters is thoroughly human in ways sometimes shocking and unexpected and in other ways perfectly mundane. This blend of total familiarity and absolute strangeness is what makes his work so chilling and compelling. To see characters thinking something you yourself have thought, who then suddenly do something you would never dream of, is quite startling; it makes you wonder if you truly are above such actions, as you fervently hope to be.

I can't sing the praises of Atonement enough -- you really much must read it yourself. McEwan's writing style and intricately woven plot propel the reader forward and make for an engrossingly rapid read. And when you've finished, reward yourself by watching the film -- even if you didn't like the story, the beautiful cast, costumes, scenes, and cinematography will keep you enthralled.

Photos here, here, here, and here

Book of the Week: 9-15 August

The Beekeeper's Apprentice

by Laurie R. King

Set primarily between the wars, The Beekeeper's Apprentice could have gone horribly wrong. The heroine is a brilliant and deeply unfeminine orphan who just wants to read while wandering the grassy hills of rural England. Yikes. She then quite literally stumbles upon an aging Sherlock Holmes (who also has business on the grassy hills of rural England, believe it or not), and the two develop an unlikely partnership, teaming up to solve crimes with the considerable power of their combined intellects.

Put like that, it all sounds terribly cliché. And, well, it sort of is. But the heroine miraculously avoids the traps of either becoming overly saccharine ("My parents died, but I can still overcome any misfortune that comes my way!" The heroine then bursts into a stirring rendition of "The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow.") or maddeningly pedantic ("Clearly I am better than you, dear reader, because, as anyone with half a brain knows, when calculating the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow..." The reader then falls asleep.). And somehow the author manages to stay true to the character of Holmes while still making him her own. 

Granted, I am not the biggest Sherlock Holmes fan, and I'm sure there are some die-hard Holmesians out there who would consider this blasphemy. But it's fast-paced, clever, well-written, and even a little surprising. If you're looking for a nice end-of-the-summer read with a strong female lead and some neat detective work, The Beekeeper's Apprentice may be just the thing.