Attention All Authors; How to get me to pick your book off the library shelf:

First, make sure that the title on the spine is nice and easy to read. If I can’t tell what book it is or who wrote it it’s unlikely that I’ll want to read it. Second, a nice, unobtrusive color could be helpful. Third, it doesn’t hurt to be an author I’ve heard of and/or alphabetically next to and author I (or Oprah) have heard of. I know it sounds shallow…but sometimes I do pick a book by its cover!

My latest read, aaa|Ray in Reverse|0142000094|aaa, by Daniel Wallace, was chosen because, a) it was in a spot where I could see the front cover, and b) was billed as, “by the author of Big Fish“. I loved the movie Big Fish and figured that another story by the same author would be just as good.

It was good. An easy read, it only took me one day (two train rides) to finish it. The novel tells the story of Ray’s life, you got it, in reverse. The first chapter starts in Heaven and you gradually work backwards through his life back to his childhood.

Ray’s life is not spectacular. The events that are highlighted throughout his life could have happened to anyone. They may have happened to you. What makes this book special is the way that Wallace takes these mundane events and adds in fanciful details. At one point Ray is suffering from Cancer and as he deals with the fact that he will die he comments that he is growing wings. He can even feel them poking out from behind his shoulders.

There may be nothing extra special about Ray or his life, but Wallace has turned him into an interesting character.

After a somewhat excruciating reading experience, I finally finished aaa|A Widow for One Year|0345424719|aaa By John Irving. A few years ago I read “The Cider House Rules” and was looking forward to reading another novel by the same author.

‘Widow’ was an interesting read. I am torn as to whether or not I actually enjoyed it. The book focuses on the themes of Family, Love, age and aging, and Death. These themes were all fully developed throughout the novel and I really felt as if all the different plots were brought to a satisfying conclusion.

While reading some of the reviews of ‘Widow’ on Amazon I noticed that many readers enjoyed the first half of the novel and found the second half lacking. My take is just the oposite. I was completely put off by the overly sexual nature of the beginning of the book. Now, I don’t consider myself a prude… and I can appreciate the use of sexual relationships as a means to drive the plot… but I think that Irving went a little overboard. The second half of the novel focused more one the lives and struggles of the characters than on their libidos.

Over all, the book was deep, complicated and full of characters who aren’t sure who they are or what they want. Although I seriously considered returning it to the library after the first couple chapters I was intrigued enough to finish. I think I’m glad I did.

[A side note] When I was half way though I saw the author on The Today Show with Katie Couric… He was promoting a new children’s book that is based on a children’s book written by a character in ‘Widow’. I thought it was a bit ironic that my reading this book and his appearance on TV coincided. Weird.