Reading Journal: Monday 26th October 2009
October 27, 2009 by Rob
Filed under Reading Journal
::Shocked (somewhat) by Elizabeth Gaskill::
My 31 Shots of Shock challenge rolls on and today, Day 26, was the turn of Elizabeth Gaskill and her chilling tale – The Old Nurse’s Story. I didn’t manage to read this story during the usual breakfast slot, but a glorious day and a five mile walk with the dog let me comfortably tick this story off during a spell of walk-reading (incidentally I saw two other walk-readers today. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen anyone else ‘walk reading’. It must be catching on 
). I’ve posted my afterthoughts on the story, so rather than repeat myself here, head on over to that post to find out more.
::A WOW Introduction to Masha Hamilton::
I hadn’t planned on getting an introduction to new-to-me writer Masha Hamilton today, but such is the power of Twitter. Her latest novel 31 Hours was released last month and its publisher Unbridled Books was giving it a bit of a shout out on Twitter. I commented on the cover and synopsis looking particularly appealing and Unbridled invited me to read the first chapter (available here – PDF format). I did and all I can say is WOW. Aside from the promise of a great novel which incorporates two of my favourite things – New York and Islam, there’s a magical quality to Hamilton’s prose which I immediately connected with. I love her already so I’m sure this isn’t the last time you’ll hear me speaking about Masha Hamilton on RobAroundBooks.
::David Vann starts growing on me – big style!::
At the weekend I started dipping a toe into David Vann’s Legend of a Suicide (Penguin Books). It’s a novel (some call it a collection of linked short stories) which has been hugely hyped by Penguin UK’s publicist Joe Pickering, and for good reason if the positive reaction from other readers is anything to go by. Up until today I’d read the first three ‘chapters’ and I’ve got admit that I wasn’t particularly taken by it. There wasn’t a problem with the writing, or with the story (which apparently is grounded more in fact than fiction). It just didn’t move me to any great degree.
Well that was until I began the fourth ‘chapter’ this evening in the bath, which is more novella in size, and by far the biggest ‘chapter’ to be found in the book. I don’t really want to go into any great detail for fear of spoiling things for other readers, but I’m halfway through this chapter and I’m utterly mesmerised by it. I’m beginning to experience the pull of this novel.
::Reading planned for tomorrow::
It’s day 27 of my 31 Shots of Shock so my first reading chore is Alfred Noyes’ Midnight Express, a story about a guy on his own on at a railway station which stands directly next to a dark railway tunnel…*shiver*. I’m also keen to make progress with Vann’s Legend of a Suicide. If I have time I also want to fit in a couple of Chekhov shorts.
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Rob, a self-confessed bibliophile, is without any hope of rehabilitation. He gets unnaturally excited over anything book-shaped, and if book sniffing were a crime then he would have been locked up years ago (which wouldn't bother him in the slightest provided his cell were lined with books)
If you haven’t finished Legends of a Suicide yet then I predict you will do the next time you pick it up. That ‘chapter’ is amazing!
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Rob Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Still reading it Jackie, but bloody hell this is powerful stuff!
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Sukkwan Island, the ‘chapter’ you speak of, is the most. amazing. story. I’m still disturbed by it.
Oh, and my Canongate colleague Ailah recommends a novella called The Yellow Wallpaper, which isn’t ’shocking’ but I’ve been told it’s chilling. And you can read it online over at Project Gutenberg.
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Rob Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
I’m not even finished Sukkwan Island yet Andrea and I know it’s going to haunt me for months to come.
And please thank Ailah for her recommendation Andrea, but tell her I read it last Halloween, as part of my Tales of Terror challenge. I agree it’s a chiller and aside from being heavily allegorical (some tosh about feminism
) it’s one of the best ‘descents into madness’ tales I’ve read.
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Andrea Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Re: The Yellow Wallpaper, I’m requested it from the library. I may be into online, but call me old-fashioned, I like to read my books when they’re, you know, books.
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Rob Reply:
October 28th, 2009 at 8:18 am
And there’s me thinking you’d be more hi-tech than all of us Andrea
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