July (first half) 2016 Reads

July reading got off to a fine start with two great books with strong women as central characters. Then a fun Mexican novel, the Jazz age in New York City, and a monumental epic of Canada and forestry. Then some ex-pat writers. Anthony Doerr, temporarily in Rome, tells a nice story of fatherhood and personal/literary growth. The story of Ernest H & crowd in Paris is not so nice but Blume tells it well.

If it seems that I haven't read at my usual pace this month, consider that the Annie Proulx novel is over 700 pages. 

A General Theory of Oblivion by José Eduardo Agualusa, Daniel Hahn (Translation)
One of the best books I've read this year. Portuguese woman shuts herself up in an apartment in Luanda during Angola unrest. Library book.

Elemental by Amanda Curtin
A strong saga of a Shetland Island fisher girl who emigrates to Australia told in the form of notebooks  addressed to her granddaughter. (1891-1932, with final chapters set in 2011). My copy.

I'll Sell You a Dog by Juan Pablo Villalobos, Rosalind Harvey (Translation)
I may never eat tacos in Mexico again. Very funny satire. My copy

A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams
Roaring twenties, NYC. I've read a couple of other books by Williams. This one didn't appeal to me as much as the others. An OK read. My copy, free ARC from publisher.

Barkskins by Annie Proulx
I liked it ...but. Too many throwaway characters and too much description of the tools of logging. Hard to tell just what was important. Library Book.

Some Non-fiction 

Everybody Behaves Badly: The True Story Behind Hemingway’s Masterpiece The Sun Also Rises
by Lesley M.M. Blume
Much to my surprise (because I'm not a fan of Hemingway) I really liked this. Library Book 

Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World by Anthony Doerr
Good writing. A nice taste of the expat experience (and everyone behaves reasonably well).  Library Book