October (second half) 2016 Reads

Continuing with the class (see my October 15, 2016 post) which is about half way through.

And I finally finished...

The Complete Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino, William Weaver (Translation), Tim Parks (Translation), Martin McLaughlin (Translation and Introduction)
This is one that has been on my bedside table for two years. I love it but it's something I wanted to take in small doses and ponder over each story.  I'll be dipping back into this often.

I love this jacket designed by Peter Mendelsund & Oliver Munday






Two Lines 25 by CJ Evans (Editor)
This issue lead off with  Sea Swell by Enrique Vila-Matas translated by Margaret Jull Costa and is chock full of other good stuff. (There is even more on the web site.)





Mexico: Stories by Josh Barkan
Interesting collection of noir stories set in various urban areas of Mexico. The most successful are first person narratives of Ex-pat American men who get involved in the underworld of the drug cartels and lesser thugs. Less convincing are ones where he speaks in he voice of a Mexican or, in I Want to Live, women's voices (one ex-pat and one Mexican). Barkan sometimes goes overboard in discussing the background and ethics of his protagonists--it could do with a little more show and less tell. Still it was a good read, but don't expect sandy beaches, umbrella-ed  drinks, and romantic guitar music. These are gritty stories.
Uncorrected proof through LibraryThing.

The Mastermind by David Unger
A strange story, based on a real 2009 event, of a Guatemalan lawyer who is drawn into planning his own assassination as a gesture of patriotism. I went back and forth on whether I liked the book and I almost didn't finish it. I did finish it and I'm glad I stayed with it. My main problem was with the depiction of the love affair--it seemed shallow and based only on sex. The death plot, however, was intricate and fascinating. Guatemala is a scary place.
Advance review copy through LibraryThing.  

Online

Eleanor Glanville 17thC Entomologist by Deborah Swift
Interesting essay with some beautiful illustrations and, if you scroll to the end of the essay,  there is a YouTube recording of a piece of music composed in Glanville's honor. There are some other interesting essays on the site  English Historical Fiction Authors.

I also read a number of things on Literary Hub ...
...and a bunch of stuff about the US presidential campaign.Will it never end???