Sunday, December 21, 2008

booklog

Recently finished:

The Ransom of Russian Art by John McPhee
Discusses the outrageous smuggling of unofficial Soviet era art, as performed by a professor of economics.

The Lost Art of Walking by Geoff Nicholson
Self-explanatory. Light and fun to read for the most part, until you get to the end and he tells you, very plainly, about his childhood on an English council estate.

The Newton Letter by John Banville
Absolutely crushing, but some of the most gorgeous writing I've read lately. All kinds of tragedy at work.

Loot by Sharon Waxman
Really wonderful, though I appreciated it more for the quirky facts and dramas than for the effort it makes to decide where iconic artifacts really belong.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thought you might like to know that I posted a link to your brief review of The Newton Letter on my own which you can read HERE. If you liked this book, you'll be blown away by The Heather Blazing by Colm Toibin so I would encourage you to track it down and read it.

All the best for your recovery!