Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: A Mixed Reading Week

Last week, I mentioned my out-of-hand book stacks. I had truly reached the end of my rope, so I spent the entire weekend taking charge of my library. What a relief.

There are advantages to waiting until you're desperate: I ended up being quite ruthless about what I kept and what I didn't. I still have a few books on the floor, but the piles are no longer a tripping hazard. Even better, I no longer have any double-stacked bookshelves.

It's always a difficult and lengthy chore to cull my personal library, but I reminded myself that every book I donated is still available at my local library and my bookstore. The result? My house is breathing easier, and I'm feeling less stressed.

What I Read Last Week

Death of a Poison Pen by M. C. Beaton (Blackstone Audio; 5 hr, 12 min). This is the 19th book in the Hamish Macbeth cozy mystery series, set in northern Scotland. These books are the perfect escape: they're fun, light, and short. Hamish is a 30-something village constable, who is seen as unambitious and somewhat lazy, but in reality, he just loves the countryside and his village of Lochdubh. Although he's an excellent detective, he has successfully avoided being promoted to a city job. In Death of a Poison Pen, gossip in a nearby town leads to murder. Besides solving the murders, Hamish is dealing with a flirtatious visitor, a sleazy newspaper intern, and police politics. Fans of the series, like me, who are caught up in Hamish's personal life will especially like this installment. Narrator Graeme Malcolm does a fine job with the accents, pacing, and humor. (Personal copy)

Wildcard by Marie Lu (Listening Library; 10 hr, 51 min). Although I was surprised at how much I liked the first book in Lu's sci-fi, cyber punk, high-action series (see my review of Warcross), I was not drawn in by the second installment. There was nothing specifically wrong with the story, which involves a complex virtual reality world and high-stakes gaming, but I wasn't invested in the task our hero, Emika Chen, is given in this book. She and her friends must stop an evil man who is intent on taking over the world through a mind-control app. Perhaps it's the current news cycle or the fact that I'm not a big gamer, but in any case, I was not caught up in Wildcard. Narrator Nancy Wu is great, creating consistent characterizations and good accents. Unfortunately, not even her fine performance was enough to keep me tuned in. This is a DNF (did not finish). Note, however, the book and audiobook have earned many positive reviews. (Review copy provided by the publisher.)

Just Kids: Illustrated Edition by Patti Smith (Ecco; October 3). I listened to the original edition of Just Kids and reviewed it here and for AudioFile magazine in 2011. I believe the new edition contains the same text except for an updated introduction and, of course, the illustrations sprinkled throughout. I did not carefully read the book again; instead I skimmed it, rereading a passage here and there, as I looked at the photographs. I don't have anything new to say about this moving and tender memoir and tribute to Robert Mapplethorpe, except the photographs are striking and add immensely to the emotional impact of Smith's words. I'm glad I took the time to browse the new edition of Just Kids and pause over the visuals. If you choose to listen to the audiobook (HarperAudio; 9 hr, 54 min), read by Smith herself, I recommend that you have a copy of the illustrated edition in hand (you can check it out from the library). If you haven't yet read the memoir, do yourself a favor and seek out this new edition. The book itself won the National Book Award, and Smith has won several prestigious awards for her work. (Review copy provided by the publisher.)

Fashion Climbing by Bill Cunningham (preface by Hilton Als) (Penguin Press, September 4). I've been a Bill Cunningham fan for years, though I know him mostly through his photographs of New York City street style. Cunningham wrote Fashion Climbing, a memoir of his early life and rise in the fashion industry, some time ago but held off sharing it until after his death. Although I loved Bill Cunningham New York (click through for my review), a documentary about him, I ended up only skimming his memoir instead of reading it. There is nothing wrong with Cunningham's writing style, but, frankly, the documentary told me all I really wanted to know. As it happens, I am much more interested in his street photography than I am in the vector of his career and his struggle to find peace between his conservative Catholic family and his personal lifestyle and fluid sense of fashion. Your interests may be different. Note: the memoir ends before Cunningham began working for the New York Times. Another note: the photos described by the subtitle of "A Memoir with Photographs," are of Bill's young life and career, not photos of the fabulous clothing he spotted on the streets of Manhattan. (Personal copy)