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Michael’s Top Books Read in 2021, #’s 2 & 3

Closing in on #1 we’ve got a couple of books whose authors are familiar with the Top 3, as both have appeared here before. Both books are written by women, both have a fantasy element, but one skews toward science fiction, and the other, surprisingly, historical fiction. Let’s take a look.

The Stone Sky#3 – The Stone Sky by N. K. Jemisin (2017) – Minor SPOILERS below.
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As a series, the Broken Earth Trilogy is very strong. As a single book concluding the trilogy, I must say that The Stone Sky is the weakest of the three books, although still strong enough to come in at #2 for the year! (Book 1, The Fifth Season was my #1 book for 2019, and Book 2, The Obelisk Gate was my #2 book last year). While still incredibly imaginative, gripping, and intensely emotional, there is a whole lot of exposition and historic explanation that N.K. Jemisin has to explain as we approach the conclusion of her epic. In addition, the book rotates between three sets of characters: Essun, arguably our protagonist throughout the entire trilogy (I say arguably, because all of the character make questionable decisions throughout); Nassun and Schaffa, Essun’s daughter who she has been chasing after for the past two years, and her former Guardian, who brutalized Essun to keep her under control; and a new group of characters set centuries past that ultimately reveal the history of the mysterious and fascinating Stone Eaters. For me, a lot of time that was spent on Nassun and Schaffa, was just text I had to get through, as I did not have a strong emotional connection to the two characters and their storyline. Of course, they were essential, providing the emotional and physical foil to Essun’s raison d’etre, but I could not forgive Schaffa his cruelty and manipulations and his utter brainwashing of Nassun was as frustrating as it was necessary to the plot.

Ultimately, the conclusion was satisfying and powerful emotionally, capping an entire trilogy that marveled your imagination and wrenched your heart all the way through. The complexity of Jemisin’s world, spanning eons of time, is incomparable. I very much look forward to seeing her set her pen to to other worlds, Ultimately, this was Essun and Hoa’s journey for me, and while I would have liked more of them in this book, I was satisfied with their overall arc.

The Hidden Palace#2 The Hidden Palace by Helene Wacker (2021) – Delighted to discover that Helene Wecker had written a sequel to her NYT best-selling novel, The Golem and the Jinni (my #2 book of 2013). The Hidden Palace picks up where she had left off in her debut, detailing the unusual journey of two singular souls, a golem named Chava Levy, and a Jinni named Ahmad, who inhabit an ever-changing world of early 20th century New York City. Although the pair find solace in each other’s company, their relationship is a tumultuous one, eventually fracturing in a way that ripples outward and affects many around them as they struggle to find their places in a human world.

Set against the backdrop of the years leading up to World War I, Wecker does an astounding job of of juggling a bevy of characters and giving each one intriguing depth of character, and complexity of desire. Unlike her first novel, there is no out and out villain in The Hidden Palace – but rather flawed, complex human and inhuman characters who are just struggling to find their places in the world. Coming in at nearly 500 pages, The Hidden Palace takes its time unspooling its story, in a way that allows the reader to really savor the detail of both the era, and the humanity of the characters.

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Michael’s Top Books Read in 2021, #’s 4 & 5

My top five books this year are an interesting mix. With one being published over 40 years ago, one being published 9 years ago, one being published five years ago, and two being brand new. There’s an unexpected memoir showing up, a gorgeous piece of literary fiction, and not so surprisingly three books from the science fiction/fantasy genre.

Kindred#5 Kindred by Octavia Butler (1979) – I finally went back and read Octavia Butler’s first novel< Kindred and found a writer who was already fully formed, to create such an original and seminal work the first time out of the gate. Published in 1979 by a black woman; the first science fiction novel published by a black woman, and one that tackles the challenging and disturbing topic of slavery, and more, the complex, fraught relationship between master and slave, this novel is a revelation.

Dana is 26, living in modern day when she is suddenly, inexplicably wrenched through time to the Antebellum South — drawn there to save Rufus’ as he nearly drowns. Moments later, when faced by the barrel of Lucas’ father’s gun, she vanishes, returning to her home and her perplexed husband who watched her vanish and reappear. So begins this time-hopping, piece of historical fiction that examines a topic most people have trouble exploring in 2021, much less 1979. Butler doesn’t flinch or look away, but forces the reader to confront the barbaric practice that is a part of our history, but more, she digs into the varied inner psyches of those involved, both white and black. It’s singular, it’s passionate, and it’s intense. Truly a must for ever reading-list.

Bedsit Disco Queen#4 Bedsit Disco Queen: How I Grew Up and Tried to Be a Pop Star by Tracey Thorn (2013) – I’ve always enjoyed the 80’s pop group Everything but the Girl. My interest in them ebbed and flowed depending on their output, but in many ways I think it followed their trajectory with the public — which makes sense the way lead singer, Tracey Thorn explains it in her first memoir, Bedsit Disco Queen. They started fairly strong, and quickly found a steadily climbing trajectory, before dipping sharply into mediocrity after a handful of albums. Their career could have gone a few ways, most easily dissolution, or inexplicably, a sudden sharp spike in quality and popularity, then, rather surprisingly, semi-retirement. It was during this semi-retirement in the 2000’s that Tracey Thorn turned her songwriting voice into a prose writing voice, to great success.

Thorn is an accomplished writer and a compelling story-teller. She spends a lot of time on the origins of her pop stardom, notably as a teen punk follower who formed a quiet little subversive all-girl band, Marine Girls. When she met her musical and domestic partner, Ben Watt, the two formed Everything But the Girl where she merged her punk attitudes with his more sophisticated musical interests into music that sounded pretty pop with jazz influences, but featured lyrics that were from a decidedly intelligent, post-punk mindset. Thorn’s arc as a musician/pop singer also followed her band’s trajectory, and she insightfully considers that their mid-career dip in popularity aligned with the quality of the music they were creating, or at least the interest she had vested in the music they were creating. After a life-threatening illness that took Ben out of commission for nearly a year, the two found a rebirth of sorts, and they produced their career high album, Amplified Heart, which produced the massive international single, Missing. I had forgotten as well, how Thorn’s collaboration with the trip-hop band, Massive Attack and the song Protection, impacted Thorn and EbtG;s career.

Most of all, I was impressed by the way Thorn is able to weave story that reels the reader in, and keeps you engaged throughout. Besides the fact of her sublimely listenable voice when she performs, her voice when she writes is similarly enchanting. With that wry sense of humor and healthy amount of self-deprecation that comes with her punk background, Thorn has created one of the best rock & roll memoirs I’ve experienced.

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Michael’s Top Books Read in 2021, #’s 6 & 7

the Guncle#7 The Guncle by Steven Rowley (2021) – 76ers I find grief to be one of the richest subjects for storytelling, whether that be books, movies, TV, music, etc. Everyone reacts to grief in different, sometimes unexpected ways, and it’s usually a lengthy process to deal with. Steven Rowley knows grief, and handles it well creatively. His first novel, Lily and the Octopus was all about grief… the grief of losing a friend, a beloved pet dog, and how her owner dealt with an impending terminal illness. It was beautiful and fantastic and kicked off his career strongly.

Now, with his third book, The Guncle Rowley has written a fun and funny novel about a gay, former TV star living a slightly solitary life in Palm Springs, who is called upon to take his young nephew and niece for the summer. But what it’s really all about is grief and coping with loss. ]Patrick, has lost his dearest friend Sara to cancer. Sara also happened to be married to Patrick’s brother, Greg, and mother to Maisie and Grant. When Greg checks himself into rehab after his wife dies, he entrusts Patrick with his children’s care, much to Patrick’s consternation. Reeling with his own grief about the loss of Sara, now he was expected to cope with her children’s grief as well? And as a single gay male, Patrick is unsure of his qualifications to do so. Then there’s another wrinkle… Patrick is still struggling with the grief he never properly dealt with after the death of his boyfriend in a car accident several years prior. Instead, he covers it up with snappy comebacks, fashionable caftans, and that solitary life. Until the summer he became “GUP” — gay Uncle Patrick.

Like I said, Rowley knows how to handle grief: with humor, with grace, and with sympathy. Patrick’s relationship with his niece and nephew unspools naturally and gracefully. The humor is fresh and not overdone, and the life Rowley paints of Patrick’s life in Palm Springs is recognizable but not cliche. If there’s one misstep at all, it was with the young, potential romantic interest, Emory, that pops up occasionally throughout the book that seemed more of a plot checkbox than a character that we needed. But it’s a minor quibble, and as a Guncle myself, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.

Honor#6 – Honor by Thrity Umrigar (2002) – Accomplished writer, Thrity Umrigar returns with a heart-wrenching, dramatic novel, Honor. Smita, A journalist covering hard-hitting, international, humanitarian stories returns to her home city of Mumbai after years of avoidance, when she she receives a call from a close colleague who needs her. To her surprise, her colleague doesn’t need her for emotional support or assistance after a difficult surgery, but summoned her to finish a story she was covering about Meena, a Hindu village woman, who married a Muslim man to tragic consequences. Meena’s brothers, old-fashioned and conservative are outraged that their sister has married a Muslim, and burn their home down with the two of them inside. Meena is horribly disfigured, nearly dying, and her husband is killed.

From the start, we sense that Smita is very reluctant to be home, and it soon becomes clear that something in her past, some traumatic event, sent her and her family to America, never expecting to return. This event links Smita and Meena in ways that the journalist never expected, and powers the momentum of this finely written, hard-hitting novel. The one stumble comes nearly at the end, when the introduction of an unnecessary, and poorly executed romance weakens the impact of the story. There was a much better path to Smita’s story resolution built into this powerful story that would have had a far great impact and resonated more strongly with the overall story, but it’s it’s a small complaint in the larger context of this powerful novel.

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Michael’s Top Books Read in 2021, #’s 8 & 9

Making Rumours#9 Making Rumours: The Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album by Ken Caillat and Steven Steifeld (2012) – As we move into the Top 10, we’ve got a pair of musical books making the list. At #9, I continue my journey reading about the excessive hijinks of one of my favorite bands, Fleetwood Mac. Last year, my #3 book of the year was Get Tusked: The Inside Story of Fleetwood Mac’s Most Anticipated Album. This year I stepped back to their previous album, the mega-successful Rumours and read, by recording engineer and producer, Ken Caillat, who worked on four of Fleetwood Mac’s albums, starting with the massive international hit, Rumours. Perhaps reading the two books out of order did this book a bit of a disservice, because as was revealed in Get Tusked working with the band on the Rumours follow-up was an out and out shitshow of manic, drug-induced, self-obsessed, egomaniacal personalities that made the recording sessions for Rumours seem positively tame by comparison. Yes, it was during the recording of this album that all the band members’ romantic relationships just fell apart, but in fact, according to Caillat’s account, there was actually not all that much drama. Sure, there was excessive drugs and drinking, and the occasional spat. Or the time Lindsey Buckingham tried to choke the life out of the author… but other than that…

What I loved about both of these books is the insane details of how each of the songs on the album were put together. It’s a fascinating account, right down to the timestamp of when you can hear different moments that make the songs so incredibly special to someone like me who listens to music which such effort. It really makes me appreciate the pristine recording of this amazing album when I listen to it now. The only other drawback taking away from that last star in the rating was Caillat’s insistence on commenting on every woman’s appearance, and how hot they were. I understand it was the 70’s, and a very different time, but all these “girls” hanging around the fringes of the industry, and these guys just chasing them around with their tongues hanging out of their mouths gets a little tired after a while. The book is far more interesting when diving into the craft of creating the sound and beauty of each song, or detailing the quirks of each band member, but i was not here to read about Ken’s attempts to find a girlfriend (or two).

The Healing Power of Singing#10 The Healing Power of Singing: Raise Your Voice, Change Your Life by Emm Gryner (2021) – I’m not one for self-help books, nor did I think to myself, I need to read a book to help me with my singing voice, but I am an admirer of Emm Gryner the musician, so I thought it might be interesting to read her first book. It was more than interesting, it was entertaining, and illuminating, and has even gotten me singing again. Mainly around the house, but I’m ready for my next performance at the Chlotrudis Awards — an event that finds me singing with some other movie geeks every few years.

What Emm does that is so captivating, is she includes stories about her fascinating musical career, signed to a major label at 19, dropped shortly after her first album came out due to a restructuring with the company, touring worldwide as part of David Bowie’s band in her early to mid-20’s, becoming a successful independent artist, producing the first song sung in orbit around the earth, and so much more, while giving tips about how anyone can sing. She also talks about how she rediscovered her true self to be the best that she can be, and dang it, it’s inspiring.

You might read Emm’s book to get an insider’s look at touring with a rock god… or perhaps you want to learn how to sing? At any rate, hopefully, after you’ve finished, you’ll want to go check out Emm’s music. You won’t be sorry.

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Michael’s Top Books Read in 2021, #’s 10 & 11

Memorial#11 – Memorial by Bryan Washington (2020) – Washington’s first full-length novel, was an interesting read. There were times throughout the book where I grew impatient and wasn’t sure I was enjoying it, but by the third and last section, it all came together for me, and I felt it was ultimately a successful and moving story. Benson is a black man, raised in a middle class, fractured family, who is involved in a relationship with Mike, a Japanese man whose parents are also divorced and carrying a lot of baggage. When Mike learns that his father is struggling in the last phases of terminal cancer, he invites his mother to come visit them in Houston, and the day she arrives, he leaves to return to Osaka to see his father from whom he has been estranged from for years. While Ben and Mitsuko begin an awkward dance getting to know one another under less than ideal circumstances in Houston, Mike is dealing with a similarly awkward reunion with his father. All of this while Ben and Mike’s relationship appears to be unraveling.

Memorial explores difficult relationships all around, treating the gay relationship with the same complexity as both of their parents. Culture, race, and struggling with homosexuality are all themes the various characters endure, and while there is no easy resolution there is a sense of relief and things long unspoken are revealed and brought to the surface. A powerful first novel.

Sex with Strangers#10 – Sex with Strangers by Michael Lowenthal (2021) – To be honest, a short story collection with the title, Sex with Strangers, made me a little wary. I wasn’t really in the mood for a series of stories focusing on tawdry hook-ups, whether they might be sexy, or funny, or dark. Thankfully, and I should have known better, Michael Lowenthal uses sex… or perhaps more accurately, desire, as the starting point, or perhaps, the driving force behind the motivations or actions of the characters in this handful of stories, some written specifically for this collection, others collected from his career. In fact, there’s actually very little explicit sex in the book at all.

The characters in Sex with Strangers span the Kinsey scale, gay to straight, and include men and women. The stories that I enjoyed the most, in fact, tended to be the ones about heterosexual relationships, or at least ones where the protagonists were straight. Occasionally the stories about two men ventured into territory I often roll my eyes in both fiction, and life, but I suppose that speaks more about me, than it does the writing style, because Michael is a strong writer. He handles language very confidently, and his prose is eminently readable. There’s a strength behind the words and the structure, and not in a macho, male way, but more the strength of a tree, knowing when to bend.

Overall, I ended up enjoying Sex with Strangers much more than I expected, which makes me very happy. I’ve enjoyed Michael’s work throughout the years, and as I said, reading about sex, or more broadly, relationships, is always good self-therapy as well.