Comments on: Reading the End Bookcast, Ep.13b: New Year’s Resolutions!

By: Gin Jenny

Gin Jenny — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 13:50:29 +0000

1. I love Randy Shilts’s And the Band Played On. It is the reason I got interested in epidemiology. Also, Randy Shilts is a badass and did not ascertain his HIV status until after he finished writing the book, because he didn’t want it to prejudice his writing. (He had HIV. Then AIDS. Then he died. It makes me really sad to contemplate the further books he could have written.) He was wrong about Patient Zero, but only because his perfectly reliable sources were, in this case, wrong.

2. GUESS WHAT. The Pearl Theater is doing Hamlet and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead in repertory. You should go to that very fast, because it’s only going to be around for a couple of weeks in January and early February. Please go and tell me how it is. I am furious that it is happening right after I left New York. (Argh.)

3. Good recommendations for stories! I will tell Whiskey Jenny.

By: Harriet M. Welsch

Harriet M. Welsch — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 04:12:11 +0000

I had so many ideas for things I thought you should read while I was listening to the podcast, but I can’t seem to remember them now. Sigh. The hazards of a short attention span. I will say that for a non-fiction/epidemiology book, you can’t go wrong with Randy Shilts’ And the Band Played On. It’s a classic. I was riveted when I first read it years ago. My favorite play outside Shakespeare is Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia — might be a nice companion piece with Elizabeth Gilbert’s new novel The Signature of All Things (which I’ve just started, so I can’t offer commentary as yet) — some similar themes. Short Stories; John Cheever and Alice Munro. For the latter, I really liked Runaway, but maybe just because it was my first encounter with her work. I also would suggest Elizabeth Crane’s books of linked short stories, although I can never remember which of them I like best. One of them is called When The Messenger is Hot. I think All This Heavenly Glory was my favorite. I liked her novel too, but it’s not as good. And she doesn’t help your demographic — another white lady.

By: Nathalie Foy

Nathalie Foy — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 22:02:45 +0000

I keep thinking of more! The authors in the comment above are all young, urban Canadian writers, as are Carrie Snyder and Alix Ohlin. Alistair MacLeod as two collections of short stories, and not a word out of place in any of them. His son Alexander MacLeod is also wonderful. Mavis Gallant, especially the Linnet Muir stories, is a writer like Donna Tartt, whose books move into you and camp there for a while.

By: Nathalie Foy

Nathalie Foy — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 21:44:32 +0000

Play: Goodnight, Desdemona, Goodmorning, Juliet by Ann-Marie MacDonald.
Short Stories by Lynn Coady, Heather Birrell, Jessica Westhead, Rebecca Rosenblum, Carolyn Black.

By: litlove

litlove — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 16:35:59 +0000

Happy, happy New Year, dear Jenny! I love the charts (especially the colouring in) and send all my warmest fuzziest wishes for a fantastic reading year in 2014! xx

By: Athira

Athira — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 23:04:29 +0000

I love getting a picture of my year in charts and I think no matter what the ratios, if I had a good reading year, any kind of skewed charts is welcome! Here’s to a wonderful 2014!