Saturday, December 2

Books for the non-reader

I have this brother. Smart chap, a graduate of a fine Big Ten institution, a fan of many "literary films" and, from what I know, a generally thoughtful and soulful person. But you put a book of more than 200 pages in front of him and he'll act like a eight year old staring down a heaping pile of slimy lima beans. He ain't having it. The occasional exception to the rule seems to be the random sci-fi or fantasy novel--books that lay far outside the realm of my notable gift-selecting prowess. For years the only book that I gave him was a volume of Simpsons comics each Christmas. This went on for about six years until, with me in college and he in his mid-twenties, it just didn't feel right. I have since moved on to giving him the annual collection of Best Non-Required Reading, a gift he says he enjoys but one is never sure just how much of it he actually reads.

This year I have been giving much thought to what novels I might be able to give him that won't go unread. I have considered The Gunslinger, the first volume of Stephen King's Dark Tower series. People seem to like, but who knows, the only King book I have read is The Shining, an altogether different affair. Then there is Neal Gaiman's American Gods, a fairly literary novel with enough fantasy that its length might prove to be a non-issue. Also, I have considered Benjamin Kunkel's Indecision, a humorous debut novel about a twenty-eight year-old slacker who takes a drug that cures his chronic indecision and soon finds himself romping about South America. While my brother might greet the humor and subject matter in Indecision warmly, I want not to have him think I am sending him some sort of not-so-veiled message about his own life--which would not be the case--so I have shied away from this one temporarily.

But, in general, what are some good books for the non-reader? Off the top of my head there are some obvious non-fictions like the work of Klosterman and Sedaris--breezy, fun books that seem to appeal to the well-read and unread alike. I struggle a bit more when trying to generate a list of novels. Perhaps this is because I am an elitist when it comes to the book gifts. Indeed, King seems rather too populist for my gift-giving sensibility. Something like Life of Pi is a swell choice, I think. And, while some skimmers might disagree, I believe the shorter novels of Murakami are a fine selection for a person such as my brother with an apparent taste for fantasy but an aversion to literature.

I could ramble on longer, but I come to you now from the communal computer in my apartment building and folks are waiting. If they only knew how urgent this Book-Loop correspondence was they would go upstairs, take a nap and give me more time, but no, they seem quite impatient.

1 comment:

Ben said...

A Johnny Tremain mention! Yes, friends, Book-Loop is really hitting its stride.

My father is something of a Robert Harris fan. He read Pompeii before visiting the charred ruins and couldn't stop talking about the book. (I suppose I could also note at this point that Robert Harris is the brother-in-law of Nick Hornby, and that Hornby occasionally receives a bit of flack for consistently mentioning Harris's books in his monthly column, 'Stuff I've Been Reading' in The Believer. But come on, if he doesn't at least say his brother-in-law's books are among the stuff he's been reading he'll make his sister very unhappy, no?).

On Hemingway, I agree with your assessment of Natty being a Hemingway-type, and I agree even more with your suggestions that a Hemingway-type might not at all enjoy the writing of Hemingway. Perhaps that's why the Beats exist, so the Hemingway-types can have something to read without really reading anything. Not that I'm prepared to defend the stance that the Beats have any reason for existing at all. Except for Gary Snyder. He cool. Dharma Bums, perhaps due to the Snyder connection, also gets a pass.

Black Swan Green is a solid suggestion. The coming of age novel in general is a decent path to take when selecting a gift, I think. Unfortunately I don't believe Mitchell's latest is out in paperback yet, and giving a hardcover book to my brother would not be prudent. Actually, now that I think about it, Number9Dream seems like the Mitchell book my brother might prefer. There's something very cinematic about that one. Parts remind me of some of the Asian flicks my brother loves so much.

Speaking of my brother and Asian flicks. I noticed a nice new edition of Rashomon and Other Stories at the book store recently. I thought that might be a nice gift for my Kurosawa-loving brother. Has anyone read the story? I have the sense that if I were to give him the book, and he ever felt the need to read it, he'd probably just decide to pop the DVD in instead.