It started with Mohsin Hamid, author of "The Reluctant Fundamentalist," a really nice read, and now pushing his latest, "How To Get Filthy Rich In Rising Asia"--a tour de force in its scope, style and brevity. He explained the reduced word count as his attempt to cater to the short attention span of his fellow Pakistani citizens. His books' brevity, however, stands in high contrast to the author's in person longwinded-ness. His intro lasted forty-five minutes. Not a single answer was brief, all the words he didn't print coming out to complement and color what's in the book, to give it a place in space and in time. History and geography. Some people left. I didn't mind. I welcomed the incongruence.
Then came Chris Pavone, whose first novel, "The Expats," I loved, introducing his second one, "The Accident," which I liked. As Mr. Hamid, he declared himself a poor reader and just talked. I thanked them both for the wise decision and enjoyed learning about the personal journeys that took them to write what they have. Mr. Pavone, coming from a publishing background, spoke at length about the business and declared not understanding why anyone would want to self-publish--a path I question myself (not having yet really researched it,) though Mr. Pavone's certainty against it may stem from being married to the COO of a major publishing house. I should be so lucky.
I took the ferry to the city to see Nicole Mones present (power point and old movies, oh yeah!) her latest, "Night In Shanghai," about American black jazz musicians in Shanghai on the eve of the Japanese invasion. I haven't finished it yet. I love everything that takes me back to Shanghai. I love the history behind her story. The novel, as is, feels a little forced, but who am I to say? Ye Shanghai!
Regardless, I can't wait to read Ms. Mones "Lost In Translation" and "The Last Chinese Chef,"novels that shed light on other areas of the rich Chinese culture and history. And her website has good Chinese food recipes and restaurant recommendations.
Lastly, I attended Teju Cole's reading of his latest, "Every Day Is For The Thief," which is actually his first, just now published in the U.S. after his second, "Open City," out here first, received a number of awards. I have read, and was in awe of "Open City." I haven't gotten to "Every Day Is For The Thief" yet. My night stand is piled a bit too high at the moment. I liked Mr. Cole. Engaging in person, I learned that he is very active on Twitter (the next day he would speak at Twitter's HQ) so immediately upon returning home I became a follower. Which doesn't mean I have read a single one of his tweets yet. Who has the time?
All of these books, btw, are far superior to the one I've written. Should I be so lucky to reach publication, and should you ever find my "Fringe Benefits" on a bookstore aisle next to any of them, I'd recommend you choose them first, for intellectual satisfaction. And save mine for the beach.
