52 books in 52 weeks

I had intended to blog my attempt to read 52 books in 52 weeks. But I'm already having to play catch-up in documenting my reading list for this year. So, I'm bailing on the 52-52 structure. I don't feel bad about it. Seems a pointless way to structure your artistic intake or intellectual expansion anyway. Instead, I'm just gonna keep things loose.

One thing I've read so far this year is Chris Offutt's No Heroes: A Memoir of Coming Home. I like it. It is a simple and easy read, but I thoroughly enjoy the candidness behind Offutt's post-college take on his rural homeland. A lot of it rings true for myself. I didn't know until after reading it that Offutt was involved in Weeds Season 5, which is simply an interesting digression and not really relevant to the book. I plan to read more from Offutt.

I also read George Singleton's The Half-Mammals of Dixie, which is a collection of overlapping short stories that borders on being an episodic novel. It was the same type of Southern/Rural appeal as the above mentioned Offutt work.

While working on a stack of other titles, I completed K.R. Moorhead's The First Law of Motion: A Novel. It kept my attention and is a fast read - something to carry with you to help kill boredom. The protagonist of the story is utterly despicable, but she somehow starts to make you pity her. I wouldn't recommend it outright. But, if asked, I wouldn't discourage someone from reading it, either. It's ALMOST a female version of Chad Kultgen's the average american male, but not quite.

The latest concluded novel is S.E. Hinton's Hawkes Harbor. While the escapades of Jamie and Kellen are thoroughly entertaining, toward the middle of the book the story looses focus and becomes convoluted. If you want to read something great from Hinton, read The Outsiders. If you want to read a good vampire story, go to your nearest bookstore, find a woman (most likely dressed in black with long purple-tinted hair and smelling of cats) and ask her for a recommendation.