A Fine and Private Place - Peter S. Beagle

My bookclub's most recent book is A Fine and Private Place, which was a quick read but did not move me very much. It was sort of a modern take on "Our Place," which I always hated:
 full of the soliloquies of the dead watching the living and trying to make sense of the meaning of life. Parts were touching and I was drawn to the character of Rebeck, a kindly old man who lives in a cemetery and can see and speak to the dead, but I would not necessarily recommend this book to others, as parts were a bit maudlin and overwrought.

The Transmigration of Timothy Archer - Philip K. Dick

Just finished reading Philip K. Dick's The Transmigration of Timothy Archer (1982), published posthumously. (For those who may not know, transmigration is "the religious or philosophical concept that the soul or spirit, after biological death, begins a new life in a new body that may be human, animal or spiritual depending on the moral quality of the previous life's actions.")

The novel is set in the 1960s and 1970s, and follows the descent into drug addiction, radical religion, and madness of a deeply entwined but unhappy circle of five friends - intelligent but lonely Angel Archer, "professional student" at Cal Berkeley and poetic grass fiend, her disaffected husband, Jeff, whose maniacally intensive study of Wallenstein and Hitler becomes a pointless bid for his father's attention, Jeff's father, the dreamy but brilliant Bishop Timothy Archer, who unwittingly destroys himself and his friends, the Bishop's secret lover, the spiteful barbiturate addict Kirsten, and Kirsten's angelic son, the schizophrenic Bill.

The action begins on the day of John Lennon's death, with Angel's attempts to make sense of the "retributive fate" which has enveloped her life and destroyed those closest to her. For all this darkness, the book is a fairly light read, with some good humorous bits. For Philip K. Dick enthusiasts, it is also an interesting window into his thoughts in later years, and perhaps his most mature piece of writing. Although the repetitive nature of some of the lines was at times tedious for me, I believe it was a deliberate stylistic choice to evoke the obsessive nature of Angel's thoughts, and was effective for that purpose.

Bishop Archer's darkly comic misadventures are in fact based on the doings of the unfortunate Bishop James Pike - definitely worth reading a bit about that man, although save it for after you've read the novel - spoiler alert!

The Graveyard Book

Just finished The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - well, I have a known weakness for children's books. I heard a good review of this somewhere and I also know that Neil Gaiman is the author of the Sandman anime series. Surprisingly, the illustrations were not done by Gaiman. It's a very good story, with some nice spookiness, and some touching parts. And it was a Newbery Award winner! Strong recommendation for those who appreciate fantasy or spirits (not for you, Linda!)

Ironweed

Dad recommended Ironweed, by William Kennedy, to me a while ago, and I finally got around to reading it.

I really enjoyed reading it, although it was very grim. I especially loved the fact that the main character, a violent bum, is literally haunted by the ghosts of his past... spooky and intriguing. The voice of the novel is engaging, and the variety of narrative styles is unique. An interesting picture of poverty and alcoholism in 1938.

I would recommend it!