This month the chain begins with Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray. I know that I read this in college, and I think I have a copy somewhere, but I really can't remember much about it. Perhaps it should be considered for a re-read at some point. It did remind me of (1) Vanity Fair's Writers on Writers which I got as a gift from my Mom at Christmas in 2016 and which I read a bunch of essays in, but not all and I need to get back to it. It includes an essay about Salman Rushdie. I have always wanted to read his work, but never managed to until this past year when I read (2) The Golden House. The narrator of Rushdie's novel is a film-maker who is trying to wrangle the sprawling story of the Golden family into a coherent narrative. William Boyd's (3) Sweet Caress is similar in that it is taking a visual medium (photography in that case) and using it as a narrative thread to tie a sprawling story into a coherent whole. Boyd uses various photos, presumably taken by his main character but actually found by the author at thrift stores, to illustrate his tale. Another book that mixes images into fiction as if they are documentary evidence is (4) Night Film by Marisha Pessl. Her first novel, (5) Special Topics in Calamity Physics is a book I picked up because I loved the title. Another book that I was drawn to because the title entertained me was (6) A Red Herring without Mustard by Alan Bradley. It is part of the Flavia de Luce series all of which (so far) have proven to be delightful.
I LOVE titles and it will get me to pick up a book faster than even a pretty cover. You don't know how many books with dragon in the title I picked up only to be disappointed its about king Arthur... AGAIN! I do ADORE the Flavia de luce books so much! She is the best young detective I know. ❤
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