No Country for Old Men: Cormac McCarthy
I’ve never gotten that into Cormac McCarthy, though really wanted to read this before the Coen brothers movie comes out in a few months. I definitely enjoyed the book, though it was essentially already in movie form, basically just dialogue. The story was undeniably exciting- essentially a bloody chase plot with great south Texas characters who are brought alive through their internal and external dialogues. Still, based on this anyway I'm not sure exactly why McCarthy is considered such a literary big shot, though perhaps I ought to read a little more.
Fiskadero: Denis Johnson
I just couldn’t get into this. As much as I LOVE Denis Johnson’s Already Dead and Jesus’ Son- two of my favorites, this post-apocalyptic tale just didn’t do it for me.
The Road: Cormac McCarthy
Ah, but THIS tale of a stark post-apocalyptic nightmare I really liked. This was hauntingly beautiful, the story of a father and son traveling on “the road” in search of food and safety. The creepy parts were so creepy and the moments of beauty and kindness so beautiful and inspiring. As a novel it feels like its strongly influenced by the movies, but still really works. This one also holds the bizarre status of National Book Award winner and Oprah book (shhh), and does really say a lot about humanity at its best and worst. The only book I can think of having read that made me cry, and first in a long time I didn’t want to end.
Emotional Intelligence: Daniel Goleman
I actually read Goleman’s most recent, “Social Intelligence” before I read this one. They are very similar in their scope and structure, with SI essentially being an update ten years later. Goleman’s style is to write well with an engaging and accessible style while still citing quality research- be in social psychology or neuroscience. EI was excellent, citing fascinating studies while remaining inspiring and pragmatic in the applications of the theories. The ideas are very helpful in my work with at-risk children, though can and have been applied to a huge range of groups since publication ten years ago. Highly recommended for anyone with even some interest in psychology, education or people in general.
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