early fall reads

Trying to figure out the art of collaboration as it pertains to musical writing, an industry friend gave me Glen Berger's Song of Spiderman. "Whatever problems you're having" he said, "be comforted by the fact it can't possibly be worse than this." I started reading it on a rainy weekend in Ocean City with my grandparents and finished a couple days later in my hotel room in Toronto. It was a whiny, gossip filled romp of a read, and I loved every second of it. Gave it to Simon on set because he's mentioned in it (though not by name) as a young joke writer hired to try and punch up the show, much to the chagrin of Mr. Berger.

Went to my favorite bookstore in Toronto, Ten Edition Books to search for Lessing, Mitfords and a presents for the Xmas book box. When I put down my pile, the store clerk looked up and said, "you're too young to read these books!" I smiled, said, "I don't think so" and took my very large bag up the street to Museum Tavern where I ordered a large rosé, elk sliders and was entranced by the first story in A Man and Two Women, "One of the Shortlist". It's harrowing.

With nothing to do the remainder of the weekend away and tight from hours of standing around on set, I scheduled a massage at the Toronto Four Seasons. Waiting around in my robe before the treatment, I started Blair Tindall's memoir of the classical music world, Mozart in the Jungle. (It was one of the few books I could find that I wanted to read at the Bethany Beach bookstore, which was pretty much a glorified Hudson News. It really spoiled my memory of buying the Blind Assassin there the summer after college.)

I just finished this in NYC. Tindall is honest in a way that often made me uncomfortable for her peers. I think it's safe to say she and Sydney are no longer on "speakers" as the Mitfords would say.

I'm trying to figure out what's next on my list. I've just gone through a long real book phase, but since all our stuff is still in boxes and I am trying to embrace minimalism, perhaps it's time to dig out my nook. And reading off my nook usually means new hardback fiction ie, books that I want to read, but don't necessarily need to look at on my shelves once I'm finished it.

These three are all on my list: Franzen, Atwood, Groff