22 April

Day Of Rest, New Book Recommendation

by Jon Katz

We have carved out today and tomorrow as days of rest. The dogs, as dogs go, have picked up on this and have rested alongside of us for most of the day. I finished one novel and started on the second. A former Random House editor I worked with recommends books he thinks are special and wonderful.

He hasn’t failed me yet. His latest recommendation is The Chinese Grove, by Kathryn Ma. San Francisco’s Chinatown is the best possible location for this funny and warm story about 18-year-old Terry, born into a despised family in China and sent off to the United States and a distant relative for salvation. America is not what he thought it would be, and he discovers on arrival he’s here on a two-week visa and living in a rathole with hostile and very distant relatives.

My editor friend says it is a warm, poignant and beautiful book. I just finished Hello, Beautiful, and started The Chinese Groove. So far, so good.

7 Comments

  1. I’m not Random House editor but I can tell you there is no better reading than Merle’s Door by Ted Kerasote.

    About a ” red” dog, that Ted K met on a whitewater raft trip saying, ‘ he needed a human, and I needed a dog.’ Mr K moved to Kelly, Wyoming and gave the dog, Merle, his own door. And he writes of their many adventures along the way.

    1. As I imagine most of us do, I know the story—a lovely book. As someone who loves dogs, I have to say there are many books I have read that are better than Merle’s Door, which plays to the emotional side of dog-loving. For me, there is no better reading than Gabrial Garcia Marquez and Autumn Of The Patriarch.

  2. In regards to the above comment, Merle’s Door was the last book I ever read about dogs. It shattered me. I feel like I have to go through this grief periodically in my real life, like all dog lovers do. I don’t need to torture myself by reading about it.

    1. Is was a lovely book, but I have to say speaking only for me it was by miles far from the best book in my life. There are so many books. I haven’t read by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is at the top of my list.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email SignupFree Email Signup