Hello St Marks

Most hyped novel of 2022, etc. Described as a "lush, lyrical heist novel" by the PR team, 'Portrait of a Thief' is neither lush nor lyrical but it does have a very stylish cover, a paint-by-numbers crew of sassy heist novel archetypes (including a sexy female street racer) and a fantastic back story. Chinese-American author Grace D. Li is a current Stanford University medical student, former high school teacher, graduate of Duke University, grew up in Texas. Very cool indeed, and all power to 28 year old Li—she's clearly amazing. There's just a weird disconnect between the hype and the book, which is a mash-up of international action movie and overwrought, post-teen angst—producing some of the silliest dialogue you'll ever delight in reading. 

"That was the secret of a happy marriage: step away from the rage." Liane Moriarty is really, really good at writing books that are both cracking stories and tartly acerbic commentaries on—well, whatever pocket of contemporary Australian life she turns her attention to. With 'Apples Never Fall' it's tennis. I don't care even a smidge about tennis but loved this rollicking, astutely observed book and its cast of very human beings. 

Laurie Graham's 'The Importance of Being Kennedy' reminded me of Jo Baker's 'Longbourn, The Servants' Story'. Both are re-imaginings of familiar stories from the help's perspective. 'Kennedy' is voiced by Nora Brennan, no-nonsense nursemaid to all nine Kennedy children— those Kennedys, American royalty, infamous and tragic. Both novels sound like trash and weren't. 'Longbourn' was lyrical, 'Kennedy' is acerbic; both are clever and thoughtful with the frisson of a familiar story told fresh. 

A year ago I started a record of every book I read in 2021. Thank heavens that's over; it was a dreaded burden writing about ever darned book I consumed, and often embarrassing (count the terrible books I read in 2021, or no, please don't). For the record, I read 101 books in 2021, or thereabouts. Plus a couple of dozen I started but didn't finish—too hard for my wooly head, or too awful even for my low standards. As the second COVID-19 year ground on, quality plummeted and non-fiction consumption declined to barely a garnish on a diet of calorie-rich, low-fibre fiction. I'm making no promises for 2022. 

1 Jan 2022 and I'm playing catch-up on my 2021 reading. Only four books to go and here they are, in a rush. 'Bridge Burning' by the lovely Kitty Flanagan; the friend you want for real. I'll try '488 Rules for Life' next for a mega-dose of funny/serious common sense. 'The Secret Lives of Dresses' by Erin McKean is a perfectly lovely romantic-ish story about a dozy zoomer finding herself thanks to a fabulous wardrobe of vintage clothes. 'An Absolutely Remarkable Thing'—about social media, fame, unearned power and aliens—is absolutely brilliant. Hank Green (podcaster, vlogger, entrepreneur) is a very clever writer with a big, bold brain, so I'm off to find his second novel. Ah, finally, 'Happy Hour' by Jacquie Byron. Francis' husband died 3 years ago and she's doing grief her own way. Franny is utterly furious, sometimes mean, often drunk. Also clever, creative, acerbic and kind, and Byron lets her be all those things without jud...