Book o' the Month: The Shipping News

I have been listening to Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac at 9AM on NPR, when I am in the car at that time.  Otherwise, I read it online.  He shares facts pertinent to the date about writers, scientists, and other famous people, then he reads a poem.  It's always interesting, and the poems usually give me goosebumps, put tears in my eyes, or at the very least, make me nod with understanding.  A while back, he mentioned E. Annie Proulx and her novel, The Shipping News. I remembered having seen the film adaptation back in the 90s and thought, "Now, I should read the book."

So, I did.  What I like about Ms. Proulx's writing is how streamlined it is.  Sparse, almost.  Cut to the core.  And so very effective.  I love a book that is a page turner for me without a lot of action or cliff-hanging suspense (though, those are fun, too, I mean Outlander?!).  It is all about character development and interaction (Austin, Bronte sisters, Gaskell, etc.).  Mr. Keillor noted that Ms. Proulx immerses herself in a place before writing about it, in this case Newfoundland.  I read a review of her book by a Newfoundlander who basically said she hit the nail on the head.  It's a good read.

I have happy news...Adrienne at Some of a Kind is back!  Please check out her Turn the page ... Tuesday post today for more good reads, to be sure!