Scott Douglas’ Terse Bloviation

The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin

One-sentence review: Short but interesting imagining of Jesus from the perspective of his skeptical mother.

Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon

One-sentence review: I love being transported to a unique created world I would otherwise never think about (in this case, low-level horse racing).

The Road by Cormac MCarthy

One-sentence review: It’s the feel-good novel of 2039!

Consider The Fork by Bee Wilson

One-sentence review: A fascinating look at how kitchen implements determine how and what we eat.

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

One-sentence review: Having the author’s immune system sounds horrible, but being a snail sounds pretty cool.

The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg

One-sentence review: Attenberg sustains the character development of her short-story collection Instant Love over the length of a novel.

Blindness by Jose Saramago

One-sentence review: One’s second Saramago novel is an easier reading experience than the first.

I’m unsure whether to watch the movie adaptation. It might ruin the version that’s in my head.

Why Does The World Exist? by Jim Holt

One-sentence review: The asking of a question doesn’t automatically mean there’s an answer.

And what a depressingly long stretch between #15 and #16.

There But For The by Ali Smith

One-sentence review: I bet Jonathan Franzen wishes he could write fiction like this.

A Year in the Maine Woods by Bernd Heinrich

One-sentence review: Bernd Heinrich sure does like ravens!