Heating Up

I read Dog Days over a week in which summer came to Los Angeles with a vengeance. It's been hot enough to recall the Dog Days of August 2004, which I - like Melanie, the novel's heroine - spent in DC. Unlike her, however, I was not hooking up with my married lover in fancy hotels; also, I walked and took the bus rather than jumping in cabs all the time.

All that said... I don't have an inspired review. Ana Marie Cox maintains some of her bloggery sparkle. And I enjoyed the "veiled" analogies to actual Beltway personages and events. And like West Wing, it's an alternative universe that co-exists uneasily with the present. It is 2004 and the incumbent is a fool of a president named Golden; Yet Cox mentions the Bush twins. (Etc. Some of these inclusions are rather funny, especially - and perhaps only - if you follow Washington gossip.)

A few things distance Dog Days from your standard chick lit, so far as I can tell. One is that it does not include your typical romance; another is a (slightly) nuanced ending. These are good things. What didn't work for me was Melanie's jaded tone. It's desirable to have acute observational skills and a sharp tongue; it's less so when said observational skills overlook endearing and redeeming qualities in people. What worked as Wonkette - a sexy and louche lush - worked because it was a put-on. One can't help feeling that Cox really cares. But Melanie - who should care - ends up showing us nothing to care about. Which may be the trouble with Washington today, but also makes for a bit of a downer.

So. The upshot is that I still think this was a good book for me. I loved the little Washingtonian notes that made me feel like an insider. (A central character works at my Austin Grill - one in a chain of popular but pretty icky restaurants - a location all of a 4 minute walk from my old apartment.) I still love Cox. But I would recommend her novel sparingly. Instead, look for her on the pages of Time.

A Confession

I don't think I've ever pretended to be immune to the lure of chick lit, although I don't indulge all that often. (Exceptions made for Helen Fielding.)

But last night, I started the oft-mentioned Dog Days, by Official Erin's Library Icon Ana Marie Cox, now Time columnist extraordinaire. Thus far, it is a just barely disguised account of the 2004
presidential campaign. Apparently some Washingtonienne gets thrown in too. And there's a little West Wing too, and a HUGE dose of Blackberry love. Our heroine Melanie has a glamorous life, sort of. So it's catty and sexy, and yet nerdy too.

This is not the best of books, and I prefer the blogging/columnist Ana Marie to the novelist. But that doesn't mean that it's not a rollicking good time to read.

Istanbul was Constantinople... (finale)

Last week was the book club discussion on Louis de Bernieres' Birds Without Wings, which I finished less than 24 hours ahead of time. (It goes by pretty fast, all told, but it's still a really long book.)

I was very pleased with the discussion, which was almost uniformly positive and struck a good balance between focusing on the book itself and wandering off on related tangents. And as a historian, I was pleased that so many other readers expressed their delight in learning more about a place and era that was new to them. Someone made the point that Americans are likely to be unaware that WWI took place anywhere other than Western Europe. I myself was particularly intrigued with this look at how nationalism took hold (piecemeal, to be sure) and brought about the downfall of one of the great multi-ethnic empires.

The fate of the village - which in a way is the novel's main character - and the villagers is poignant and interesting and seems authentic. I won't give any details, but I felt satisfied.

Powell's Rocks

Happy Election Day to my California readers! I hope that you voted (even if it wasn't very exciting).

While I am a library devotee, I am also a fan of bookstores, especially when they have any of the following:

• cafe
• staff recommendations with little cards
• a huuuuuge collection

Which brings me to Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon (also online), the massivest (to make up a word) bookstore I can think of. And the source of a joyous few hours during my one weekend in Portland. Today's Times Business section (of all places) explores the success of the new/used/online company, what separates it from other indie booksellers, and its possible future under 27(!)-year-old book heiress Emily Powell.

It's not fair. Separated by only a year, and yet I'm struggling to keep up with my book lists and she's has a reader's dreamland in her hands. If anyone out there has a book empire out there to give away, please keep me in mind...