Friday Reads: Yellow Dog, Some New Tricks

RIP, MARTIN AMIS

The British novelist Martin Amis died last week, which came as something of a surprise to me. I assumed he would always be around, that there would always be another Amis book.

He could describe anything and make it interesting. He coined new terms — “obscenification” “horrorism” — when the old ones wouldn’t do. And he seemed, from a distance anyway, to be having an absolutely fantastic time as a writer, rather than viewing it as a curse to be endured.

So after I learned the news, I finally took Amis’ Yellow Dog off the shelf where I’ve had it for years. Because none of us know how much time is left, and you can’t save everything for dessert.

IN OTHER NEWS…

I’ve finally, kinda, sorta, quit Twitter. It’s always been a waste of time, but lately it’s stopped being a fun waste of time. I’ve found myself logging off after only a few minutes, frustrated with all the spam and trolls that keep clogging my feed. I don’t see my friends or the funny and smart writers I follow. It’s like going to a favorite bar only to find it doesn’t serve anything good on tap anymore, and the toilets are overflowing and you can’t hear yourself think because the morons are screaming at the TV and the jukebox plays nothing but that one Offspring song over and over. As it turns out, it’s easy to quit an addiction when it’s not actually that addictive.

I’m keeping my account to keep anyone else from taking my name and running around with it. But anyone who needs to find me, well, I’m now only in a dozen other places on the Internet. You’ll probably like seeing my dog on Instagram better anyway.

FRIENDS AND WELL WISHERS

I figure this is going to become a regular part of the Friday Reads: news about my friends and acquaintances and their books.

• My friend and all-around superior person Antoine Wilson is a finalist for the Prix Fitzgerald, a literary award celebrating a work in the spirit of F. Scott Fitzgerald, for Bouche à Bouche, the French translation of his book, Mouth to Mouth. He’s up against actor Gabriel Byrne, novelist Joyce Carol Oates, and director Quentin Tarantino. I expect either Tarantino or Oates rush the stage if they lose.

• I am, like the Los Angeles Times, Michael Connelly, and Dennis Lehane, a big fan of Ivy Pochoda, whose new novel Sing Her Down is out this week. The story of two women released from prison during the Covid lockdown and their escalating spiral of violence. Ivy’s style can alternate between stark, harsh sentences that feel like body blows, and evocative and gorgeous description. It is easy to see why the book is already being hailed as a new masterpiece of crime fiction.

• I got to read a new book from my friend Daryl Gregory in manuscript this week. I can’t say anything about it yet —unfortunately— except to tell you that you’re going to love it when you finally get to read it, too.

That’s it for this week. As always, would love to see your recommendations and reviews in the comments.

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