Bathsheba Monk is the author of Now You See It ... Stories from Cokesville, PA. and the recently released novel Nude Walker.Not so long ago I asked her what she was reading. Her reply:
I am reading and loving Susan Straight’s Take One Candle Light a Room. Besides the beautiful language and dialects (Creole, street), I get the feeling that Ms. Straight knows these cultures intimately—cultures that are hidden to me—and so I am reading to find out about that, as well as to find out what happens to the characters, i.e. is she going to save her godson? The real question: Is it possible to save someone else? And she absolutely nails the guilt/ambition/nostalgia of those who chose to leave their familiar life behind and wing it alone in the world, forfeiting their right to belong anywhere.Read an excerpt from Nude Walker, and learn more about the book and author at Bathsheba Monk's website and blog.In the kitchen, I am re-reading George Orwell’s 1984. It’s actually in an edition that contains Animal Farm as well (with a nice introduction by Christopher Hitchens) so it’s like a double feature horror film. I’m trying to convince myself it can’t happen here, but not doing a very good job, so it’s acting as a diet aid.
Up next is Andre Dubus III, Townie. He is a brilliant writer and being the son of a famous father—famous in the son’s field, by the way—is a subject that interests me. I went to school in Boston, too, so there is a bit of voyeurism on my part concerning the world of the townies. More hidden worlds. I see a pattern here.
The Page 69 Test: Nude Walker.
--Marshal Zeringue
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