Hello. This was June. A month that somehow felt both interminable and entirely too short. But that’s par for the course these days, isn’t it? Everything is weird—why shouldn’t time also feel odd? Anyway. I managed to read a few things:
Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver. I planned on spending my summer reading a bunch of thrillers, and this was a good one with which to start. It’s a James Bond affair, so of course I would have fun with it. Definitely overlong, though, and the plot was far too convoluted for what the villainous scheme ultimately turned out to be. But again: it’s Bond.
Carte Blanche was one of Ian Fleming Publications’ many attempts to reboot and modernize their literary character, which is always a bit of a mixed-bag endeavor. I liked Deaver’s present-day interpretation of 007 for the most part, but the image of Bond constantly checking his cell phone can’t help but feel a bit silly—even the current films avoid doing that too much. At times, the writing did genuinely feel like an update of Fleming’s, though, and that’s not the easiest thing in the world to pull off, so it’s a shame Deaver didn’t go on to write more Bond novels. I would have liked to see him play around in this world some more.
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. This locked-room mystery set on a luxury cruise was… very lackluster. I just found the protagonist exasperating, and the overall plot—particularly the way it unraveled—even more so. There’s never any real sense of menace besides the main character’s pronounced paranoia. Still, it kept me turning the pages and made for a quick read, which is sometimes the most you can ask of these mass-market mysteries.
Cary Grant’s Suit by Todd McEwen. Bought this collection of essays mostly because of the title, to be perfectly honest. But also, unconventional nonfiction books focusing on Very Specific Things are some of my favorite reads. This one turned out to be more memoir than movie musings, though, which diminished my enjoyment a bit. McEwen is a very stylistic writer (O, but the Tom Wolfe influence is palpable!!!). He’s also very funny—which is good because I found myself disagreeing with him a lot. At this point in my reading life, though, I find that increasingly delightful. Have you ever ranted at a book? Highly recommend. Very cathartic.
Some solid pieces here, but the titular essay is, naturally, the best. Also, I picked this up right after rewatching To Catch a Thief, so I figure it must follow that I rewatch North by Northwest now. That suit! Cary Grant—genuinely one of the best to ever wear clothes.
“Bullet in the Brain” by Tobias Wolff. Robin Sloan shouted out this story in his newsletter a few months back, saying that all good short stories are essentially about death—making this incredibly brief piece from Tobias Wolff, by definition, a perfect short story. I don’t disagree. A man is shot and his life flashes before his eyes is definitely a cliché, but stories like this are a testament to how powerfully tired tropes can still resonate in the hands of skillful writers. Straight and to the point, with not a single line or word wasted.
And that was June. See you next month.
BOOKS BOUGHT—SUMMERY VIBES CLEARLY SOUGHT:
- The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
- The Beach by Alex Garland
- Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino
- The Moving Target by Ross Macdonald
- Weekend by Christopher Pike
ricardo reading 