My Life and Hard Times
by Kevin Wilder
Another teensy required reading book to pass the time. I picked it up feeling I needed to learn about this man who writes and draws poor illustrations. He seems to be referenced everywhere, all the time. A classic humorist, people say. A copy was already on my shelf, skinny and hiding. Lynne Truss mentioned the guy maybe three times—some fights he had with corresponding linguists, in particular.
Maybe I missed something here. It was OK. Didn’t do it for me. Just didn’t care. I imagine James Thurber having a profound influence on the later writings of Woody Allen, which I much prefer. In those instances, the world’s shortest biography did shine. The last chapter was terrific. And then it was over.
Here’s a sentence I liked:
Probably no one man should have as many dogs in his life as I have had, but there was more pleasure than distress in them for me except in the case of an Airedale named Muggs.
This was strangely relevant to me:
Her mother loved the name Juanita so dearly that she worked the first part of it into the names of all her daughters — they were (in addition to a Juanita) Juanemma, Juanhelen, and Juangrace.
Interesting things you can learn by reading the back cover:
He died within a year of Faulkner and Hemingway.
He talks “largely about small matters and smally about great affairs.”
Not sure what’s coming next. Some YA, maybe. Now taking suggestions.
chilly scenes of winter – ann beattie
p.s. i like pastoralia so far
I am reading The Indian in the Cupboard now.
@Helen: You already let me borrow that one, remember? Maybe I’ll do another Ann Beattie.
@Joy: That was one of my favorites as a kid. Think I remember doing a report on it, colored pencil artwork and all.
[...] intention has been to keep things positive, and with a few exceptions, I think I’ve managed to do so. That said, I must warn you. There’s no covering up, the [...]