Birthday Book Recs 27-28/50 : Commonwealth by Ann Patchett and Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
Commonwealth by Ann Patchett and Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
Birthday Book Recs: 27-28/50
Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
Last April I got to see Ann Patchett and Kevin Wilson with @librarian.in.the.woods at the Carolina Theatre. And I wish I could replay the whole evening because it was so joyful, so wisdom-packed, so edifying. (See below for my extremely weak attempt at taking notes on my phone during the evening; I obviously gave up because I couldn’t keep up nor provide the context that made them so resonant.) Ann is the master of fierce, direct, and passionate messaging without abandoning a measured and sensible demeanor. (Her video response, posted on Parnassus Books’ social media channels, to learning that Bel Canto and The Patron Saint of Liars were banned in Orange County, FL was perfection.) And Kevin? I loved him as soon as he described his ideal writing position as curled up on the floor. You know that NYT By the Book question about who’d you invite to your literary dinner party? Ann Patchett and Kevin Wilson would be on my list — no doubt about it.
So, the books:
Commonwealth: A big multi-generational (blended) family saga that spans breezy Southern California and horsey Virginia. I’m such a sucker for well-parsed settings that don’t glaze over the specificities, and having a modicum of familiarity with both areas, I feel like Patchett nailed it. This one is a self-proclaimed “autobiographical novel,” so I guess that makes sense, but regardless, I didn’t want this novel to end.
Nothing to See Here: Twins who spontaneously combust. Need I say more? OK, need someone to say a bit more? In her review, Taffy Brodesser-Akner penned this as her first sentence: “Good Lord, I can’t believe how good this book is.”
Of the Ann Patchett and Kevin Wilson books that I’ve read (I’ve read a lot, but not all), there hasn’t been a bad one in the bunch, but these are my recos if you need a place to start.
You can find all my 50th Birthday Book Recommendations HERE.
originally published on instagram