Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Grace Notes by Brian Doyle

I JUST finished Grace Notes by Brian Doyle, literally just finished the last page and set it down on my desk and sat back in my chair and sighed that long, contented, choked up sigh of YES.  This!  

"...after fifty years, I am absolutely sure what I am supposed to do: sense stories, catch some by their brilliant tails as they rocket by, carve and sculpt them into arrows, and fire them into the hearts of as many people as I can reach on this bruised and blessed planet. That's all. That's enough."

Yes.

I've also read Leaping by Doyle, which was also SO GOOD.  These are the sorts of books and Doyle is the sort of author that makes you want to return to page one as soon as you've finished page 148.  The prose is lively and unexpected.  Conversational and intimate.  And most importantly, these short essays fire arrows into the hearts of readers.

That's all.  That's enough.

4 comments:

  1. LOVE Brian Doyle! I'm putting these on my list of books to read for my annotations.
    Just finished Booked by Karen Swallow Prior. Lovely. Now I'm reading Breath for the Bones by Luci Shaw. Also lovely. What are you reading next?

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    1. Next up is Cheryl Strayed's WILD - which is excellent, if you haven't read it yet. I will have to check out these two you mention!

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  2. Sounds wonderful, Sarah! Another for my growing list.

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    1. Have you read Doyle at all, Richard? He's great.

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