I enjoyed reading Seven Days in the Art World. The author approaches the art world from a sociological point of view. It’s not a tell all about artists and curators behaving badly by any means. I’m not too familiar with the art world, which is why this slim book seemed like a perfect introduction. The art world reminds me so much of the book world. It’s a business after all. As much as a gallery owner or curator loves the art, they’re there to make money. Even the artists can be financially motivated.

Each of the seven chapters is a profile of a a different aspect of the art world. The chapter on a Christie’s auction gives the reader a sense of the tightly paced and high energy of the event. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on the art crit, which explores life in a legendary seminar at the California Institute of Art run by Michael Asher.  The students spend over 12 hours discussing three people’s work. Each chapter was eye opening for me. Thornton spent 5 years researching and writing this book and though it might seem slim to the casual eye, it’s erudite and well-written.

I’ve been on a reading tear lately, reading so many books that I don’t have time to mention or discuss on the blog. Here’s some of what I’ve been reading:

• I read both Augustus and Stoner by John E. Williams. They are very different books but both brilliant. Augustus is a masterful novel that brings Rome to life through a portrait of a legendary but lonely leader. Stoner portrays the quiet, sad life of a professor in the Midwest.
• I loved The Glimmer Palace by Beatrice Colin. I mentioned it before, but it’s worth mentioning again. As the twentieth century began, so the life of Lily Aphrodite begins. We follow her through WWI up through the Weimar to the beginnings of WWII.
• I read The Heretic’s Daughter both because of the local setting (Salem, MA) and because this is one of Little Brown’s lead novels this Fall. Also I’m having lunch with the author Kathleen Kent tomorrow. The novel follows a young woman whose entire family gets swept up in the Salem witch hunt. Creepy stuff.
• Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner was a little fun reading for me. The war between humans and fairies brought about some sort of apocalypse. The main character Liza must find her way in a world where even trees can be bad. It’s good stuff.
• Francine Prose’s Goldengrove broke my heart a little. It’s a coming of age novel about a young girl trying to recover after her older sister drowns. It’s about identity and finding your way through a very confusing time. Curious to see how this book does when it comes out in September.
• I read The White Mary by Kira Salak over the weekend. It’s a gripping novel about a Czech journalist Marika Vecera who has spent her career on dangerous assignments in places like the Congo and Sierra Leone. Back in Boston after a harrowing experience, she learns that her hero, war correspondent Robert Lewis has disappeared. She runs off to Papua New Guinea in search of him. I still can’t pinpoint why I enjoyed this book so much. Salak wrote a book about traversing Papua New Guinea, so her coverage of trekking in the jungles seems true to life. She also wrote about Marika’s inner struggles with a sharp eye.
• Right now I’m in the middle of Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton. The title says it all. Each chapter covers an area of the art world–judging the Turner Prize, a Christie’s auction, the Basel Art Fair, the editorial offices of Artforum, an art school crit, an artist’s studio, and the Venice Bienale. There’s so much I don’t know about the art world. I’m finding myself enjoying this book more than I expected with all the behind the scenes stuff.

Fourth of July was spent slow cooking a brisket and consuming mojitos with friends. Good times but no reading. I finished reading Telex from Cuba on Saturday afternoon. It happened to receive the NYTBR cover this past weekend. I think I tend to agree with the reviewer on this one. It’s not a perfect book, but a good one. The history of the Americans in Cuba fascinated me, how they refused to believe what was going on before their eyes. Levels of classism and racism abound as do large amounts of repression. The novel has several narrators, but only one told from the first person, that of K.C. Stites. He’s looking back on what happened, but oddly with a lot of sympathy for those who look the worst. The part that worked least for me was the story of Rachel K. the cabaret dancer who sleeps with Prio, Batista, and the Castros supposedly. That story line didn’t nestle as well amongst the others. Telex succeeds as a good first novel.

I’ve since started reading Augustus by John Williams. Wait, didn’t I just say that I was going to read Stoner by the same author? Yes, but I saw this book first and when I realized it was about the Roman Emperor, I grabbed it. It’s written in epistolary form! Wow! I’m amazed by it right now.

I have to travel to Philadelphia on Thursday for a funeral but am going to spend an extra day in the area. So it might be light posting this week again. We’ll see. My laptop broke and I’ve been too busy to stand in line at the Apple Genius Bar. I know you can make appointments ahead of time, but it still requires waiting around. Regardless, I hope to have Augustus finished before I leave so I can bring something else with me.  I’ll report back.