Another good book
Yesterday I was sick in bed all day, sleeping some, reading some. Today for a while too. This book is another by Michael Chabon — I still haven’t got to The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay yet, but this other one, Summerland, snuck to the top of the stack and pulled me in. It’s been on my mind all afternoon. It’s definitely on the fantastic side — reminds me of Matt Ruff, sort of — but I certainly don’t mind a little wacky fantasy once in a while.
And there’s baseball in it! I can’t remember the last time I read anything related to baseball. My interest in the game has been waning over the last few years. At least I don’t follow the Mariners the way I used to, and I haven’t been near a sports section in ever so long. But I still love the game, and this book loves it too:
A baseball game is nothing but a great slow contraption for getting you to pay attention to the cadence of a summer day.
That’s so it.
One of the things that really hooked me though: I am afraid of the ball, and so is (was?) one of the people in this book. I would prefer to not be afraid of the ball, but I’ve been that way ever since I was forced to play dodge ball in junior high. For a while in my twenties I tried to play softball, but it was no good, and my teammates had no patience with me. Having that kind of bad experience in common with this character.. hmm, well I suppose I bonded with him more than a little bit.
Anyway, so far it’s a good read, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.