The Bookhive List: 'Surfacing' by Margaret Atwood

Choosing a favorite Margaret Atwood novel is no small task, but Surfacing is really strange and special to me. It feels more distinctly Canadian than many of her others, especially because it largely takes place in very rural Quebec. Many of the recurring themes of Margaret Atwood novels (feminism, environmental concerns, sci-fi/fantasy elements) are present in Surfacing, and I found it to be one of her most overtly feminist novels, with the central character traveling further and further into the literal and metaphorical wilderness as the novel progresses. This summer I went on a very satisfying camping trip on which I managed to finish H is for Hawk while swinging in a hammock, and the thought struck me that if I had a copy of Surfacing as a follow-up, some kind of Platonic ideal of women in the wilderness would be achieved. 

The Bookhive List is a weekly recommendation of my all-time favorite, must-read books.

What I'm Reading: 'H is For Hawk' by Helen Macdonald

This book has been so richly rewarding, and part of that is because I had to wait weeks for it from the library. As a close follower of the publishing industry, I absolutely love it when a book completely surprises its publisher with its success, especially if, as is the case with H is for Hawk, it unexpectedly sells out in indie bookstores across the UK and US. 

In so many ways, this book has delivered on the failed promise of Spinster, a book whose disappointment I've already documented. H is for Hawk is not "about" a woman's solitude -- it's a memoir about a daughter grieving for her recently-deceased father, and it's a natural history about falconry, and it's a literary history of writing about birds of prey, and each of these things is very elegantly linked. And yet, it is precisely about a woman's solitude, because Helen Macdonald is exploring each of these things alone and internally, and her domestic situation is not addressed and it feels only natural. This shouldn't be remarkable, but it is. I have such a crush on H is for Hawk and I'm looking forward to the end of the year when it inevitably wins lots of awards and gets put on lots of 'Best of' lists.

The Better Father's Day Gift Guide

Don't waste a day of celebrating your father with garbage books like Erik Larson and Doris Kearns Goodwin. That is perhaps unnecessarily harsh -- both are great writers -- but show a little creativity this Father's Day. Every other Father's Day gift guide I've seen lists the same old sports and non-fiction stuff, which is fine and predictable and lame. Here are the superior choices to celebrate your dad:

Missoula by Jon Krakauer -- This one is actually a trick because Krakauer is totally in the realm of Erik Larson and Doris Kearns Goodwin in terms of non-fiction bestsellers, but hey, dad's love Krakauer. Plus, this one has a bit of sports and a heaping dose of feminism, so it's the perfect thing.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood -- In my own dad's words "It's one of the best books I've read...AND it's by a woman!"

H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald -- I've got a longer review of this coming up, but it's a really terrific book about grief and falconry, and is totally something your dad would like, if your dad is awesome.

The White Album by Joan Didion -- Baby-boomer dad's like books about their cultural "moment" which is why every list of dad books includes some kind of rock bio, but give your dad this instead. Didion's counter-culture essays are smarter and more nuanced than anything else out there.

Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace -- Another book of essays, although these are a lot more contemporary. Dads love books upon which movies are based (Seabiscuit, Unbreakable, all the Lincoln  biographies), so buy your dad this funny, touching book and remind him about 'End of the Tour.'

The Son by Philipp Meyer -- If your dad is like my dad, or my father-in-law, he likes Westerns, even if he doesn't know it. More likely he just finds himself watching whatever is on AMC on a Saturday afternoon, and thus a lot of 'Lonesome Dove' type stuff. The Son is a really recent, really great novel, although I will admit the brutal violence was too much for me. 

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel -- If your dad dabbles in PBS programming, he probably caught at least an hour or two of the miniseries, so get him hooked on the original, which is better and less confusing; also, if he's like my grandpa, he can't figure out how to watch the rest of the episodes, so he needs to get caught up anyway.