Summer Reading Red Alert! Don't Miss "11 Stories" by Chris Cander

Photo courtesy of Chris Cander

 

Nothing says summer to me like summer reading, and I’m getting a jump start by posting about an incredible book I just read, 11 Stories by Chris Cander, a local Houston author.

11 Stories is a novel about Roscoe Jones, the superintendent of a Chicago apartment building with a talent for playing the trumpet.  The story encompasses his experiences and encounters with the residents of this building, floor by floor. 

The characters and associated plot lines are so unexpected and unique, I was hooked from the start.  Cander’s writing is delightfully intelligent, but not pretentious, and her writer’s voice feels like it has a slight male edge to it.  This is not chick-lit, discerning readers.  Fluid, lyrical and descriptive, I fell into her story and felt as if I knew each of the characters in a previous life.  

Accordingly, I began to imagine myself as a character in the book, as one of the lives that touched Roscoe.  On which floor of the building would I have lived?  How would my life and seemingly innocuous daily activities have impacted his?  Who is watching me now, today, paying attention to what I’m saying and doing and how I’m treating people?  How would my shortcomings be perceived by a stranger?

These are all questions that I’ve been pondering since I turned the last page.

I won’t give away any more of the goods, but I promise, you don’t want to miss this compelling illustration of how we are all interwoven, and our stories overlap in ways we may never realize. 

Put 11 Stories on your summer reading list right now by visiting Goodreads or Amazon.  And if you're like me, you'll want to follow Chris Cander's Blog and Facebook page.

OK, next up, I’m taking a break from the cerebral, thought-provoking stuff and diving into VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV’s First Wave.  It’s a behind-the-scenes look at the first MTV VJs from the 80s. 

Stay tuned for a review, coming soon to a mindless computer near you, probably from a lounge chair poolside…