BLUE SKIES IN THE BOOK REVIEW MIRROR

Blue Skies came to me via Twitter.

T.C. Boyle mentioned a new novel and he delivered.

What he delivered felt a little too close to home for me, which kept me reading.

How close?

I’d planned to start reading Blue Skies during a business trip to Arizona during the run of 114 degree days.

It was cooking more than I expected and didn’t get too far.

Back in Oregon the temperature spiked.

In a story that feels ‘Ripped From The Headlines,’ it feels more like a personal diary.

But my diary?

I’ve been in a coastal town, Cannon Beach, during tsunami alert practice.

Except I didn’t know about the practice part and jammed everything, wife and kids and gear, into the car for a quick escape.

I did it without panic, or so I thought.

The tsunami practice became apparent before I sped off for higher ground and everyone had a good laugh. Ha ha?

Boyle brings the levity with baby boomer-aged parents jumping on the ‘Save The Earth’ bandwagon.

Jumping baby boomers?

Reading Practice For Writers

The lady at Annie Bloom’s Books in Multnomah Village said she remembered meeting T.C. Boyle.

“He was quite tall.”

I was in the store supporting another author at his reading.

I bought three books, two from him, and Blue Skies.

My buys were part of a roll I’d gotten on with ‘The Plot.”

Except I didn’t buy ‘The Plot’ since it was already on my wife’s shelf.

Mr. Boyle is very familiar with the academic intricacies of tenured academic success.

After all he is a ‘Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English and Writer in Residence Emeritus’ at USC.

‘Blue Skies’ tells of smart people dealing with a world out of their control.

But they still try.

‘The Future’ Is Here In Blue Skies

How often does a writer who stretches out for a PhD and a teaching career at a private school keep up the pace of their literary output over decades?

This isn’t some aging wonderkind writing his legacy in a few last pages.

Instead, Boyle remains at the top of his game with books published on schedule, short stories published in top magazines, and that twitter account.

About that twitter account?

How often have you seen an internationally celebrated author log in and give an account of their day as they live it?

The top sellers of 2023 can’t do it, not Colleen Hoover, Bonnie Garmus, Emily Henry, or Taylor Jenkins Reid. 

On twitter Mr. Boyle gives a class on good habits for writers without taking roll or giving grades.

But you will find assignments.

“Good morning, Mr. Phelps. Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to read Blue Skies and give a full report.”

It is an impossibly refreshing read with a dash of the movie ‘Gladiator’ for good measure to go along with the Greek Chorus.

Make time to read.