[.ca] The Paris Review Book of Planes, Trains, Elevators, and ... (ISBN 0312422407)

Timely reading for the compulsive:
Plimpton was on to something with The Paris Review, a fresh venue for new authors, as well as a series of incisive interviews with innovative perspectives and opinions on the writing process. Certainly The Paris Review anthologies are a logical extension of the magazine. This newest anthology is a perfect companion for filling quiet moments, sampling a literary banquet that can be enjoyed incrementally. Previously, The Paris Review, a singular literary magazine, published a 50 year celebratory anthology, The Paris Review Book of Heartbreak, Madness, Sex, Love, Betrayal, Outsiders, Intoxication, War, Whimsy, Horrors, God, Death, Dinner, Baseball, Travels, The Art of Writing, and Everything Else in the World Since 1953. This first in the unexpected series was published prior to editor Gorge Plimpton's untimely death. The anthology was so well received, that Picador created a second volume in the Paris Review Book series, this one for those spare moments waiting for a train, plane, elevator, etc., when the avid reader might steal a moment of mental nourishment or a temporary release from boredom. Tucked into a briefcase, this latest Paris Review effort is a welcome addition to reading-on-the-go, with stimulating short stories, poetry and even a novella. The selections are stimulating, carefully chosen and listed under the appropriate sections for each category: planes, trains, elevators and waiting rooms. Using the same premise and a variety of authors, Alice Munro, V.S. Naipaul, William S. Borroughs, Philip Roth and other luminaries that have graced the pages of the Paris Review over the years, the editors have created another unique grouping of talent, guaranteed to please the discerning reader. Being a waiting room aficionado, I found enough choices to render me indecisive, reduced to picking favorite authors before experimenting with less familiar ones. I wasn't disappointed; instead, the stories piqued my curiosity and I began a list of authors for a few greedy hours of uninterrupted reading. If the Paris Review Book for Planes, Trains, Elevators and Waiting Rooms is any indication of the editor's picking up where the first anthology left off, I wouldn't be surprised if Plimpton was guiding their selections, no doubt smiling upon this latest creative endeavor. Luan Gaines/2004.