I've never skipped a whole month of blogging on this site before. And I don't know whether to apologize -- because, really, I'm sure your lives were perfectly complete without my thoughts on books -- or haphazardly list the novels I've had a chance to read since last posting (Garbo Laughs; Starter for Ten; The Fire-Dwellers; Story House; A Bird in the House).
So, instead, let's move forward. Let's call it 2011 and talk about one of my book obsessions: Memoirs written by people who live with one toe in the "modern" world and one toe in an "orthodox" world. (Is this a terrible way of describing the central conflict in books like The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance?) So, adding to my '11 wish list: Mennonite in a Little Black Dress.
Other memoirs on the reading list? Poser: My Life in 23 Yoga Poses. Even if The Telegraph didn't like it and dragged poor Jennifer Aniston into the mix.
Showing posts with label The Fire-Dwellers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Fire-Dwellers. Show all posts
2011-01-14
2010-02-15
desperately seeking....
OK, I've been trying to read Atonement, and I think it's a no-go for me at the moment.
To be clear, it's a lovely read. Ian McEwan, no surprise, is a beautiful writer. But in part, I'm suffering from having James McAvoy and Keira Knightley in my head, and so I long to skip forward and around to all the key parts from the movie. Now, it appears the film is a really good reflection of the novel. And so, the second problem I'm having is the darkness of the novel is a bit too much for me.
I had initially selected Atonement as follow-up to A Student of Weather in hopes I might find parallels between McEwan's young Briony and Hay's young Norma Joyce. And there are similarities -- a careful, obsessive attention to details, for example. But where Briony allows her imagination to get the better of her, Norma Joyce is decidedly manipulative and purposeful in orchestrating the small tragedies all around her.
So what to read instead? I'm considering Margaret Laurence's The Fire-Dwellers. Not sure it's a pick-me-up though.... Apparently all I want lately is froth, but I've filled my bookshelves with anti-froth.
(Shush, you who judge Jane Austen. She wrote novels that reflected the socio-economics of her time. She challenged our ideas of male-female relationships. Sort of.)
It is, nonetheless, my week off. So, I've had the chance to pick up on some of my favourite blogs, like The Keepin' It Real Book Club.
And, to evaluate deep thoughts:
Is Garfield funny?
If Carrie Bradshaw has always had poor taste in men, why -- oh why? -- wouldn't she ever grow out of that?
The Wooden Sky is pretty awesome.
Who would marry someone named Gooch?
Is this the beach of my dreams?
To be clear, it's a lovely read. Ian McEwan, no surprise, is a beautiful writer. But in part, I'm suffering from having James McAvoy and Keira Knightley in my head, and so I long to skip forward and around to all the key parts from the movie. Now, it appears the film is a really good reflection of the novel. And so, the second problem I'm having is the darkness of the novel is a bit too much for me.
I had initially selected Atonement as follow-up to A Student of Weather in hopes I might find parallels between McEwan's young Briony and Hay's young Norma Joyce. And there are similarities -- a careful, obsessive attention to details, for example. But where Briony allows her imagination to get the better of her, Norma Joyce is decidedly manipulative and purposeful in orchestrating the small tragedies all around her.
So what to read instead? I'm considering Margaret Laurence's The Fire-Dwellers. Not sure it's a pick-me-up though.... Apparently all I want lately is froth, but I've filled my bookshelves with anti-froth.
(Shush, you who judge Jane Austen. She wrote novels that reflected the socio-economics of her time. She challenged our ideas of male-female relationships. Sort of.)
It is, nonetheless, my week off. So, I've had the chance to pick up on some of my favourite blogs, like The Keepin' It Real Book Club.
And, to evaluate deep thoughts:
Is Garfield funny?
If Carrie Bradshaw has always had poor taste in men, why -- oh why? -- wouldn't she ever grow out of that?
The Wooden Sky is pretty awesome.
Who would marry someone named Gooch?
Is this the beach of my dreams?
2009-12-16
remember who you are
Ok, this might be my favourite book dedication ever:Mom and Dad,
I could never have done this without your faith, support, and constant encouragement. Thank you for teaching me to believe in myself, in God, and in my dreams.
This book...aside from the nine F-words, thirteen Sh-words, four A-holes, page 257, and the entire Warren Beatty chapter...is dedicated to you.
You might want to avoid chapters twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, anything I quote Mom saying, and most of the end as well.
Sorry. Am I still as cute as a button?
Love,
Cute, right? It's from The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance. So far, hilarious.
I'm in the mountains for a few days, and have a pile of books to read. Literally, a pile. Think Cameron Diaz in The Holiday. Yes, I watched that movie. What of it?
My get-relaxed-quick readings include:
Margaret Laurence's The Fire-Dwellers (a companion, it appears, to Laurence's A Jest of God);
Margaret Atwood's The Edible Woman;
Michael Ignatieff's The Russian Album;
Lizzie Skurnick's Shelf Discovery;
Karen Blixen's Out of Africa;
Joseph Boyden's Through Black Spruce;
and Elizabeth Hay's Garbo Laughs.
Yes, lugging this many books through an airport does land you in a conversation with security folks who have novel suggestions. (Apparently I should read Cormac McCarthy.)
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