I have been sniffling and sneezing and generally feeling awful, so have not posted, but I have been reading....
I picked up a Denise Mina at Half Price Books and am finding it very intense. So much so that I am tempering it with an old Elinor Lipman novel I do not remember reading, The Way Men Act.
And each night, to cleanse my brain before I try to sleep, I read a chapter of Dead Men Do Tell Tales. I know most people would be hard-pressed to read this book before bedtime, but I find it interesting, and weirdly soothing. It really is a wonder I am not some sort of bizarre serial killer, isn't it?
***********
I picked up the only MFK Fisher novel in existence at the library yesterday for 50 cents. I wonder if it could be any good? Also for 50 cents I bought The Mermaids of Chenonceaux, An Anecdotal Guide to Europe, in case I ever get back there, I thought it might be fun to have. And Journey to the End of the World: A three-year adventure in the New Hebrides. I sheepishly admit that I did not even know where the New Hebrides were (let alone the old ones) before yesterday afternoon.
***********
I had a very strange dream last night featuring, of all people, my high school vice-principal. I was reading a book about a doctor during a plague epidemic, and he was interested in what I was reading. So am I, frankly. I wonder if it's a real book, and if so, how can I get my subconscious to conjure up the title?
5 comments:
I had some excellent, vivid, amazing dreams when I was pregnant. Maybe you should try and keep track of yours.
Doesn't the New Hebrides sort of sound like the name of a folk band?
Sorry to hear you're sick, but I need some book advice. I just finished Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux and now i'm debating my pile.
Do I read A Star Called Henry by Roddy Doyle; Men and Cartoons by Johnthan Letham (which is really too short to even consider) or An Unexpected Light, Travels in Afghanistan by Jason Elliot. What should I use to fill my time until Johnthan Safer Foer's Extreamly Loud and Incrediably Close" comes out? My pile seems to have wittled seriously in the last few weeks and I feel like I'm in need of fresh material.
I think I'm stuck in a reading swamp Val...Not sure where to go. Help me.
Marisa
Marisa - I will tell you that you should read David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas if you haven't. It's wonderful and quirky and complex. Best book of the year, if you ask me.
If you haven't read Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy which Gina just posted about (spoilers in post, so be careful : ))get The Golden Compass. It's a strange mix of theology, sci fi, and fantasy, and really unlike anything else I've read. David might enjoy it too, actually.
And along the Paul Theroux line - try some Bill Bryson. I particularly enjoyed his Walk in the Woods (about hiking the Appalachian trail) and In a Sunburned Country (about Australia).
I tried J.S. Foer's Everything is Illuminated and wanted so much to like it, but just couldn't get into it. Should I try again? Or try his new one? And An Unexpected Light looks great. After I read The Kite Runner I started reading everything I could get my hands on about Afghanistan. So it looks like a worthy addition to my small but growing Afghan book collection.
I found this odd, but JSF has a very nice essay in the new Real Simple, of all places.
And did you see the NYT profile on him from Sunday's paper? What a sweet guy! If I had a little brother, I'd want him to be just like JSF.
Post a Comment