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Sunday, November 18, 2012

reading list

A few years back I decided as i am not good are picking books to read, I would do something foolish and read all the pulizter prize winners for fiction.

I read these one

2003 Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides(Farrar)
2002 Empire Falls by Richard Russo(Alfred A. Knopf)
2001 The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon(Random House)
1984 Ironweed by William Kennedy(Viking)
1953 The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
 
and i really tried more than once to read
 
1918 His Family by Ernest Poole(Macmillan)
 
It was after reading these books that i decided, these books all have one thing in common, and this is dispair, where it is mostly economic as in Empire Falls ( I know the abandon kid is sad, but mostly I got that this was about the town and not about the kid)  or War (As in Amazing Adventures (side note, i actually liked this one, and red it first then thought I would read others), or wasted life, or lost love, or pride, i am not sure what iron weed was about other than some times the problems in our head are just that, i think, i don't really know, it was sad, and well sad.  These books didn't offer much in the way of that is a good story, i think i'll go exercise, or get a degree or something.
 
So a while back i came accross one of those internet meme things everyone does to make themselves feel smarter than everyone else, you know the bbc only thinks most people have read -3 of these books, but it actually seemed like a good list so here it is. Well not yet, I jsut finished Catch 22, that started slow but it ended in a Bang, that is a good book, for all that is wrong with the world, which it doesn't even sort of sugar coat, and as it is a war book lots of folks die, it has parts that literally made me laugh.  So if you're looking for a book that you where supposed to read in high school but instead just faked it while dreaming of having the courage to ask a girl out but coming up incredibly short of that, then I suggest Catch 22.
 
I was going to post the list then i thought that was incredibly long, and kinda annoying, so i skipped it, anyway, i really doubt it is really from the bbc, but it had a good mix of stuff and promted me to read catch 22.
 
For some reason in the last week 2 people have recommend the Girl with the dragon tattoo to me, but i am kinda leary, I have seen the swedish movie, and I heard that is pretty true to the story, which is a good thing, but it ruins it for a kinda thriller suspense novel, if you know the who done it bit before you read it.
 
As I currently have one person that comments, on this an I'll there assume one read, hi abby, I have taken some of your book remmends before, the short bus one,  although that was kind painful to read and really made me examine how I had treated other kids as kid.  Anyway,  I am currently seeking suggestions for books again.
 
 
 

2 comments:

Abby said...

OH... uh, HI!

I also passed on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It probably is a good book... for those who haven't seen the movie. Too late for me too.

Yeah, The Short Bus. Ouch. I'm currently reading about dyslexia. Double ouch.

As far as novels go, I've always liked Scott Turow. I'm reading a short one now called "Limitations", mainly because I figured I could finish it.

Abby said...

Oh, and "Born to Run" - you read that one yet?