I’ve always been a big reader and no matter how busy I am I usually manage to read every day, usually before bed. I love checking out what other people have been reading too, and have a long list stuck to my bedroom wall where I’m constantly adding new titles to track down.
Here are some of the books I’ve read in the last month or so, and I’ve popped a link up the top of my homepage where I’ll add to the list as I finish each book.
August/September 2009
Currently reading: Look Me In The Eye: My Life With Asperger’s – John Elder Robison I’m halfway through this at the moment, and it’s fascinating.
Ariel – Sylvia Plath I studied the poetry of Sylvia Plath at high school and have always been intrigued by her work. I bought my copy of Ariel when I was in Cambridge earlier this year, and I dip in and dip out of it, re-reading my favourites and discovering new poems to savour.
My Friend Leonard – James Frey Who cares if it’s not technically a ‘memoir’? The sequel to ‘A Million Little Pieces’ continues where it left off, as James attempts to rebuild his life after a stint in rehab. Great storytelling and a distinctive writing style.
Cannily, Cannily – Simon French I’ve been looking for a copy of this book for ages and finally stumbled across one in a secondhand bookshop last weekend. This story of a 10 year old boy trying to fit into a new town by joining the local footy team was one of my favourites when I was a kid. Trevor and his parents move from town to town chasing seasonal work and Trevor does his best to adapt to the every new situation, but still dreams of a time when they’ll be able to settle down properly.
Mystic River – Dennis Lehane I’ve never been game to watch the film version of this – I always thought it looked too creepy for my delicate sensibilities. For some reason I cope a lot better with scary/creepy/weird stuff in books than I do in films and now that I’ve read the book I reckon I’ll be ok watching the film.
Starter For Ten – David Nicholls My sister bought me this for my birthday and it was hilarious. It reminded me a lot of the Adrian Mole books, another favourite series from my childhood, in that the protaganist had a very high opinion of himself and failed to realise that his so-called friends and acquaintances spent most of their time laughing at him. A great read.
What are you reading at the moment?
Do You Like To Read? – Strand Of Oaks
Readers and Writers – Idlewild
We Are All Accelarated Readers – Los Campesinos
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September 7, 2009 at 9:39 am
mjrc
i just started “home” by marilynne robinson. i’ve read two others by her, “gilead” and “housekeeping,” both of which were very good.
about mystic river, i did watch the film, and although technically it was very well done, well acted and all that, in the end there wasn’t one redemptive thing about it. i have to say that if you’re going to be put through all that horror in a story, there should at least be a little bit of hope at the end, but by god i didn’t find any!
September 7, 2009 at 5:10 pm
itallstarted
Haven’t heard of Marilynne Robinson Marcy, so I googled her and her books seem to be held in high regard, going by all the prizes she’s won! Thanks for the tip, I’ll add her to my list.
And regarding Mystic River, from what I’ve read about the film, it seems to follow the book quite closely and you’re right, there’s not a lot of redemption there. You could kinda see what was going to happen though couldn’t you – you knew Dave was going to get punished regardless of whether or not he was responsible for Katie’s death and the events unfolded without anyone being able to prevent them. Quite sad really.
September 8, 2009 at 6:31 am
mjrc
well i hope you like her.
i could also recommend barbara kingsolver (the poisonwood bible is my favorite) and jhumpa lahiri (the namesake).
i guess stories like mystic river work best when you really care about the characters, so that even if nothing hopeful/redemptive happens, you’re still concerned about them somehow. i don’t think there was one person in that movie that i gave a crap about, so that didn’t really help the situation!
September 8, 2009 at 11:05 pm
A Free Man
Right now I’m reading “The Abstinence Teacher” a novel by Tom Perotta. Light and funny, about all I can cope with right this second. I finished “The Corrections” by Jonathan Franzen not long ago and that was fantastic.
“Starter for Ten” is a great read!
September 9, 2009 at 8:10 am
itallstarted
Excellent Marcy, keep those recommendations coming!
And you’re right about Mystic River, caring about the characters helps. I couldn’t help feeling sorry for Dave, and books often do a better job of making you feel that way than films do I reckon, probably because authors can give you a better look inside a character’s head than films can.
AFM – I shall add yours to my list also, thank you! And yes, Starter For Ten was hilarious. I even laughed out loud at times, was lots of fun.