Book Talk

Dear Readers, 

I have been reading.... a lot. In fact, I can't even remember all that I have read. I will, however, try. I will be honest with you, this list makes be very happy and makes me feel both smart and accomplished. Yay for reading classics. Without further ado, the good, the bad, and the stuff I couldn't finish, in no particular order.

Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Outside of its sensational title, what drew me to this book was the many positive things I heard about the author. It is a small book, a quick read, and very enjoyable. The subject is scandalous in that it is about an ninety year old man who hires a virgin fourteen year old prostitute. However, he only ever sleeps next to her most of the book. He falls in love with her sleeping form and builds a fantasy around who he thinks she is. He comes to life after almost a century of life and it is a lovely process to witness. I will read more of his books. Up next is a Hundred Years of Solitude.

Fried Green Tomatoes At the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

The movie adaptation of this book is one of my mom's favorites. She is the queen of romantic comedy and I have watched more than my fair share of them. I really love the characters in this book. Idgie is as amazing as she is flawed. I always felt like there was more going on with the main characters and I was right. Idgie and Ruth's relationship is made very clear in the book. I was also struck by how well cast the movie was. I enjoyed the book and felt immersed in the community of characters in a way the movie didn't capture.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Dickens was my challenge to myself. To read something that was not just escapist, light and fluffy if you will. I was struck by the masterful way Dickens uses language. He never needs to tell you someone is vicious, selfish, or kind, he merely describes their behaviors and illustrates for you the their character in away a list of adjectives never could. It lagged in the middle, but the end of this book is one of the most powerful things I have ever read and the last lines left me with tingles.

Mrs. Dalloway  by Virgina Woolf

This is one of my favorite books of all time. It is an example of how words can be written into art. It is a stream of consciousness that transverses space, time, and characters. I love seeing one person from all angles, and through all the eyes around her seeing the whole person. 

To the Lighthouse By Virgina Woolf

I followed up Mrs. Dalloway with To the Lighthouse. It just reaffirmed my love of Woolf. It was a mildly unpleasant experience to realize I shared some traits with one of least liked characters. There is a point in the book where the author shifts focus from the characters to the house in order to express the passage of time. It is one my favorite chapters in literature. 

Mastiff by Tamora Pierce 

I will and have read everything that Tamora Pierce writes. This is the last book in this particular story line. Beka is guard and a distant ancestor to Gorge Cooper, a pivotal character in earlier stories. It has rough themes, but still leaves you filling happy and fulfilled at the end.

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker

If you recognize the cover of this book it may be because it was on my "currently reading" ages ago. The story was interesting, the end was good, and the story was laced with unexplained magic. I feel as though the author used her power with words for evil. What I mean to say is that everyday things and interactions were described in a way that invoked an implicit corruption in everything. Its a take on human nature that I don't particularly care for. However, the author's prowess with words cannot be denied.

Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan 

I adore Carl Sagan. While reading this book I could hear his voice in my head. He had a love of science that his writing is infused with and that he was forever trying to share.The book itself is a series of hypothesis on evolution. It is an exercise in inquisitiveness and prediction. The range of sources that Sagan taps into from myth, to psychology, to physics, was impressive. It invoked in me a sense of wonder at our beautiful world. 

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy

It is set in England during the French Revolution, and centered around a french woman married to a Englishman she despises. She is drawn into a web of intrigue centered around the mysterious Scarlet Pimpernel, an Englishman who is saving french aristocrats from the edge of the guillotine's blade. The story is exciting and daring. My one criticism is that the main character is described as the wittiest woman in France, and she was never given the opportunity to be clever. She was brave, loyal, and strong, but it was the Scarlet Pimpernel that embody cleverness.

Wuthering Heights By Emily Bronte 

I really really wanted to like this book. I made my way through the beginning and gave up. I asked my friends if it was worth pushing my way through and everyone concurred that it wasn't worth it. If anyone has a different take please let me know, maybe I will give it another shot. 

Book of Enchantments by Patricia C. Wrede 

Finished just moments ago. Again one of my favorite authors. She is tongue-in-cheek and created one of my favorite characters and places in fantasy. This is a collection of stories, some of them original, some of them retelling of classic fairy tales. My favorite ones were set in enchanted forest.