Thursday, February 6, 2014

Winter Reading

I'm not a reader and aside from a short fling with R. L. Stine's popular Goosebumps series of the early '90s, I never have been. Then I did so much reading in undergrad and grad school (all academic publications: journal article after journal article) I think I decided that once I was finally done school, I was done with reading. Pretty bad attitude, I know, but there you have it.

For the first few years after grad school I held true. I didn't even think about it, really. Reading just wasn't part of my life. I did read a book recommended by a friend here and there, but I wasn't reading more than one or two books per year. And that would have been a "good" year.

2013 was different for a reason I still haven't put my finger on. I started reading again. I spent beautiful summer afternoons lying in our burgundy hammock gently rocked by a breeze under the shade of a towering pine tree canopy, book in hand. I loved it.

Last summer I read Damien Echols's Life After Death, J.K. Rowling's two adult fiction books, and Wil Wheaton's Just a Geek. I know it doesn't sound like much, but for me it was.

Then fall arrived early with its chilly anti-hammock breezes and my reading stopped.

But I'm back! I just finished Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl which was my second book of the year. I'm not well read enough to be able to offer a review that anyone would find interesting let alone useful so I won't even try.

I'm reminded of an exchange in the book: "'Yeah, right. Something Wicked This Way Comes,' Greta says. 'It's good.' She chirps the last bit as if that were all to say about a book: It's good or it's bad. I liked it or I didn't. No discussions of the writing, the themes, the nuances, the structure. Just good or bad. Like a hot dog."

Yup. Don't worry, Greta. That's my level too.

So my reading so far for 2014 has been:
1. Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold: I loved it. Now one of my favourite books.
2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: I really hated that I really liked it. Does that make sense? I need to find copies of her two other books, just to see what I really think. It was weird to find out today that they're turning this book into a movie with Ben Affleck. Then again, maybe I should have seen that one coming.

Next on the list is Donna Tartt's The Secret History. Eiko, that one's because of you.

  


4 comments:

  1. Hurray! I'm curious to know what you think..I've lost all objectivity about it because I'm so addicted to it. Seriously, I have a problem. You might like her third book too - I have a copy you can borrow.

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    1. So far so good! I'll definitely let you know once I'm done... Thanks for the reco. Do you mean The Goldfinch? Interesting she seems to release a book per decade.

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  2. I am so glad that reading is worming its way back into your life! It's never too late to fall in love with books!

    I read Flynn's first novel a while back (Sharp Objects) and reviewed it on S&TI! if you're curious. It was dark and creepy, which you might like (R.L. Stine! I am right there with you!), but I don't think it was as clever as Gone Girl. Or maybe it wasn't as gimmicky? Not a bad read, but I can't say I'm surprised that it's GG that has catapulted her into the spotlight.

    I'll be curious to see what you think about The Secret History. I am not 100% convinced it will be your kind of book—it's very dense and the writing can be, I think, overwrought. I also reviewed that one on S&TI! if you're interested!

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    1. I read your review of Sharp Objects and am intrigued. It's funny how you opened that one, "Are you a seasonal reader?" Perfect.

      I'm only a few pages into The Secret History so far, but I'm enjoying it. I tried to find your review, but a search turned up nothing and it doesn't look like it's listed in your "Books Reviewed" section unless I missed it?

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