None of these are brand new. In fact, none of them were even purchased new. ALL of them were gotten "frugally," at GoodWill (the GoodWill on the South Portland/Scarborough line has a CRAZY good book section) or at used book stores or library sales. My financial investment is minimal, my emotional investment is significant.
So don't expect any hot-off-the-presses reviews, but I'll post about each one as I finish. It'll keep me on task. And it's good for me to write about literature. I used to do it well; maybe I can still muster up mediocre.
Book #1: Andre Dubus III's House of Sand and Fog. I've had this copy for some time, and I've NOT watched the film (because I also have a personal rule that I need to read the book FIRST). But when the film was in theatres, my parents saw it, and Dad remarked, "What a sad, sad movie." Very uncharacteristic for him to be emotional about a film.
At the end of House of Sand and Fog I'll let you know if I'm drenched in tears. It could happen.
I want to play! What a cool idea! How did you select the books to tackle? Are they "oh, I really should read that someday" selections? Are they largely from The Canon? All fiction? I wish I could figure out a way to get paid to stay home and read... can we make that happen? Anywho, good luck and I can't wait to hear how it's going!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jessica! Ooh yes, read along with me! ;-)
ReplyDeleteLargely because of your inquiry, I've posted a list of the books here: http://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2011/11/for-inquiring-mind.html
So, some are the Canon, many are contemporary winners of Booker Prize, National Book Award, Pulitzer Prize, Nobel Prize for Literature, etc. Some of them are just books I think might be interesting! If there's something on the list you haven't read yet, feel free to suggest it as the next "assignment" and we can share our thoughts together!