Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Books to Read

I've been reading books off my own shelves- Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin, Seth's An Equal Music, because I don't want to buy anything before Christmas and I have a list all prepared for Panama City.

Blind Assassin was the first Atwood I've read in well over ten years- I've been saying I don't like her- she requires too much from the reader.  I still think so, but in a different way.  BA had some far-out, almost science fiction stuff- which I skipped but the basic story of the two sisters, Lily and Laura, was fascinating, and I enjoyed the way MA dropped a little hint now and then as to what was actually unfolding amidst all those pronouns- who is "she" and who is "he"? She also writes with a good sense of humor- I loved the way their housekeeper uses platitudes almost incessantly in her speech.

Shirley has loaned me Lady Oracle" so I'll read that in the spring when I am recovering from my feast of reading from PCB library.

Sandra loaned me Colleen McCullough's A Creed For the Third Millenium", but it's just not my thing.  Again it takes place in the future, and it's just too bleak a landscape for me!

An Equal Music is a book I've had for a few years, and tried to read but couldn't get into.  We'll see how it goes this time.

I've read six out of eight stories by Alice Munro - they're all right, but I'm just not a short story person.  I like to really get into a book, savour it, become part of it.  Short stories are too brief and minimal for me, although I very much admire the craft of the writer.

No comments: