Back in September, I made a list of books to read and said I was going to finish ten by the end of the year. Well, I've done it! I read a book.You read that right, one.
Well this is the level of patheticalness that I have reached. At least I've read one, I suppose.
It was Lorrie Moore's new long-awaited novel A Gate at the Stairs. I love Lorrie Moore's short stories; she is one of the most brilliant people writing short stories today. Novel, not so much. It was good. It was much more well written than some of the books on my list are going to be, but I wasn't grabbed by it. About 2/3 of the way through the book--which up until then is about a sort of bland Midwestern college girl--things happen. And they're surprising but they can't carry the hundreds of pages that came before. I am reserving full judgment, however. When I first read Margaret Atwood's Cat's Eye, I hated it. I think that coming-of-age novels have to grow on me. This one may yet.
11 comments:
Well, one book is better than none!
I have read 62 (yes 62) books so far this year. I read more in the summer months as I love to sit in the sunshine with a good book. But I agree with 'mainely stitching' - one is book is better than none. My latest book is The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown which, I am told, predicts that the world will end in December 2012. Now I am wondering if it will be before or after my birthday!
I hate to admit how little I've actually read but, I've listened to a ton of books on cd. Love listening on the way to and from work and sometimes, while I'm stitching.
Oh, so sorry. I can't imagine a day going by without reading. I guess I read very fast, especially when I am reading a series of books. Just finished all the Dana Stabenow books about a a private detective in Alaska. I love books that have great settings (or at least authors who can write about them in such a way that makes them feel like you are there.)
Better not say I've read 142 books this year. Nope. Won't do it...
One of my tutors keeps saying I'll like Lorrie Moore, but I haven't got round to reading anything from her yet. Perhaps I'll go dig Anagrams out from Mount To-Be-Read...
Thanks for the reply, Anna - yes, much of my reading has been for Uni, it kind of takes some of the fun out of it, I'm pretty envious of those who can do projects like this - could you tell? ;o)
I just wrote The Gate of Stairs on my to-read list after I read a short review in Parade magazine (of all places). Maybe I'll try to get the CD to listen to it. I'm working my way through Joanne Harris' The Girl with No Shadow for my book discussion group at the library. I only joined this fall because I had already read 3 of the 5 books.
Yeah, I'm right there with you. My reading has significantly slowed down after I signed up for that. Coincidence?
I am a voracious reader and life wouldn't be worth living without my weekly visit to the library. I don't keep count of the number read in a year but last weeks tally at the library issue desk was 10 books and I'm finished with those. Thanks heaps to the teacher in Primary School who taught me to speed read.
Best wishes for the parents house.
I collect short story anthologies as a way of finding new authors I might like to read, but I have found that some short story writers should stick to stories, not novels. I do enjoy Lorrie Moore's short stories though.
Like Terri, I've been listening more than reading lately. And Carol ... 62 books? I don't think I can sit still that much.
I liked numbers 2 and 7 on your list, but those are the only ones on your list that I've read.
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