December 9, 2007
So without further ado…here goes!
I have quite a stack of books to be read in December. My goal is to hit 100 books for the year, and to do this I need to knock off 11 more books this month. Quite a feat – and a stretch in a month when my attention is diverted by Christmas shopping, baking and decorating.
Yesterday I started reading The Emperor’s Children, by Claire Messud. I’m almost 100 pages into this character driven book set in New York. Messud has an interesting style – one which has taken some getting used to, but am enjoying the further I get into the story. None of the characters is terribly likable – in fact they all derive from the privileged classes and are far too concerned with their angst and notoriety. In one memorable passage, the father of Marina (who is himself a bit of a snob) recognizes he and his wife’s failure in raising a daughter:
Despite their annoying traits, I find myself wanting to know what the characters will do next. I would like to get to the halfway point of the novel before the end of the day.
The next book up on my to read list will most likely be one of these:
Disgrace, by J.M. Coetzee
The Night Watch, by Sarah Waters
The Outlander, by Gil Adamson (an early review book from Ecco Harper Collins)
Have you read any of these books? Any reactions to them?
Earlier this week, I finished Fatal Voyage, by Kathy Reichs (read my review). Every now and then, I love sinking into one of these forensic crime novels…and Reichs is at the top of her game. I’ve read a few of her other books and found them all to be riveting.
I finished A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini (read my review) yesterday amid tears and an ache in the middle of my chest. I felt like I needed to go for a long walk and then read something trivial after the intensity of that book…it’s one which will stick with me a long time, I think.
= Excellent
= Good/Very Good
= Okay read
= Not recommended
= Ugh! Don't waste your time.
Oh, this sounds interesting! I’ve subscribed to the feed because I know I will enjoy reading these posts. Over the next few weeks I might just get motivated to subscribe! There you go, getting me all sucked in again …
LOL, Laura…something told me I would tempt you with this cool idea
It seems like a fun thing to set aside and do each Sunday…and will motivate me to spend some extra time reading, as well (I hope!)
Hi there! Amber here. Stopping by from Sunday Salon to say welcome. The Emperor’s Children looks very intriguing! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it (I may just have to add it to my own TBR pile *grin*)
I hope you have enjoyed your Sunday so far.
Happy reading.
Yay! Welcome to Sunday Salon, CM. I’ve read “Disgrace” and consider it to be exceptional so I hope you take to it. I have the Waters but I haven’t got around to it yet.
The Messud novel is one that gets talked about a lot but I still can never manage to pick it up.
Imani and Amber: Thanks for the welcome! The Messud book is oddly captivating. It is not usually the type of book I really like, but I can’t seem to put it down
Yes, you should definitely read Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee, which is an excellent book. It’s a book I will read again, even though it isn’t what I would call a pleasant book.
Thanks for the recommendation, Bonnie. I am leaning towards starting that one next (I finished The Emperor’s Children last night!)