If I had to sum up Yann Martel’s new novel in one word, it would be “grim,” which is not to deter readers but to prepare them. In scope, if not in length, Beatrice and Virgil rivals Martel’s previous novel, Life of Pi, with its necessary and answerless questions and its cast of bizarre characters.
Henry [...]
After weeks of remodeling and painting, my muscles needed a break. So even though I have lots of work to do on the house, I gratefully have spent evenings over the last week or so catching up on all the reading I set aside when we moved in. Right before the move, I had re-read A Wrinkle in Time and resolved to read, for the first time, the remaining four titles in that series. Having done so now, I think I’m still partial to the first one, but all are that fun and characteristically L’Engle combination of easy reading yet thought provoking. I’m looking forward to introducing my oldest niece to these soon.
Also at the time of the move, I was about halfway through C. S. Lewis’ The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature (I read a great review of it at a blog inspired by the book) and am back to that now. It was his last book and the one that perhaps captures him in his most natural habitat as a classics prof, and it’s one of those books I read with a full packet of post-it tabs for marking excellent points or quotes I want to remember.
Thanks to my sister, who’s a fellow Maisie Dobbs fan, I also got to catch up on that series with the latest, Among the Mad. This is a consistently interesting series, I have to say. I was excited to learn that a new one, The Mapping of Love and Death, is due out in April.
And now I finally have my TBR stack unpacked and organized again, so as soon as I finish Lewis, I’ll be reaching for one of these — which one, I haven’t yet decided.
What are you currently reading?
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February 2nd, 2010 at 8:58 pm
Just finished A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True (see review on my blog). Highly recommended. Now reading Wise Blood, novella by Flannery O’Connor.
February 3rd, 2010 at 8:29 pm
I love the “Wrinkle in Time” series. Madeleine L’Engle is one of my favorite authors. Right now I’m reading “American Wife,” by Curtis Sittenfeld; “The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food Is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It,” by Robyn O’Brien; and “Like Skills for Kids,” by Christine M. Field.
February 4th, 2010 at 2:47 pm
I also love A Wrinkle in Time and just finished reading one of L’Engle’s Crosswicks Journal. Currently I’m reading The Secret Life of Sukharov which I think you recommended here on your blog.
February 5th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
Mark, Flannery is always a winner in my book! We watched Huston’s Wise Blood film last summer and discovered that the DVD has an extra track of Flannery speaking at at event — only known recording of her.
Marci, have been seeing the Sittenfeld title around a lot lately but haven’t picked it up yet. Let me know if it’s good.
Deb, I’ve read a few of the Crosswicks books; eventually plan to read all her stuff. And yes, I blogged about Sukhanov at least a year ago — quite an intriguing book — do let me know what you think when you’re finished!