WHAT I'VE BEEN READING 01
The pile of
books next to my bed is constantly growing but instead of having unfinished
stories by my side, I’d rather have a bookcase full of favourite literature to
pick whenever I feel I want to go back to that story. Adding more words to my
daily routine seems like the day will never be long enough. On the positive
side – there must be at least half an hour break between chores to get wrapped
around an exciting plot (and I don’t mean making a shopping list). I think I
can do it. So a couple of weeks back I tested my ability to concentrate on things
other than little garments and rainy weather. Here's the result.
Recommending Lolita is like promoting great aunt's pie - everyone knows it's good even though they've had too much of it already. On this occasion I read it in original half-guessing the words but I nearly know it by heart so it didn't really matter. One of my favourite novels, the kind of novel that stops you and forces you to take sides but in the midst of fantastic vocabulary and even more astonishing sequence of events, this is not easy thing to do. Nabokov told the BBC that Lolita was his special favourte. It was his most difficult book - the book that treated a theme which was so distant, so remote from his own emotional life that gave him a special pleasure to use his combinational talent and make it real. I'm definitely drawn to controversial material, the more distant the story, the deeper the connection? ☻☻☻☻☻
If you want to be introduced to original prose with a big bunch of unexpected and slightly terrifying decisions made in a daylight, Two Serious Ladies will not disappoint you. I reached for it thanks to a brief review claiming this novel being the only one written by Jane Bowles and becoming a classic. That's pretty impressive. I had to read it, as an aspiring writer myself I couldn't overlook another writer's first attempt that became a hit also named by Tennessee Williams as his favourite book. Simple language, rapid action, tropical destinations, interesting characters. Every novel needs help with somebody drifting to places off the beaten path and if there's two of them, the better. Playing it safe is absent from the pages. What's the worst that can happen from escaping a boring life? Multiplying encounters with (strange) people, getting swallowed up by forbidden world and finding new strength? I kind of think it's one of the coolest things to experience. Her women are not interested in bearable life, they pay close attention to their needs however crazy and condemn by the society decisions they make. They adapt well and are willing to try everything out - if there's a will, there is a way, right? 'I have gone to pieces, which is a thing I've wanted to do for years.' - a heroine declares. Summer read with a big dose of thinking to do. A definite thumbs up. ☻☻☻☺☺
If you want to be introduced to original prose with a big bunch of unexpected and slightly terrifying decisions made in a daylight, Two Serious Ladies will not disappoint you. I reached for it thanks to a brief review claiming this novel being the only one written by Jane Bowles and becoming a classic. That's pretty impressive. I had to read it, as an aspiring writer myself I couldn't overlook another writer's first attempt that became a hit also named by Tennessee Williams as his favourite book. Simple language, rapid action, tropical destinations, interesting characters. Every novel needs help with somebody drifting to places off the beaten path and if there's two of them, the better. Playing it safe is absent from the pages. What's the worst that can happen from escaping a boring life? Multiplying encounters with (strange) people, getting swallowed up by forbidden world and finding new strength? I kind of think it's one of the coolest things to experience. Her women are not interested in bearable life, they pay close attention to their needs however crazy and condemn by the society decisions they make. They adapt well and are willing to try everything out - if there's a will, there is a way, right? 'I have gone to pieces, which is a thing I've wanted to do for years.' - a heroine declares. Summer read with a big dose of thinking to do. A definite thumbs up. ☻☻☻☺☺
Coming up for Air is
not terrible but can be depressing at times. I loved its humorous parts, interesting associations, words I had to look up for better comprehension. It's definitely one of the deeper reads I talked about vaguely here but the retrospective part when the main character describes the place of his childhood - a village he remembers as a rural haven of peace and tranquility - won me over without a doubt. I'm a sucker for long descriptive paragraphs you have to read over and over to get the point and - God forbid if I'm interrupted mid-sentence as the page can last me hours on most days. Would I go back to this story? On a deserted island or stuck on the airport overnight, yes but some books are meant to be absorbed once. ☻☻☺☺☺
2 comments
I admire your love for written word. And thanks for being on top of what's worth reading!
ReplyDeleteDoing my best in soaking the greatest reads out there!
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