It's been some time since my last Library Loot post but, for the most part, I was staying true to my resolution not to request or borrow any more books from the library. However, as you can see above, I broke my resolve a little.
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell is the book I am reading with one of my book groups next month and it's not one that interests me (non-fiction about success) but the point of book groups I think is to read things that you normally wouldn't choose for yourself.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a book that I could not resist any longer. So many bloggers have raved about this book, a friend posted on my facebook page that I had to read it, and I read somewhere that Collins was inspired by Shirley Jackon's "The Lottery", which I loved.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction last year and will contibute to my personal challenge of reading all of the winners. The library had it in stock so I thought "why not?"
Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner won the Man Booker in 1984 and I am also reading those. I was browsing online looking at books one day recently (as I do) and I read the opening pages of this via Amazon and I desperately wanted to read the remainder. However I had a friend visiting me this weekend who described it as "the most boring book" she had ever read.
Ideally I am intending to read one Pulitzer and one Man Booker winner a month and this month I have fulfilled one part of that goal. I am woefully behind in my reading - do you remember my overly ambitious summer reading list? I must make some extra time...
11 comments:
I'm glad you've got Hotel Du Lac. I nearly pulled it off the shelf to read last night when I realised I'd read the Fitzgerald I'd brought home. Will that be your next Booker?
I guess manageable reading targets is key - for me I am only planning to read one Virago book a week...
That's unfortunate about the Fizgerald, Verity! It will be my next Booker although I guess I've set myself up for having to read a Pulitzer first... I think Olive Kitteridge before Oscar Wao.
I concur as otherwise we would burn ourselves out. I think one of my problems though is that I have given myself way too many reading targets!
I feel like I could burn myself out very easily. I have been stockchecking in English literature, an aside from the Viragos that I'm swiping there are many other books I want to take home with me! I should have gone and done German literature instead, although even then I'd be at risk of wanting to borrow translations of Schlink.
I read enough books in translation without having the ability to read them in their native language - that's just way too many books!
Hotel du Lac is my book group's choice next month, so I'll be reading it very soon. I also have a copy of Oscar Woa here and it is nearing the top of my TBR pile.
The Hunger Games is one of my favourites of the year so far. I hope you enjoy it!
Great selection of books!
Thanks, Jackie.
I love that we are reading (or intending to read) a lot of the same novels but also reading things that are entirely different as it goes to show, in my opinion, how diverse our tastes are but also that we are making some really good reading choices.
I remember reading a few items/comments by you about The Hunger Games, which was one of the things that spurred me to read it.
Haven't read Outliers, but listened to both Blink and The Tipping Point. They were good (but not great)...book clubs are good at pulling us out of our usual routine.
I read Hotel du Lac last year, and really enjoyed it. I did start Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao earlier on this year, but just didn't get into it, so shelved it, 'til I was in the *mood* for something like that.
Plan to read Hunger Games soon as well.
Looks like you've got a great loot at the moment! Well worth breaking the resolve for. :)
JoAnn, that's good to know. A break from routine is always good.
Anothercookie, I think it was worth breaking the resolve for too.
I hope you're in the mood for Oscar Wao when you return to it.
I can't wait to hear your thoughts on Oscar Wao - one of my favourite reads from last year. I hope you have more luck with Hotel du Lac than I did. It was beautifully written and I wanted to love it, but I was unable to connected with it for some reason.
I am interested in finding out how my impressions of both novels will compare with yours, Ana.
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