Wednesday, October 26, 2011

on reading




how is it i've never read a jonathan franzen novel?  i picked up his book "the corrections" from the library yesterday.  it was the only one they had on the shelf.  it's a small town library and sometimes i feel frustrated with it's limited offerings.  have you read franzen?  do you like, and if so what's your favorite?  

i have always gravitated toward historical novels.  although, a foreign setting often boosts a contemporary book's appeal. perhaps i just like to read about people and places different from me.  

from what i've heard franzen books may strike uncomfortably close to home.  i was fascinated with a radio interview i heard of his recently.  
...
have any other book suggestions to share?
x
L

4 comments:

sheila said...

i love historical too, it's nice to be transported. i tend toward historical crime novels. when i read your post, i thought immediately of a book i bought years ago for myself and for my mother who loves historical as well, and we both really loved it - it was "Asta's Book" by Barbara Vine (american book title was "Anna's Book"). Barbara Vine is a pseudonym of Ruth Rendell - here's the link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asta's_Book

Also, i loved 'Mistress of the Art of Death' by Ariana Franklin which is about a woman in medieval England who can 'read bones', basically medieval forensics but a good story: http://www.arianafranklin.com/franklin-mistress.htm

i will have to check out franzen. i'm headed to our library today to pick up some books i've put on hold.

'tine said...

Liane- check out the works of Donna Jo Napoli. She's a young adult writer, but her books are wonderful. They usually center around a strong female character and/or offer a sometimes post-modern retelling of a fairy tale. I highly recommend Beast which is the Beauty and the Beast story told from the Beast's perspective. It contains some beautiful writing. Also recommended is Siren which is the little mermaid story. Very sad, but again, very beautiful. Disney these books ain't!

Pretty Neat Designs said...

I haven't read anything by Franzen yet, but I should change that. The last book I read that sucked me in from the beginning was The Solitude of Prime Numbers. It was like reading a documentary. Hard to describe, but the voice of the narrator was like a documentary voice over. I really enjoyed it.

ethanollie said...

i just finished 'delicate edible birds', a collection of short stories most of which are historical fiction. couldn't put it down.