Thursday, September 15, 2011

A list

Of books I've read this summer.  In part, this is a place marker for future reading endeavors.
--Iris Murdoch, Jackson's Dilemma: I really wanted to like this one, but it felt like a bit of a slog.  Too much preoccupation with trivialities.
--Aimee Bender, An Invisible Sign of My Own.  Nice, light reading for summer.  I liked the style but no ideas shook me to my core.
--Edward Abbey, Beyond the Wall. Inspiring.  Made me want to live with greater purpose and freedom.
--John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley and East of Eden. The first is a re-read; always love it and this time it was particularly impactful.  Also loved East of Eden--lengthy story that made me care about the characters, wish I could be like them, and think about new things.
--Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey.  Also a re-read--much lighter and more silly of a book this time around.
--Shelley Jackson, Half Life.  Completely enjoyable, enviable writing style.
--John Connolly, The Book of Lost Things.  Kinda boring, really fluffy, but good for laying by the pool.
--Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin.  Re-read (pattern here--less re-reads and more new things for future).  Always good.
From Life