Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
I recently purchased this one, having loved The Virgin Suicides when I read it aged 16. Side-tracked by an impatient re-read, I pushed Middlesex into the background for a while. Having returned to Middlesex, I have to say I miss his misty, nostalgic and vibrant prose: That sense of adolescent awe trapped in a perfume bottle and saved for decades. However, one has to commend Eugenides on his constant journey of self-improvement, as he discusses in this interview for the New York Times. It's my first Pulitzer-winner and I'm sure it will not fail to impress. I'm about a fifth of the way through and while I wasn't too enamoured with it at the beginning, it's growing on me more with every page.
Infinite Jest
I get the sense that Infinite Summer is going to be hard on the eyes and the arms. Its appearance is more like a manual with a friendly cover than a novel. You can read more about this and the Infinite Summer project in my previous blog post.
My Mistress's Sparrow is Dead: Great Love Stories from Chekov to Munro edited by Jeffrey Eugenides
A great chasm of knowledge appears when I attempt to discuss books and someone brings up all but a few books published prior to, say, 1990. I know, it's terrible. While I have read a few of the "important classics" (Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Picture of Dorian Grey, and The Great Gatsby, to name a few); I am more than a little bit embarrassed. So when I read about My Mistress's Sparrow from one of my favourite bloggers, Laura over at 52 Books I knew it was the book for me. That old rule that one never judge a book by its cover was made to be broken. If the contents of this book are anything like as beautiful as its cover art, I will fall deeply and appropriately in love with it.
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
I may have mentioned this previously, but there is something about stuffy upper-class prose of the early/mid-20th century that I absolutely adore. The Bell Jar, Franny & Zooey, The Great Gatsby, The Picture of Dorian Grey, all of it! It completely inexplicable, and I don't seek it out too often. I have a feeling that eventually it would wear me out, but in small doses it's simply amazing. I've been meaning to read Brideshead Revisited for the longest time, and when I finally found it for a good price I snatched it up. While it seems to continue to be pushed down my to-read list, it will get there eventually. I can't wait!
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
Another Pulitzer prize-winner, another recommendation from 52 Books (isn't it great when you find a fellow reader who's on the same wavelength, despite living 3000 miles apart and having next-to-no contact at all?!) While I know that it has something to do with comic books, I'm going into this one completely partially-sighted. Sometimes it's the only way!
What are you planning on reading? What books are you dying to read that you can't seem to get around to?
5 comments:
Cued up behind Infinite Jest is a first addition H.P. Lovecraft collection of stories I found at a used book store for 50 cents! I'll be getting my Cthulhu on in time for the beginning of classes in the fall!
That sounds pretty sweet! I'm useless at used book stores, I never know where to look and end up getting wound up. In regular ones though... can't stop me!
That sounds pretty sweet! I'm useless at used book stores, I never know where to look and end up getting wound up. In regular ones though... can't stop me!
I've just recently gotten into Harry Potter (Susie Comelately, I know). I can't wait to catch up so I can watch the latest movie!
I love that photo! Very true. And good list. I still need to read Middlesex. The Virgin Suicides is one of my favorites.
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