Below are the first lines of the books I
finished reading in March. Seven books
in one month is a lot for me. I had some sleepless
nights and a visit to the Old Folks’
Home at the beginning of the month.
Book 1
1: español/Spanish language
I am learning to speak.
To
give myself a way out. A way in.
Book 2
In May of 1945, only a few weeks after the
fighting had ended in Europe, I was rotated back to the States, where I spent
the remainder of the war with a training company at Camp Crowder, Missouri.
Book 3
When people ask me what I do—taxi drivers,
dental hygienists—I tell them I work in an office.
Book 4
Chapter One: Owl Post
Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy in many
ways. For one thing, he hated the summer holidays more than any other time of
year.
Book 5
A country road. A
tree. Evening. Estragon, sitting on a low mound, is trying
to take off his boot. He pulls at it
with both hands, panting. He gives up,
exhausted, rests, tries again. As
before.
Enter Vladimir.
Estragon:
(giving up again). Nothing to be done.
Book 6
Chapter One: A Doctrine of Anger and Fear
On the day fascists first altered the
direction of my life, I had barely mastered the art of walking. The date was March 15, 1939.
Book 7
Tsuris ahead. That’s what Morris Feldstein, a
man who spent his entire life avoiding anxiety, danger, or tsuris, thought as
he sat in his dining room.
The titles and authors revealed:
Book 1
Piecing Me Together by Renee
Watson, © 2017.
A Young Adult novel by African American
author. I really enjoyed this book. The main character here is quite different
from the character in the YA novel I read in February. This book plainly portrays
some of the challenges facing all teens, and some particular challenges facing
African American teens. It also introduced
to me artists who use the medium of collage.
Book 2
Defender of the Faith, by Philip
Roth. A short story published in The New
Yorker Magazine in the March 14, 1959 issue.
I read it for book club. The narrator is Sergeant Nathan Marx – not the usual
“Philip Roth” narrator that I have come to expect from a Philip Roth novel.
Book 3
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman, © 2017.
An engaging novel about a young woman who has
suffered a lot and has to figure out how to heal her soul. The book includes the drinking of tea, which
automatically makes me more prone to like it.
It takes place in Scotland, although not much is made of the
setting. We will discuss this at book
club in a few months.
Book 4
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling, © 1999.
It is so comforting to re-read these books,
with the familiar characters and plot.
Book 5
Fascism: A Warning, by
Madeline Albright, with Bill Woodward. © 2018.
I think the dedication of this book is
meaningful:
To the victims of Fascism
Then and now
And to all who fight Fascism
In others
And in themselves.
Book 6
Waiting for Godot, by Samuel
Beckett. A play. First performance: 1953.
This is a play in which nothing happens. I think it is famous for that, as a premier
example of the Theater of the Absurd. Is
it true that there is “Nothing to be done,” as the characters state so
frequently? Younger Daughter and I read most of it out loud, and I finished the
rest on my own.
Book 7
The Global War on Morris, by Steve
Israel. © 2014.
A very funny book by a (then) seated U.S.
Congressman. The story takes place mostly
during the George W. Bush administration, with Cheney and Rove featured, as
well as cameras and spy computers gone amok. I learned a new Yiddish word from this book - Gottenyu, which most likely means "OMG".
2 comments:
Wait--Albright wrote a book? HOW DID I MISS THIS??? She's a rock star. I must get it.
Elinor Oliphant was a joy to read. The wedding reception scene where she's dancing the YMCA made me weepy and giggly at the same time. Brilliant writing.
You read a real range this month.
This is one of my favorite features you share with us. I confess to not reading much, including blogs, over the past month. Thank you for giving me some reading sughestiosu!
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