Books, Books, Books - Update
Well, I finished The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy a couple of months ago. I still think that die7fox should tear into it ASAP. And, I think that a few other peeps on my list would likely dig it, such as the_hedonist, kriserin, physusdragon, minofsin06, grooviegirl, and possibly highlandwolf. It IS very heave, very dark, literary fiction. And, I think it would actually take me another go at it to really get at the most important themes of McCarthy's fiction, but it is definitely worth a crack for fans of literary fiction. And, mystryloca, may want to have her husband, the screenwriter take a look at it. I heard recently that the Coen brothers are adapting McCarthy's latest novel, No Country For Old Men, released just a few months ago, into a film. Interesting. That book got mixed reviews, but i will probably pick it up at some point. die7fox should really check out that one too. He would probably like it a lot.
I also finished Even Cowgirls Get The Blues by Tom Robbins, a much more light-hearted shot at literary fiction. Robbins can get a bit on the preachy side sometimes, at least in this book. Sometimes, I just wanted him to be a bit more like McCarthy and get at his ideas with actual literary devices, instead of long-winded philosophical discussions between a self-portrait character of the author and his main protagonist. But, I did again, find his ideas challenging, interesting and sometimes quite illuminating. Lovely, really.
Now, I am back to reading some other less heavy works: I am reading a bit of fantasy fiction by Jacqueline Carey again. I WILL admit, Carey is one of my few fiction/literary guilty pleasures. She is to books/fiction what Justin Timberlake's Justified, most Bee Gee's music and almost any E.L.O is to music for me (Yes, I admit it, I loved that Justin Timberlake album). She is not half bad, and actually for a writer who has a way of really engaging her reader, good with Character defincition, and writing something that can be read very, very quickly, she brings up some interesting questions, ideas and themes. Me loves the Carey.
Anyway, Carey wrote a new series of 2 books in the past 2 years. The first was called Banewreaker and the 2nd is named Godslayer. I have read the 1st part and I am beginning the second. While these books are no where near as engaging as the Kushiel's series was, and clearly, Carey is MUCH better creating a dynamic, sympathetic, 3-dimensional heroine than she is a hero, so far it is not a bad story. My other gripe: the Kushiel's series was so challenging to our traditional concepts of what IS and what should be in our Culture (Western Civ, in general). This series is NOT that way. Again, not bad reading, or a bad story to pass the time, but do not think to compare this stuff to the Kushiel's series: one will be sorely dissapointed.
I also just started a book (a couple of days ago) called The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, a Brazilian man. This story is a short fable. I am half-way through the book by now. Interesting so far. It is a fable, so it is very simplistic. But, I think that certain people on this list would really, really dig this book. Especially: grooviegirl, mystryloca, kriserin, minofsin06, the_hedonist, mynextstep, janezanaddict and highlandwolf. Check it out if you get the chance, you might really find something useful there. Take a look, if ye' gets the chance.
I have the following books in my queue to be read:
(From the Library)
New Books that I OWN (in my personal Library):
So, I keep asking myself the question: why did I ever abandon my love for fiction/literature as being the area where I do my work. I keep coming back to just one answer: money. I have a few great passions in life and literary fiction/literature is near/at the top of that list. But, I never felt I could find a way to make a decent living, reading, talking about, writing about great literature. So, I abandoned that path. Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps the past 10 years of my life have been one big, long detour. I could have gotten certified to teach Secondary Ed. at Geneseo, and become a high school English teacher. I could have gone on for my Master's in English Lit. or even my Ph.D. I didn't. I realized my senior year that I did not want to just WRITE all the time. And, in the succeeding 10 years, I have realized that some things fade, and i can find a way (usually) to make money, but what I LOVE is books and the ideas in them. That is a truth I have not wanted to admit to myself: a scholar's life, the search for truth and the desire to pass on such knowledge/wisdom, this what I have always been interested in, even as far back as high school.
Ideas, knowledge, wisdom, Truth. I have sought them. Is that my path? What is my path? I do feel very, very lost in this world, lately. What is is that I MOST want to do in this world (well, besides that...no naughty jokes, here, peeps)? What is it that I have been put on this earth TO DO? What purpose could I have? What am I really here to contribute? And, what gift do I have to give?
Yeah, those are the questions I have been struggling with.
I also finished Even Cowgirls Get The Blues by Tom Robbins, a much more light-hearted shot at literary fiction. Robbins can get a bit on the preachy side sometimes, at least in this book. Sometimes, I just wanted him to be a bit more like McCarthy and get at his ideas with actual literary devices, instead of long-winded philosophical discussions between a self-portrait character of the author and his main protagonist. But, I did again, find his ideas challenging, interesting and sometimes quite illuminating. Lovely, really.
Now, I am back to reading some other less heavy works: I am reading a bit of fantasy fiction by Jacqueline Carey again. I WILL admit, Carey is one of my few fiction/literary guilty pleasures. She is to books/fiction what Justin Timberlake's Justified, most Bee Gee's music and almost any E.L.O is to music for me (Yes, I admit it, I loved that Justin Timberlake album). She is not half bad, and actually for a writer who has a way of really engaging her reader, good with Character defincition, and writing something that can be read very, very quickly, she brings up some interesting questions, ideas and themes. Me loves the Carey.
Anyway, Carey wrote a new series of 2 books in the past 2 years. The first was called Banewreaker and the 2nd is named Godslayer. I have read the 1st part and I am beginning the second. While these books are no where near as engaging as the Kushiel's series was, and clearly, Carey is MUCH better creating a dynamic, sympathetic, 3-dimensional heroine than she is a hero, so far it is not a bad story. My other gripe: the Kushiel's series was so challenging to our traditional concepts of what IS and what should be in our Culture (Western Civ, in general). This series is NOT that way. Again, not bad reading, or a bad story to pass the time, but do not think to compare this stuff to the Kushiel's series: one will be sorely dissapointed.
I also just started a book (a couple of days ago) called The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, a Brazilian man. This story is a short fable. I am half-way through the book by now. Interesting so far. It is a fable, so it is very simplistic. But, I think that certain people on this list would really, really dig this book. Especially: grooviegirl, mystryloca, kriserin, minofsin06, the_hedonist, mynextstep, janezanaddict and highlandwolf. Check it out if you get the chance, you might really find something useful there. Take a look, if ye' gets the chance.
I have the following books in my queue to be read:
(From the Library)
- Cities Of The Plain - Cormac McCarthy (the final book in the Border Trilogy)
New Books that I OWN (in my personal Library):
- American Pastoral - Philip Roth
- The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
- One Hundred Years Of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- Stranger In A Strange Land - Heinlein (I read this when I was 16 years old, but not since)
So, I keep asking myself the question: why did I ever abandon my love for fiction/literature as being the area where I do my work. I keep coming back to just one answer: money. I have a few great passions in life and literary fiction/literature is near/at the top of that list. But, I never felt I could find a way to make a decent living, reading, talking about, writing about great literature. So, I abandoned that path. Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps the past 10 years of my life have been one big, long detour. I could have gotten certified to teach Secondary Ed. at Geneseo, and become a high school English teacher. I could have gone on for my Master's in English Lit. or even my Ph.D. I didn't. I realized my senior year that I did not want to just WRITE all the time. And, in the succeeding 10 years, I have realized that some things fade, and i can find a way (usually) to make money, but what I LOVE is books and the ideas in them. That is a truth I have not wanted to admit to myself: a scholar's life, the search for truth and the desire to pass on such knowledge/wisdom, this what I have always been interested in, even as far back as high school.
Ideas, knowledge, wisdom, Truth. I have sought them. Is that my path? What is my path? I do feel very, very lost in this world, lately. What is is that I MOST want to do in this world (well, besides that...no naughty jokes, here, peeps)? What is it that I have been put on this earth TO DO? What purpose could I have? What am I really here to contribute? And, what gift do I have to give?
Yeah, those are the questions I have been struggling with.