challenge books 22-32
22. Lolita (317 pages) by Vladimir Nabokov (the annotated edition)
10/12: Lolita has dethroned The Great Gatsby to become my favorite novel, and I give it my highest recommendation (for what that's worth). Having a good dictionary handy is not optional, but the book rewards tenfold any effort it requires.
Nabokov writes in his afterword, "There are gentle souls who would pronounce Lolita meaningless because it does not teach them anything. I am neither a reader nor a writer of didactic fiction, and, despite John Ray's assertion, Lolita has no moral in tow. For me a work of fiction exists only insofar as it affords me what I shall bluntly call aesthetic bliss..."
Anyone who takes this view, and even some who don't, is sure to find that Lolita does far more than simply "exist."
23. Pygmalion (123 pages) by George Bernard Shaw
10/14: Funny, relevant, and driven at least as much by character as it is by Shaw's socialistic views.
I posted quotes from Pygmalion at literaryquotes here.
24. Pnin (191 pages) by Vladimir Nabokov
10/17: Pnin, more subtle than Lolita by far, is a clever, insightful character piece with more to it than meets the eye.
I posted quotes from Pnin here and here.
25. Bucky Katt's Big Book of Fun (252 pages) by Darby Conley
10/31: I really shouldn't count this, but here it is anyway.
26. Still Life With Woodpecker (277 pages) by Tom Robbins
11/11: Nabokov's playfulness with language and Vonnegut's social irreverence combine with highly enjoyable results. This started a remarkable streak during which everything I read was excellent.
I posted quotes from Still Life With Woodpecker here.
27. Arcadia (97 pages) by Tom Stoppard
11/12: In the first scene, Stoppard outdoes Oscar Wilde at his own game. In the last, he pulls together the two time periods and the many plot threads in a deeply satisfying manner. In between, he treats us to his flippancy toward sex, his insight into human nature, his refusal to dumb down intellectual ideas, and his reverence for love. Well worthwhile.
28. Oleanna (80 pages) by David Mamet
11/12: The first act seems aimless, but by the play's end Mamet delivers a punch to the gut. An examination of power and political correctness with some ambiguity thrown in for flavor.
29. The Real Thing (115 pages) by Tom Stoppard
11/12: Once I started reading Stoppard again, it became rather difficult to stop.
I posted a quote from The Real Thing here.
30. Private Lives (74 pages) by Noel Coward
11/13: Frothy, biting comedy about cruel, rich people in love. Sort of.
31. Hamlet (147 pages) by William Shakespeare
11/17: English is my favorite class with good reason.
32. Joe Egg (92 pages) by Peter Nichols.
11/17: Because Eddie Izzard was in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, and this play about a couple using black humor to deal with their daughter's severe disability looked interesting anyway. It was.
Books: 32/50 = 64.0%
Pages: 6925/15000 = 46.17%
Currently reading: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and The Master and Margarita.
Also posted to 50bookchallenge and 15000pages.
10/12: Lolita has dethroned The Great Gatsby to become my favorite novel, and I give it my highest recommendation (for what that's worth). Having a good dictionary handy is not optional, but the book rewards tenfold any effort it requires.
Nabokov writes in his afterword, "There are gentle souls who would pronounce Lolita meaningless because it does not teach them anything. I am neither a reader nor a writer of didactic fiction, and, despite John Ray's assertion, Lolita has no moral in tow. For me a work of fiction exists only insofar as it affords me what I shall bluntly call aesthetic bliss..."
Anyone who takes this view, and even some who don't, is sure to find that Lolita does far more than simply "exist."
23. Pygmalion (123 pages) by George Bernard Shaw
10/14: Funny, relevant, and driven at least as much by character as it is by Shaw's socialistic views.
I posted quotes from Pygmalion at literaryquotes here.
24. Pnin (191 pages) by Vladimir Nabokov
10/17: Pnin, more subtle than Lolita by far, is a clever, insightful character piece with more to it than meets the eye.
I posted quotes from Pnin here and here.
25. Bucky Katt's Big Book of Fun (252 pages) by Darby Conley
10/31: I really shouldn't count this, but here it is anyway.
26. Still Life With Woodpecker (277 pages) by Tom Robbins
11/11: Nabokov's playfulness with language and Vonnegut's social irreverence combine with highly enjoyable results. This started a remarkable streak during which everything I read was excellent.
I posted quotes from Still Life With Woodpecker here.
27. Arcadia (97 pages) by Tom Stoppard
11/12: In the first scene, Stoppard outdoes Oscar Wilde at his own game. In the last, he pulls together the two time periods and the many plot threads in a deeply satisfying manner. In between, he treats us to his flippancy toward sex, his insight into human nature, his refusal to dumb down intellectual ideas, and his reverence for love. Well worthwhile.
28. Oleanna (80 pages) by David Mamet
11/12: The first act seems aimless, but by the play's end Mamet delivers a punch to the gut. An examination of power and political correctness with some ambiguity thrown in for flavor.
29. The Real Thing (115 pages) by Tom Stoppard
11/12: Once I started reading Stoppard again, it became rather difficult to stop.
I posted a quote from The Real Thing here.
30. Private Lives (74 pages) by Noel Coward
11/13: Frothy, biting comedy about cruel, rich people in love. Sort of.
31. Hamlet (147 pages) by William Shakespeare
11/17: English is my favorite class with good reason.
32. Joe Egg (92 pages) by Peter Nichols.
11/17: Because Eddie Izzard was in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, and this play about a couple using black humor to deal with their daughter's severe disability looked interesting anyway. It was.
Books: 32/50 = 64.0%
Pages: 6925/15000 = 46.17%
Currently reading: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and The Master and Margarita.
Also posted to 50bookchallenge and 15000pages.