Read Recently
Mothers of the Novel: 100 good women writers before Jane Austen by Dale Spender
I'm a casual fan of Dale Spender, having read several of her books. She's an interesting writer, covering topics of interest to me, such as language and writing itself, as well as the topic of feminism itself, without being as offputting as the more extreme radical feminists, such as Mary Daly. Here, her topic is pretty much self-explanitory. I learned a lot, and I'd be interested to know if anything has changed in English classes since she wrote this in 1986 (I suspect not; things weren't any better when I took classes back in the early 90s). Recommended.
The Last Picture Show by Larry McMurtry
There are times when you read the book and then see the movie. There are times when you see the movie and then read the book (we shall not speak of those times when you see the movie and read the novelization of the movie because you weren't aware there was already a book--I'm looking at you, Mary Shelly's Frankenstein!). And then there are the times when you see the sequel and then see the movie and eventually read the book that you weren't aware ever existed. This is one of the last kind.
First of all I ran across a movie called Texasville. Cause I'm a big fan of Jeff Bridges and Cybill Shepherd, and am kinda a small fan of the wonderful Annie Potts, I watched it and loved it. Some time later I found out it was the sequel to a movie called The Last Picture Show, and was filmed with the same cast, 20 years older. I watched it and enjoyed it, too. Then, just recently, I found out there was actually a book that it was based on . . . sigh. I can be dumb sometimes.
So what's it about? It's set in the small Texas town of Thalia, where Duane and Sonny are co-captains of the football team in their last year of school. Duane is in love with Jacy Farrow, the daughter of the town's richest man, and Sonny, at least at first, isn't in love with anybody. It's also the story of Billy, who's brain damaged and lives to sweep, and Sam the Lion, who owns the local pool hall and the picture show referenced in the title, and Jacy's mother, and a lot of other people . . . but mostly it's about . . . nah, that's a spoiler. It all takes place with that laconic Texan atmosphere that Larry McMurtry does so well.
This is highly recommended.