The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Occasionally, I drive up the coast and visit a nearby relative. Other than the free food and wine (and, of course, the wonderful company) what I love is the collection of books in the den. A whole wall filled with all kinds of things to read. Here, I often pick up recent best sellers. On my last visit, I checked out this novel by Junot Diaz. The constant sci-fi and fantasy references were a bit of a distraction but, in the end, didn't take me away from the story. This is the first work by Diaz that I have read and I really enjoyed it. In fact, I'm on my way to the library to see what else I can get my hands on. His writing style is wonderfully descriptive and creative. The title had me thinking, of course, about Oscar's ultimate end and as I read I really kept thinking in the back of my head, "He's going to make it!" If you plan on reading this book don't keep reading this post as I don't want to impact the ending for anyone...

...I must admit that I was pretty disappointed by the ending. Looking back, I'm not exactly sure what I expected it to be but something left me wanting. Maybe I didn't get it, maybe I just didn't want the story to end. It doesn't keep me from recommending this book but it does mean that every time my mind wanders I find myself creating new endings for Oscar. 

The Good Earth

A friend of mine recently lent me this novel by Pearl S. Buck. At first, I was not interested. I think I even rolled my eyes. This was definitely a school reading list book and I hate those. Normally. Maybe it was because I haven't been in school for a while. Or maybe it was because I recently found myself unemployed and with a lot of time on my hands. Whatever it was, I really enjoyed this read. The story was simple. The words were simple. I was sad when I finished. I wanted to keep reading about the land and the earth. I had developed the same passion for this seemingly simple thing as Wang Lung. I saw the importance and the complexity that his sons, in the end, did not. In a world in which movies don't hold our interest unless at least three things blow up I found simplicity in a book...and I liked it!

An Introduction

I love to read. I love the smell of books, that first crack of the binding on a new book, and the delicate, soft pages of a book frequently opened. I love libraries. If I visit a new city the top thing on my list is always to visit its library. Mostly though, what I love is reading. I can't get enough of it. When I was a kid I read the cereal box, the appliance instruction books, even the church bulletin a hundred times over just to have something to read. It's not that we didn't have books in the house. We had a ton. I'd just read them all. I enjoy most the escape that reading allows. I am part of a different world while in that book. I prefer fiction (it's hard to lose yourself in a George Washington biography) but I encourage reading of any kind. The hardest part, though, is finding something to read. I've tried the top 100 novels lists. That usually just brings back bad high school English class memories. I've done the close-your-eyes-and-pick-randomly-from-the-shelf method. You can only do this so many times at home before you've exhausted all options. I've even done the pick-the-one-with-the-coolest-cover method. Who says you can't judge a book by its cover? But, I've found the best method to be the ask-your-friends/coworkers/acquaintances. Chances are pretty good that you will end up reading something that you never would have picked up otherwise.

So, then, I ask anyone who happens upon this blog, "What shall I read today?"