Lets Talk Books
Enough of the travel posts! There is more I could write. But I'm bored of talking travel for now. Right now I want to tell you about a few books I've read lately.
After having been bogged down in Egdon Heath, the fictional setting for Hardy's Return of the Native, and the drama of Clym Yeobright, Eustacia Vye, Thomasin Yoebright and Damon Wildeve (I only write these entire names out because I love the character names in 19th century British literature!) I have been fortunate to have chosen some really good books to read next. Not that I don't like Hardy. I just think I've decided that he needs to be read in the wintertime.
The first book I read was The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Good, good book, a real page turner. This book probably isn't for everyone, there is quite a bit of swearing, and some sexual situations, but if you like mystery, tortured love, old European cities (in this case Barcelona) and most importantly, literature, you will probably enjoy this book. There is something so appealing about books about Spanish-language literature. Perhaps it's the worldview of Spanish speaking people and the Old World that seems to be infused in every work that I have ever read. Perhaps it's that these works seem to transcend time. Time is usually unimportant in works by Spanish-language authors. The stories that they write could have taken place at any time. And so it's easy to lose oneself in the story. Perhaps it's the magical realism that also seems to find itself in every Spanish author's work. All I can do is urge you to read this book and see if you feel as drawn to it as I do. And then fervently hope that more of Zafon's works are translated to English so we can enjoy more.
The second book I read was A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway. Jeremy and I are taking the kids to Paris this year during Thanksgiving. Since my trip to Italy was enhanced so much by reading about Italy before I went, I decided to read several books about or set in Paris before we go. A Moveable Feast is Hemingway's memoir about the years he lived in Paris when he was still a struggling writer, married to his first wife, Hadley, and hanging out with the likes of Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald and other literary and artistic luminaries of the day. Hemingway and I have not had the best relationship. In high school I read The Old Man and the Sea--not a fan, though I should reread it now that I'm older. Then years ago I picked up A Farewell To Arms, still not a big fan. So I picked up A Moveable Feast with a little trepidation, wondering why I was subjecting myself to another Hemingway when I have several other books about Paris on my bookshelves. I was, to put it mildly, pleasantly surprised with how much I loved this book. It drew me in, kept me reading, and had me laughing. After reading this book, I've decided to give Hemingway's novels another chance. I'm going to be reading The Sun Also Rises soon. He wrote this book in Paris during the years depicted in A Moveable Feast. I'm hoping my affection for that book, help me to enjoy his first major work. I'll report back and let you know.
Finally, I read a book called A Writer's Paris by Eric Maisel. The only writing I do is on this blog, but it's fun to dream, and that's where this book comes in. The idea behind this book is to give up your everyday life for a period of time to go live and write in Paris. Maisel contends that even if it's only for a month, every writer should go to Paris to write. He sets down a rigorous writing schedule (you are there, after all, to write), a tells the best places to write in the city, and most importantly, he makes the reader believe that it's an easily obtainable goal. For me, who will be saddled with a husband and two children when I visit next ;), it just evokes a sense of the beauty and artistry of that city that reminds me of what I saw and thought and felt while I was there. Incidentally, Maisel wrote another book called A Writer's San Francisco, in which he states, "Paris and San Francisco are sister cities. . . .They are connected by being two of the world's very few bohemian meccas. Each is an important stop on the bohemian international highway." No wonder why I loved Paris the minute I stepped of the plane! Though hardly bohemian myself, I love the bohemian nature of San Francisco.
So there you have it. The three books that captured my attention in August. Now I'm reading The Woman in White by Wikie Collins. I'm enjoying it tremendously, and even if I wasn't I would still have to read it just to see what a writer who goes by "Wilkie" would come up with. Happy reading in September!