Despite having to work 50+ hours last week including the entire weekend, any free time to sit down and read has been greatly diminished. I managed to finish Faulkner's As I Lay Dying but was hoping to get through Muriel Spark's The Ballad of Peckham Rye as well. Unfortunately, I had to return the novel to the library because it was overdue, bah. To redeem myself this week, I am currently reading several novels:
It is embarrassing to admit that I never read this much beloved American classic before and only getting around to it now. I blame the inadequate English department during my high-school years for not bothering to teach this novel. My lack of initiative to read this on my own time is also at fault.
Jane Austen is one of my literary downfalls and I have lost count as to how many times I have started and abandoned P&P. Surprisingly, this time around my feelings of trepidation has drastically subsided and I am actually enjoying the novel a great deal. Austen's prose can be haughtily stylized but the use of irony and social witticisms are humorously entertaining. Hoping to finish this in the next few days.
Graham Greene can do no wrong, in my humble opinion. Even his lesser works are still brilliant and Brighton Rock is shaping up to be one of his best. Pinkie is one of the more fascinating characters I have come across in fiction.
What else is everyone reading? Let me know below in the comments section because I am always looking for recommendations. Happy Monday everyone!
Great Classics!
ReplyDeleteMy week in review can be found here.
I've never read To Kill a Mockingbird either. I can't blame my poor high school education. I dropped out in 9th grade in favor of getting my GED and going to college years after that.
ReplyDeleteHigh-school was tough for me too Satia and similar to your case, I found myself attending college much later than most people. It doesn't bother me nearly as much for falling behind my peers in terms of progressing through a post-secondary education. I'm just a late starter. :P
ReplyDeleteI finished reading Mockingbird this afternoon and well, it was slightly underwhelming. My expectations were waaay too high, methinks.
Thank you both for stopping by! :)
I read TKAM just a few months ago, and it was fabulous! Hope you enjoy it, too.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoy Muriel Sparks.
Here's MY MONDAY MEMES POST
I'm glad you're enjoying Brighton Rock. My favorite Graham Greene books are Monsignor Quixote and Our Man in Havana.
ReplyDeleteThe best book I read last week was Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder. Please come see what I finished and what's up next.