September/October/November Reading

While I haven't read as many books this fall as I read this past summer, here's what I've been up to:

*Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen. As ridiculous as it sounds, I'd never read a Jane Austen novel until this month. This one's been sitting on my shelf for a while, so between book club selections I wedged this read in. So glad I did. Austen certainly earned her wonderful reputation. She's a master storyteller with intricate plotlines and interesting characters who possess a spectacular array of wit and dullness. I was nearly finished when I flew to Seattle on November 3rd, but forgot to bring it along, and had to wait five long days to read the story's resolution. (Loved it when I did though....)

*Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life, Michael Lewis. This one got way too much attention from NPR. I loved the interview there with the author, but, quite frankly, his entire story was told in that very sitting. This "book" is really an "essay" that doesn't deserve the paper it's printed on; I would've been much more appreciative of this author's sentiments had it been marketed more appropriately.

*Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut. Another brilliant author I hadn't read yet. The funky alien/time travel stuff, which I hear I'll come to appreciate even more after a thorough study of Vonnegut's works, was a bit of a mind-bender, but sandwiched in there were truths that often stopped my breath short. My library book clubbers (basically me and four 60+ year old sharp women) selected this book as our reponse to Banned Book week. We reveled in his eloquence, his wit, his war stance, and his timing (published during the Viet Nam War), and we reflected sadly on the bombing of Dresden where 135,000 civilians were killed in a massacre the world never heard about. I've gotta get me some more Vonnegut.

*A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving. This is by far one of my top ten favorite books of all-time; however, when I attempted a re-read last month, it didn't hold any of the same juice for me. I can only believe/hope that the plot is so fantastic and the characters so surprising that remembering any related details in a re-read takes away from Irving's genius. I still highly recommend this book to just about anyone.

*Lots of books on homeschooling as well as how to make the most of a public education (in a not-so-good district/system). Yup, in another dilemma about schools. Still thinking.

*Beasts, Joyce Carol Oates. A novella. A month later now, I don't remember many details, but remember it as an interesting, well-written read.

*Birds Without Wings, Luis DeBernieres. By the author of Corelli's Mandolin, which came highly recommended to me but I never got into. This book, on the other hand, held my attention after I gave it several chapters, and told the painful, beautiful story of "the waning days of the Ottoman Empire." Round, round characters to be loved, pitied, hated, feared. Wonderful writing, wonderful story.

*Children the Challenge, Rudolf Dreikurs. I read this parenting guide with what I call my Mormon book club--a group of dental school wives on this side of the Golden Gate Bridge, of which I'm the only member not in a ward! Although not everyone reads the assigned books (my personal rule is that I can't go unless I read the book), the discussions are interesting. This one particularly appealed to me, as it was my first book with them and my first meeting with them; I found the book to be very much in line with my own parenting philosophies and I found the women to be real and warm, interested in meaningful conversation. I had my doubts that you could have a good discussion about a how-to book, and I had my doubts about the topic. In all, I was happily surprised in a number of ways.

*The Queen Jade, Yxta Maya Murray. I picked this one out just to finally have an entry on my "Q" page in my journal of books read. For the record, it's kind of a dumb way to choose a book. Any suggestions for a "K" before I get desperate again? (and The Brothers Karamazov doesn't count--that'd be a "B" in my book...)

*So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading, Sara Nelson. A fun, quick read for those of us who read like mad dogs. This book is one reader's reflection on how life and what we read intertwine.