April 27, 2007
Proof that the Internet—and any semblance of a life—only takes away from your daily reading: in the last two weeks, I’ve raced through eight books. (It would’ve been ten if I’d bothered to finish Jim Bishop’s The Day Kennedy Was Shot and Richard Laymon’s Island. I may still get back to them. I’m obsessive-compulsive when it comes to finishing books.) Impressive? Probably not, especially when I stop to consider that two of those books were picks for Oprah’s Book Club. But before you accuse me of selling out, let me defend myself by saying that, at the time, there wasn’t anything else to read.
And since everyone likes a list, no matter what’s being listed, here’s what I read. (I hereby allow you to mock some of my choices in the comments.)
- The Aeneid by Virgil
- The Waterworks by E. L. Doctorow
- Bodily Harm by Margaret Atwood
- Midwives by Chris Bohjahlian
- The Drowning Tree by Carol Goodman
- The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving
- Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand
- While I Was Gone by Sue Miller
I also set up my own domain—and, by extension, a new blog—today, but it hasn’t been finalized yet. Hopefully, it’ll go through within the next few days.
It’s good to be back, but it’ll be temporary: I may need to check into the hospital for a few days. But we’ll see how things go.
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1.
condalmo | April 27, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Best of luck if you do need to go in. Looking forward to your return, and the new site…
2.
Stephen | April 28, 2007 at 3:27 am
Get well soon!
I was the same when I was away - resorting to books from Richard and Judy’s Book Club (which I guess is the Bristish equivalent of the Oprah one). It’s not selling out!
3.
Dorothy W. | April 28, 2007 at 6:41 am
It’s nice to get through a long list of books fast, isn’t it? I don’t like to read fast all the time, but sometimes it’s satisfying. I hope all is well with you!
4.
Nonanon | April 28, 2007 at 7:01 am
Hope you’re feeling all right….and am so glad you’re back! I’m dying to ask what you thought of “Seabiscuit” but I’ll leave it until you’re recovered.
5.
Danielle | April 28, 2007 at 2:21 pm
It is nice finishing books–I love that sense of accomplishment! I love Margaret Atwood! And I read Midwives, too. I thought it was pretty good–definitely a good book club book! And Virgil surely can’t be fast, light reading, so I’m pretty impressed by all the books!
6.
Brandon | April 28, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Matthew: Thank you. I’ve already purchased brandonvon.com (I’m keeping the actual blog name secret until the site is up and running), but it won’t be available until (hopefully) Wednesday or Thursday.
Stephen: Many thanks. Actually, “Midwives”–one of the Oprah books–wasn’t that bad. But “While I Was Gone” was just…forgettable. I don’t remember much about it. Nor did I care about the characters and their situations. It was just a dull book. Luckily, it didn’t run more than 250 pages.
Dorothy: I agree, it’s nice to just sack away the books as quickly as possible before life picks up again. I loved “The Hotel New Hampshire”–it was funny–and “Bodily Harm.” I’d highly recommend those books. The others I read were average. Not bad, but not necessary, either. Except “While I Was Gone,” which I mentioned already.
Nonanon: I’m doing well, physically at least. I’m gaining weight, I’m tan, and I’m eating healthy. But I may need to check into the hospital for anti-depressants. I’m supposed to be on Lexapro, but stubborn SOB that I am, I haven’t taken it–much less filled my prescription–in almost two years. I’ll be evaluated next week and we’ll see what happens. I’m prepared for the worst, though.
Danielle: I agree, it’s nice reading a book in a day or two. But I didn’t have Internet access and I’m not much a TV-watcher, so reading is my entertainment of choice. And “Bodily Harm” was the first Atwood book I’ve read. It was kind of odd but enjoyable. I’m looking forward to reading more from her. As for “The Aeneid,” I liked some of it. It wasn’t enjoyable the whole way through. It got tedious at times, and it’s about war, which isn’t something that interests me very much. I’m glad I read it, though. It was a slog, I admit. I read the Allan Mandelbaum translation (which won a National Book Award), and I’m not sure I’d recommend it. But I have nothing else to compare it to. I’m interested in reading another translation somewhere down the road. Maybe the Robert Fitzgerald translation.
7.
Brandon | April 28, 2007 at 7:44 pm
Nonanon: And by the way, “Seabiscuit” wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t great, though. It starts off very slowly–I was tempted to put it down after the first few chapters–but it picks up. It’s pretty fast-paced and rather enjoyable. The thing that irritated me the most about it is that Hillenbrand’s prose can be really cliched. I wouldn’t say that it’s a necessary book. It’s not particularly well-written–Hillenbrand is average at best–but if you’re looking for a light, mindless read, you can’t go wrong with it. It doesn’t draw attention to itself. Hillenbrand just tells the story. No more, no less. But reading about some of the jockey injuries and the things they’d do to themselves was cringe-inducing.
8.
jess | April 29, 2007 at 12:35 am
Welcome back Brandon. I’m glad you enjoyed the Atwood. I haven’t read that one, but I’ve read most of her other work and I just love her writing.
Hope all goes well next week.
9.
J.S. Peyton | April 29, 2007 at 8:24 am
I’ve read both the Mandelbaum and Fitgerald translation of The Aeneid. They are almost complete opposites of each other. Where Mandelbaum is incredibly (some might exceedinlgy) poetic in both form and style, Fitzgerald is more prose-like. I usually prefer the Mandelbaum translation but I’d recommend you try Fitzgerald. The story doesn’t change of course but maybe the change in style will make it not such a slog. : ) After you feel better of couse! Get well soon!
10.
6933b32d5d1f344c0684e102d&hellip | July 14, 2007 at 8:51 pm
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