Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Tuesday's To-Read List

So when I started this blog, it was supposed to be all about reading... But I've enjoyed blogging so much, I've gotten away from the inspiration for this whole blog...

So this post will hopefully make up for the fact that I've posted very few book reviews lately... Here's a few books on my 'to-read' booklist!

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
I have been meaning to read this book since I worked at Barnes & Noble back during the winter/spring of 2003/2004. The woman in charge of our history & biography department was the sweetest old lady who gushed about this book. The author uses black-and-white comic strip images to tell the story of her life in Tehran from age 6 to age 14. The comic strip image story telling technique is powerful. It probably sounds like an odd medium, but trust me, it is really powerful. I was introduced to this technique when I read Maus I and Maus II by Art Spiegalman (2 must-read books, IMO) during my Freshman Honors English course at UND. I think my parents still have these books on one of their bookshelves at home... So mom, if you haven't read them yet - check them out!!

Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak Did you know that the book's publication was cancelled by Soviet authorities so Pasternak had it smuggled out of the country so it could be published? I own this book but haven't gotten around to reading it yet. I am intimidated by it. I know the subject matter is going to be heavy. I know the reading is going to be intense & it might take awhile for me to get 'hooked' by the book. But I really want to read it so I can talk about it with my Russian friend Yulia. I know she's read it so it will be fun to discuss with her. I also want to see the movie! Given the intense nature of this book, it's probably going to be put on the back burner until I am done with grad school...

The Rest of Her Life by Laura Moriarty I'm drawn to this book since it is about Mother/Daughter relationships... which, in my opinion, is a very complex relationship. In this book, Kara, a high school senior, makes a mistake that ends in tragedy which result in the division of her family and polarization of the community. It sounds like it's set in a small town so I am sure I'll be able to relate to the setting of the book! Another great book about the dynamics of the Mother/Daughter relationship is Amy & Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout which I should go back & re-read since I read it right after getting my tonsils out when I was a freshman in college. I was so doped up on pain medication, so the book is a bit of a blur for me. I do remember enjoying it, though!

That's all for now - happy reading & stay warm for those of you in the Midwest!!!

PS - this is my 100th blog post on this blog! That's alot!!

1 comment: