This is a little survey that's been going around. I confess that for someone who claims to enjoy reading, I have not read very much. Watching TV is just so much easier. But I like these questions, so I'll answer them as well as I can. And can anyone tell me what meme means?
1. One Book That Changed Your Life
The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom. I read it as I was becoming a Christian, so I soaked it up like a fetus absorbs what its mother eats and drinks, and it will be a part of my make-up forever. I'm still discovering ways in which this has determined my thinking, on everything from being single to whether lying is OK.
2. One book you have read more than once
Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges into History. For the record, I don't read in the bathroom. But I love these short-attention-span articles, and I love history. My favorite arcticle is a one-pager about how Immanuel Kant studied the nature of humor, and then tried to give a few jokes to illustrate his points, at one point commenting, "At this we laugh, and it gives us hearty pleasure." I certainly laughed.
3. One book you would want on a desert island
An empty journal and an endless supply of pens. We'll see how many deep thoughts I get when I have nothing to do but crack coconuts and spear fish with pointy sticks.
4. One book that made you cry
A Day No Pigs Would Die. I hid myself in the laundry room when I got to that scene (I won't give it away for those who haven't read it).
5. One book that made you laugh
America, The Book. I was that crazy person you don't want to sit next to when I read this book on the subway, because I kept doubling over in silent laughter.
6. One book you wish had been written
I'm going to piggy-back on blogger Kate Krupnik's idea. Her answer to this question was the story of her own life. I'm not necessarily thinking about straight autobiography, but for a long time I'd assumed I didn't have a book in me, and lately I've been rethinking that. So my wish is that if I do have a book in me somewhere, then it will make its way out.
7. One book you wish had never been written
I don't know about this one. May I come back to it later if I think of something?
8. One book you are currently reading
The Dante Club, by Matthew Pearl. I'm reading this for a book club at work. Am about 1/3 through it and haven't decided what I think yet. Almost didn't make it this far, though, because the first 40 pages annoyed me intensely. I thought some of the sentences and structures didn't make sense, and there were lots and lots of maggots. Yuck. As I read on, though, there's more sense and fewer maggots.
9. One book you have been meaning to read
Travelling Mercies, by Anne Lamott (did I spell her name right?). I already know I disagree with some of her politics, but from what I've heard this book isn't very political; it's just real. This is my big deal now: dealing with God in a real way, in real life, and not making it all pretty when it comes time to talk to people about it.
10. Tag five new people
Anyone who wants to is welcome to take this and run with it!
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4 comments:
On heroes and Tombs by Ernesto Sabato is a classic one for me. I hope you read it someday.
I don't know this book. Can you leave a longer comment and tell me about it?
Hey, i didn´t think you´d be interested in latin american books, thanks, so here it goes:
OK, this is a classic Latinamerican novel written by argentinian Ernesto Sabato, (it has been translated to english) who is actually a PHD. in Physics, and decided to have a shot at writing a novel. It starts with a foreword which is a fragment of a police report informing about two persons' death in a house fire in the now neglected, earlier aristocratic part of Buenos Aires. The details aren't clear, but the evidence seems to suggest that it was one of the victims - Alejandra, who set the house on fire, burning herself alive after shooting her father.
Then the book then begins with the story of Martin, who knew Alejandra, and the first part of the book is actually a big flashback about their relationship. Martin is a melancholic young man who spends his time with his friend Bruno, and older man who actually fell in love with Alejandra´s mother. Both character´s philosohize about all that happened. Martin relates to Bruno how he met Alejandra one day when he was sitting at the town square, and he felt that someone was trying to communicate to him, to connect, he feels something tugging from behind. He then turns around and sees Alejandra. They talk little, she´s very dark and mysterious, with a strange beauty. She then leaves, and he doesn´t see her again for weeks. So Martin just hangs around the same tree they met for weeks hoping to find her, but she never comes, until finally months later, they meet again. I hope I´m not boring you to death with this.
Then their relationship begins, in Buenos Aires´ bohemian atmosphere, and historical and political placings. There´s a lot of talk about politics and history, literature and philosophy that gives the story a very magical and rich context. The characters are also very well constructed and with deep physcological traits. Martin quickly falls in love with Alejandra, and they fall into this strange relationship where she is very cruel to Martin, and he is very neive, (like a schooboy crush) about everything. Alejandra seems to be fighting some inner demons and her personality changes constantly. The relationship deteriotrates as he realices she loves another. The end of the first book comes with the realization that the other person is Alejandra´s father, Fernando.
Part II of the book concentrating on Fernando, is the famous "Report on the Blind" (clear metaphor of J.L. Borges, another world famous argentinian writer, who was blind, and Sabato´s literary rival), in which we understand that he is a lunatic that believes that blind men conform some sort of International conspiracy or sect, and he must discover their ulterior motives, deciding to inflitrate and destroy them. Strange huh?
In part III, Martin gets really depressed after her death, and discovers more truths about Alejandra and her father, himself, and the meaning of life and death, so he finally goes south as a stowaway on a truck, to the Patagonia, leaving his world behind.
The book is really captivating and I guess having read it when I was 17, really hit me and made me understand a lot of things about my own life. I really recommend it, if you ever stumble upon it, though I guess it must be hard to find in the US. So that´s about it. Please don´t think I am a madman for recommending these kind of books, but it´s really good.
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