Ah yes...the books
I read the sentence.
Name five of your favorite books.
1. Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson. What a beautiful and poignant novel. The narrator is genderless and in love, all the way down to the bone and blood cells, with a spiritually exposed woman. If soulful, agape connections are possible, Winterson makes me want them, despite the natural agony that comes with.
2. Nine Stories by J. D. Salinger. This was one of the first books I read in college. Salinger knows how to capture the mood of an era and the angst of living with angst.
3. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Pig ball, anyone?
4. Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov. As a boy, he learned the alphabet by associating each letter with an intrinsic color. Reading his memoir is like coming home from a 15-hour workday and eating an entire tub of ice cream before passing out for a double night's sleep.
5. Contempt by Alberto Moravia. The narrator, a tragic cuckold, displays another breed of complicated, untouchable love for his newly estranged wife. It reminds me of Written on the Body, only darker.
What was the last book you bought?
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote.
What was the last book you read?
Also Breakfast at Tiffany's. My thesis advisor asked me to read it because one of my characters possesses some Golightly qualities. The professors in the MFA program are all big proponents of reading to write. It's been done, so it's important to know how someone else did it.
Name five books that have particular meaning for you.
1. Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. I used to skim books in high school because I was a qualified genius who didn't need to read. However, I have a vivid memory of laying on my grandmother's bed in Florida completely engrossed in this novel and excited to read it cover to cover.
2. Bag of Bones by Stephen King. A giant book, which I finished in one sleepless night during my senior year of high school. My favorite King novel.
3. Insomnia by Stephen King. Another giant book I finished in one sleepless night during my freshman year of college. I spent a lot of time not sleeping in my single dorm room.
4. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. I borrowed this one from Lindsey and have yet to give it back almost four years later. Not that I even finished it. That's not the point.
5. As Long As We're Together by Judy Blume. A novel I enjoyed as a preteen that recalls the blurred memory of a novel I probably enjoyed better but can't fully remember. Bridge to Teribethia, maybe?
Name three books you are dying to read but just haven't yet.
1. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I have a small mental block on this one because I can't even get it up for ideal capitalism, despite my rampant participation in the shoddier version. Aside from that, the two chapters I've made it through have lovely messages about the individual, mainly that a person's moral obligation should include self-discipline over fear and anxiety and working hard toward his or her dreams.
2. Birds of America by Lorrie Moore. I've started this one. She's brilliant.
3. Lighthousekeeping by Jeanette Winterson. Another one borrowed from Lindsey. I'll get to it. Winterson is always a draw and, eventually, a quest.
Tag five people to go through this same ordeal.
All of you.
Name five of your favorite books.
1. Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson. What a beautiful and poignant novel. The narrator is genderless and in love, all the way down to the bone and blood cells, with a spiritually exposed woman. If soulful, agape connections are possible, Winterson makes me want them, despite the natural agony that comes with.
2. Nine Stories by J. D. Salinger. This was one of the first books I read in college. Salinger knows how to capture the mood of an era and the angst of living with angst.
3. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Pig ball, anyone?
4. Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov. As a boy, he learned the alphabet by associating each letter with an intrinsic color. Reading his memoir is like coming home from a 15-hour workday and eating an entire tub of ice cream before passing out for a double night's sleep.
5. Contempt by Alberto Moravia. The narrator, a tragic cuckold, displays another breed of complicated, untouchable love for his newly estranged wife. It reminds me of Written on the Body, only darker.
What was the last book you bought?
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote.
What was the last book you read?
Also Breakfast at Tiffany's. My thesis advisor asked me to read it because one of my characters possesses some Golightly qualities. The professors in the MFA program are all big proponents of reading to write. It's been done, so it's important to know how someone else did it.
Name five books that have particular meaning for you.
1. Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. I used to skim books in high school because I was a qualified genius who didn't need to read. However, I have a vivid memory of laying on my grandmother's bed in Florida completely engrossed in this novel and excited to read it cover to cover.
2. Bag of Bones by Stephen King. A giant book, which I finished in one sleepless night during my senior year of high school. My favorite King novel.
3. Insomnia by Stephen King. Another giant book I finished in one sleepless night during my freshman year of college. I spent a lot of time not sleeping in my single dorm room.
4. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. I borrowed this one from Lindsey and have yet to give it back almost four years later. Not that I even finished it. That's not the point.
5. As Long As We're Together by Judy Blume. A novel I enjoyed as a preteen that recalls the blurred memory of a novel I probably enjoyed better but can't fully remember. Bridge to Teribethia, maybe?
Name three books you are dying to read but just haven't yet.
1. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I have a small mental block on this one because I can't even get it up for ideal capitalism, despite my rampant participation in the shoddier version. Aside from that, the two chapters I've made it through have lovely messages about the individual, mainly that a person's moral obligation should include self-discipline over fear and anxiety and working hard toward his or her dreams.
2. Birds of America by Lorrie Moore. I've started this one. She's brilliant.
3. Lighthousekeeping by Jeanette Winterson. Another one borrowed from Lindsey. I'll get to it. Winterson is always a draw and, eventually, a quest.
Tag five people to go through this same ordeal.
All of you.
2 Comments:
Shucks. I was going to buy Breakfast at Tiffany's for you, but you done bought it yo-self.
Now I guess I could buy you breakfast. Or Tiffany.
I might as well post this on yours, too: Thanks to you and Lindsey, I've dug up my copy of Written on the Body and am thoroughly enjoying it again. I freaking love Winterson.
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