Need Some Summer Reading Ideas?
Yeah, who does need summer reading lists, really, right? With all the books most of us have on reading lists that are already way longer than what we could reasonably read in a lifetime, why should we look at another list of "the best books?" I don’t know, either, but I did anyway.
After polling a number of people who might actually know something about literature, The New York Times Book Review editor Sam Tanenhaus made a list of the 25 best works of American fiction of the last 25 years.
It might surprise some of you to know I read the book ranked number one, Toni Morrison’s Beloved, a few years ago. The subject matter makes it a very tough book, but it is worth the read. The only other one on the list I’ve read is A Confederacy of Dunces, thanks to a recommendation from one of my favorite librarians. Thinking about finding time to read the others, while a novel idea, makes my pyloric valve close.
from Garrett’s Library News and Notes
Addendum: It’s Sunday. I just noticed this post, which I wrote and posted on Friday, also fall off the blog. Luckily, it somehow wound back up in the queue. Confusing.
Humor: All the problems I’ve been having with Trackback spam lately and now I can’t get the blog post pointing to this one to show up as a Trackback. I tried pinging the Trackback URL and everything. It probably won’t work in reverse, either.
May 22nd, 2006 at 3:43 am
I just took a look at the top 25 list and I’ve only read the same two you did, Beloved and A Confederacy of Dunces. Maybe I’ll read the rest to see what it is about or in these these books that strike Americans. From 2 out of 25 and keeping it concise, I’d say slavery and rebellion.
May 22nd, 2006 at 12:00 pm
Well, what it is about the books that strike the people Sam Tanenhaus polled, anyway. = ) Most of the Americans I’ve talked to about the list don’t agree with what’s on it or the ranking.