I never did finish Invisible Man, which was okay because it just kept getting denser and denser. Sometimes I don’t mind books that are dense with the language. Indeed, some of my favorite books are written that way, but for some reason this book didn’t strike me as worthwhile for all its posturing and accolades. I actually read it before in college, but that was some 15 years ago, and it brought all my feelings then back to the surface about it. We had the discussion group about it, though, so I’m done with it. For good.
Now it’s on to some books I actually want to read. My wife told me I should have just given up on Invisible Man ages ago, but they gave me a free book so I felt beholden. No longer. Never look a gift book in the mouth. There’s a reason it’s free. I’m feeling like some series fun, so I picked up the first book in the Jack Reacher series to see what that world is all about. I’ve never read anything from the author before so it will definitely be interesting.
Here are the books I’ve Checked In:
- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. I honestly only had it checked out for a second. This is another one of those dense books that I can’t stomach.
- Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison.
- The Invisible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson. This was a very good book that I enjoyed immensely. Yes, it took me a while to read it, but I blame technology.
And here is what I currently have Checked Out:
- The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold. Sticking to my resolution to re-read this year at least four of the books I’ve liked in the past, this one was an intense introspective ride that is still holding up well since I read it the first time.
- U2 By U2 by U2 with Neil McCormick. I’ve motored past the ZooTV era of the band and moved into the Pop album and tour. It’s interesting to see how the band viewed that period since it was so polarizing to the media and to fans.
- Killing Floor by Lee Child. This is the aforementioned first book in the Jack Reacher series, and I’ll admit that I’ve already seen the movie starring Tom Cruise, but I hold no preconceptions based on that. Usually I read the books first and I have to remind myself of that when I see the movie, that they’re two different animals.
- Frozen by Kate Watterson. This is the book I have in a holding pattern at the moment. There always has to be one, but I’m hoping to get into it sometime in May again. Let’s see if the library will let me renew it that long.
Of course there is also The Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling, but I find myself wanting to read her next Cormoran Strike novel instead, even though I have to wait until June to check it out. There’s something about the way she wrote those books as Robert Galbraith that excites me more than Vacancy. Don’t get me wrong. I will finish this book at some point. It just won’t be now. Also in my direct queue is the new book by Lisa Scottoline, Keep Quiet. I have always enjoyed her books and it doesn’t hurt that she has based most of them in Philadelphia, the city of my birth.
Happy reading to you this week too!
Sam
Sam's Online Journal 