Lolita

Sorry... I skipped ahead to a shorter book. This is really, really weird. Murder. Prostitution. Russia at its worst. Only a few chapters in...

12 Months of Depressing Books

Okay. I know that Naomi's pick is this month... so we will see.. These books are depressing... I think each one added on to the last makes it even more so...

January: Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens
Lost Parents
Abused by Sister mentally and physically
Twisted relationships
Made wealthy... it all goes away...
Doesn't get the girl... :(

February: The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
Abuse, Abuse, Abuse
Molestation :(

March: Cat's Eye, by Margaret Atwood
Cruelty.
Is that friendship? She longs to have people in her life that almost killed her...

The Books to Come...
April: Personal History by Katherine Graham
May: Other Voices, Other Rooms, by Truman Capote
June: Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov
started this because I don't have Peronal History and don't like the cover or Other Voices, Other Rooms. Pretty Creepy... Murder. Sad...

July: The Golden Compass, author Philip Pullman
August: September: The Secret Lives of People in Love, by Simon Van Booy October: The Human Stain, by Philip Roth
November: short stories (each pick one and we will read all three)..Sarah... George Orwell's Animal Farm, Kristi....Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's and Naomi....
December: The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck

What is Dusty??? Kristi's pick.

Goodbye Toni!!

Okay, so just to recap The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrision. It was awful in the sense that the story itself is grotesque, depressing and on and on and on. When I finished reading it, I tossed it in the trash in the Atlanta airport. You know how some books you don't want to give up when you are finished...you might not read it again but you keep it on the shelf and you think of it from time to time. You recommend it or lend it out to others. This book I don't want to think about again. I am not sure if you are all finished with it or not but I do not know how the Morrison can have sympathy for the father (Cholly). She spends most of the time (I think anyway) trying to make excuses for him. Sorry there is no excuse for that. Glad the book is over.

I am waiting for Cat's Eye to get here. I am a little behind because I didn't get off my butt and order it in time. But in the meantime, I read a cool book called Bringing Down the House--its movie version is due out soon. Its about a bunch of kids from MIT who make a killing playing blackjack in Vegas. Very entertaining and easy read!

Well, that's about it for now - happy reading! P.S. Have any of you read the book "Eat, Pray, Love" by Gilbert. It's out on the stands right now and I had someone recommend it to me a few months back and was considering it for my pick. Let me know.

March's pick.....

...Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood.

I read this while I was travelling and at first I thought it was going to be awful, but it turned out better than anticipated. Still a little on the depressing side, but overall a decent read. I don't know that I would actually recommend it to a friend though.

I haven't really read any GREAT books lately. Books that really got me excited or talking. Do any of you have a book that really struck a chord with you? I ready My sister's keeper by Jodi Picoult a while back and told everyone I knew about it. I think that is the last book I have read that left me with that kind of feeling where I felt like others should read it.

Anyways... on to the next one for me...April's pick: Personal History by Katherine Graham. This came highly recommended so I am hoping it will be one of those books I will tell others about!

Hope you are all enjoying your books!!

Aaron...are you still with us?? Aren't you headed to New England sometime for a meet?? Let us know where you are!!

Morrison...more of the same

Yup, have to agree with you again Nayo - the Toni Morrison book is depressing. I have never read this one, but I just started the first chapter and it reminds me of her other ones--very dark, very...well awful. It seems she writes alot about bad things happening to children--I don't care for that subject matter at all--but to be true to the club I am going to stick with it and tough it out. Hopefully we can get some better reading on down the line. I still have to make my pick so maybe I will get us something fun and happy to read!

Bluest Eye???

I had to read this in college and I never read the whole book. I really didn't like the book. I am not a good critic of style etc but I really just didn't like the subject and the story line. It was very dark and depressing. I am sure the lives of the characters were hard, so I guess it was probably written well to make me feel the depressive state. But overall I just wasn't really a fan.

Is anyone else reading these books???? Just kidding. I got the March and April books so I can get them read on my next trip. Hope you are all doing well!

The next in line...

February's title is The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.... and since I am a little slow on this right now, March's title is Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood....

Now about Great Expectations. I really enjoyed it. It is amazing how small the world is and how even today all our lives are interwoven, probably more than we even imagine. I would definitely recommend this book although most people probably read it when they were supposed to in High School...LOL.

On a side note... feel free to send the link to Denise. She can always add comments. If she wants to actually post then I just need her email to add to the contributors list!

Happy Reading!!