Monday, February 28, 2011

What I Read This Month




Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, 1955

Yet another book that I've been wanting to read for a while. An interesting look inside the brain of someone compelled to act in a way that he himself knows is not sanctioned by society. A step-father obsessed with his 12-year-old stepdaughter. Beautiful language. The first half is enjoyable, the second half goes downhill quite a bit.



Comedy at the Edge: How Stand-up in the 1970s Changed America by Richard Zoglin, 2008

I read mostly fiction, but this book is a great reminder why I should read more non-fiction. While the subtitle, How Stand-up Changed America, might be overreaching a bit, it is an excellent chronicle of how comedy and careers in comedy changed in the 70s and beyond.



The Awakening by Kate Chopin, 1899

This Victorian novella with modern themes is often considered to be one of the earlier feminist novels. The Awakening ended the author's popular literary career and destroyed her reputation in her lifetime, but has met with favorable critical reviews subsequent to her death. Protagonist Edna Pontellier is unsatisfied with her unavoidable roles as wife and mother, but meets with disapproval when she tries to venture too far away. Old Mademoiselle Reisz asks Edna if her wings are strong enough because "[t]he bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth."

Despite the surprising support of many of her friends and acquaintances, and even the tolerance of her husband (through one would ideally wish for more than mere tolerance from a spouse), Edna falters in the path of nonconformity that she has chosen for herself, leading to her ultimate demise. The themes are ahead of Chopin's time, more in keeping with feminist literature of the 1960's and beyond, such as Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook, Silvia Plath's The Bell Jar or Marilyn French's The Women's Room, although Chopin's writing style is more 19th-century.



The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson, 2010 (published postumously)

The final book of the Millenium Trilogy. I wasn't too impressed with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; it was good but I didn't think it was good enough to deserve all the fuss. The Girls Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest have exceeded my expectations.



Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 1864

The second half was better than the first half, but all in all I generally prefer novels to have a bit more story and I prefer philosophy in an essay format.



A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, 1943

This autobiographical novel presents the coming of age story of teen Francie Nolan, who lives in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn with her family in the early 1900's, leading up to World War I, with a focus on her struggles with school, her family's poverty, her first jobs and her first loves.


Clothes inter alia is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Clothes inter alia may benefit financially if you makes any purchases by following the above links.

3 comments:

  1. Love the trees grows in brooklyn

    XOXO,

    http://outfitidentifier.com/

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, you read a lot. That's amazing and commendable. It's been many years but I loved The Awakening. If you like a more novel format try either Dostoyevsky's The Idiot or The Brothers Karamazov if you haven't already. The Idiot I really, really love. The women characters in both are wicked unforgettable. Dostovesky is to writing what Cezanne is to painting - they are both so painstakingly honest they can make you go cross-eyed, but I love them both dearly for it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I absolutely loved the movie version of Emma from the 90's, with Gwyneth Paltrow! Maybe I'll read that next... IF I can every get through P&P. I, like Meg Ryan's character in You've Got Mail, keep getting lost in the language... only not in a good way. I just get confused.

    I also wasn't crazy impressed with Girl with a Dragon Tattoo. Good book, but not worth the crazy amount of hype. I haven't read Played with Fire or Kicked the Hornet's Nest yet...

    Thanks for stopping by my blog!

    ReplyDelete