Category Archives: Reading

The Dog in the Manger

Reading

I never really liked Aesop. His fables left me feeling guilty. But I read them anyway and noted the morals at the end of each tale.

So, I’ve been sitting on a book that I knew, deep down, I was not going to read in time for book group. I bought it for myself before Christmas and Dean gave me a copy for Christmas. I sold a copy to the woman who is hosting the book group. I was going to return it anyway. Who needs two copies of the same book?

Then I found out that Catherine was 157 on the waiting list at the library. 157? This must be a good book. I’m on page twenty-something. I’ve brought it to wrestling matches and it remained unread in my bag. I’ve picked it up at night and it lost to whatever was on TV.

So I called Catherine tonight and offered it to her. She stopped by and now I have none.

Kind of funny — I had two copies — suggested we read it for book group and now don’t have a copy and am not going to have read it.

In a way I am upset and wonder if I’ll run out and buy it tomorrow. In another way, I’m relieved. Just another thing I don’t have to do.

My non-existent experience with Updike

Death, Reading, , ,

I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that I’ve only read one book by John Updike, and one short story. The book was The Witches of Eastwick and I read it after seeing the movie twice. I saw the movie twice by accident — sort of. Dean and I saw it and then some friends wanted to see it so we saw it again. So I read the book — but I don’t recall why.  Perhaps so I could say I read a book by John Updike?

The short story I read was A&P. I remember liking it. I read it in college, I think. My son recently had to read in for his high school freshman English class.

I knew about Updike from a young age, however. My mom had a book of his called Couples. It had sex in it and I’d skim the book to find the parts with sex. I tried to read it from the beginning, but it was boring to me otherwise. (this may have been after sixth grade though)

When I was in the sixth grade an author came to our class to tell us about being an author. His name is Larry Woiwode. (his sister was my student teacher that year). I’ve not read any of his books either, although I have most of them. He called John Updike his friend when he visited our class. I knew who Updike was by then, but perhaps Woiwode’s mentioning him made me more aware of him. [Although now that I think about it I was in 6th grade in 1968 when Couples was published — but perhaps I’d heard of the author before somehow.]

A friend of mine really liked John Updike. She liked his Rabbit novels. I didn’t even try to like them.

So. Perhaps I’ll try to read another book by Updike in honor of his passing. Or perhaps I’ll read a Woiwode book instead.

Oh wait — Updike wrote a sequel to The Witches of Eastwick. There. Decision made.

Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book wins Newbery Medal

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My adoration for most things Gaiman is probably known by folks who read this blog. I happened to be reading his tweets today when I saw this:

neilnewbery

I’m delighted. He’s such an accessible author — he wrote in his journal about writing this book — and kept us updated on its progress. Clare and I bought it at the National Book Festival a few days before its release. You should read it — it’s very good.