BLAZE

Making the Most of the Library

As you probably know, I treasure my various library memberships (I have four). And I admit that I am addicted to books. Although my addiction per se may not involve stealing from others to feed my habit, nor selling myself on the street (how reassuring!), I certainly own more books than I could possibly ever read, I buy more books regularly (I'm probably one of ABE's favourite clients), and I am always borrowing books (and running up fines) at the library. That certainly sound like an addiction, or at least bibliomania, to me!

In the last week, after finishing Harry Potter 6, I've read several other very popular novels, just by dint of standing at the cart when the books came out for shelving. First I read Ya-Yas in Bloom by Rebecca Wells, the third in the much-loved Ya-Yas series. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book — and since I almost always try to finish any book I start (The Polished Hoe notwithstanding), many people have had to listen to me grouse about its length and tediousness. Given my bizarre sense of family and the absence of organized religion in my life, this book had little to say to me. I found the narrative structure awkward, as the sections are told by various narrators (or from various narrators' limited third-person perspectives) at various times, not coming together as a whole by the final section. I read this work as the author's attempt to grapple with America's loss of confidence since the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington in 2001. Although the pivotal events of the last section take place in 1994, the emotions and actions around these events feel much more contemporary. If you really enjoy and believe in O magazine, you may enjoy this novel; otherwise, you may want to give it a pass.

Next I read The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom, which I've been meaning to get to for a couple of years, since one of my students recommended it. Poor Mr Albom has been the subject of great controversy recently, but this novel was written long before all that, and it's a thoughtful little book. The premise is that when a person dies, he meets in "heaven" (a deeply subjective term) five people whose lives intersected with his, whether he recognized the meeting or not; each of the five must explain some aspect of the dead person's existence to him so he can understand his life's purpose and meaning. (Here "heaven" is a vaguely Christian place, although it needn't be read that way.) The theme of this novel is interconnectedness: we are all connected by a complicated web of time and circumstance, and thus anything that affects one of us ultimately affects all of us. While the novel was extremely simple and short (you could easily read it in "one sitting"), it contains some important messages, much less cloyingly communicated than by, say, the Ya-Yas.

Incidentally, I enjoyed the first Ya-Yas book that I read!

Finally, tonight I finished Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracey Chevalier, another novel recommended by a student. (Well, given the painter at the centre of the story, how could I not read it eventually?) It's quite a lovely book, thoughtful and cautious, and it does not take the easy way out of its plot — I was impressed by the author's restraint. If you enjoy historical fiction and if you enjoy what my friend calls "girl books", you'll probably like this one. Note, however, that Griet, the narrator, is quite a prickly young woman — she reminds me of several twentieth-century Dutch women I've known!

Yes, yes, yes, I enjoyed Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince very much, although I'm completely puzzled by how Rowling will resolve the plot in a single, final volume. If you haven't read it, you should, slowly. As another blogger remarked, Rowling has a keen sense of the developing adolescent psyche; the book works remarkably well on several levels, despite many unanswered questions in the deeply complicated plot. You know the basic trajectory of the story, and you may even know the major spoiler, but I'm sure you'll be surprised at how the story ends and where it is set to continue in the next volume. And so the waiting begins again ... thankfully there's a movie in November to keep us amused...

And now I'm reading Marriage, A History: From Obedience to Intimacy, or How Love Conquered Marriage by Stephanie Coontz (great subtitle!). So far it's rather interesting — I'm becoming a big fan of cultural histories. I'm also about to tackle Roddy Doyle's Oh, Play That Thing and Susan Jane Gilman's Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress. As always, I welcome your suggestions. Or ABE gift certificates. And don't get me started about the remainder piles at Chapters...

Off to read some more,
L