13 June 2011

What am I reading? What are you reading? What are we reading?

A novel that I'm reading is one I read ages ago and someone just returned. I must be in a lazy frame of mind - it is called Fits Like a Rubber Dress and it is by Canadian Roxane Ward. It is sharp and funny and very current and youthful. It is about a young married woman named Indigo Blackwell (cool huh?) who is fed up with her mind and her life and her dopey marriage. The scene that made me craziest so far was with her AWFUL father. Yikes. Made me want to murderalize him.

I just finished Happenstance by Carol Shields. I read it years ago too - it is about a marriage and the book is in two parts. From one side you read the wife's view of the story and then you flip it over and read the male's or the other way around. Reminded me of my first husband's weird sci fi books in the early 70's. Now, my guy is reading it. He was reading an awful book that I bought at a bookstore cuz the author was there and I felt guilty - no, I'm not going to name it. He put it down and said "Enough of this nonsense - got something for me to read?" I handed him Happenstance and he started right in. After a few minutes he sighed with delight and said, "Now I'm reading a real book." Ha!

What else am I reading? I'm reading a wonderful book by friend Andy Karr, Contemplating Reality - A Practioner's Guide to the View in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism. I'm reading this as part of my daily meditation practice. It is a guide and it gives me certain views of Buddhism for me to wrestle with in contemplation. Yes, I'm afraid I don't quite get it but any day now!

I'm also reading a biography Vanessa Bell by Frances Spalding. Bell was the sister of Virginia Woolf, an artist and a central figure in the Bloomsbury Circle. This is not a sparkling read but I'm enjoying it. I love this gang so it is interesting to read about them.

What are you reading? Do you have different books on the go for different times in the day or week?

Do you think you should be reading something yet can't quite do it?
What is the zeigeist on reading right now? Is reading over?
Has reading saved your life? Tell me about it. Let's have a conversation about reading. Right here and right now, now, now...

4 comments:

ViolaNut said...

I don't know about saving my life, but when I was really really sick in grad school, books got me through some horrible nights spent half-sleeping in the bathtub. Lots of Diana Gabaldon, Agatha Christie, and Michael Connelly (I know, weird combo, eh?). Maybe it would be closer to say reading IS my life. ;-)

CA Heaven said...

I've read too many crime novels recently, and got tired of it (didn't even finish the last one). So, I found that I want to read some really good stuff again, and picked up some of my favorite authors. I just read The Actual by Saul Bellow, and this weekend I started on Humilated and Insulted, one of the few Dostoyevsky novels I haven't read.

Cold As Heaven

Unknown said...

I've been reading a lot of Young Adult fiction- Maximum Ride series, Vampire's Assistant and a couple of plays (Fences by August Wilson).

L.A Speedwing said...

I wouldn't be much into reading romance stories unless there is fantasy in it but "Fits Like a Rubber Dress" and "happenstance"
do sound like original titles to me. Last book I have read was called "Star girl" by Jerry Spinelli. It is for young adults, no fantasy but a bit philosophical in parts. Quite enjoyable.