This week, we ordered replacement copies of The Great Santini by Pat Conroy. Pat Conroy's books have longtime appeal for many readers. His novels are steeped in his experiences with his strict and abusive father and his youthful days in the American south. I often wonder if my old favorites would strike the same chord if I re-read them now. Sometimes, the right book at the right time can seem very different at a different time. Do you have old favorites ?
Here are a few of mine:
Illumination Night by Alice Hoffman, Body & Soul by Frank Conroy, Saturday by Ian McEwan, Lost in the Forest by Sue Miller, Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler, Giant's House by Elizabeth McCracken, Three Junes by Julia Glass, Charms for the Easy Life by Kaye Gibbons, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett.
Comments (8)
Nancy -
It's not essential to read All The Pretty Horses first, but it is also an excellent book (the entire Border Trilogy is worth your time). Be forewarned: his one weakness is an underplaying (some say a disdain for or lack of understanding of) his female characters. But his writing is florid and captivating.
Enjoy!
Posted by MichaelW | January 5, 2007 3:40 PM
Posted on January 5, 2007 15:40
I agree with Nancy, it is hard to improve upon Charlotte's Web. Two other favorites originally read in childhood are James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. In the last two years, my favorite book has been Rules for Old Men Waiting, by Peter Pouncey, followed by The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigaar. They will keep you thinking about them long after you have finished!
Posted by Maggie | January 4, 2007 10:30 AM
Posted on January 4, 2007 10:30
Michael, Do you think it is better to read All the Pretty Horses before Crossing?
Thanks for your feedback about Charlotte!
Posted by Nancy | December 28, 2006 10:52 AM
Posted on December 28, 2006 10:52
I've been a big fan of the works of Cormac McCarthy, in particular "The Crossing". But his newest work, "The Road", is an altogether different kind of work, a glimpse into a horrible future that somehow manages to be both horrfying and hypnotic. An amazing read, one I can't get out of my head (whether it is something to be "enjoyed" is up for debate).
Nancy - I saw the film version of Charlotte's Web with my kids this weekend, and its as warm and inviting as you'd hope!
Posted by MichaelW | December 28, 2006 9:00 AM
Posted on December 28, 2006 09:00
An addition and correction to my earlier posting of 12/25. The addition to my list is "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie --- a great read in my opinion. The correction is in the Tom Wolfe book...my favorite by Wolfe is The Bonfire of the Vanities. Susan's recommendation of "Random Family" by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc is also a great book.
Posted by Norm T. | December 27, 2006 8:51 PM
Posted on December 27, 2006 20:51
Some of my old favorites are "The Color Purple," by Alice Walker; "The House of Mirth," by Edith Wharton; "Pnin," by Vladimir Nabokov; "Caucasia," by Danzy Senna; and "Random Family," by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc. Some others are "Bird by Bird," by Anne Lamott, Barbara Pym's novels, and Rosellen Brown's "Civil Wars."
Posted by Susan | December 25, 2006 7:07 PM
Posted on December 25, 2006 19:07
This posting has started me thinking of books I've enjoyed in the past. Here are some that come to mind (in no particular order):
"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Ken Kesey, "A Man in Full" by Tom Wolfe, "Autobiography of a Face" by Lucy Grealy, "House of Sand and Fog" by Andre Dubus, "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer, and "The Known World" by Edward P. Jones.
Posted by Normt | December 23, 2006 9:01 PM
Posted on December 23, 2006 21:01
I have a favorite that has not changed in almost two decades and that is Charlotte's Web. Maybe it's because, for me, each reading strikes at a life chord and actually makes me cry. So... I can't wait to see the new movie over the holiday! Has anybody seen it yet?
Posted by Nancy | December 22, 2006 9:16 AM
Posted on December 22, 2006 09:16