okay - I started this blog post weeks ago just after I returned from my July roadtrip and here it is the end of October and I still haven't posted it! I've had another roadtrip since so I'm going to combine all of the books together in one looong blog post. Enjoy!
A few weeks ago I headed across and then down the state to attend a college friend's wedding. I picked out Atonement by Ian McEwan and A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis as the trip audiobooks.
I started listening to Atonement and then had "technical difficulties" midway through the 4th tape, so I finished reading it when I arrived home. The book shares a day events from the perspective of a 13 year old with a prodigious imagination that results in accusations against an innocent man. The results tear apart her family and that of the man. Written about past events, the story is meant to set right the wrongs committed that night. In a way it comes too late but eventually truth must emerge even if justice is not served. I enjoyed the book.
A Grief Observed was one of those books picked up at the right time. Yes, it did make me cry but in all the good ways. It is one of those books that you pick up, consider reading and then put it back. As I was perusing the audiobook section at the library, I was looking for a short book and this one fit the bill. In addition, I thought the subject was interesting considering the events of the past few months. I'm so glad as it gave me an excuse to cry which was badly needed. I recommend this book for that time when it beckons.
During my July road trip, I listened to a couple of audio books - these are the original basis of this post!
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon is written from the view point from a teenager with Asperger's Syndrome. He enjoys solving puzzles and after discovering the neighbor's dog had been killed with a pitchfork decides to figure out who killed the dog. His adventures require that he stretch himself and go beyond his street. When he discovers who killed Wellington (the dog), he embarks on another adventure. He makes many discoveries about himself, his family and how to better interact with the world. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and encourage others to read (or listen) it. There are twists that will captivate any audience.
A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley was written in the early 1900's but is eerily reminiscent of today's world. In the book, man has found a way to keep everyone happy all the time and no one is ever lonely. " It is geared for "mature" audiences as there is wide reference to casual $ex that is the only socially acceptable way. Children were not brought into the world in the usual way but grown and "decanted" from bottles. A way to clone and make multiple people of the same genes had been invented. A class system devised. And everyone socialized to be happy in their assigned place. And if you weren't happy there was "Soma" a magic pill that could send you on a "holiday" to happiness. There were a few "reservations" where "natives" still lived in the "old ways" and people could go visit and observed. The result of a man's visit to one kicks off a series of events that end tragically. The book is a glimpse into a world where man acts as God and not as man. I think this book is a must read as it will cause you to reconsider that all that is going on in the world today as "new.
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2 comments:
I remember reading "Brave New World" for one of my college classes and being burdened by how so much of a parallel's today's society. I don't wish to read it again, but I guess I'm thankful for how it made me "aware" to some things I may not have been.
I started to read "Atonement" right after the movie came out (which I never saw), but put it down and never finished it. I can't remember why - something about it bothered me - I'll have to back and try it again. :)
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