These past few weeks have been marked by a few great books. I’ll get to the “sorta” part soon. Of course, six weeks ago I made a resolution to read one book every week, and as of late I’ve struggled with the concept, simply because I didn’t want to read a book simply for the sake of saying I read it. That didn’t happen. I found that if I enjoyed a book, it wasn’t a matter of time; I was going to finish it. Yes, there is a certain aspect of discipline that comes with the practice, but the joy is contained with in the words, not within the ability to say I’ve read the words…
Week 4: Time’s Arrow – Martin Amis
A novel in which the narrator exists as a presence in the consciousness of a man whose life is playing in reverse. Huh? Let me put it this way: in Time’s Arrow, doctor’s kill people, pimps give prostitutes money and heal their wounds, you regurgitate your food and systematically place it in containers to be brought back to the supermarket in return for money. Conversations play in reverse. It’s definitely a trip, but it’s one worth taking. Of course, it begins with the narrator witnessing his host’s death and ends with his host’s birth. If it sounds a little like Slaughterhouse Five, that’s because it is: Martin Amis has said the novel was influenced by “a famous paragraph” from Vonnegut. The prose was disorienting to say the least, but well worth the read. Hint: the good stuff happens at the end (or is that the beginning?).
Week Five: A Prayer For Owen Meany – John Irving
My Calculus teacher, when asked what was his favorite novel was, replied “A Prayer for Owen Meany”. That was almost a year ago, and I finally “got around” to reading it. Let’s just say it definitely helps when you choose to stick to a one-book-a-week-diet. Side effect: you get to do things you’ve wanted to do for awhile. Anywho, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel. The prose isn’t necessarily lyrical or ornate, but the story telling is beautiful and colorful. It’s a novel about friendship, faith, love, and loss. What else is there to write about, right? But it’s very well done; you fall in love with the characters, even when they’ve passed away. They become your friends. I find that a good book sneaks up on you; the story becomes a part of your existence. Part of the beauty of literature, in my opinion, is the ability to live vicariously through the characters. A Prayer For Owen Meany has become a part of my existence.
Week 4.5: Fences – August Wilson
This play was required reading for my Literature class. It’s one-tenth of Wilson’s The Pittsburgh Cycle, which chronicles the African-American experience one decade at a time. It was a great read, and as with all plays, seeing it performed live enhanced the experience two-fold. The dialogue most definitely has a rhythm – it’s been said that August Wilson would stamp his foot in time, like a Blues musician, in rehearsal. If something didn’t click it was altered. And it shows; there is a definite honesty and color in each character. One thing that you definitely miss when you see the play live is the stage directions: Wilson wrote beautifully ornate stage directions that stand alone. The last scene was one of the most ambiguous I’ve read/seen in a drama setting.
Week Six: Blargh! I ran out of time!
This week was the first I couldn’t complete an entire novel (although I read about 500 pages in total). You see, I started reading The Cider House Rules, another John Irving novel, but on Tuesday I had to complete chapters 1-10 of Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath. So here I am now: half way through two books and nothing (at least in terms of my project) to show for it! But fear not, I’ll make a glorious comeback…
In any case, the rewards of sticking to this project are many. I’ve been so enamored by the process; the therapeutic value of reading, the excitement of starting a new novel, and the feeling of resolve gained. Literature pun! Zing! If there’s a book you’ve wanted to read I urge you to read it. If there’s a book you’ve been meaning to buy I urge you to buy it. The book-a-week plan is just another way to realize that time is short. Even if I were to read a book a week, for, let’s say, 80 more years, that’d only be 4,160 books, a mere fraction of the valuable recorded works of man. Literacy is a gift worth using.
Use it,
Chris
Photo via goodreads
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