books

Yay, one member! Thanks Car-

Anyways, funny that this 15 Book Facebook note is going around, cuz quite frankly, I was thinking of writing about books even before this facebook fad. Here's why I wanted to write about books:

I just finished The Name of the Rose, by Umberto Eco. Finally!!! It took (do I have to be honest here?) I started it 7 years ago!!!!! Mind you, seven years, two kids, a wedding/marriage, new house, completed masters degree and plenty of other books in the meantime. So, #1... How do I know for sure that it took at least 7 years? Well, my bookmark was an empty book of stamps with the label dating back to 2002 (at 37 cents!). #2 - why the big deal about this book? Well, it's hard that's what's the big deal. While there are plenty of books out there that I've read for pleasure and say to myself "okay, finished that one" with no real sense of purpose in having read them, just for the sake of it most times. With this book I feel that I've accomplished something, I am proud to say that I have read this book. The sentences are crazy long and convoluted, you really really have to think while reading it. Quite frequently I found myself reading one sentence and then having to turn back and reread it or even turn back a page and start a section over. Crazy, I know - why bother? Well, first - It was around the time when The Davinci Code was big and I really like that type of story...medieval, religious, semi-historical-fiction (barely I know), cults and secrecy; second, I knew it was a reputable book and challenging: I wanted to read it.

I will say, that teaching summer school this year has proved beneficial for my reading list. We have our students do at least 20-30 minutes of SSR and gee, I do it too! I have finished two books that I had started within the past year: The Glass Castle, Run, and then The Name of the Rose and I'm now working on my fourth: The Wizard of Earthsea. Yes, for whatever reason, I am very capable of having numerous books going at once...I can even pick up a book that I left sitting unfinished, and years later finish it: hence the Rose. I will some day finish Sarum and Trinity; gosh, I think I started both of those in high school! Speaking of which, maybe I should pull out Sarum (I am at just about the time of the pagans) before starting Foucault's Pendulum (another Umberto Eco). Hhmmmm. The Fountainhead is also on my list, but I need to get a different edition - apparently I am getting old because the font in the edition I have is just too plain small!

So, The Wizard of Earthsea, you may say - what the heck is that? Thanks to Pete I know and honestly, I have to say it's the original Harry Potter. Really...a child-prodigy-wizard who is trying to learn all he can about wizardry and find his place in the world and has no family to return to. Yeah, sounds like Harry to me. But this was written in 1968!! And while Harry's written at a, what 4th-5th-6th grade reading level, this is a bit higher and quite a bit darker. This protagonist is arrogant and cocky until he screws up royally. Then he turns all meek and withdrawn and duty-driven. That's about as far as I've gotten. Though it too is a series, so, I'll be looking for the next one soon.

Alright, a crying child in the background...gotta go.