(no subject)

[decemberthirty]

I have finally finished Tehanu, the last of the Earthsea books. It really is an odd book, an odd end to that series. Lovely, but odd. I can remember how much I struggled to make sense of it back when I was twelve or so. I remember writing a long poem to try and help me figure it out, to help me attempt to sort out what I was feeling. So much of what the book is concerned with is aging, the changes that come with age, the way our relationship with the world changes as we get older, and I really knew nothing about that at twelve. (And how much do I know about it at 25? You are not old yet, Katie.)

I was more critical of the book this time than I think I have ever been, and I'm not sure why that is. Perhaps just my frame of mind. I couldn't help but notice a little stridency creeping in around the edges, and places where LeGuin used a hammer when a feather would have sufficed. I've never felt that way before about this book.

I don't know yet what I'll read next, although I feel fairly strongly that I need to go in a different direction. There's a lot of unread material lying around the house, so I should probably find something in one of those piles. But I have the urge to go to the library or the bookstore, to ply myself with something new...

In other news, perhaps novel-writing is not the best pursuit for someone with as strong a tendency to disappear down the rabbit-hole as mine.

Comments

[mercyforgreedy.livejournal.com]

I think it might be time for some......Nonfiction! :)

[decemberthirty.livejournal.com]

That might be a good idea... Any suggestions?

[mercyforgreedy.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. Two things that leap to mind: Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, and We Regret to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families by Philip Gourevitch. Dude! You should read Moneyball by Michael Lewis, as well. It has a few dry moments but is overall very worthwhile. Also, it's not nonfiction, but did you ever get around to reading The Corrections? I've loaned out We Regret... and got Moneyball out of the library, but the others I could send if need be.

Note: Everything I have recommended, other than Moneyball, is relentlessly depressing. But, you know me, that's what I like.

[decemberthirty.livejournal.com]

Ha! Our taste in books may be about as different as it gets, but if there's one thing you and I share it's a love for the depressing.

Thanks for the recommendations. Unfortunately I didn't get them before my trip to the library yesterday, but I will keep them in mind for future reading. I hate baseball right now, so I'm not sure that Moneyball is what I want to be reading, but I have heard you mention the others in the past and thought they sounded interesting. And I did take your advice and get some nonfiction: a book that I've been meaning to read about the bizarre Oneida Community...

I haven't read The Corrections yet, but it's high on my to-read list.