A Word About Books

I love to read. It is what I do to keep my sanity--especially when I am stressed. It seems the more chaotic my life, the more I have to read. And I try to read good (my own standard, of course) books--sometimes returning to old favorites over and over again because I know I can trust them. And I admit it, I like to read happy endings. There are enough sad endings in reality that I don't need to escape to them. I don't enjoy realism all that much.

So recently I picked up a couple books that looked good. The first is a book I began reading with a couple friends who are tackling the AP English Literature list together, one book at a time. But I have to say that after the first 100 pages or so, I have lost interest and put it aside for good. The Blind Assassin is a little too gritty for my taste (at least what I have read so far). So I will go to our lunch discussion this week, but I will not have completed my assignment. I'm interested to see what they have to say.

The second, The Mill on the Floss by George Elliot, has a terrible ending!!! Remember, I like happy endings--it's a prerequisite. [Beware, I am going to play the spoiler here; so if you want to read the book, skip this paragraph because I am going to reveal the terrible ending.] After a long, sometimes tedious, narrative about a family full of misfortune, the heroine finally appears to have found love and happiness. But she gets tangled up in a couple of webs that I was anxious to see how the author would untangle with full moral value and all that. Not to be. On the second to last page (I knew I was in trouble as the pages dwindled without a foreseeable solution to the dilemmas) she dies in a flash flood. HONESTLY! Is that why I devoted my whole Saturday morning (when I should have been cleaning my house) to finishing her tale--to see her die in a flash flood? Seemed like a bit of a cop out to me. So now I have to find something, and quick, to take the sting out of the ending that is lingering like a bad taste in my mouth. Any tried and true suggestions?

On a happier note, I did just finish Middlemarch by George Elliot (That's what led me to The Mill on the Floss in the first place) and I quite liked it.

I also finished The Chosen by Chaim Potok and loved that one. I am going to read more of his work soon.

I have a feeling a little more Jane Austen is in the offing. I can always count on Jane to cheer me up when I am feeling down about the books I am reading. (Btw, did you see this great new BBC production of Emma that ran on PBS? One of my favorites that we have watched over and over in this house!)

Happy reading to all! Have a great day!