At the Review-Journal we've recently started sort of a blogging book club — certain staffers with large reading appetites write about books they've read (here's one of Anne's on this page.
So I've been thinking about blogging and reading. Unfortunately, I'm slow at both. But here's my list of my five favorite books (in order, of course):
1. "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
This 1980 Pulitzer Prize-winner was published 11 years after the author's death. His mother had hounded southern Louisiana professors for years in hope she'd find someone who would recommend the work. She finally found her mark in Walker Percy, himself a novelist who was then a member of the faculty of Loyola University in New Orleans. The head "Dunce," Ignatius J. Reilly, is one of literature's classic characters.
2. "Travels With Charley" by John Steinbeck
Steinbeck's nonfiction story of his 1960 Long Island-to-California journey with his faithful poodle. His description of bears in national parks is one of the funniest things I've read.
3. "The Great Gatsby," F. Scott Fitzgerald
Like "Dunces" and Nabakov and "Heart of Darkness," I was slow to get to "Gatsby" and other classics. Wonder if the Barstow Unified School District is to be blamed. After reading this one, I couldn't remember why I had disregarded it so long.
4. "A Walk in the Woods," Bill Bryson
I wanted to include a Bryson book on the list; I'm not certain this is my favorite among his works. But it was the first one I read and is much-loved.
5. "What's the Matter with Kansas," Thomas Frank
Over the past 3-4 years I've read nonfiction primarily. Especially politics. Franks is probably the best writer among those I've read (apologies to Malcolm Gladwell and Al Franken, who is actually quite good). The author's main question: Why do so many people (especially in rural and suburban Kansas, where he was raised) vote against there own economic self-interest? The "backlash," he calls it, as he travels to every corner of the state.
2 comments:
A co-worker in Wichita Falls insisted I had to read "Confederacy of Dunces." I finally broke down and was very glad I did. In fact, someone asked me the other day for some of my favorite books, and that was on the list.
I've read all of these and agree they are either very good or great. I probably would not place "Travels with Charley" near the top of any of my lists of this sort, but I am a fan of Steinbeck generally and this book is certainly entertaining. There is some question of whether any of it is true, by the way. Steinbeck's son suspects the old man made most of it up at his desk. I really liked Bryson's Australia travel book as well.
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