Of Mice and Men

So, I finished the Steinbeck. The question is, has this book changed my opinion of American Literature? I would have to say no, not entirely.

The premise of the book is wonderful, and the ending is extremely poignant - the friendship between Lennie and George is beautiful - but I still have difficulty with the style of the text. Steinbeck goes into great detail in describing the settings of the novel, and yet the characters themselves and their responses are shown only sparsely.

I understand that this shows the time - and especially the attitudes of men in this time, when they were not at all in touch with their feelings and survival was all they cared for. But the writing did not allow me to get excited.

I feel that this is still a book worth reading, and would recommend it, although it will never become one of my favourites.

So now, in accordance with the rules, I am reading something that is not on the list. I picked it up at Borders recently. It's called Half a Life by V.S Naipaul. It won the Nobel Prize for Literature, so I figure it is at least worth a look.

The Rules

I have been inundated with questions (okay one question - thanks Fabulois) about my list of books to read before I die, so I have attached what I have so far to this posting. It is definitely a work in progress, and I would welcome suggestions and recommendations.

There are a few rules to this reading adventure.

Firstly, I cannot read the list exclusively. This would be like going on a diet - a fabulous diet of nothing but chocolate - but it would still be limiting, and would no doubt get old. I would miss out on books given as gifts, or recommended by friends or even simply picked up by chance at a bookstore. That's how I got onto Jasper Fforde after all! If I don't read other authors, how will I know what else to put on the list.

So, no more than two books in a row from the list.

I guess the rest of the rules can be made up by those of us in blogspace as we go! Get on board!


100 Books To Read Before I Die

1
Harry Potter Book 7
J.K. Rowling

2
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Thomas Hardy

3
Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck

4
1984
George Orwell

5
A Prayer for Owen Meany
John Irving

6
The Woman in White
Wilkie Collins

7
Atlas Shrugged
Ayn Rand

8
A Room With A View
EM Forster

9
The Yellow Wallpaper
Charlotte Perkins Gilman

10
The Old Man and the Sea
Ernest Hemingway

11
A Child Called It
Dave Pelzer

12
The Penelopiad
Margaret Atwood

13
Double Vision
Pat Barker

14
Northanger Abbey
Jane Austen

15
The Turn of the Screw
Henry James

16
The Mermaid Chair
Sue Monk Kidd

17
Ethan Frome
Edith Wharton

18
David Copperfield
Charles Dickens

19
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens

20
Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro

21
Zorro
Isabel Allende

22
Amsterdam
Ian McEwan

23
Memories of my Melancholy Whores
Gabriel Garcia Marquez

24
The Fourth Bear
Jasper Fforde

25
The Surgeon of Crowthorne
Simon Winchester

26
Neuromancer
William Gibson

Hi All! Welcome to my blog. This blog is all about books and reading. Which means it is going to be totally fabulous.

I have to read a lot for my job, but other than that my major reading project is making my way through a list of 100 books that I have to read before I die. I have just finished George Orwell's 1984. This is a riveting vision of the future that feels all too possible... I am currently pondering the question as to whether or not this text is ultimately optimistic or pessimistic about the human condition. It certainly argues that there are people out there who are capable of original thought even under circumstances that do not allow for any expressions of individuality, however the ending of the novel shows that these people will eventually be extinguished by those with the power to promote the sameness. It is that moment in the end that I find so chilling - where Winston realises he loves Big Brother, something he terms a "victory over himself".

I am now moving on to Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. This is a real change for me as I have never had much of an interest in American literature of this canon. However, I am looking to increase my repertoire! After all, I learned to love Dickens, right Undervoice?

I will see if I can post attachments so that you can all share in my list. It isn't full yet, so I am still looking for more titles. What are the books you think a person really must read?