Another literary post.

Hello. It's Sunday. There is a lot of football and wind and cold going on here today. :) I received my exam and final grade results from last semester the other day and were very pleased with them, it was a nice end to such a wonderful, exploratory, and different semester. I fly back to the UK on Thursday and I'm looking forward to being back in St. Andrews. I cannot wait to be reacquainted with the sea, non-dry air, friends, class and academics, and just be immersed in the adventure again.

I haven't been able to read quite as much as I would have liked to this break (my 'to-read' books are still number about a dozen...) as I've found applying to summer internships, cleaning, moving, seeing friends and family, sleeping, exploring the outdoors, and other activities have taken a front seat. I continue to think back to books I've read in the last month, or year or three or four years and find that a few are just so memorable. I shared those below. :)

I've written one literary posy previously located here: http://www.livehowyoulovetolive.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-literary-post.html

 Vanessa and Virginia.

Beautiful. Written by my Virginia Woolf professor, Susan Sellers. A creative piece about Virginia Woolf and her sister, Vanessa Bell, set as a narrative written by Vanessa. Serving as a companion to much of Woolf's work asVanessa and Virginia shadows bits of Woolf's works, it stands well on it's own. It's general and a simple, addictive read with a focus on mental illness, motherhood, identity and art that anyone unfamiliar with Woolf will still be able to identify with.

 

Montana 1948.

Beautiful. Symbolic. Simplistic. I think only comparable to To Kill a Mockingbird. Very thematic with a focus on memory. The characters and events are telling and almost familiar, rotating around life and scandal in a quintessential western American town yet the writing is purposefully general, set in a non-detailed styled and simplistic but it brings statements, dialogue and experiences to life.

A Long Long Way.

Haunting. Changing. So so well written and real. Sebastian Barry's A Long Long Way was selected as St Andrew's orientation assigned reading. I was mailed a copy in August and along with other students, enjoyed hearing Barry speak at St Andrews in October. A Long Long Way is a World War I piece with a focus on Ireland gaining independence. The story is graphic and the classic war story, yet it brings questions and conflict regarding identiy, family and future.

Freedom Summer.

I wrote a bit about Freedom Summer in the last literary post, but I love this book. I read it in July and it was so telling, historical, honest, well-researched and poignant. I've long held an interest in the American civil rights movement and I can't seem to shake it. Any book that is Racial Equality/Civil Rights-ish themed immediately attracts me, but this stayed with me way longer. The college students profiled who worked towards equality, voting rights, and education in Mississippi in the summer of 1964 are beyond heroic and inspiring.

Catfish Alley.

Perhaps my favorite book right now. Also profiled in the last literary post and also set in Mississippi. An addictive historical fiction/mystery piece focusing on racial relations in both 1930s Mississippi and present-day. The characters are beautiful and lifelike with the detail, setting and secrets revealed throughout offering a glimpse into one of the ugliest corners of American hisory.

Riding on Duke's Train.

Fun. Creative. Wonderfully written. Written by my Dad's childhood best friend Mick Carlon, Riding on Duke's Train is clever, capturing Duke Ellington as a friend and musician from a child's point of view while set against the backdrop of Europe at the beginning of World War II, with a focus on jazz and racial prejudice. Intended for children, it's a wonderfully bright educational read.            

The Kite Runner.

                                                  
I read this after hearing of the amazing reviews, and because I wanted to know more of Afghanistan. I think to many of us, it's a central Asian country we know of solely through war and military involvement therte. It's tough to imagine the topography, people, families and lives lived there. The Kite Runner tells so much more. It dives into friendship, religion, family and immigration. It explores tradition and belief while remaining committed to telling of a culture and world not as far as it may seem. Completely beautiful.

A Northern Light.

My favorite book for many years and still pretty close to the top of the list. Amazingly written. Relatable and beautiful. Set in upstate New York at the turn of the last century with a focus on dreaming, education, writing, coming-of-age, family and struggle, yet interwoven with illness, death, race, and a murder mystery. Powerful and real.


This post could go on and on. Most of my books for next semester are packed and I'm bringing along quite a few of my 'to-read' books and hope to find some time to attack them throughout the semester. I'm most looking forward to Wolf Hall, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and Travels with Charlie.