Here are the books I’ve added to my to-read list this week and think you should too!
Mariette in Ecstasy by Ron Hansen: Set in 1906 in a convent in upstate New York initiate Mariette begins to become disturbingly passionate about her religious devotion to the point of exhibiting signs of stigmata. She burns herself, denies herself food, and undergoes misery as penance for her sins and to prove her devotion. As investigation into her case takes place the convent is through into “spiritual disarray” and leads to an intriguing mystery. This book just sounds interesting. I don’t know, maybe it’s my Catholic school upbringing but nothing says good mystery to me like a convent.
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce: When I had my last
day of student teaching the English department where I was working threw me a party and gave me a goodbye and good luck card that looked like James Joyce. While this was a touching gesture, it also made me realize I can’t remember ever reading anything by James Joyce ( except maybe the Lotus Eaters). and that made me kind of sad. So, when I saw this book mentioned as a re-release I thought this might be my chance to remedy the problem. I’m not really sure what this book is about…except the main character’s name is Stephen Dedalus and he’s both Irish and Catholic. Good enough for me.
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry: Ranked as one of the top ten novels of all time (by an unknown source I haven’t been able to track down but I plan on accepting as a fact because I’m sure it’s someone’s top ten something somewhere). 1975, India: four strangers are forced to share a small space after a State of Emergency is declared. Often compared to Charles Dickens (which is another reason I love this book…because I love Dickens), this novel focuses on characters and their complex relationships.
Any books you’ve read you think deserve a place on the list? Or have you read any of these and would like to say what you thought?
