Long Winter Reads

I"ve read several novels in the past few months -- so I'll talk about them all at once.

A Room of One's Own -- Virginia Woolf -- Early 20th
This is non-fiction, bascially the transcript of speeches she gave -- honestly, it was one of those books that I had to force myself to read -- but it was for class, and it did give a good foundation for the later novels. A good place to start, academically, when interested in literature -- particularly, women's lit.

Their Eyes Were Watching God -- Zora Neale Hurston -- Early 20th century --
The dialect may give some a stumbling block, but to put proper language in it's place, would really detract from the story. The Heroine, Janie, is well developed and the pacing is excellent. While Hurston's novel was criticized by some as not being true to the struggles and daily life of African American's then, it does give a glimpse into a world and a time and place most of us will never know. Some of the concerns and conflicts Janie had, modern women still have. Not having watched Ms. Winfrey's version, I can't compare it, but the book is excellent.

The Journal Of A Solitude -- May Sarton -- mid 20th Century
One of several journals by poet and author May Sarton. It is non fiction, an account of a year of her life. Fluffy, well written description is interspersed with bouts of anger, depression, pain, and a few good things. I didn't care for it, but I prefer stories, not depressing recounts of life, which can be depressing enough as it is.

Tracks -- Louise Erdrich -- mid 20th century
Fictional story of life during the resettlements, land grabs, and government schools, of the Native Americans by whites, from the Native American's point of view. We follow one family over the course of several years as they deal with the coming problems. It is a bit confusing, it took several chapters before realizing the "occupation" of one of the main characters. And there is a shift of POV that happens at regular intervals. Disorienting at first, but there is growth in several characters, with the main characters showing depth and emotion.

Bone - Fae Myeen Ng -- 1993
A look inside life of Chinese American's in Chinatown. Flat. Confusing.

The Handmaid's Tale -- Margaret Atwood -- 20th century
Set sometime in 21st Century in what was once the USA. Now, known as Gilead, it is a tyrannical approach to an extremely narrow interpretations of several verses of the Christian Bible. Women have been reduced to possessions (again) with some women being forced to become surregate mothers for the elite. One of the scariest things is the people's refusal to stand up for themselves, and how easy they bought all of the BS, fed to them by the government. Scared that an attack will occur again the people are okay with suspending the Constitution and giving up all of their freedoms for what -- imagined security -- families are split and destroyed, children ripped away from their parents -- up, that was worth it. Good story, character growth is visible. Mostly it makes you sit up and take a whole new look at things. Read it.

I'm anxiously awaiting Blood Ties: The Turning, Book One by Jennifer Armintrout. Pleasure. Pure Pleasure. Not for school. Yeah.