It is that time of the week again! Welcome to my fifth WWW Wednesday! This meme is originally hosted by SAM@TAKING ON A WORLD OF WORDS.
The mechanics for WWW Wednesday is quite simple. You just have to answer three questions:
- What are you currently reading?
- What have you finished reading?
- What will you read next?
I’ve been seeing this meme quite often in my fellow blogger’s pages. As it is bookish and quite simple to complete, I decided to take the plunge. Oh the bandwagoner in me! This is my first time doing it so do bear with me. Happy reading! Without any more ado, here goes.
What are you currently reading?
When I heard earlier this year that Atwood is going to release the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, I was giddy with excitement. I know, Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments wasn’t even part of the books that I am going to read next, as provided in my last WWW Wednesday post. However, it is too tempting not to read it immediately, fresh from the book stand. It is a book I recently purchased at this year’s Manila International Book Fair. Moreover, this book is the only reason why I got out of my comfort zone and immersed in the book fair’s crowd.
Apart from the fact that it was recently published, I wanted to read this book because it piqued my curiosity. I badly wanted to know what happens to Gilead and Offred. The tenterhook is too gripping and the anticipation too overwhelming not to read the book immediately. The reading journey, so far, is quite as expected. I already can connect the story with its precursor and even see some threads with The Blind Assassin with its intimate storytelling.
I can’t wait to finish this book. It is just too… invigorating.
What have you finished reading?
After nearly a month, I am finally done with my 700th read! What else is there to say except that it exceeded my expectations. You see, I barely had any iota on what the book is all about but from what very little I can take from the synopsis. I have neither watched the movie nor read any reviews of the book, hence, I was really in dark on this book. This is perhaps the very reason why I really liked the novel. Moreover, it helped that there were finely textured layers of history in the novel.
But there is more to the book that its retelling of the history of Georgia (the US state the book is set in). It is a colossal masterpiece that has many layers to it, the face of which is Scarlett O’Hara. Scarlett is a character that you either hate or love but in this case, I am truly torn because as villainous as she was in many of her dealings, there were several redeeming characters to her if only one would look beyond the veneer.
It is also a running commentary on the conservative nature of Deep South society, a subtle criticism of the hypocrisies and idiosyncrasies of its past. The only thing unfortunate about the story is how unsatisfactorily the story wrapped up in the end. It felt like Mitchell tried to speed up things, in stark contrast of how she beautifully crafted 3/4 of the story. It was still great nevertheless.
What will you read next?
This list hasn’t changed, especially with the insertion of The Testaments. Post-Pulitzer Prize Month, I want to resume completing ticking off items from these lists, starting with my 2019 Top 20 Reading List. In line then is Zadie Smith’s On Beauty, Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible, and Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom. Apart from Kingsolver, it would be my first time indulging in the works of these authors.
Reading The Poisonwood Bible would make me hit two birds with one stone as it also a part of my Beat the Backlist 2019 Edition. My current stand in the Beat the Backlist challenge is a measly 3/15 record. My priority is my 2019 Top 20 Reading List, knowing how daunting some of the books in the list are. With the completion of Gone With The Wind, I now have just eleven books to complete. SMH. As daunting as it maybe, I am truly looking forward to the challenge.
How about you fellow reader, what are your WWW Wednesday reads? Care to share it in the comment box? Or you can do your own but don’t forget to tag me!
The Pine-Scented Chronicles 