Whew, we’re already on the last Wednesday of the month! It has been a topsy-turvy and with month-end just over the horizon, things are about to get even more tedious. For now, I’ll do a WWW Wednesday update. WWW Wednesday is a bookish meme 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:

  1. What are you currently reading?
  2. What have you finished reading?
  3. What will you read next?
www-wednesdays
What are you currently reading?

Maryina Lewycka’s A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian is my current read. I just bought the book this year, picked from a long list of titles simply because the title stands out. As it also belongs to the 1,001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, I lined it up as my next read. I am just into my first few pages and I already met the novel’s primary characters – sisters Nadezhda and Vera. It seems that the two sisters have drifted apart as they are battling over their deceased mother’s will. From the title alone, I was able to surmise that the story is a bit humorous so I have so much to look forward to in this novel.

What have you finished reading?

I manage to read just one book this past week; it was also my current read during last week’s WWW Wednesday update. Icelandic author and Nobel Prize in Literature winner Halldór Laxness’ Independent People is a complex narrative that charts the life of sheep farmer Guðbjartur Jónsson, or generally referred to in the narrative as Bjartur of Summerhouses. As the title suggests, it revolves largely around independence and its various definitions. The novel also touches on society, politics and economics as well. It really did remind me of Robert Tressell’s The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists. Both are equally complex and challenging reads.

What will you read next?

Chinese classical writer TsaoHsueh-Chin’s Dream of the Red Chamber is a I have set my sights on. I am hoping this is a good substitute for Luo Guanzhong’s The Romance of Three Kingdoms (I am still hoping for a hardbound copy of the book). I just hope I get to read these books before the month ends.

And thus concludes another WWW Wednesday update! I hope everyone is having a great midweek! Do keep safe and as always, enjoy reading!