Happy midweek everyone! In a couple more of weeks, we will all be welcoming a new year. How time flies but before the year ends, I hope you reap the benefits of everything you worked hard for this year. More importantly, I hope you are all doing well, in body, mind, and spirit. As it is Wednesday, I am going to share a new 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:
- What are you currently reading?
- What have you finished reading?
- What will you read next?
What are you currently reading?
I am now in the midst of an American Literature reading journey. My fourth American work in a row is Harper Lee’s Go Set A Watchman. I was one of those readers who were looking forward to Lee’s latest novel when it was announced back in 2015. I thoroughly liked her Pulitzer Prize winning literary classic, To Kill A Mockingbird. I have since then made reading Go Set A Watchman one of my reading prospects and over six years later, I am finally reading it. I am back in Maycomb, Alabama with a now adult Scout Finch. I am just starting with the story but the setting is starting to become more familiar. I will share more of my thoughts on this week’s First Impression Friday post. That is if I am not yet done with it by that time.
What have you finished reading?
This past week, I managed to complete two books. The first of these books is Nobel Laureate in Literature Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. Hemingway’s debut novel, it is his fourth work that I have completed and my first since 2018 when I finished For Whom The Bell Tolls. The Sun Also Rises charts the story of Jake Barnes, an American war veteran who was working as a journalist in Paris. There he met Lady Brett Ashley, a divorcee. We follow them as they waltzed across the social circles of Paris before joining a fishing trip in the hills northeast of Pamplona, Spain. Compared to the last Hemingway novel I read, The Sun Also Rises was more accessible, with dialogues that are easier to understand. The story also did remind me of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night. However, I find the story a little underwhelming. Except for the graphic images of bulls goring into the matadors later in the story, nothing held my attention.
From a familiar name, my next reading journey took me to a familiar location but to an unfamiliar name. Prior to 2018, I have never heard of Don Delillo nor have I encountered any of his works. I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that a score of his works were listed as part of the 1,001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. I was brimming with curiosity when I opened Cosmopolis, a book I bought in 2018; yes, I let it gather dust before I started reading it. A quick read, the story focuses on Eric Packer, a 28-year-old multi-billionaire asset manager. We join him as he makes his way across midtown Manhattan to have a haircut. Delillo paints the landscape of Manhattan as Packer encounters different situations such as a riot, and a movie filming. Thankfully, it was an easy read as I barely appreciated the plot.
What will you read next?
With my American literature reading journey in full swing, I have lined up writers whose works I have never read before. The first one is James Baldwin’s Go Tell It On the Mountain, a book I keep encountering in several must-read lists, such as the 1,001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. It is highly-regarded that it was no-brainer adding it to my reading list. Next in line is William Burrough’s Naked Lunch, one of several books I purchased during the 2018 Big Bad Wolf Sale. Along with his friends Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, he has become a pillar of the Beat Generation. Lastly, I have T. Coraghessan Boyle’s Drop City, another title I have encountered in several must read lists.
With this lineup of books, I am simultaneously ticking off books on my reading lists and reading challenges. With the year drawing to a close, I am looking at completing my reading lists and reading challenges. That’s it for this week’s WWW Wednesday. I hope you are all doing great. Happy reading and always stay safe! Happy Wednesday again!
The Pine-Scented Chronicles 