exlibrismcp's 2009 Reading Journal

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett was a leftover from my 2008 Reading List.

I not so smartly chose to read it concurrently while attending college. As an English major I already have plenty of reading to do already, but for some reason decided to punish myself.

The book was a wonderful read and I hated the times I had to spend away from it. Because of its depth of characterization and the scope of its historical timeline, it really drew me in to the novel as if I were an on-scene non-participating member of the plot. I was able to revel in the celebrations and mourn with the grievers in a true emotional sense. Despite its fictionality, it maintains enough historical accurateness to give the plot and the actions of the characters a true realistic impression. Even though there is a definitive line drawn in the sand between a moralistic good and evil, those clearly on the side of good still have to wrestle with their own demons and insecurities about their true intentions and purposes. The architectural descriptions and the religious inflections prove that Follet did his homework and researched fully for this book.

Without Warning by John Birmingham.

Birmingham has written a stunning political thriller in the vein of Tom Clancy minus the overwhelming technological descriptions that are a staple of Clancy's work. This story revolves around the world's reaction and actions following an un-explainable force that basically obliterates the population of North America. The surviving American diaspora of civilian and military officials must struggle to maintain the union the United States in a world gone crazy with the loss of it's major superpower.

Birmingham creates a realistic scenario of the problems that would ensue following such an unprecedented event. Providing a global perspective of this disaster, he follows the adventures and actions of a myriad of characters in a variety of situations, ending each chapter with that specific geographical character in some state of suspense and/or danger. At times, I felt there were too many of these characters to keep up with, but must admit that my personal reading schedule was one in which there were often days in between readings. Thus, the confusion may have been my fault entirely. This one small complaint is definitely not hampering my anticipation of reading the planned follow up novel that is to follow.

The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck

This book was an assignment for my Comparative Politics Class at UNCC.

Good read. Definitely not Steinbeck's best literary effort - the characters are some-what flat and the story-line is simple and straight-forward. However, when read with the context surrounding the writing of the book in mind, these flaws are easily over-looked. Written and published during the time of Nazi Germany, this novel was widely distributed throughout occupied areas as propaganda against that destructive force.

Steinbeck chooses to show the occupying force in a sympathetic light. The soldiers are not cast as purely evil men; instead, they are human beings who are unfortunately caught in a situation where their only choice is to follow orders. Thus, the reader is allowed to place himself in a variety of roles so as to empathize with a range of emotions and to consider what choices he might make in the same situation

The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot a Norton Critical Edition edited by Michael North.

This is an assignment for English class. We are apply the New Criticism approach to this interesting, albeit challenging poem. This is one of those works I have heard mentioned many times, but this is my first time wrestiling with it. One saving grace is that this critical edition includes explanations of the many obscure references as well as critical essays by many other writers and critics.

Hello exlibris!
I'm glad you enjoyed The Pillars of the Earth. I was given it as a present when I was in hospital a few years ago and it made my stay there fly by (I almost resented it when people came to visit!)
I look forward to seeing what else you're reading...

Nothing like waiting until the next to last month to update your reading list right? Most of mine now is still school related - not much time to pick out what I want to read.

Posted on Earlier Threads
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Without Warning by John Birmingham Early Reviewer book
The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck School Related
The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot School Related

Latino Literature Class
La frontera / Borderlands by Gloria Anzaldua
So Far from God by Ana Castillo
Face of an Angel by Denise Chavez
Down These Mean Streets by Piri Thomas
The Line of the Sun by Judith Ortiz Cofer
When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago
The Aguero Sisters by Cristina Garcia
Our House in the Last World by Oscar Hijuelos
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

English Literature
Beowulf
Speech to the Troops at Tilbury by Queen Elizabeth
Golden Speech by Queen Elizabeth
An Horatian Ode by Marvell
Sonnets 1, 71 by Sir Philip Sidney
Sonnets 3, 20, 130, 144 by William Shakespeare
Holy Sonnets 1, 14 by John Donne
Faustus by Christopher Marlowe
Wakefield's Second Shepherd's Play
The Prioress' Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
Defense of Eve by Lanyer
Description of Cooke-ham by Lanyer
The Garden by Marvell
Paradise Lost Books 4, 5, 9 by Milton
Othello by William Shakespeare
The Tragedy of Mariam by Elizabeth Cary
The Rover by Behn Up next on the agenda

Others
Certain Jeopardy by Jeff Struecker & Alton Gansky Early Reviewer book
Through the Fire by Shawn Grady Early Reviewer Book
Broken Angel by Simon Brouwer Early Reviewer Book