2011 reads

Monday, 14 May 2012

Maibox Monday

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme created by Marcia at Mailbox Monday and is being hosted all this month by Martha of Martha's Bookshelf.

Well, I received a very nice (big) box of books recently, for my challenges in A Century of Books and The Classics Club:


The Homemaker, by D. Canfield:
"this is the story of Evangeline Knapp, the perfect, compulsive housekeeper, whose husband, Lester, is a poet and a dreamer. Suddenly, through a nearly fatal accident, their roles are reversed: Lester is confined to home in a wheelchair and his wife must work to support the family. The changes that take place between husband and wife, parents and children, are both fascinating and poignant". 
A very intriguing book, this will be my 1983 entry in the Century.






What dreams may come, by R. Matheson
"What happens to us after we die? Chris Nielsen had no idea, until an unexpected accident cut his life short, separating him from his beloved wife, Annie. Now Chris must discover the true nature of life after death.  But even Heaven is not complete without Annie, and when tragedy threatens to divide them forever, Chris risks his very soul to save Annie from an eternity of despair"
This will be my 1977 entry in the Century.




I know why the caged bird sings, by M. Angelou
"Maya Angelou recounts a youth filled with disappointment, frustration, tragedy, and finally hard-won independence"
I know I will be crying from page 1 onwards, but I've wanted to read this for a long time.  It will be my 1969 entry in the Century and an entry in the Classics Club.






Mrs. Dalloway, by V. Woolf
"Mrs. Clarissa Dalloway is preoccupied with the last-minute details of party preparation while in her mind she is something much more than a perfect society hostess. As she readies her house, she is flooded with remembrances of faraway times. And, met with the realities of the present, Clarissa reexamines the choices that brought her there, hesitantly looking ahead to the unfamiliar work of growing old"
I've never read Woolf, and am looking forward to reading this for the Classics Club!




The Driver's Seat, by M. Spark 
"Lise has been driven to distraction by working in the same accountants' office for sixteen years. So she leaves everything behind her, transforms herself into a laughing, garishly-dressed temptress and flies abroad on the holiday of a lifetime. But her search for adventure, sex and the obsessional experience takes on a far darker significance as she heads on a journey of self-destruction. Infinity and eternity attend Lise's last terrible day in an unnamed southern city, as she meets her fate"
This was actually inspired from a retrospective hosted by Simon and Harriet.  I read it within one day, and was seriously blown away.  Now I'm looking for more books by Spark!




14 comments:

  1. The Driver's Seat sounds really good! Enjoy your new books.

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  2. The Homemaker should be interesting. I wonder how the role reversal plays out. Have a wonderful week and happy reading.

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  3. I haven't read any of these. I hope you enjoy them all! Happy reading.

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    1. thanks Jennifer - same to you!

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  4. Anonymous14/5/12

    New titles for me,The Homemaker caught my eye.

    http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2012/05/mailbox-monday_14.html

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    1. it does sound intriguing, haven't started it yet.

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  5. Love the idea of reading a book for every year within a century. I've seen that referenced on several blogs but now it's really starting to click that this is a fun idea. Book reviews could often do double duty, representing their year as well as reviewed in their own right. That makes it sound less intimidating!

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    1. It is exactly like that - plus I get to find rare gems, that I would otherwise not even have looked at! Just for info, wikipedia has a literature entry for each year, which could serve as inspiration!

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  6. OMG I just finished Mrs. Dalloway. It was a hard, but interesting read. Hope you enjoy it (and all of your books)!

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  7. I had no idea What Dreams May Come was a book!! I loved that movie! Great book haul :)

    My Mailbox

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    1. I also only knew the movie up to now - am interested to see the written story behind it!

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