Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Of Printed Matter

Do you love to read?

I do.

Word by word. Page by page. I love drifting off into somebody else's world. Tales of heartbreak or joy, courage or fear, past or future, I love them all.

One of my favourite books of all time (and I have many...too many to list) is Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance. For me, this was an unforgettable tale. If I can remember a novel so clearly, 10 years later, then I know it was a good read.

It is the story of a group of individuals, each with their own pain and loneliness, who come together to form an unlikely family unit. They each walk a fine balance between hope and despair, choosing to remain human amidst the most inhumane conditions.



One of my favourite authors is Jhumpa Lahiri. I've read all of her published works and she consistently blows me away. From the viewpoint of a daughter, lover, mother, or wife, there is something in each of her stories for everybody. Her simple prose and poignant observations on life never fail to draw me in.

Do you have a favourite novel or author? If so, I would love to know!!!!
Please, please share.

4 comments:

Lorelei Eurto said...

My favorite is a bit lighter- A memoir author, with a wicked sense of humor- Laurie Notaro is my all-time favorite.

Maggie said...

Hmm, there are so many! I'm terrible with favorites of any sort.

Right now, I'm re-reading for the umpteenth time Harry Turtledove's Timeline 191 series. He writes alternate history based on the idea that the Confederate states won the Civil War, and follows it through the lives of many many people (including some Canadians!) from about 1880 till 1937 or so. It's fascinating, thought-provoking, and extremely well-written.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline-191

Joanne said...

I second Lorelei's choice of Laurie Notaro's thigh slapping dead-pan humourous memoirs!!

I have also read all of Mark Nykanen's novels which are not for the faint of heart. His novels are mainly psychological thrillers which are compelling but also disturbing, Nykanen does not hold back any details as he taps into a psychopath's mind.

cserdan said...

thank you everybody for your suggestions. I plan on adding these to my shopping list!