E.M. Forster - A Passage to IndiaI am having a real love affair with India through my reading so far this year (The White Tiger and Midnight's Children to name two) and so this one being such a classic has always been on my radar. Reading the blurb how could I then resist "When Adela and her elderly companion Mrs Moore arrive in the Indian town of Chandrapore, they quickly feel trapped by its insular and prejudiced British community. Determined to explore the real India', they seek the guidance of the charming and mercurial Dr Aziz, a cultivated Indian Muslim. But a mysterious incident occurs while they are exploring the Marabar caves with Aziz, and the well-respected doctor soon finds himself at the centre of a scandal that rouses violent passions among both the British and their Indian subjects." Well frankly I couldn't at 99p! It goes towards my aim of reading more classics in 2009 too.
William Golding - Rites of Passage
Well as I am planning on trying to read all the Booker winners within the next twelve-ish months this, the 1980 winner, has elluded me in recent shopping trips. I shamefully have still not read Lord of the Flies which I am quite embarrased about... I mean I call myself a reader!!!!
Carson McCullers - The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
I have to admit I bought this for the cover (I love the new silvery Penguin Modern Classics) and also for the title, come on you must all surely have done that before. However it does sound like it could be wonderful "Set in a small town in the American South, it is the story of a group of people who have little in common except that they are all hopelessly lonely. A young girl, a drunken socialist and a black doctor are drawn to a gentle, sympathetic deaf mute, whose presence changes their lives." I might read this soonish!
Kate Grenville - An Idea of Perfection
I have been waiting and waiting to see a copy of this as I am holding off reading 'The Secret River' until I have managed this first. I dont know why I originally came up with that pact with myself but I did and am sticking to it. Plus with my soon to start Orange Short-list-a-thon I am going to read some previous winners and some of the other books the winners have written before I delve in!
What was the latest book you bought? Have you read any of the above or any of the authors mentioned? I would love to know! (Oh and dont forget the competition below!)
7 comments:
I read The Idea of Perfection last year. Loved it! The Secret River is now in my tbr pile.
I re-read The Passge to India, three years back. Appreciated it so much more.
I have The Heart is a Lonely hunter, which I plan to read for the Southern Reading Challenge.
I didn't realize Golding had won a Booker. That's interesting and for some strange reason I've always thought of him as an American writer. Amazing how stupid an intelligent person can be.
Are those books in the photo all from charity shops? They appear to be in excellent condition as though never read.
Charity book shop prices vary widely, even within "the North". If I go about half a mile from my house in one direction there is a charity shop that sells most paperbacks for 80p. If I got half a mile in the other direction there is the Oxfam shop which tends to charge about £1.20. I have it on good authority that up in Keswick the going rate is more like £2.
I noticed that Gilead has appeared on your Currently Reading section. I'm reading it too at the moment, will be interested to hear what you make of it.
Oh for charity book shops!!
Anna - Thank you for letting me know that the first Kate is good I have been a bit worried!
Gautami - Do you think it will take more than one read to like A Passage to India... oh no!
Candy - I always get confused on the Man Booker rules for authors and what they actually are!
David - I promise you they are second hand, I am quite fussy with second hand books they can only be battered if they are wonderful old old loved copies! I was very lucky with this selection.
Kim - Psychic reading! Very interesting.
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is a very very good book, even more so when you realise she wrote it in her early 20s.
I've got several of McCullers other books in my queue on the basis of this book.
I also have the Grenville because I loved The Secret River. Actually, that reminds me, I have her new one in the pile somewhere. Must dust it off at some point.
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