Tuesday, March 14, 2006

literary triumph

There are scads of books I've never finished, not just Ulysses. It's my right as a reader to give up. A couple weeks ago, a colleague pushed Bret Easton Ellis's Lunar Park into my hand. I was not very enthusiastic but he said I would be amazed. I was never interested in Ellis and know I know why. So what? I'm counting it among my literary triumphs to have tossed it aside.

Sorry to all his mesmerized fans.

I am reading The Twilight of American Culture, though, and nearly finished. It's interesting and insightful and depressing, though at points the writer, Morris Bermann, does start to sound a little like the self-help book writers he denigrates. How to save yourself from becoming part of the moronic herd. If you weren't already trying, it's too late now.

In other literary triumph news, these books I've managed to read all the way through two or more times:

Les Miserables
The Catcher in the Rye
Of Human Bondage
In Cold Blood
The Doors of Perception

I'd have to go through my old journals to see if there are more. But I think that's it.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

My ex-mother-in-law signed and dated all of her literary triumphs. I used to love going through her book(trophy)case... she rated her books from one to ten inside the front cover, but she used one decimal place. I guess 1 to 100 was too much trouble.

I loved "In Cold Blood." I was a huge Capote fan when I was a teen.

I'd give it a 10.0, if I had a pen.

SarahJane said...

Yes, let's give In Cold Blood a 10.
Carl! Ratings can be fun.

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