I’ve spent the last 45 minutes or so laying in bed and reading. What a wonderful morning! In a few minutes I need to get up and get packing to go back home, but I decided to stretch out my lovely, restful reading time by a few extra minutes by posting my Salon. Unlike last Sunday, I will actually get some good reading time in today, on my four hour flight back to Chicago.
I’m working on two different books today, and I’m not quite sure how I feel about either of them. The one I’ve been reading so far this morning is Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a dystopian novel. The writing is well done, absolutely and I am definitely not DISliking it, but I seem to be reading it almost in a daze, as if I cannot respond to it until it is complete. This is my first experience with Margaret Atwood, and I am reading it right now for a group read on LibraryThing. I am definitely engrossed and do not want to put it down, but it is just such an odd feeling while reading it, very detatched.
The other book I will definitely be working on today is “Storm Over Morocco,” by Frank Romano. I chose this book from ReaderViews to review. I began it on the airplane on Friday, but had to put it down after 5 chapters or so because the tone was just very intense and I needed a break. It isn’t bad, again I’m not disliking it, but I just couldn’t take it for very long and I am a bit reticent to get back to it. He’s not really even at the really intense part of his story, it is just something about his method of storytelling, I think. I can see this book really sucking me in a little farther down the line, but it is almost scaring me at the moment.
If I manage to finish both of these books, I will probably go on to “S: A Novel of the Balkans” for the Reading Globally theme read on the Balkans, which is going on right now. However, I think that there is a definite possibility that I will finish “The Handmaid’s Tale” and still need something to intersperse with the intensity of “Storm Over Morocco.” If that is the case, I don’t think a story about war and rape is quite going to cut it. In which case I’ll start reading my book for book club this month instead, Jeffrey Eugenides’ “Middlesex.”
Well, Saloners, I must go pack and talk wedding plans with my mom. Before I go I want to leave you with this comic that someone posted on LibraryThing today. Hilarious.
“I’ve spent the last 45 minutes or so laying in bed and reading. What a wonderful morning!” I remember doing things like this! It was before children and internet…lol! Maybe when they are grown and gone, I’ll do it again. Until then, I grab my coffee and head to the office where it’s quiet.
Even now, pre-kids, I have a hard time doing this at home. However, this morning I’m at my parents house and, because of the time difference, I woke up a good hour or more before everyone else. Actually, my sister is STILL asleep, two hours after I posted.
You’ll have to tell us what you thought of The Handmaid’s Tale when you’re finished. I was always curious if it was any good…as for the cartoon, loved it.
While I absolutely loved ‘Middlesex’ I’m not sure that it’s really a book to read to lighten the intensity of your reading. You might want to look for something happier.
I get that feeling also, unfortunately I have a limited number of books with me on the plane, and no justification to buy more. I figure it is at least less intense than rape and war…hopefully.
I absolutely loved The Handmaid’s Tale. And now plodding through The Blind Assassin..
Sounds like my kind of morning!! Good luck with Handmaid’s. I read it a couple of years ago, and it actually took me two tries to finish. While I did end up enjoying it, my favorite Atwood is the 2nd book of hers that I read: The Robber Bride. So great!
I wish I could l lay in but once my eyes open I am awake and jump out of bed. The only times I don’t I know I am ill. Loved the cartoon
I liked the Handmaid’s Tale. It was very eerie. I wonder what you think of it though. It was quite disturbing on levels that 1984 and Brave New World didn’t quite reach.
I enjoyed reading The Handmaid’s Tale as well. I’m planning on reading The Blind Assassin soon!
Heh, heh, love the comic strip. The author lives in my neighborhood.
I know exactly what you mean about reading a book in a daze. Like you are reading over the book instead of through it. I think that has been part of my struggles with reading lately, I don’t find myself dropping into a book where I can really feel it, and live it, and love it. I just picked up A Northern Light about an hour ago and the first line drew me right in, then so did the second one. So I have high hopes for it.
I love the cartoon. It reminds me of me. The kids are always watching movies in the van.
This cartoon made me snort my coffee.
I’m planning to re-read The Handmaid’s Tale this year. It’s been many years since I read it; such a powerful book.
It’s too bad previous comments don’t count towards the contest! Anyways, I realized I didn’t comment on this entry. I’ve been seeing the ‘sunday salon’ picture around recently but I’m not sure what it actually means. Do you guys have certain topics, anywhere I can find out more info about it? I have enough on my plate as it is, so I just want to learn what it is.
Here’s the link. It is basically just everyone taking some time to read on Sundays then talking about what they read or their reading week. No prompts.