(My bookworm housemates and I reading on the beach!
In order from left to right: Eva Van Der Cruysse -Belgium, Manuela Aronofsky -USA, Chantal Sweeney -Ireland, Maria Young -USA )
Whew. It has been hard to keep updated, especially because the internet in our house is very touchy. So tonight I'm sitting myself down outside, where the reception is a little bit better. I'll try to write something short and sweet.
I have still been reading a lot here, but my classes have started (sadly), meaning my seemingly endless vacation in the Maltese sun is over, and I have a lot less time to read for pleasure. Looks like I will never escape the wrath of required reading. The good news is that I am taking 6 English classes, so the majority of the reading is still quite enjoyable. I am taking an African Novel course, for instance, and just finished Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.
Very interesting, and good for anyone interested in an accessible read about the Igbo people in Nigeria. (Achebe grew up near the village,and has some good insight into the history of Christianity infiltrating the tribe, along with the mostly tragic outcomes). Our teacher has spent a lot of time in Africa, so the discussions should be great. Now for a fun piece of Reading Beast news:
Appropriately, I have been named the unofficial librarian of the University Residence. I guess my freak-out before I left, surrounding which books I could fit in my suitcase, and which ones I wanted mailed first, etc., was not something anyone else went through. The eight or nine books I managed to bring right away have been treasured and coveted by a large group of my fellow students, most of them hungry for untranslated American books. Some favorites have been Jonathan Tropper's This Is Where I Leave You, and Lev Grossman's The Magicians (reviewed later in this entry.) We have already joked about making library cards required for entry into my room, and my friends are already more excited than I am about the next shipment of books arriving (either from my dad in November, or in the mail!) Hopefully I can convince one of them to write a review for my next entry.
The sounds of ping pong and late night conversing is getting to me, so I'll end this with my review of The Magicians.
Controversially called "a Harry Potter for adults", Grossman's book is the story of
Quentin, an unsatisfied 18-year old from Brooklyn itching for adventure in his life: hopefully akin to something from his favorite fantasy book series. When he mysteriously receives a chance to attend Brakebills, the most prestigious magical university, he becomes immersed in a whole new magical world that is almost, but not quite, as fulfilling as Quentin expects. Although entertaining, I was left feeling a little bit cheated (I've obviously been spoiled by the real Harry Potter series), as Grossman leaps through all five years of Quentin's magical education in less than 400 pages, and paints Quentin's young adult years quite depressingly. We don't know the details of Harry's adult life, but one can presume that he wasn't a depressed alcoholic in his later years, as the majority of Grossman's characters end up after graduating from magic school and joining the real world again. Even though my inner child still wants a happy, and naively enchanting story, The Magicians was definitely still an interesting read, and certainly worthwhile for fantasy lovers. Amongst the gloom Grossman depicts are some funny, and more importantly, strikingly creative scenes. One part that especially stood out for me was when Quentin and the rest of the students from his "year", travel to Antarctica (transformed as geese may I add), to learn the deepest mysteries of magic while surrounded by the seemingly endless expanse of white.All right, keep me updated with what you bookworms back home are reading! I'll write again soon!
Love, The Beast
P.S. Any word on Eggers' Wild Things?
