Polysyllabic Spree – September 2008

Books Purchased: (This should actually be labeled “Books Acquired” this month because nine of them were birthday presents.)

Too Cool to be Forgotten by Alex Robinson
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by  Junot Diaz
Drown by Junot Diaz
Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse
Something to Declare by Julian Barnes
P. G. Wodehouse: A Biography by Frances Donaldson
Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
The Journal of Jules Renard
Anne of Avonlea
by L. M. Montgomery
The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
Ballistics by Bill Collins
La Bella Figura by Beppe Severgnini
The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton
The Color of Water by James McBride
Eden’s Outcasts by John Matteson
Girls Like Us by Sheila Weller
Where I’m Calling From: Selected Stories by Raymond Carver
Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
How to Read Novels Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster
Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
The Life All Around Me by Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
Karma and Other Stories by Rishi Reddi
The Best American Non-Required Reading 2008 edited by Dave Eggers
The Best American Comics 2008 edited by Linda Barry
Blankets by Craig Thompson


Books Read:

Joy in the Morning by P. G. Wodehouse
Too Cool to be Forgotten
by Alex Robinson
Nothing to be Frightened of
by Julian Barnes
Anne of Green Gables
by L. M. Montgomery
Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves
by P. G. Wodehouse
The Wordy Shipmates
by Sarah Vowell
Anne of Avonlea
by L. M. Montgomery
I read two more Jeeves and Wooster books this month. I’ve loved all of my ventures into the life of Bertie Wooster. Joy in the Morning was definitely my favorite of the two though, mainly because I thought the resolution of Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves wasn’t as strong.

I’m having a lot of fun with my new found interest in graphic novels. I read Too Cool To Be Forgotten this month, a short but wonderful little graphic novel. The main character goes to a hypnotist to try to cure his smoking addiction. He finds himself transported fully back to high school. It was a very thought provoking situation. It made me wonder how I’d react to people and situations in my past, if I had the chance to go back with the knowledge I now have of what happens to them. There are some very touching scenes with his family, specifically with his dad (who is dead in the main character’s present). Surprisingly, it manages to do all this without being corny. I think that’s one of the benefits of the format of graphic novels.

I also read the first two Anne books – Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea. I adored them both. I was familiar with the plot, since I’ve seen the movies and I read an abridged version a long time ago. But reading the full books was a wonderful experience. Anne Shirley is one of my favorite characters in literature. I’m excited to read the rest of the series.

I’m planning full posts on The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell and Nothing to be Frightened of by Julian Barnes, so if you’re interested in either of those, check back soon!

(This post was brought over from emilyw.vox.com. Click here for the original post and comments.)

By Emily

Book-hoarding INFJ who likes to leave the Shire and go on adventures.

what do you think?