This is officially a new record in lateness putting up a Polysyllabic Spree post. :) Life has been too busy to keep up with lately, and I apologize for my absence here.
Books Purchased:
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
About Town: The New Yorker And The World It Made by Ben Yagoda
Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks
Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel
Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis
Around the World With Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis
Books Read:
Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
American Fried by Calvin Trillin (library)
Caddy Ever After by Hilary McKay (library)
Forever Rose by Hilary McKay (library)
How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
The Rights of the Reader by Daniel Pennac (library)
Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel
Previously reviewed: Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass, American Fried, Beatrice and Virgil
I read the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire, and just like the first book… I could not put it down. I’m really glad that I got into this series in time to join in the excitement building up to this August’s release of the third and final book, Mockingjay.
Caddy Ever After and Forever Rose are the final two books (that have been written so far) in the Casson family series by Hilary McKay. I adore this series. Forever Rose seemed to tie all lose ends up nicely, but I read that Hilary McKay is planning on writing a prequel. If you enjoy children’s literature, you’ll likely love this series too.
In March I re-read How Proust Can Change Your Life. It was not quite as fantastic as I remembered it being, but it was still good. It makes me want to Stop, Drop, and Read Proust.
I’d been meaning to read Olive Kitteridge ever since it came out, and I’m so glad I got a copy for Christmas. It’s a novel told through 13 interwoven stories, all featuring (sometimes front and center, sometimes in the background) an older woman named Olive Kitteridge. Elizabeth Strout’s writing is incredible, she pulls you into the lives of people in Olive’s small community, and you feel at home there as a reader. You find Olive to be a friend, despite her somewhat grumpy temperament. This is a novel to read when you’re craving the type of story that feels like a windowpane into people’s lives, a movie almost. The stories are moving, honest and beautiful and it was a pleasure to read.
The Rights of the Reader is a book by a French author about children and reading. It’s for adults – it talks about the perception that kids don’t read anymore, and how it often seems like they don’t enjoy reading either. It presents very good ideas about why certain kids don’t seem to like reading, and what you can do to help them find an interest and love of reading. If you are a teacher, or if you have children of your own, this is a fantastic book to read with a lot of good ideas.
I was thinking to myself that you were only 2 days late and that couldn’t possibly be a record. Then I saw that it said “March.” :)
Looks like a great month though!
Oh that´s the March pile ;) You´ve got some great books there. I still want to read the rights of the reader and Olive Kitteridge, hope I´ll get around to them soon-ish.
Nice Polysyllabic Spree :) I loved the title ‘Round Ireland with a Fridge’. I loved your review of ‘Olive Ketteridge’ – beautiful, short and sweet :) I also want to read Proust too – have been wanting to read for the past two years. ‘The Rights of the Reader’ looks like a fascinating work.
You continue to acquire and read books at an amazing rate. I remain impressed.