Snash's Books Read in 2024

Yet another year of reading ahead

1. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
2. Birds of America by Mary McCarthy
3. The Fragile Blue Dot by Ross West
4. An Experiment in Love by Hilary Mantel
5. Mexico: The Essential Guide to Customs and Culture by Russell Maddicks
6. Confidence Man by Herman Melville
7. The Egoist by George Meredith
8) Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
9. A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul
10. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
11. A Spy in the House of Love by Anais Nin
12. The English Teacher by R.K. Narayan
13. Animal Farm by George Orwell

Welcome back, Sharon!

Happy reading in 2024, Sharon!

>2 drneutron:, >3 FAMeulstee: Thanks

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. As the title implies, this is a book about loneliness and people's various ways they attempt to cope. Each of the characters had a driving passion that they kept hidden except when they spewed out feelings to someone who did not or could not respond. In some ways it's a bleak book but it does reflect the human conditions. 4 stars

Birds of America is ostensibly about a young boy brought up in a liberal family and then his junior year abroad in Paris. It, however, felt more like a scaffolding upon which to provide an exploration and critique of philosophical ideas and society. Much of this was spot on and thought provoking. 3.5 stars

While the ramifications of climate change on the earth are mentioned in The Fragile Blue Dot, the majority of the stories address the difficulties suffered by mankind as he tries to tackle the danger. Some present population control as the most effective quickest solution but recognizes that mankind recoils from the idea leaving the earth doomed. 3 stars

An Experiment in Love is an exquisite reminiscence of an English boarding school for women, an exploration of characters and friendships, all beautifully written, sprinkled with unexpected, vivid metaphors. 5 stars

Confidence Man is difficult book to read but does repeatedly present the absurdity of having unconditional trust in ones fellow man. It is sometimes labored, and other times humorously absurd. 3.5 stars

The Egoist had a convoluted plot of betrothals and break ups but was primarily a psychological study of the various characters, most particularly the egotist. Well written but slow reading 4 stars

Tropic of Cancer was a book of wonderful descriptions and philosophical musings but the amount of testosterone flowing throughout rather swamped the good points for me. 3 stars

In A House for Mr Biswas, Mohun Biswas was a character to be admired for his attempts to be true to himself and not be swallowed up in his aunt's or wife's families, but he so frequently let his anger and desperation destroy his chances to actually achieve any autonomy. 3.5 stars

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store was a splendid tale with a collection of memorable characters and a captivating plot. 4.5 stars

That's some impressive reading. I've never read McCullers & I've only read one Melville. But those have been added to my someday list now.

A Spy in the House of Love was an exploration of the difficulty melding our separate selves and dealing with the conflicting desires for security and freedom played out in an extreme case of those difficulties. 4.5 stars

The English Teacher was an enjoyable book and seemed to me a metaphysical depiction of dealing with grief and how to come to terms with it. 4 stars

Animal Farm is an allegorical story depicting the deterioration of an egalitarian ideal society. In this story it was the pig's superior intelligence that fed their egos which led to a collapse into a stratified society of haves and have nots. The story was quite obvious with few nuances. 3 stars