taste in books

50 Books for Our Times

Debbie Pennino directed me towards another book list, by Newsweek on “50 Books for Our Times.”  It certainly gave me a few more ideas for books to pick up.  I was a bit disappointed by how few female authors they included; it looked like less than 15%.  But on the list was Snell Library favorite Geraldine Brooks and Pat Barker’s Regeneration trilogy, which I’m currently finishing up, and would strongly suggest.  You can pick up all three volumes at Snell!

It’s Not You, It’s Your Books

This NY Times Sunday Book Review essay was written several months ago-a good friend sent it to me at the time, and pointed out the tragic humor of the Isabel Archer/Gilbert Osmond example.  I found the essay to be a very humorous and interesting one, and I shared it with family members.  They however were not as pleased!  They thought it demonstrated caring far too much about insignificant details.  I recently met someone and the essay topic came up again, as he knows the essayist and had gotten into a disagreement with her about it when the essay came out.  It’s an essay that seems to be polarizing, and so I’m interested to hear what others-bookish or not-have to say! I must say, that I also cringe when I hear people claim to love Ayn Rand (often celebrity actors and Alan Greenspan).  But I did think it was a bit funny for this essay to call out Rand enthusiasts-as the Times had not that long before published an article on the success of Rand devotees in the financial world.