Last Quarter Reading List


Here some books I am currently reading/will be reading during the last quarter of this year.

1. Ma Jian's Red Dust - a young man's introspective journey into China, and the discovery of his people, but also of himself.

2. Junot Diaz' The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - the title itself holds the promise of a great story.

3. Philip Pullman's His Dark Material

a. The Golden Compass
b. The Subtle Knife
c. The Amber Spyglass

Found the three-volume set in a second-hand bookshop at U.P. Diliman. I'm not into speculative fiction much, but this one looks interesting.

4. Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar - semi-autobiographical account of Plath's descent into a nervous breakdown and suicide as a young girl.

5. Violette Leduc's La Batarde - a memoir

6. Hawai'i: True Stories - a collection of works about Hawaii by famous writers like Paul Theroux, Barbara Kingsolver, and many others. A preparation of sorts for my upcoming trip to the beatuiful islands of Hawaii.

7. Chuck Palahniuk's Rant - definitely an acquired taste, Palahniuk's narratives are dark, twisted and yet utterly fascinating. I am hooked.


Comments

Anonymous said…
Is there any truth to the allegations that the author of the Golden Compass is a non-believer and that the three-volume set is somewhat a counter to C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Naria and his writings? Just thought I ask. Thank you and God bless.
Bong said…
Yes, I don't think Philip Pullman is a Christian - but so are many other authors. As to whether it is anti-Narnia, I am not sure. Plot-wise, it has nothing to do with the chronicles of narnia except that they both belong to the speculative fiction genre.
Anonymous said…
hey,

whats your take on "the shack"?