The Avid Reader: 1st Books of 2012

Hello! it's exciting to write my first post of 2012, and even more exciting to have finished my first book of 2012 (sort of, since I started in 2011 haha). V. was incredible to the very end!! Not only was much of the mystery of V. clarified by the end of the novel, which was something I was afraid wouldn't happen, but it was a surprising, unique, and a beautiful conclusion. One of my favorite things about the novel was the variety of chapters. One of the chapters is a re-telling of a story told by a random character, which was one of my favorite chapters; another one is the memoir/apologia of the father of a character in Profane's time. Usually, these types of chapters aren't my favorites, especially things like random memoirs, but I loved them here! I added a lot more quotes to my book by the end, as well, so I will post some more here.

Then, I went to Barnes and Nobles at night with my sister to find my real first books of 2012. I left with Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen, and Doctor Zhivago, By Boris Pasternak. Very different books! I have seen Freedom many times, of course, and though I am still not convinced I will love it, I am excited enough. My feelings on Doctor Zhivago were at first super confusing; I could decide what to think about it. Pasternak was a poet, though, which is without a doubt immediately reflected in his prose writing. If there is one thing I love it is poetic prose, and I would read probably any story if the words are lovely enough; Doctor Zhivago seems no exception. As it is a Russian novel, the names of characters are extremely hard for me to follow but nothing a list of characters can't fix! Yesterday I didn't love it, but after re-reading the first few pages today I have a completely different view and am much more excited.

I am the kind of reader who rarely dislikes books. The act of reading is fun enough for me that I can usually get past anything, but sometimes I just really don't feel a book and will not even try. This sometimes happens when I read a few bad reviews on the novel. I should never do this, though, which is what I am struggling with concerning Freedom. I read some pretty bad reviews about it, on how unbelievable the characters are, on top of being unlikeable. I have been struggling since then to not read it anymore, but I know this is silly. Freedom is critically acclaimed for a reason, I'm sure. I think I will just have to get really into Doctor Zhivago before I truly start Freedom, so that I give both books the attention they deserve.

Here are some final quotes from V. (not as good, I think, as the other ones):

"I know of machines that are more complex than people. If this is apostasy, hekk ikun. To have humanism we must first be convinced of our humanity. As we move further into decadence this becomes more difficult."
-V., 356 (hekk ikun = so be it)

"Does any mother anticipate the future; acknowledge when the time comes that a son is now a man and must leave her to make whatever peace he can alone on a treacherous Earth."
-V., 354

"Free verse: why not? there was simply not the time to cast it into rhyme and metre, to take care with assonance and ambiguity. Poetry had to be as hasty and rough as eating, sleep or sex. Jury-rigged and not as graceful as it might have been. But it did the job; put the truth on record. 'Truth' I mean, in the sense of attainable accuracy. No metaphysics. Poetry is not communication with angels or with the 'subconscious.' It is communication with the guts, genitals and five portals of sense. Nothing more."
-V., 350

"Till We've done it, we're taught that it's evil. Having done it, then's the struggle: to admit to yourself that it's not really evil at all. that like forbidden sex it's enjoyable."
-V., 274

Here are some pictures of cool X-mas presents I got that catered to my bibliophilia :)