Lost in Stories and Tales

I'm back! If only for a little :). I have been enjoying my Spring Break but have been doing some interesting reading in the meantime. As I talked about last post, I finished Ishiguro's The Unconsoled, but I was not lacking for reading material after it. I had not finished Death in Venice and Other Stories still, so I skipped the second to last story (which I wasn't really liking), and finally started "Death in Venice." One of the longer stories, if not the longest, in the collection, it is the story of a successful artist's vacation in Venice. It deals with the theme of unrequited love present in most of the other stories in the collection, but it is very unique. I won't get too into this story just yet, though, as I haven't finished it myself. Suffice it to say that I need to read this story out loud; the writing is too beautiful to appreciate only in my head. 

I am also reading The Arabian Nights! I had wanted to read these tales for quite some time now, and am glad I finally bought it. Endlessly entertaining, the book is made up of individual (dramatic, passionate, exaggerated) stories. Often involving genies, beautiful women, and cut off limbs, the stories are each unique, though they do have commons themes. I am reading this book purely for fun, though it would be a complete different reading experience to study this text. So much on the Muslim religion, the history of Baghdad and other areas in the Middle East; a lot on professions, customs, history, geography. The stories can get confusing, as a tale will begin only for 4 characters in it to each say their own tale, thus making a complicated web. The tales are each quite fast, though, which minimizes confusion and also makes for fun, quick reading sessions.

I am ALSO reading We Need to Talk About Kevin, a contemporary novel written by Lionel Shriver. As many of you might know, it is out as a movie in theatres right now, which is how I first heard of it. Interestingly enough, I did not want to watch the film at first, because it seemed too scary for my taste. Reading the book, though, I can see that the previews are a little misleading, in regards to it being scary. It is without a doubt a haunting story, though, told from the perspective of a woman who had no real inclination to be a mother but who ends up with a high-school murderer for a son. The book is written with piercing language that keeps me absorbed in the book. I am often left stunned at the power of certain passages.

So, I will finish up this post with a small preview of the books I hope to read in the coming weeks! When I got We Need to Talk About Kevin, I bought three other novels I did not have the willpower to leave behind. They are:
- Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier
- The Magus, John Fowles
- The Tale of Genji, Murasaki Shikibu

 I hope everyone had/is having/ has a nice Spring Break vacation! I shall check back soon and write a post with more substance!