The Madison (Wisconsin) public library system is outstanding. I have been a user (and supporter) since arriving in town over 25 years ago. I routinely monitor the new acquisitions list and place requests. When you are 27th or 83rd on the wait list there is no way to know when the book will arrive on your shelf at your local branch.
This week I hit the jackpot. Suddenly multiple requests were fulfilled all at once. Foucault's Pendulum is an "old" (1980s) book by the author of The Name of the Rose, and has been called "the thinking man's Da Vinci Code. Flesh won the Booker Prize for 2025. Savage Peace; Hope and Fear in America, 1919 is a scholarly study of the post-WWI era in the United States when our society was under surprising and serious stress. The Overstory, by the author of Playground, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the Pulitzer.
Two thousand pages to read. I'm not a speed-reader because I take notes for possible blogging. Since there are people waiting for several of these, I need to say good-bye to you guys for a week or more. There is one room in our house that gets bright sunshine on winter afternoons, and if the cats will let me share it I will spend my time there rather than doomscrolling the internet. I'll just have to hope that nothing important happens in the coming week.
Have fun! I enjoy your blog, and look forward to your notes on your reading.
ReplyDeletewhat a great reason for a blogcastion! have fun!
ReplyDeleteraphael
Codex: It's like Christmas at the library. Enjoy your staycation.
ReplyDeleteMy Latin teacher in junior high school who was also a PSAT-prep teacher (even during Latin class) recommended Foucult's pendulum to me because it was chock-full of PSAT vocabulary words. I don't remember much about the plot, but I think I mostly enjoyed it, though it was slow reading.
ReplyDeleteHi! Wanted to chime in and say I've read most of the books you've positively reviewed. Not a stinker in the bunch.
ReplyDeleteAlso, just THANK YOU for continuing to blog. There's not much on the internet I spend my time on, but always check back here. It's been a super joy to me and my household. You rock!
And wow, just realized I've been checking in for the better part of 20 years! Hitting my late 40's and recently keep being astonished that so much happened 20 years ago. Lots happening now too!
Anyway, thanks again.
- John
I've been doing some sampling. Savage Peace and Overstory are obviously very well written, but the start of Flesh is not promising...
DeleteExcited for you. I'm looking forward to more reading time now too.
ReplyDeleteFoucault's Pendulum was one of the first, if not the first, thriller type novel I'd ever read. Probably even before Ludlum.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great reason to stop blogging! And hope you enjoy Overstory-- while parts of it are a bit more fanciful than I was ready for, it made me change the way I think.
ReplyDeleteRecently finished both Orbital and Playground on your say-so, and thank you wholeheartedly for your recommendations of those books; selfishly, I look forward to your upcoming reviews.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I disagree with you on one aspect: rather than a joyous occasion, I find it an anxious one when 3 or more of my holds become available at the same time. This could be because eBooks are 1 week only and printed books 2 weeks only where we are, with no chance of renewal if it's a popular book (and thus needed to be put on hold in the first place). You're a better man than I, or at least a calmer one.
The Madison system is quite flexible. If only one book had popped up as "ready to pick up," I could have placed the holds on the others on suspension, maintaining my place in the queue and then resuming when I was ready for it. Just by chance so many arrived all at once. And we get a month for the initial read.
DeleteI really enjoyed Foucault's Pendulum. I can't remember too much about it except that I seem to feel it's a story about information and how that info can be manipulated to fit any agenda or narrative that you/they want. Very relevant to today's information overload don't you think?
ReplyDelete