I’m trying to get back into novel reading. I’ve been in a bit of a drought for the last few months, coming off two non-stop years of reading (I think I read over 50 books, mostly novels, over the 2002-2003 period).
I’ve started with a borrowed copy of The Way the Crow Flies, by Ann Marie MacDonald. So far, so good.
But I do need to offer two particular recommendations for books, to get through these dog days of winter.
The first is Paris 1919, by Margaret MacMillan. It’s a stunning, comprehensive, exciting, almost-soap opera addictive chronicle of an amazing time in history. Trotsky once said that “if you wanted a quiet life, you should not have been born in the 20th century”. This books is a good example of the type of excitement and intrigue he was implying.
The second book I recommend is Testament, by Nino Ricci. With the uproar surrounding Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of Christ, this is a perfect time to explore these very agnostic, worldly, yet touching & astonishing versions of the gospel stories. It’s almost as if you’ve entered a parallel universe, where everything is turned upside down, simply by exploring the story of Jesus and those around him as real human beings living real, historical lives. Words can’t do this book enough justice. I guarantee you won’t feel the same once you’ve finished reading it…
