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Vol. 38, No. 18 |
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1-9-2008 Booktalk, 1/10/08
“Love Medicine” by Louise Erdrich I love the way Erdrich uses Roman Catholicism and Native American religion, as well as the voices of her many characters, to weave together this first volume of what became the multi-volume Kashpaw family saga. I taught this book to undergrads when I was in grad school, and we had fabulous class discussions about it. “The Warden” and “Barchester Towers” by Anthony Trollope I’m a cradle Episcopalian and am no stranger to the clergy, their parishioners and church politics. These two books just gave me a wonderful chuckle. “Dubliners” by James Joyce A quietly vivid, unified picture of early 20th-century Dublin told through short story. It’s a book I’m happy to pick up and dip into repeatedly. “The Secret Agent” by Joseph Conrad Not sure this is really one of my “five favorites,” but it came to mind as one that I enjoyed because it captured some of Conrad’s frequent themes but was set in London. It could especially speak to us in these times when we are so sensitive to terrorism, its sources and consequences. “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis” by Giorgio Bassani This is another one that just popped into my head as a book I remember reading with pleasure, although it may not qualify as a “five favorite.” I read it a long time ago and admired its depiction of the encroachment of fascism on privileged Italian Jewish families. What “important book” have you not read? The first that comes to mind is “War and Peace.” Terribly bad excuse, but the reason I haven’t read it is that its length is just daunting.
Who is your favorite character in literature?Pippy Longstocking, because she was fearless (which I wasn’t—I was more like Anika) and totally hilarious.
What’s your “guilty pleasure” — a book you love but don’t often talk about because it’s not “serious” literature? The whole "No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency" series by Alexander McCall Smith.
What book would you most want your kids to read? What would you want them NOT to read? There’s no book I ever wanted my kids not to read. I was just happy they were reading. The one I most wanted them to read was called "Mister Dog: The Dog Who Belonged to Himself," by Margaret Wise Brown. I loved that book when I was a little girl because I identified with that dog and the little boy who became his friend — something about being an introvert probably. I did buy that book for my sons, but I don’t think they liked it nearly as much as I did!
If you were to ban one book, what would it be and why? Hey, I’m a librarian. I really don’t believe in banning books.
What genre of literature do you prefer to read (history, fiction, biography, etc.) and why? I generally prefer fiction, particularly short stories, because I enjoy trying to analyze their craftsmanship. Examples: Raymond Carver, Andre Dubus, Deborah Eisenberg. I also like to read cookbooks, even though I don’t cook from them much. (Maybe that one belongs in the “guilty pleasure” category!)
What magazines do you subscribe to and why? This varies from year because I’m annoyed by repeated renewal notices, so I tend to drop my subscriptions then pick them up again in another year. I enjoy cooking magazines ("Bon Appetit," e.g.), lifestyle magazines ("Southern Living," e.g), hope springing eternal that someday I might become the perfect hostess. I also periodically read "The New Yorker," "The Atlantic," and similar, depending on the articles; and I usually read "Time."
What classic novel was a disappointment to you? “Anna Karenina,” mainly because I became so impatient with Anna and Vronsky — both so childish. It’s hard to read such a long book when you don’t like the characters. Frankly, I skipped ahead to find out when she finally would throw herself under the train.
Booktalk is a literary column featuring an Ohio State staff or faculty member with significant literary accomplishments. To nominate someone for a future column, e-mail harris.587@osu.edu.
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