March 2011 Reading Life Review

Blog Review

March for my blog was dominated by Irish Short Story Week.    I ended up extending the week to ten days.  I read and posted on 28 stories, (I started working on the week about five days before it began).    I discovered a number of new to me authors I will read more of in the future.    It was a great reading and learning experience for me.    I also had a lot of wonderful participants who posted about their own experiences with Irish Short Stories.    The Irish Short Story is a super rich field whose authors are among the very best writers of all time.   I plan to read more Irish short stories on a regular basis and hope, providence willing, that Irish Short Story Week Two will begin March 11, 2012.    

A few months ago an anonymous commentator began to repeatedly send me comments asking a member of  The Reading Life staff to place online for him to download various books I had posted on that are under copyright still.   I do not post or respond to anonymous comments but after five requests they stopped.   I decided I do need a staff and during Irish Short Story week I recruited Rory O'Hallaran,   Carmilla, and Ruprecht.   Rory was born in a wonderful short story by Stephen Vincent Benet,  Carmilla was created by James Le Fanu,  and Ruprecht (a shape shifter who wandered in one night) also joined the staff.    They will be appearing once and a while in posts from now on.

Novels Read

1.   In the Heat of the Day by Elizabeth Bowen.   This novel really did bring the Blitz in London in WWII to life for me.

2.  The Turn of the Screw by Henry James-worthy of its reputation.

3.  Party Going by Henry Green-just loved it-a wonderful new to me writer discovery.

4.  Living by Henry Green -wonderful prose and conversations

5.  Loving  by Henry Green-3, 4, and 5 can be bought in one book

6.   Infinities by John Banville-a lot of smart people like this book but it did not work for me

Short Stories

I read 70 short stories, including 18 by Elizabeth Bowen.   I read or listed to pod casts on 12 stories I did not post on.    There were many wonderful works.   A year ago like the vast majority of readers, I was not really much into short stories. Now I totally love the genre.    I also discovered, I know I am only a decade or so late on this, pod casts of short stories.   I have found tons of wonderful recording of short stories and I will be getting more  into pod casts of short stories.   The negative is a big slow down in reading speed versus the printed page.   What I found really works best for a short story I want to experience deeply, is to read it first then listen to a podcast.   I listed to a podcast of Elizabeth Bowen's "The Jungle" three times.    I discovered a number of new to me authors during Irish Short Story Week that I will return to often.

I wish to again thank the participants in Irish Short Story Week and all who take the time to comment on my posts.    

I have a plan for a fun no stress event for April I will post about soon.    

Mel u