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Posts from the ‘Next Up’ Category

May 24

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Next Up: Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart is one of those novels that I’ve always heard about and always thought to myself, I’ll read that one day, but I’ve never got around to doing it.

So I’m looking forward to seeing what I think about this book.

The novel is about a leader (and wrestling champion) in a small village in Nigeria in the late 19th century. The story focuses on the culture and customs of his clan, and how they are affected when a group of white, European missionaries arrive. It’s considered one of the premier African novels written in the English language.

A few facts about Things Fall Apart and its author, Chinua Achebe:

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May 10

Wide-Sargasso-Sea
28 Comments

Next Up: Wide Sargasso Sea

Wide Sargasso Sea is a postcolonial novel written by Jean Rhys as a prequel to Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre.

The story follows Antoinnette Cosway (Bertha Mason in Jane Eyre) from her younger years in the Caribbean, to marrying Mr. Rochester, to her relocation to an attic in England. If you’ve read Jane Eyre, you know her as the “madwoman in the attic,” but Wide Sargasso Sea shows her as a healthy young woman who is living in an oppressive and patriarchal society.

This novel appears to be a nice break from the heaviness of Under The Volcano, plus it’s much shorter, so I’m looking forward to it.

Some quick facts about Wide Sargasso Sea and Jean Rhys:

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Apr 19

under_the_volcano
8 Comments

Next Up: Under The Volcano

And onward we go. Book #41 will be Under The Volcano by Malcolm Lowry, another novel that will cause me to jump in the cold water.

The novel tells the story of an alcoholic British consul, Geoffrey Firmin, in a small Mexican town on the Day of the Dead. The entire story takes place in one day’s time.

Some quick facts about Under The Volcano and Malcolm Lowry:

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Apr 2

heartlonelyhunter
12 Comments

Next Up: The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter

I’m excited about reading this book.

Only having read short previews of The Heart Is A  Lonely Hunter, the novel reminds me of To Kill A Mockingbird. That may or may not prove to be true, but I’m definitely intrigued.

The story is about a deaf, mute man named John Singer, a 13-year-old girl named Mick Kelly, and the people they encounter in a small Georgia town in the 1930s.

Some quick facts about The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter and Carson McCullers:

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Mar 15

falconer
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Next Up: Falconer

Out of the first 39 books, Falconer, by far, has the least amount of information available about it online.

I’m an Atlanta Falcons fan, and the book’s title reminds me of them, so there’s that. But that doesn’t help you much, I guess.

From what I can tell, John Cheever’s story is about a former college professor-turned-drug addict who is now in prison for murdering his brother. According to Wikipedia, he “struggles to retain his humanity in the prison environment, and begins an affair with a fellow prisoner.” I’m not enthused to find out exactly what that last part means.

Some quick facts about Falconer and John Cheever:

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Feb 28

DogSoldiers
9 Comments

Next Up: Dog Soldiers

Mix a journalist, his wife, the Vietnam War, and a sailor and what do you get? A heroin deal gone bad. Huh?

Sounds interesting enough. And that’s the premise for Dog Soldiers, what appears to be another dark, bleak, depressing novel. When I’m done with 101 Books, I might read 100 happy Disney novels to counteract all of these depressing books. Who’s with me?

Anyway, here are a few quick facts about Dog Soldiers, written by Robert Stone:

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Feb 9

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10 Comments

Next Up: Native Son

I’m eager to dive into Native Son, as I’ve heard a lot of good things about it.

Written by Richard Wright, the novel is widely regarded as the preeminent African-American work of fiction in the 20th century.

Native Son is referred to as a protest novel—one that intends to highlight the social injustice and racial inequality in America in the 1930s. The book tells the story of 20-year-old Bigger Thomas, a poor African-American in the Chicago ghetto who accidentally kills a white woman.

A few facts about the novel and Richard Wright:

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Jan 26

The-power-and-the-glory
6 Comments

Next Up: The Power And The Glory

Back to back books about traveling priests? Why not.

The Power and the Glory is one of Graham Green’s signature novels. Greene was a prolific author who also wrote several other novels about Catholicism: Brighton Rock, The Heart of the Matter and The End of the Affair.

Most interesting thing about this novel, and I had no idea, is that The Power and the Glory was the basis for the 1947 classic film, The Fugitive—which later brought about the American TV series by the same name in the 1960s and was also remade into a movie starring Harrison Ford in the 1990s.

That was news to me. Anyway, here are some other interesting facts about The Power and the Glory—a novel that I’m totally unfamiliar with:

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Jan 12

archbishop
10 Comments

Next Up: Death Comes For The Archbishop

Another Western?

I think so. This will be my first western since the unforgettable Blood Meridian.

In what seems to be a recurring theme lately, I’m not familiar with Death Comes For The Archbishop. Or, sadly, with Willa Cather. The novel is about the attempts of a Catholic bishop and priest to set up a diocese in New Mexico Territory. Doesn’t sound too riveting, but we’ll see.

A few facts:

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Dec 21

PhilipRoth_AmericanPastoral_Wallpaper
7 Comments

Next Up: American Pastoral

American Pastoral will be my first experience with a Philip Roth novel.

He’s one of the authors that I’ve always had on my to-read list, but for some reason I’ve just never got around to it.

If you’re like me and a little out of the loop on the novel, here are a few facts.

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