Miscellaneous
I first read this book years ago, probably in the early '70's. I still have that copy somewhere but picked up another at a book sale about a year ago. It's been sitting in my small, living room bookcase ever since. Last month, my Cousin posted about it on a Facebook page we share and I had to reread it. The main character is Ignatius J. Reilly - a large, gassy, pseudo-intellectual introvert who spends his life in his little room in his Mother's house, writing about how much he hates the world. One day, his Mother has a car accident and he has to go out into the strange world of New Orleans to get a job. This doesn't go well but it is funny. Toole paints a wonderful picture of that city and populates it with some interesting characters who interact with our Hero - including Patrolman Mancuso and his undercover costumes, and Miss Lana Lee from the Night of Joy bar who has something else going on. I enjoyed it.
World's Fair - E. L. Doctorow ($4.95/$.50, copyright 1985, 371 pages, Paperback)
Last month, I mentioned reading "Ragtime", this month I've got another Doctorow book for you. It's a simpler book and told from a single point of view. Young Edgar grew up in a Jewish community in The Bronx in the '30's and his keen observations about all that goes on around him make up the plot but the focus is the 1939 World's Fair. Edgar hopes to get free tickets by winning an essay contest but things don't quite work out. Doctorow has a straightforward style and his use of historical details bring a context to what is, essentially, a story of a family dealing with their own problems. I enjoyed it.
The Power and the Glory - Graham Greene ($1.65/$1.00, copyright 1940, 301 pages, Paperback)
I read this book for the first time when I was in High School, maybe '67 or '68, and just came across this copy. As most of you know, I went to a Catholic school and was an Alter Server from 3rd or 4th Grade through Senior year. Maybe that's why it's always struck a cord with me. An unnamed priest is on the run in a revolutionary Mexican state that has outlawed the Catholic religion. All the other priests have fled, been shot, or forced to renounce their faith. As the last practicing priest, he
wanders the state experiencing a stripping away of his past identity. He's pursued by an unnamed soldier who will stop at nothing to stamp out what he considers to be a religion that is doing nothing to help the people he protects. Greene has created some memorable characters and put them in a situation that is, somehow, familiar to what is happening today. I enjoyed it.
Next up is July. I have 5 books stacked up by the side of the bed in various stages of being read. Let's see what happens. Until then ...
Keep reading!
