Books Bought:
The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris By: David McCullough
Books Read:
The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris By: David McCullough
The Corrections By: Jonathan Franzen
This was a relatively slow reading month for me and kind of boring. I would suggest everyone pass on The Greater Journey. Snore fest.
As for Franzen, The Corrections was good and I really did get into a lengthy question about whether the talking turd diminishes Franzen's value and importance or whether or not it adds to it. If anyone has read this book I would be intrigued to hear your thoughts about the talking turd.
Franzen is quite the guy, he gets under people's skin. I love the feud he has going with Jennifer Weiner which a friend told me about. Basically, Franzen is saying... "yo, women writers, instead of crying out how no one treats you with respect, why don't you write something worth respecting?" Just because you sell books to grown women, doesn't mean they warrant any respect, especially when the books are filled to the brim with juvenile emotions and actions.
I agree, I rarely have women authors that I read over and over and hold in the same esteem as their male counterparts. For instance Emily Giffin and Phillippa Gregory are like candy, you read it because it's quick and easy.... but I would never put them in the same camp as Dave Eggers, John Irving, Richard Russo, etc.
However, my list of esteemed females is finally growing... Elizabeth Gilbert, Cheryl Strayed, Zadie Smith, Donna Tartt. But the majority of females being mass produced and marketed are writing trash lit.
Someday I hope that I fall into the list of women writing quality works.
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