Attacking the stack
For some odd reason (probably to do with house renovations), I didn't read many books this summer. I always have a stack that I am meaning to get to - books I have picked up, some new, some classics, that I NEED to read.
Anyway, I am finally really attacking the stack. For one reason, I love where great books take me, and how they truly enrich my life... much more than watching another episode of the Daily Show (though, I'll still do that too).
First up on the stack is Kent Haruf's book, Plainsong (nominated for the 1999 National Book Award). Quite a while back someone said my writing is similar to this book. Last night I opened it up and with barely a hiccup I ripped through a hundred pages. It is not your typical page turner, but it is the sort of atmospheric, character driven story that I love - even more so if the landscape is sparse and the skies are big. It is one of the reasons that Ford's Rock Springs is my favorite collection of short stories.
Haruf writes plain (!), straightforward sentences. And it's the sort of book where not much seems to be happening, but so much is. It is the sort of book that inspires me to get off my butt and dig into some new writing of my own - which is the main reason I am attacking the stack.
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