Just a few quick notes before the list - I have been tending towards essays and poetry in the last while, rather than just fiction, and I'm working on a series of posts about why which will hopefully be finished next week, so keep that in mind. I also didn't put the marriage books I'm reading for our premarital counselling on the list, as I don't think they'd be appropriate to talk about here! I might write about them someday, but probably not on Boni Libri...
Anyway, the list.
- Memento Mori by Muriel Spark - I have only recently discovered Muriel Spark and I'm finding her quite delightful so far. She's a little bit like a British Flannery O'Connor and the two books of hers that I've read are really making me think. Her characters in particular are very interesting to read as I think they are more well-rounded (maybe even flawed) than a lot of characters in fiction.
- Collected Poems by John Betjeman - The work of the British Poet Laureate has been a firm favourite of mine for many years, not just because of the engaging verse but also because of his interest in church architecture. I also have a book of his essays on architecture which I unfortunately packed... However, for the time being his poetry is keeping me thinking. I found out not long ago that he was High Anglican, which explains a lot of the imagery and the depth of some of the poems.
- Conversion by Malcolm Muggeridge - Muggeridge was an author about which I had heard many things, but never managed to actually read until very recently. Conversion is his attempt at confessional literature in the vein of Augustine's Confessions and Newman's Apologia. I think it succeeds in this, at least for me, as it is helpful to hear some of the inner life of someone who has lived a long time and knows how he failed to live well.
- The Province Of The Heart by Phyllis McGinley - Another new discovery, this Pulitzer prize-winning author is widely regarded as bridging the gap between housewife and feminist literature and from reading this collection of essays I can see where that comes from. She defends 'suburbia' but also has some very interesting things to say about women. I'm not very far in, so we'll see what the rest of the essays are like. I also have a book of her poetry that I'll get to (eventually!).
- A Blink Of The Screen: Collected Shorter Fiction by Terry Pratchett - I must confess that I have a particular soft spot for this book because it is the one that my fiance proposed to me with! Besides this, it is also a really good book to read slowly and savour because, as short fiction rather than the more familiar Discworld novels, you get to see Pratchett and his imagination in a slightly different light. Like the novels, the stand-alone stories are very well crafted and the wit is both sharp and subtle. In addition the beginnings of Discworld are there, with little glimpses into what was to come. So far, it is a pleasure to read!
