Current Reads

Although I think the era when I would read six books simultaneously has long past, I still enjoy immersing myself into the plots of two or three books. I recently finished the Dune series by Frank Herbert. I adore that series even though it is so far removed from what usual repertoire of Victorian-Georgian literature. I was restricted to one book at a time for the Dune series as I was teaching for the vast majority of it. It took me four months to read the six books, and I must admit I'm a little embarrassed at the scant amount of time I was able to devout to my literary life.

But with my new job, I can reclaim my life, my afternoons, my weekends. I have many books in my personal library that I've never actually read (I'm a bibliophile and have difficulty refraining from purchasing new acquisitions.), and was finally able to pick up Wakefield Hall by Francesca Stanfill. Firstly, this is no soon-to-be classic. The protagonist is rather translucent with flaws that are not logical in comparison to the rest of her characterization (haha, I initially typed "characterisation" - that's what I get for reading so much Brit. lit.), and there lacks a driving force behind the plot that nearly made me forgo the book after the initial chapters. But, Stanfill's verbiage and turn-a-phrase is pleasant, and the characters are interesting enough.

It was this book that mentioned Edith Wharton and got me rereading The House of Mirth. I know I've read this book before, but it's been long enough ago that I can't remember anything until I read it again. I only started this book again yesterday, so I'm not too far in the book, but I'm already engrossed in Lily Bart and the social castes and gender roles of the turn of the century.