From One Book Lover

Take a stroll through the twentieth century courtesy of Mark Dunn and his brilliant short story collection, American Decameron . Based on Giovanni Boccaccio's The Decameron , Dunn tells a story for every year of the century. Every state is represented, as well as at least one location outside the country. The author suggests only the first and last stories be read in order, and the rest could be read in any order. I read the stories in chronological order, and I am glad I did. The stories progressed linguistically and tonally: the formality of the language and story tone evolved with the century, as did subjects, which also were very enjoyable. On the whole, the stories were successful. Some were steeped in history, others were absolutely original. Many were rooted in fact (I plan to search for clues on the more obscure stories). Not all are stories in the traditional sense, and the imaginative approach to storytelling was revolutionary, entertaining and, at times, compl...

Carole and I have taken on Weighty Books, and I think it's going to be fun. We are members of a book club whose members chat about books online and meets for brunch a few times a year. Each club member chooses a book in turn. This group has helped me read more than a few books I wouldn't otherwise have read, and I've also chosen some good books myself for the club. (I've also chosen a few less-than-successful books, too, but I'm okay with that. You never know until you try, right?) At a book club conference Carole and I attended in September, Carole had a great idea: read Weighty Books. These are books we always intended to read but, for some reason or another, didn't. At a certain point in life (namely, after college), there are fewer reasons or opportunities to read such books. Don Quixote ? Crime and Punishment ? Not always at the top of the must-read pile in our everyday world — and yet they are valuable reads. Weighty books deserve time ...