One of the things I thought would be fun for my summer reads was to choose the next book on my list by some inspirational moment or thought or passing fancy in the current book. I thought it might be very cool to harness the power of serendipity and see if the Fates could lead me forward.
(No, this has nothing to do with my abysmal indecision: though my dear husband claims if I were stranded on a dessert island and had to choose between chicken and fish I'd starve to death, it's not true. Or is it? Can't decide.)
I thought this in an offhand way as I was starting the first of my reading list books, but lo and behold, 150 pages in, I found my moment.
P141 The Eight
"The road curved slightly away from the sea. On either side manicured hedges, ten feet high, enclosed large estates. From time to time I caught moonlit glimpses of huge manor houses set back on sweeping snow-covered lawns. I had never seen anything like it near New York. It reminded me of Scott Fitzgerald."
Does it need to be any clearer? Scott Fitgerald was on my list. Obviously the next book had to be The Great Gatsby.
Of course, Fate has a way of playing tricks and though I started Gatsby, I got sidetracked during a long wait in a car when I got out my trusty Kobo and, flipping through the classics it came with, discovered an Agatha Christie novel I had never read. That seemed pretty serendipitous too, and since it was handy and short, I actually finished The Secret Adversary (Tommy and Tuppence's first adventure) before getting any further into Fitzgerald.
And that's ok, because Agatha Christie is also on my list this summer. I've read so many of them, but oddly, always stuck to Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot stories. I really enjoyed this one too, though it was more espionage than mystery.
So that's Friday Reads for this week. My friend Leanne is blogging about books too at My Window On The Journey, and there's a few on her list that I want to add to mine (Left Neglected, Her Fearful Symmetry, The Red Queen), but really, Summer just isn't long enough.
2 comments:
You added to my list without even trying! I've been meaning to read my first Agatha Christie, and since I already have it on my Kobo... Maybe I'll add it to the NB list.
Love your "Friday Reads" posts! Keep them coming!
Because of your write up, I read The Eight and enjoyed it. I would have preferred a smaller cast and more emphasis on the main characters. For instance, Cat was a bit of a blank to me and could have been fleshed out more. Reading The Eight made me want to get out all my old Dorothy Dunnett novels, but I don't have the stamina for all of them.
The Great Gatsby was one of my favourite books in high school.
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