I was never in the habit of reading when I was younger and English was at the bottom of the pile when my Leaving Cert results came out.
In the past year and a half I have taken a keen interest in anything that would take my fancy in the non-fiction section of the bookstore. The non-fiction stuff was deliberate as I convinced myself that if I was going to take on this 'chore' I would be better off with something that I could learn something new from or help me understand an issue that had passed me by.
Recent titles would include Making Globalization Work, The 4 Hour Work Week, China Rises, The State of Africa and The Long Tail.
Each of these books provides some very valid insight into the way our world is changing and provides food for thought on where things may be headed in the not too distant future.
On a recent visit to the shop, I could not find anything that caught my eye and strayed to a shelf labeled 'Classics'. Two books jumped out at me, purely because I had heard of their titles but had no idea what they were about.
One of these, which I have just finished, was The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald. This was written in 1925, but the guy was way ahead of his time. For a work of fiction, it has these visionary references of a new world where consumerism, technology and leisure time are to the fore.
Some of the books, on the new found shelf of 'Classics', will definitely be packed for my next 'switch-off' holiday. The reading is not a chore anymore.
Monday, June 30, 2008
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2 comments:
Hi Ger, Gatsby is definitely a great book. Even though I "had to do it" for the Leaving, it is a book I have returned to many times since. Good writing is timeless!
Hi Pat,
The second 'classic' that I referred to above was 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde. If you have read it I would be interested in your comments.
I thought it was good but it went off on a tangent at one stage and it kind of took from the whole story. It was like they were added in for some reason, at a different date.
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