What I'm Reading

I think that the sun is finally beginning to shine in more ways than one. It's hard for me to post when I am so exhausted; however, I think I'm creeping out from hybernation right now and thought I'd take advantage of my energy level and post here.

I have been reading a lot these days. I have two books for work - The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien and Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. How lucky am I to read two of my three favorite books for work. It doesn't get much better than that, I tell you. The students seem to be liking both books. Well, I should say my juniors seem to be appreciating Invisible Man. It's not exactly a joy read for them, though they can appreciate its artistic value.

I am also reading The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee on my Kindle. It dragged at first. I felt it was just another Great Gatsby set in Hong Kong during WWII, but then the Japanese invasion hit, at which point the story got a lot more interesting. It is weird that there are two plot lines going, one in the 1940s and the other in the 1950s. The title character is from the 1950s plot thread, but I'm almost half way through the book, and that thread has barely been touched upon, resulting in what I feel is a somewhat disconnected narrative overall. I also had trouble keeping track of all the characters, but as it turns out, I didn't need to. In the beginning, it's hard to shake out who are the important players. Still, it's an interesting read. At this point, I would recommend it.