Sontag is at the top of my list for this year. I read On Photography years ago and loved it. My plan is to read Against Interpretation next and also dig into her journals. Highly recommend her NYRB essay on Elias Caneti if you are interested in trying out some of her individual criticism.
Barthes and Walser are both on my list for this year as well.
Autobiography of Red is amazing, really need to read more by Carson. Sweet Days of Discipline was also good. Unfortunately I did not like Near to the Wild Heart and as a result have yet to read more Lispector. When I do I plan to try out her short stories.
I definitely need a copy of On Photography -- I don't do photography at all, but I read a lot about it, for some reason.
I'm sort of glad to hear your response to Near to the Wild Heart, since it makes me feel less bad my own. I'll bet the short stories will be a different experience.
Lispector is fantastic. I read The Hour of the Star several years ago and was blown away. I proceeded to get a bunch of her other books because she is very Virginia Woolf-like but of course I have not managed to read any of the books I bought! Oy. I have read Carson's Story of Red and it is pretty wow and made me cry. Happy birthday to Cormac! Nicely done instilling in him the book reading and collecting habit :)
I'm so glad to hear that about the Carson book! Someday I'll get to Lispector -- I know at least some of her writing I will like. I need to be in the mood for something Virginia Woolf-like I guess. And, oh yes, Cormac has the book-acquisition bug!
Sontag is at the top of my list for this year. I read On Photography years ago and loved it. My plan is to read Against Interpretation next and also dig into her journals. Highly recommend her NYRB essay on Elias Caneti if you are interested in trying out some of her individual criticism.
Barthes and Walser are both on my list for this year as well.
Autobiography of Red is amazing, really need to read more by Carson. Sweet Days of Discipline was also good. Unfortunately I did not like Near to the Wild Heart and as a result have yet to read more Lispector. When I do I plan to try out her short stories.
I definitely need a copy of On Photography -- I don't do photography at all, but I read a lot about it, for some reason.
I'm sort of glad to hear your response to Near to the Wild Heart, since it makes me feel less bad my own. I'll bet the short stories will be a different experience.
Lispector is fantastic. I read The Hour of the Star several years ago and was blown away. I proceeded to get a bunch of her other books because she is very Virginia Woolf-like but of course I have not managed to read any of the books I bought! Oy. I have read Carson's Story of Red and it is pretty wow and made me cry. Happy birthday to Cormac! Nicely done instilling in him the book reading and collecting habit :)
I'm so glad to hear that about the Carson book! Someday I'll get to Lispector -- I know at least some of her writing I will like. I need to be in the mood for something Virginia Woolf-like I guess. And, oh yes, Cormac has the book-acquisition bug!
Thanks for the recommendations!
So glad to share!!