At the beginning of this semester, I was hesitant to admit something: this semester I’ve read more books than I ever have in even a year. It’s somewhat embarrassing, but it’s also been a revelation. It’s shown me that I am capable of reading a book a week, even though I’ve always considered myself a slow reader. Surprisingly, I’ve managed this for eleven weeks straight without derailing my life or setting me back. Although many of these books do sit on the shorter side, they still present complex themes and language, with intimidating uses of time and narration (though discussed last Wednesday– what doesn’t in literature?)
Looking ahead, I hope to continue this momentum and aim to read at least another five books over the next few months. To some, this might seem like a trivial goal, but to me, I think it’s most realistic!
This class has been an absolute delight. I’ve enjoyed starting my day with lecture videos over breakfast and actively participating in discussions the following day. One highlight was our exploration of “The Trenchcoat,” where we delved into character profiles as if we were part of the secret police. I anticipate taking another class with Jon in the future, especially if it follows a similar structure– like with contract grading and blog posts.
As for my favourite reads this semester, “The Book of Chameleons,” “Agostino,” and “The Shrouded Woman” stand out. I’ve already recommended these to friends and family. In fact, I am also seeking out purchasing copies of my own (since I chose to read all of the books on PDF instead– to save money and also weight in my bag). I know the prof feels deeply against this, but oh well, it worked for me! However, now that I know which I enjoyed… I am a little desperate to get my hands on their physical copies to have for my own. If anyone read the book of chameleons but doesn’t want their copy anymore… I know someone who would buy it off ya… just saying! On the topic of that book, winning a blog post award was an unexpected honour, validating the deep thought and consideration I put into my writing. However, I do regret not taking more risks with some of my posts. Perhaps in future courses I’ll have the opportunity to push the boundaries further. Regardless, I am quite happy with the posts I produced this term. I like to think that my questions and considerations were unique and fun. And let’s not forget the challenge of finding the perfect quote to start each post!
Anyways, I am really looking forward to tomorrow! I have adored reading everyone’s blog posts over the term. While we’re only required to read and comment on two, I’ve found myself devouring practically all of them each week. Some standout bloggers for me include Sean, Shan, Sam (seriously, the abundance of S names!), and Kendra.
My question to all of you is if you had to write a sequel/prequel to one of these books, which would it be and what would occur?
Hi! Awesome blog post, i can definitely agree, I haven’t read this many books in one year before too ????
Regarding your question, I would love to see a sequel/prequel to Money to Burn. The backstory to each character can properly be discussed and disclosed
Hey! I really enjoyed your blog post this week and this class definitely made me want to read. To answer your question, I would want a sequel to Faces in the Crowd because I didn’t like how the book ended and I still had so many questions about how everyone may or may not have been connected.
Maya, I’m glad you enjoyed the course! I really appreciated both your blog posts and also what you had to say during class discussions, which were always thoughtful and added depth to the conversation. Good luck with your goal of five books in the next few months!
Thanks for all your contributions and have a great summer!
Hi Maya, Great post! Also great question. My favourite book was The Hour of the Star so I would love to write a sequel on that one, but given how it ended there isn’t really much to say, plus the short nature of the book is part of the appeal to the story. Given this, I think the most approachable book to write a sequel for would be Time of the Doves.
I don’t think this is embarrassing at all! I was super proud to have read most all the books as well, even though they were on the shorter side, I often times had a difficult time reading them, especially in the beginning of the semester. I wish I read “The Book of Chameleons” as it seems this one was super popular. Furthermore, to answer your question, I would write a sequel to the book Agostino to see how his life would have played out, after his vacation with his mother.