Beefing Up My Shelves – JAN. 31, 2011!

The past week was a week of searching for books by the Nobelist, J.M Coetzee. Unfortunately, I was so unlucky and could not lay hands on any of his books. However, I made some purchases which I believe have equally interesting and good writers.

They are as follows:

(A) Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison: This book won the 1978 National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. It has enjoyed tremendous good reviews all over. I am interested to find out why this book has become a favorite among so many readers.

(B) Beloved by Toni Morrison: This book won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in the year 1988. Also, I have this book explores themes like slavery which is of utmost importance to me. Chicago Sun Times have said of this book as ‘Toni Morrison’s finest work…’ It could be an interesting book.

(C) Sula by Toni Morrison: There is quote before the story begins which struck me at the point of purchasing it. It says: ‘Nobody knew my rose of the world but me….I had too much glory. They don’t want glory like that in nobody’s heart.’ – The Rose Tattoo. This book looks like a shorter read as compared to the first two. I hope to get through quickly.

(D) Love in the time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: I have an old copy of this already on my shelves but with several pages missing. When I saw the new copy in the bookstore with all pages intact, I knew I could not go without buying it. Garcia, I know, is one great writer. I found an important quote before the book begins. It says, ‘The words I am about to express: They now have their own crowned goddess. In fact, the title of the book struck me so much.

(E) Perelandra by C.S Lewis: I have little information about this writer and his books. But I was interested in the profile I found at the back cover. It says: ‘C.S Lewis was a professor of medieval and Renaissance literature at Oxford and Cambridge universities who wrote more than thirty books in his lifetime, including The Screwtape Letters, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Mere Christianity. He died in 1963.’ I will be looking forward to this book as would be my first read by the author.

Overall, I purchased five books. Have you heard or read any of them? Which of them should I read first? Which of them demands more attention? Share your thoughts with me.