Woops!

I forgot that I actually read four books on my trip down to New Orleans. The fourth book which was quite good, if a little pedantic at times, is Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie. I enjoyed it, as a book about research grants that take you away from your home; and it reminds me of the many problems I had when I moved to another city for work. It certainly develops the characters, almost to the point where you wish you knew more about them (i.e. what happens after the book...). I do wish that the novel ended on a happier note but I am still willing to recommend it with the current ending. I will lend my copy to anyone who requests it. Of course, there is one caveat, if you borrow it you must tell me what you thought of it.

'Nother Group of also reads....

The Optimists' Daughter by Eudora Welty was a strange book, quite short and fairly boring considering the possibilities of the topic. This may be an example of the Pulitzer judges giving out a prize to the author as opposed to the novel. Not on my recommended list, I left it on the Northwest flight that I finished it on.

Summons to Memphis by Peter Taylor is an excellent book, one that really contradicts itself at points but forces you to consider those contradictions as something more. It seems as if it jumps all over the place, at times repeating itself, but I believe that to be a matter of form for the novel. Many scenes in the book are played over again, with a different meaning for each instance. I quite liked it, and I managed to finish it during Mardi Gras in New Orleans. I was enthralled, I wasn't missing anything important anyways.

Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card is also a good book. I am forced to reread Ender's Game because this novel replays much of that from Bean's eyes. So, many of the situations are clearly not as they first seemed, and I just can't remember every part of 'Game' in order to apply it to 'Shadow'. I also bought the two sequels to Ender's Shadow, names of which are slipping my mind right now. I will write more when I am finished those two.