In case you missed my new posting schedule and are wondering where “Wednesday’s Readings” are — check back on Sunday! Since I started participating in the Sunday Salon, “Wednesday’s Readings” seemed redundant, so I have moved my weekly review of what I’m reading to my Salon posting.
But here’s a sneak preview of what to expect: As I mentioned last Sunday, I am still slogging through Man Gone Down this week (which is due to the library on Thursday and I still have 200 pages) and have added Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos, The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, Strange as this Weather Has Been by Ann Pancake, and the Best American Sports Writing to Oscar Wao, Freakonomics and Remember Me? already in my carry-on.
So, expect reviews of most if not all of the above this Sunday! My husband will be busy working, so I plan to be busy reading! Our flight arrives Sunday afternoon, so my post will be later than usual…
In case you haven’t seen this yet… The American Book Review recently published the 100 best first lines and the 100 best last lines in literature — check them out and tell me which one’s resonate with you!
Here are my personal favorites from the list:
First – David Copperfield (#20 ): Words to live by — I used to write this line on the board when I taught the hero’s journey in Greek mythology and then ask my students to respond to it in an essay.
Their Eyes Were Watching God (#44 ): So many sentences in this novel resonate with me – as did many of the first sentences of many chapters. I could go on and on about this novel…
Then We Became Grown-ups (#62): A sentence I never want to resonate with me — but so well-crafted!
Love the first sentences of Pride and Prejudice and Mrs. Dalloway, too, but only because those novels are favorites — I’m not sure the first sentence is as meaningful until after the novel is finished…
On to my favorite last lines:
Middlemarch (#29) — words to live by… Eckhart Tolle would approve…
Wuthering Heights (#41) — if those sleepers merited quiet slumbers, then there is hope for us all…
The Handmaid’s Tale (#45) — the perfect ending to an unsettling and brilliant novel!
Vanity Fair (#91) — I only chose this one because I was so very glad when the novel was finally over
Their Eyes Were Watching God (#99) — Have I mentioned how much I love this novel? 
Which lines speak to you? I would love to hear! Leave a comment!
