Previous Book Owners Become BFFs!

I tend to be pretty anal about the condition of the books that I own and/or read. Having vowed to just say no to dog-earring,  creased spines, torn covers/pages, lost book jackets, mysterious stains, and the likee, I often stay away from used books.

But (bet you saw that coming a mile away), there is something special about reading a book previously owned by a fellow book lover. There's joy in deciphering the notes in the margins to reveal the previous owner's thoughts and feelings as they read the same book. By adding my own notes, I enter a conversation with Mr. or Ms. Previous Owner, who soon feels like a close friend. This is even more profound when you know owners by their names or even know them personally.

During my junior year, I had a blast reading Jean Anyon's "Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work" because the previous owner, Mary (so inscribed on the inside cover), had highlighting important notes and written her insights in the margins.  I amused myself by thinking/writing things like: "Wow, Mary. I hadn't thought of that," "Ditto, Mary," and "Mary, you know you my girl, but I gots to disagree here." Yes, I know, I'm far too easily amused.

Now, I'm currently reading Managing the Interactive Classroom by Kay Burke, which is a part of the education book haul I received from my splendid mentor teacher. I feel so close to her whenever I encounter her notes, laughing quietly whenever I can't read them because her handwriting had been a running joke between us. Even more fascinating is realizing how aligned her comments/highlights are with her eventually teaching style and methods as I witnessed them. She used what she learned.

Is it yay or nay to used books? I say, both. There's something for leaving your own mark on a brand spanking new book. However, the connection between book owners is worth experiencing as well.

[Book Rant] The Falls by Joyce Carol Oates

I have incredibly mixed feelings after finishing The Falls by Joyce Carol Oates. Awe, exasperation, dissatisfaction, appreciation, and exhaustion are all fighting to be forefront. I can't quite decide if if his was one of of he best novels I've read in a long time or the worst.

At its core, The Falls is an intimate glimpse into one family's life as its members experience love, pain, joy, loss, grief, connection, separation, trust, and betrayal. 

Set in historic Niagara Falls, the story opens with a couple on their honeymoon and the groom's suicide. The reasons for the suicide are revealed to readers and we are compelled to keep reading in disbelief and in sympathy. As authorities search for her spouse's remains in the falls, the bride keeps vigil. By her side is confirmed bachelor Dirk Burnaby.

Over the span of the 28 years, readers join Ariah Erskine also known as "the Widow Bride of the Falls," as she deals with the loss of not one, but two husbands. Faced with these multiple tragedies, Ariah maintains a solid core of pride and strength as she pulls away from the world and creates her own safe space with her children and her piano at the center.

The dramatic irony of the novel's beginning instantly intrigued me. I felt strong sympathy for Gilbert, who could no longer maintain his charade. I felt pity for Ariah as well. Poor thing, having lost her husband of a day and becoming a media sensation.

When she meets Dirk, falls in love, and marries him, I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, things are looking up Ariah. However, that small part of my reader brain that wasn't completely immersed in the story reminded me of the blurb and that "tragedy soon takes over their lives . . . " Oates does an amazing job of presenting their idyllic family life against the backdrop of scenic Niagara Falls. She does even better with increasing tension. Any hint of conflict was met with a panicked, "Is this it? The tragedy that 'poisons their hacyon years with distrust, greed, and murder'?" 

Aside from the story, Oates writes stunning prose. Having never visited the Falls, I could still easily imagine its beauty and power. As much as I loved the prose, it felt overdone at times. Oates introduces some fascinating characters, but she doesn't allow them to breathe life into the story on their own. There is too much interjection by an omniscient 3rd person voice that I didn't appreciate. There were instances where I wanted to hear and feel directly from the characters themselves, and not from a narrator. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the first 60-75% of the novel, but the last 25% dragged on and I struggled to finish. Eventually, I skimmed the last 50 pages just to see how it ends. Part of this could be due to the fact that I started The Falls a few weeks ago. It's been difficult to smuggle in reading time since I started substitute teaching full time. (Read about my Sub Adventures here.)

So I have to admit that by the time I picked The Falls back up, I was a bit fuzzy on details from the 300 pages. I believe that The Falls is the type of novel that cannot be completely appreciated on the first read. A second read is needed to absorb all of its subtle nuances. I'll get back to everyone when I've read a second time (if I ever get to it a second time). 

In the meantime, the final verdict:

Princess Reads A Lot isn't too sure about this book. She didn't like it, but she didn't not like it either. She knows it's one she won't ever re-read and that makes her a little sad.