This year's Book List for Summer 2015 was a very hard decision.
I've just come off the "Mad Men TV Series"Book List from last year with only two books remaining.Since that time, I've read a couple others not on the list & will share an Epic Book Review soon.
The decision was hard because I'd planned on my List consisting of all of "Gabriel Garcia Marquez" major works.I fell in love with his writing " Memories of My Melancholy Whores" a couple years ago.But,I wanted to introduce my 89 year old Mother to the writings of Zora Neale Hurston,my Sorority Sister (Zeta Phi Beta). And,to carry on the tradition of our weekly over the phone discussions _our personal Book Club! Last Summer(2014) we read the work of G.K.Chesterton's "Father Brown".What Fun we had & still talk about that 1100 page book we devoured ...just the two of us! Of course,I was reading the "Mad Men Book List" as well.
~ DECISION -TIME~
Drum-roll,please! I've chosen "The Library of America" publication of "Hurston"Novels & Stories. It includes 5 Major Novels and 9 Short Stories to the tune of 1036 pages.Can't wait to read "Their Eyes were Watching God",as I saw the movie with Halle Berry a couple years back.
In 1887 it was one of the first all-black towns to be incorporated in the United States. Hurston said she always felt that Eatonville was "home" to her as she grew up there, and sometimes she claimed it as her birthplace.Her father later was elected as mayor of the town in 1897 and in 1902 became preacher of its largest church, Macedonia Missionary Baptist.
While there, she took courses in Spanish, English, Greek and public speaking and earned an associate degree in 1920. In 1921, she wrote a short story, John Redding Goes to Sea, which qualified her to become a member of Alaine Locke's literary club, The Stylus. Hurston left Howard in 1924 and in 1925 was offered a scholarship by Barnard trustee Annie Nathan Meyer to Barnard College,Columbia University,where she was the college's sole black student. Hurston received her B.A. in Anthropology in 1928, when she was 37. While she was at Barnard, she conducted ethnographic research with noted anthropologist Frank Boas of Columbia University. She also worked with Ruth Benedict as well as fellow anthropology student Margaret Mead. After graduating from Barnard, Hurston spent two years as a graduate student in anthropology at Columbia University.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zora_Neale_Hurston
List of Major works in this edition:
Jonah's Gourd Vine,Their Eyes Were Watching God,Moses,Man of the Mountain,Seraph on the Suwanee,plus other short stories.
And You can take part in the yearly Zora Neale Huston Festival_
http://zorafestival.org/ or Zora Neal Hurston on Facebook page.
~The Second Author....Emile Zola~
He was chosen because of his SCANDALOUS 1880's book called "NANA" The History of a French Courtesan"_which btw makes "50 Shades of Grey" read like a Nursery Book! I got the Illustrated copy published in 1933 on EBay....naughty,naughty!
...a closer look at what he's thinking....& that's the most I can show...just sayin' _it's all about the French!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89mile_Zola
Nana tells the story of Nana Coupeau's rise from streetwalker to high-class cocotte/courtesan during the last three years of the French Second Empire. Nana became popular, in spite of or, as some say, because of the opprobrium it garnered. I watched the movie called "The Life Of Emile Zola"
I believe there are several sites on You Tube that the Full movie is available. I will be watching this version of Nana on DVD soon.
The other book has (10) additional Novel/Novellas by Emile Zola called "Best Known Works of Emile Zola" published in 1941.Got my copy on EBay...I love to read old books & wonder who held the book before me....sigh! Book-NUT!
List of Major Works in this Edition:
Nana,The Miller's Daughter,Captain Burle,The Death of Olivier Becaille,The Inundation,Nantas,Nais Micoulin,MME Neigeon,L'Assommoir,Germinal.
So Readers,no matter your Reading-Style...
Join Me this Summer as....
&
Happy Reading!
