The National Book Awards were distributed last night. As an avid reader, I know I should be more interested and excited about these awards, but here's the thing. As a prospective marathoner, a parent of two children, and a full-time employee, there are just so many hours in the day that I can devote to reading. And those of you that know me realize that I can get quite obsessive about things - for example, i'm currently reading my third Murakami novel in two months. So my reading tends to follow my obsessions - either I get into an author, or a subject, and I follow it down the rat hole. Recently, it's been Murakami. Previously it's been books about Russia or mid-Asia, or Picasso, or Thomas Pynchon. I just never seem to get inspired by the books that make up award lists.
Having said that, it looks like there was a surprise winner in the fiction department. I know Joel touched upon this before, but has anyone out there read Salvage the Bones? I'd love to hear more about it.
Related Posts:
National Book Awards: The Finalists
Review: The Sense of an Ending (Julian Barnes)
I've not read it.
ReplyDeleteBut Amazon describes it as "A big-hearted novel about familial love and community against all odds."
So, just the book you would expect to be chosen.
Just the book I'd expect to be chosen and just the book I make an effort to avoid. So are the National Book Awards just like the Oscars?
ReplyDelete