Yesterday, I was approaching the end of yet another terrific book by Barbara Kingsolver, "Unsheltered" when this quote used in the story brought me to tears:
"I was something that lay under the sun and felt it, like the pumpkins, and I did not want to be anything more. I was entirely happy. Perhaps we feel like that when we die and become a part of something entire, whether it is sun and air, or goodness and knowledge. At any rate, that is happiness; to be dissolved into something complete and great. When it comes to one, it comes as naturally as sleep." ~ From "My Antonia" by Willa Cather
Something tells me that I need to re-read "My Ántonia" as it has been quite a while...
And what do you know, last year was the centennial of the book being published. Maybe I'll read all three of the trilogy, O Pioneers and Song of the Lark.
This is probably my favorite quote from Cather:
"There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before."
I'm reading a whole lot of books right now, several trips to the library, and all of a sudden I have a stack to get through:
Looking at my goodreads "currently reading" list, I haven't been checking off all the ones I've read. Time for some housekeeping I think. I've been on goodreads for 12 years now, it's been a great tool for keeping track of my reading habits.
I haven't read My Antonia. Perhaps I'll look it up and see if it is available on audio. I have a 'stack' of audiobooks waiting for me as well as a quilt e-book. I need to get busy.
ReplyDeleteI read the Witch Elm. I wrote a review on Goodreads. I didn't like it as much as I liked her other books. Her books are disturbing, but this one made me not want to read anymore of her books.
This was the first one of hers that I'd read, I think I remembered her name from you talking about one of the books you liked. It was disturbing, and I figured the whole thing out a few chapters in. You know, my usual reason for not normally reading mysteries. Honestly I found myself wanting to read a book about the uncle Hugo character.
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