Pete's Log: February Reading
Entry #2226, (Books, Writing, n such)(posted when I was 44 years old.)
I didn’t complete nearly as many books in February as I did in January, but I’m pleased with my progress nonetheless.
The only book I finished in February was Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, which I was already halfway through when the month began. The second half, just like the first, was "well-written but gut-wrenching". I often had to take breaks just because it got too intense. I’m glad I read it though.
I then decided that instead of switching to something light, I would next read David Copperfield by Charles Dickens so long as Demon Copperhead was fresh in my mind. Demon Copperhead is a modern retelling of the David Copperfield story, so I was curious to compare. I've never successfully completed a Dickens novel before, so I was slightly daunted by the task I had set myself.
As it turns out, having first read Demon Copperhead worked out in my favor since I already had a feel for the plot and characters and this could help me get past any trying sections.
So as February comes to an end, I'm about halfway through David Copperfield and am enjoying it. It's not quite as gut-wrenching (so far) as Demon Copperhead, but I'm sure that could change at any moment. It's been interesting to recognize the connections between the plot and characters in the two books. In some situations Kingsolver has very closely tracked Dickens and in others it's looser.
At my current pace I expect this to eat up a decent chunk of my March reading time as well, but I'm ok with that.