I have taken suggestions for next reads and have decided (and now begun) my third book in this little experiment: Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange.
When I purchased the book at my local Barnes and Noble, the young man behind the counter smiled weakly, then spoke up. "Uh, I don't mean anything by this...but this is a tough read...not that I don't think you can handle it...I just wanted to let you know...I mean, I am an avid reader and I was stumped" (Insert expression of, "do I look like a total idiot to you? Maybe it's the business clothes that make me look stuffy?") Then the young man went to on to explain that Burgess created his own language used by his characters in this novel. What a relief! I can handle bizarre language, as I've had experience with made up languages before. Although, it did put me on my guard and had me searching the Internet for a translation guide at the ready...
I chose this as my next novel for several reasons. First, it was recommended to me by someone I consider fairly brilliant and clever and someone who knows me pretty well. Second, when I saw it at the bookstore, it looked like a "quick" read (only 212 pages). However, this myth in my mind has been put to rest by the nice checkout boy at B&N who brought the whole "new language" thing to my attention. Third, I knew absolutely nothing about this novel before I picked it up. And finally, from what I could gather from the cover image and the summary/notes on the back (what is that called?!?!), this is something completely different from my more recent reads. Violence, nay, make that "Ultraviolence"...funny words to wade through...oh the joy! Something very different from mastering the art of making authentic French bread, and even quite different from recovering from substance abuse.
Now, if only more people followed and commented so I could determine if this was worth my while or just give the whole thing up...but then again, it benefits me and that's enough.
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