Dear Kelly,
I've decided to start with Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake. To be honest, I'm not even sure it qualifies in some ways, because it had fallen so far off the TBR pile that I had completely forgotten about it. But yesterday as I was sitting at my desk talking about New Year's reading resolutions, my friend Beth mentioned how much she loved The Namesake. When I came home to look at my bookshelves for contender books, I realized that I owned a copy of the book (actually, I'm fairly certain that the actual book might be yours). What serendipity!
Then, last night on the phone, you mentioned loving the book and today at lunch, my coworkers, Tom and Jeff, also sung its praises. Any book that's such a crowd-pleaser seems like a good starting point. And even though I have some non-fiction on my list, I think starting with a novel is a better idea.
There's one last appealing factor, which is that it aligns nicely with what I'm currently covering in my English classes. Right now my students are learning about Asia in their social studies class, and reading a variety of stories set in Asia or featuring Asian-Americans. I like the idea of reading something that is similar to what I'm teaching. Of course, the other big reading task for my upcoming weekend: reading the 8 different YA novels about Asian immigrants to America that I'm planning to booktalk for literature circles...on Monday! Lots to do this weekend, but I'm hoping to get started on The Namesake before the weekend's over.
Jenny
I remember almost nothing about this book, except that I really liked it.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to reading your review, and perhaps recalling the plot. Heh. :)