75 Books...More or Less! discussion

Since I'm totally new here I feel like retelling a little story that happened to a friend, a few years ago. At the end of the school year, she is in the habit of taking all her nieces and nephews to a bookstore and tell them they can choose, is it 5 or 10 books, I don't quite remember, from anywhere in the bookstore. That particular time was Chloé's first and her grandmother was anxious to see what she would choose. After considerable time spent browsing high and low, the girl came back with a book and asked timidly, "Can I have this one?" My friend looked at the cover. It was The little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry... "Yes, she answered. You definitely can have this one!" The child showed promise of impeccable taste, we agreed... :-)

She couldn't have picked a better book! How old was she?

6 or 7. I'm not sure. Very young, anyway. :-)

First book read in 2017, Lee Child - Persuader, a Jack Reacher novel. This belongs firmly into the Enjoyable category, as opposed to Rewarding but I indulge a lot.
Even though his hero is American and his adventures take place all over America, Lee Child, the author, is British and lives in Britain. This in itself is intriguing. But I enjoy the logical and systematic way in which he exposes and deploys his plots. Never confusing, always a bit in front of me (except once, where I immediately guessed what was going on and waited 300 pages to confirm my intuition. :-) )
Reacher has been popularized recently by two movies starring Tom Cruise. The actor would make a more credible Jack Reacher if he was taller. Reacher is supposed to be 6'5" and it explains how people generally reacts to him in the books. He is an impressive man who never needs to lose his calm. Cruise does not project this much presence... But, well, this is Hollywood...

I need to start reading the Jack Reacher series soon!

Benoit wrote: "Since I'm totally new here I feel like retelling a little story that happened to a friend, a few years ago. At the end of the school year, she is in the habit of taking all her nieces and nephews t..."

Great taste indeed!

I have wanted to read the Jack Reacher series for a while!

In my opinion, Lee Child doesn't really find his stride before the 3rd or 4th book. Do not give up too soon.

Good to know :) Once I start a series I am usually all in...haha

2. Camille Paglia - Vamps & Tramps.
Collection of diverse writings by the famed, controversial writer. Paglia thinks that Christianity never completely civilized human nature, which went underground and took refuge in Art, among others. Society must find a new accomodation with sex, in particular, since repression clearly never worked. She comments current events (of 1992, the date of publication) from this perspective. For instance, she opposes modern feminism for its Puritanism. "There's more to sex than patriarcal domination and rape, she says. Get real!" Very original and very interesting. :-)