So I finished Oscar Wao, which I'll write about more at a later date after I've had the chance to discuss it with some friends. And I've started Gone With the Wind. I've never seen the movie, which is a benefit in this situation, besides which I have other motives for reading the book.

You see my grandmother is old and very sick and it's her favorite book. I often connect with people via books - I mean there is something incredibly profound about reading someone else's favorite book and then talking about that book together. It's a window into another person's soul, and books are so multi-faceted that you get the joy of figuring out which part of the book touched their soul and then you get to see if any part of the book touched your soul too. Sounds a bit corny, I know, but I seem to spend a lot of time with people yet I often feel that I don't know them, and books are one way to expand any type of relationship.

I'm hoping to expand the relationship with my grandmother through Gone With the Wind. I already have several interesting insights about that book and her personality. But the book is so gall-darn long - my copy is 1,000 pages which is incredibly daunting. I often ask myself: is this 1,000 pages the best possible use of the finite number of pages you will get to read in your life? It's kind of a jacked-up question, but I still ask myself all the same. And so far. . . it's been worth the effort. I'm only 1/3 of the way through so I might change my mind, but it's been an intense ride so far.