Saturday, September 13, 2008
I've decided to start sharing some of my Favorite Things with you all. I just couldn't resist doing this first entry.
To me, books are like taking breaths. Totally necessary for life, but I hardly ever come across one that stands out from the others. However, I have broken my self imposed silence to talk about the brilliance of Jasper Fforde.
I will readily admit that I am prejudiced against male authors. I just prefer the voice of a woman writer. However, I was completely blown away by The Eyre Affair when I picked it up in Borders. I happened to see one of the sequels and was instantly drawn to it but made myself purchase The Eyre Affair, as it is the first of the series. The basic premise of it is that Thursday Next, the main female character, has to hunt down the person who kidnapped a character from Jane Eyre. The beginning of the book started out rather confusing and complex with many characters, but I got hooked a third of the way through and couldn't put it down.
What I love so much about the book was that it was so inventive. So original. So clever. So witty. Normally I don't ever buy books. I read so many that I utilize the library's selection for the most part. However, I have now purchased 3 of Jasper Fforde's books from Borders and decided that I might as well order the rest online at Amazon. For me, that is absolutely unheard of to buy every single book of a specific author. I've only done that with one other author.
I'm not going to recommend these books to anyone. I don't like recommending books because everyone's tastes are so different. Don't read these books before bed. Or when you're sick. Or tired. Or not ready to pay attention. You won't understand a thing that's happening and will hate me forever telling you about them.
But do read them if you like a well turned phrase. References to classic works of literature (I don't like reading classics, but I like the references here). Witty dialogue. Completely inventive and imaginative ideas. The deeper I get into the series, the better it gets.
Jasper Fforde's website is also quite amusing. I think that it really only makes a lot of sense when you have read at least one of his books, but it is still fun to look at.
Jasper Fforde's website
Jasper Fforde's books on Amazon.com
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