February 2018: Toni Morrison

Hi all, our February author is Toni Morrison. Have you read any of her books before? What do you plan on reading this month?

This is a very exciting author choice for me. I looked at the wiki and it doesn't look like we've read Morrison as a group before.

In the past, I've read
Song of Solomon
The Bluest Eye
Tar Baby
Love
Beloved
and
Sula.

I seem to recall being a little disappointed with Love but all the rest were beautifully written and compelling stories. Song of Solomon remains one of my all-time favorite books.

And for those of you playing along with 1001 Books to Read Before You Die, Morrison has 5 titles on the list:

The Bluest Eye
Sula
Song of Solomon
Beloved
Jazz

Time permitting, I might read Jazz this month.

I read Song of Solomon and Bluest Eye in university and both have stayed in my mind since - powerful stuff. I think the other three kicking around somewhere.

I just finished Sula and wow, that one will stay with me awhile. I absolutely love her writing. So subtle yet powerful.

>5 Yells: As I mentioned, I read Sula in the past. But it was quite some time ago so I'm fuzzy on the details. Could you elaborate more on what you liked about the book? Thanks :)

Plot in a nutshell: Sula is about the friendship between two high school friends, Nel and Sula. They come from vastly different backgrounds but somehow end up becoming best friends. Sadly, a tragic accident ends their friendship and they grow apart. Even though they take different plans in life, they find that their lives continually intertwine.

The novel is told in short chapters that represents a specific period of time so we get snippets of things instead of one fleshed out story. Besides Morrison's exquisite writing, I loved the interplay between the two friends, especially the scene at the end in the cemetery. Despite their differences, there was always a thread that tied these two together.

>7 Yells: Thank you for that. You've inspired me to read Sula this month.

>7 Yells: Yes, thank you, that was a lovely review.

>7 Yells: I finished Sula this weekend and completely agree with your review. This is a lovely book that packs so much into its short pages. Morrison's writing is exquisite and the relationship between Nel and Sula is such a revealing and true rendering.

Yay, I am glad you liked it! Sula and Bluest Eye are now my favourites so far. I have Beloved on the shelf but won't get to that one any time soon.

>11 Yells: I would like to read The Bluest Eye next. Shockingly my local library's only copy of Beloved is lost and hasn't been replaced!

>12 sparemethecensor: Oh, you should mention that to someone. I know at my library that after enough time of a person having a book checked out and never returning it, the cataloging system automatically marks it as "lost" but the staff don't necessarily know that unless someone asks about the book.

>13 sweetiegherkin: That's a good idea. I hope it's just an oversight because I know what a classic that novel is.

I meant to share this article back in February when we were reading Morrison, but I guess better late than never, right?

https://www.nypl.org/blog/2017/02/15/where-start-toni-morrison

R.I.P. Tony Morrison
B Feb 18, 1931 / D Aug 5, 2019

Wall Street Journal article

I saw that. We have lost a true American icon. RIP.

>16 BookConcierge:, 17 I know, so sad, what a great loss for us all :(