Sunday, August 17, 2008

Books

I loved this book! I chewed my fingernails, teared up several times and best of all laughed out loud - a lot. It was like reading Forrest Gump meets Chauncey the Gardner (Being There, Peter Sellers) and they win the Washington State Lottery. I want a sequel!!

Perry's IQ is only 76, but he's not stupid. His Gram taught him everything he needs to know to survive. She taught him to write tings down so he won't forget them. She taught him to play the lottery every week, and most important, she taught him whom to trust:

My name is Perry L. Crandall and I am not retarded. Gram always told me the L stood for lucky.

"Mister Perry Lucky Crandall, quit your bellyaching!" she would scold. "You got two good eyes, two good legs, and you're honest as the day is long." She always called me lucky and honest.

I came across this title in Bookpage. I've actually found several reviews from this resource that have lead to good reads, including the one for Anne Reeve Lindbergh's Forward from Here. I liked that one so much I've already gifted it twice.

I so loved The Lottery, that I have no idea what I'm going to read next. It was short-listed for the Orange Award so maybe the next place I need to look at is the books they have selected. I am a huge fan of first fiction. To Kill a Mockingbird was first fiction and it is our book club's next read.

I was telling my SIL about it on the phone tonight. She's the one who recommended A Yellow Raft on Blue Water by Michael Dorris to me, which I just finished re-reading last month. I told her that our Book Club read The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich last month. Those two had been married at one point, and these two books together could be part of a college curriculum. Of the two, I favor "Yellow Raft" but I think the book club would disagree. I live by a Rez and "Yellow Raft" seems hard truth - "Painted Drum" has an edge of mysticism. Have you read these and do have thoughts?

3 comments:

Jodi said...

I haven't read any of them yet! I just added Lottery to my wish list. Thanks for the suggestions.

Lee said...

I think the only thing I've read by the Dorris-Erdrich team is "A Broken Cord" (Dorris' account of his son's fetal alcohol syndrome). Erdrich and Dorris's was a pretty sad story with a tragic ending

Leigh said...

I'm always glad for a book recommendation. Thank you Sharon!