Fifteen books down, 208 to go.

It's official, I've finally finished The Grapes of Wrath. It might have taken a little poking and prodding, but I got it done. And as much as I loved Steinbeck's writing, I have to admit, I just didn't "get it". Yes, the novel has plot, but there is no real defining climax or resolution; things just happen; people come and go. And because of that, the whole novel almost seemed pointless. Yeah, times are tough. Yeah, big business sucks. Yeah, oppressed masses are going to get pissed. The point is? (I feel so bad bashing a piece of classic literature!)
But the writing is still amazing and Steinbeck's mastery of dialect is unparallelled, so I'll still give it a rating of four stars.

Currently Reading

Since only one person voted in my poll and that vote was for Absalom, Absalom!, that's what I started reading today. I got my copy from Paperbackswap.com (the best value on earth for anyone who reads at al) and took it along with me to the dentist. And as I was sitting in the waiting room, I noticed something quite odd. Here I was, the teenager who can barely get herself up and out the door on time in the morning, let alone keep my room clean for a week, and I'm reading Faulkner, while my mother is reading Sloppy Firsts, chick lit at its best (or worst?). Rather ironic, hmmm?
And while you're out and about on the web, be sure to check out To Write Love on Her Arms. They're a great charity that works to reach out to teens who are struggling with depression, eating disorders and drug addiction and connect them with the help they need. But what makes them unique is the means by which they do it: the web. Today's teens are more active online than anywhere else, so it only makes sense to reach them where they are.