Thursday, August 02, 2012

Book Report: The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennet

For my birthday I requested books--signed--from my friends and family. I got so many good ones that my friends picked out just for me. It was one of the best parts of my surprise 40th birthday party in June.

My pal, Frank, gave me The Uncommon Reader: A Novella by Alan Bennett. In it the queen decides to take advantage of the book mobile that visits the palace. The queen's reading proves problematic for many--but she can't quit the book mobile. Instead, SPOILER she quits the throne.

This little book was a delight. And so is Frank. I like to imagine him and all my friends thinking about me and deciding which book I would like best. It really was terribly fun to force them all to do that.

Forgive my blatant name dropping, but yes--Frank Christianson, my pal, is THE Frank Christianson, renown Buffalo Bill scholar.   I just call him Frank. Thanks for the book, Frank.

5 comments:

  1. Frank never gives me books. Don't think I haven't noticed.

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  2. I always ask my husband for a book for my birthday and Christmas, and he always takes his task very seriously. This year he gave me "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" for my birthday, and I promptly ignored my family for the three days it took me to finish it. I love this little tradition we have going, but haven't thought to foist it on my friends yet. Genius!

    http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13227454-the-unlikely-pilgrimage-of-harold-fry

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  3. I LOVED this novella! Chose it for the first book club meeting that I hosted a few years ago. Now that you've mentioned it, it's exactly the book I would have chosen for you. Perhaps you can bring it and we'll read it while we're sitting through Christian & my 30th high school reunion...

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  4. i had a tiny teacher crush on frank when i worked at the english department. creepy? sorry frank. i basically had a crush on the entire english department so whatever.

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  5. You told me to do it, so I did. Loved it. Five stars. I don't know this cowboy-scholar Frank, but now I have an old-British-playwright crush on Alan Bennett.

    I also heart Tom Stoppard (Arcadia), Wilde (love unrequited, of course, since is dead and liked boys.) Oh, and Shakespeare, too.

    "Any news from home, Kevin? Busy shearing away?"

    "not at this time of year, Ma'am."

    "Oh. Out to grass."

    ReplyDelete

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