Roger DeBlanck's Blog - Posts Tagged "anthony-doerr"
What to Read Next
As a librarian and a writer, I’m always scouting for what to read next. I regularly have a list of titles in my head and a stack of books on my desk. But when I’m immersed in a project, as I am now with my third novel, I often feel the compulsion to return to the work of my favorite writers. Recently I tweeted about when you’re unsure of what to read next, go back to Steinbeck. And I meant it. That’s exactly what I did late last year. It was one of the rare times where I didn’t have a next book ready to go, so I started rereading Travels with Charley. It’s such an enchanting book. But most of all it is Steinbeck’s great compassion and humanity as a writer that makes me see why I revere him so much. This is true of many others: Morrison, Ondaatje, McCarthy, and the list goes on. I need their work. It is essential to the progress of my own work.
As I continue the journey with my new novel, I’m reaching that point where I’m feeling the need to return more often to my masters, allowing them to guide me to the end of my narrative. Right now, Anthony Doerr has become a writer who is indispensable to me. Rarely do I finish a book and immediately start rereading it again, even if I know I will reread it many times in the years ahead. However, last week I completed Doerr’s memoir, Four Seasons in Rome, and I knew I must immediately start it again. Its descriptions are breathtaking. His writing is lush, beautiful, empowering, and inspiring. He is most definitely one of those gifted writers who you must follow. Doerr makes me a better writer, and he has proven to me once again why I must go back to my masters when deciding what to read next. I can hardly wait to reread Morrison’s Beloved, Ondaatje’s The English Patient, and McCarthy’s The Border Trilogy.
Roger 8-)
As I continue the journey with my new novel, I’m reaching that point where I’m feeling the need to return more often to my masters, allowing them to guide me to the end of my narrative. Right now, Anthony Doerr has become a writer who is indispensable to me. Rarely do I finish a book and immediately start rereading it again, even if I know I will reread it many times in the years ahead. However, last week I completed Doerr’s memoir, Four Seasons in Rome, and I knew I must immediately start it again. Its descriptions are breathtaking. His writing is lush, beautiful, empowering, and inspiring. He is most definitely one of those gifted writers who you must follow. Doerr makes me a better writer, and he has proven to me once again why I must go back to my masters when deciding what to read next. I can hardly wait to reread Morrison’s Beloved, Ondaatje’s The English Patient, and McCarthy’s The Border Trilogy.
Roger 8-)
