Face to face book club, as opposed to this virtual one, has leeched into my postings. The Slacker who belongs to both groups received a copy of Pat Conroy's My Reading Life as a birthday present from her son, who knows her to be a person to whom books come in a close second to daily sustenance. And my younger son is a big Conroy fan, urging me to read Lords of Discipline which he read when himself in military school. So with this confluence, I ordered Conroy's latest, South of Broad to read with my son and the club this fall.
Back to My Reading Life: Conroy writes not only about influential books, but equally wonderfully about the people who introduced him to all kinds of literature. His essays on his favorite teacher and first book rep are lyrical. The ones set in places, the Old New York Book Shop in Atlanta, and being a Southerner in Paris, a personal disclosures on the importance of "being there." And best of all, is the one on being a military brat, the quintessential Conroy.
I don't think I want to adhere to a 2012 list on Conroy-inspired books; however, he has pointed out my lack of essentials and I am committed to read both War and Peace and Gone With The Wind next year ... and South of Broad as soon as I can wrench it out of my son's grip.
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