Possessed by possession?

At the moment I’m reading Possession. A gift from my sweety, I originally confused it for Atonement! Which I’m dreading reading, seeing they made a movie with Keira Knightly. I just haven’t liked her acting since who knows when.

Possession, however, is a very good book. Long, yes, but not unrewarding. It’s about two main scholars who’re into previous generation writers, and piecing their lives back together. ONLY there’s a few hints that the two writers were in some way linked, romantically, and it’s up to the main characters to find out.

The format of the book includes a lot of letters, from characters to one another, both in present time, as well as current characters reading older characters letters. This also includes entire written passages featured as the older characters works.

This means a lot of reading, which is just reading, to get through the lengthier passages. And this isn’t bad, per se. If you just want a read that’ll be good and long, then you can’t go wrong. It draws a big comparison to Pale Fire, by Vladamir Nabakov, but Pale Fire was unforgivable. It’s follows the similar method of a modern day writer, analysing to hell the works of a past writer, but Pale Fire is quite different because the explanation half of the book becomes quite thick and full. (It’s actually a brilliant read, but if Possession is a good thick read, Pale Fire is concrete breakfast.)

I’m only halfway through Possession at the moment, so I wont say any more than I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would. I also bought Sherlock Holmes the other day. Not on the list, no, but some purely recreational reading is needed every now and then.

I figured I’d start at the start, so it’s Hound of the Baskervilles for me. At very first, I wasn’t going to buy the book, but within the first page I was already delighted by the honey-fun style of writing, so I had to buy it.

I also purchased To the Lighthouse recently, at the bargain bargain price of $9.95! Five cents cheaper than $10, I cannot believe it!