I am always on the hunt for a new book. And with the beauty that is the internet, there are so many interesting ways to find new books, and to think about those new books in different ways.
One way I find new books is through the blog: http://slaughterhouse90210.tumblr.com. This blog is genius and everyone should read it. The premise of the blog is to pair an image from a TV show with a quote from a book, which in turn represents the mixture of supposed 'low-brow' and 'high-brow' culture. Through the blog, you of course see that the two are not so different, and the pairing is actually quite genius and accessible. I often find with this blog that I can connect to either the image or the text - rarely do I know both, which is honestly really exciting because it means I can now seek out something new that is more likely going to be interesting to me, more likely going to be something I can love.
That said, I've just finished reading Margaret Atwood's The Robber Bride. It's my first Atwood, and I absolutely loved it. Without a doubt, part of that love is due to the Slaughterhouse90210 post featuring a quote from the book, along with a scene from Mad Men, one of my all-time favorite TV shows.
I read this post just as I had started to read Slaughterhouse90210, and I was floored. Immediately I loved it because the quote commented so perfectly on the themes of Mad Men, especially since the show still exploited women, despite characters like Joan (pictured), Peggy, and Betty. Also, the quote in general was JUST. SO. PERFECT. You want to talk about patriarchy? Read this quote. Because of the utter perfection that was that blog post, I decided I would need to read this book, that I must experience the novel that could contain such a perfect quote, that could then shed light on one of my favorite TV shows and characters.
The Robber Bride centers around three women - Tony, Charis, and Roz - and their toxic friendship with Zenia, a woman who has laid waste to their romantic relationships whenever she decides to enter back into their lives. As I was reading the book, and got to know the characters more, I wondered when I would finally read the quote, and which character would say it. Now, after having finished the book, the quote clarifies a lot of my thoughts and feelings about the book. In the book, Zenia has a relationship with each of the other three women's significant other, and takes them away from them. What is so affecting about all of this is Tony, Charis, and Roz's desire to get their man back, even though they all had all been with Zenia. These women's desires are fully realized, and are not weak because they want to be with the men they love, but each feel in their own way the power Zenia has to embody a specific image or ideal that is attractive to each man sleeps with. Figuring all of that out, is what is compelling about the novel, and what I think is so great about looking at the novel through the lens of the quote.
What are some of your favorite ways to find books? Any specific success stories like mine with The Robber Bride?
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