Only Connect

I came across this quote reading some blogs today:

"Only connect the prose and the pass and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height. Live in fragments no longer." 

It's from E.M. Forester's Howards End, another novel I somehow was not assigned to read in my days of English classes. But this quote makes me want to read the whole novel! From brief reviews I've read, it sounds like the book is about two families - one wealthy/business minded, the other idealistic and cultured - and their intertwined lives and events that occur as they argue over who will inherit a home called Howards End.

I still need to finish This Side of Paradise, but has anyone read Howards End? Is it any good? I wonder if judging a book by one quote is as bad as judging it by its cover? Well, it looks like I'm back to the library, this time with a mission. 

Library Blunders

My trip to the library tonight was very eventful. I knew the library closed at 9, but I figured that would give me plenty of time to get there after my gym class ended at 8 and still browse leisurely. I was just looking for a book about the publishing industry, a narrative of someone's experiences, and then a regular, just for fun book to read over the long weekend.


I was dreading trying to find a parking spot, only to find that the library has an entire parking lot! This is something to celebrate in Northern VA/DC. However, my initial happiness quickly faded when I couldn't find any of the books I wanted. It is a crime to find out that a book I really want, that is supposedly in the library, not checked out, is actually not on the shelf. After this little setback, I realized I only had about 20 minutes to find my "fun" books. But, sometimes I like to just wander through the stacks and pull out random books. But this time I was in a rush. So, after my Harry Potter series, I decided I needed to read some more "classic" literature. I ended up with:

• John Updike's Seek My Face
• F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise
• Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible
  

Which should I start with? I tried reading Tender is the Night a year or two ago and never got through it. I cant even remember why now. Maybe I owe it to Fitzgerald to give Paradise a shot. Either way, I've got a long weekend of reading ahead!