We were in the Twin Cities for a few days, and this coincided with my just having reread The Great Gatsby, so I was inspired to check out the area in St. Paul where F. Scott Fitzgerald spent a good portion of his youth. And while I was at it, I was inspired to see something of… Continue reading Twin Cities Gems
Author: Jay Ruud
Stacey Margaret Jones’ “Epistolary Cyclist”
Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried”
Okay, so when I say that I’m naming Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried as book number 65 (alphabetically) on my list of the “100 Most Lovable Novels in the English Language,” I can hear you saying “But wait Jay Ruud, how can you do such a thing? Your list says ‘Most Lovable Novels.’ This book doesn’t… Continue reading Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried”
Vladimir Nabokov’s “Pale Fire”
When most readers think of Vladimir Nabokov, the Russian émigré author who came to the U.S. to teach Russian at Cornell University and began to write novels in English, they think most often of his 1955 novel Lolita, which was a huge best seller and ranked number four on the Modern Library list of the 100… Continue reading Vladimir Nabokov’s “Pale Fire”
Iris Murdoch’s “The Sea, The Sea”
Iris Murdoch, one of the most honored British writers of her generation, wrote 26 novels over the course of a 40-year writing career, the earliest of which, Under the Net, is a delightful read and appears on both the Modern Library’s list of the 100 greatest English language novels of the 20th century, and Time magazine’s list of the… Continue reading Iris Murdoch’s “The Sea, The Sea”
Wendell Berry’s “They Sit Together on the Porch”
“Ekphrasis On ‘The New York Times’ Headline ‘Understanding the Middle East Through the Animal Kingdom’”
Lisa Mueller’s “When I Am Asked”
Sara Teasdale’s “There Will Come Soft Rains”
The 100 Most Lovable Novels in the English Language
As ranked on our podcast, “Between the Covers,” through Tuesday, March 25, 2025. To tune in to the podcast, try this link: https://betweenthecoverspodcast.podbean.com: 1. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller Catch-22 is a satirical, anti-war novel that follows the increasingly frantic attempts by the American bombardier Captain John Yossarian to stay alive. He has become convinced that everyone,… Continue reading The 100 Most Lovable Novels in the English Language