Literary speed dating

Now here's an idea.

It does bring up the interesting point of what kind of book I think the man of my dreams would be a fan of... or what kind of tome I'd take to an speed dating event like this, myself. Somehow Katherine seems like a little too heavy-handed for a 15-minute first date. ("In my favorite book a handsome knight falls in love with a beautiful commoner and they wind up more-or-less happily-ever-after. Yes, my life is grounded in reality.")

I think maybe I'd hide behind the literary safety Gilead or The Good Earth: two books I do happen to love, but don't involve princes or fairy tale endings.

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

This is an obvious choice. I already told you I dig Pearl S. Buck, so, of course I'm a fan of her most acclaimed novel.

In case you somehow got through high school without having to read it, The Good Earth is the story of Wang Lung, a peasant farmer in a rural part of China yet-untouched by the modern world. Along with his good wife, O-lan (who he completely fails to appreciate), he survives flood and famine - always striving for something better. But when he gets the life of his dreams, it doesn't make him nearly as happy as he thought it would.

Putting it like that makes the book sound like a sappy, morality play. It's not. Buck shapes her simple prose so beautifully you can actually see the sweat dripping off Wang Lung and O-lan's brows as they work together in the fields. This is another book that won the Pulitzer Prize for a reason.