The Classic Six Reading Challenge Wrap Up for 2025 and Announcement for 2026!

Last year I hosted a reading challenge on Storygraph for the first time... I called it simple The Classic Six Challenge. And I'll be doing it again for 2026! You should totally join us!

The idea is, of course, to read six classics during the year. I like to spread them out and at least get to one every other month. I started doing this because my classics reading has been terrible the past few years and I wanted to fix that! And I did! I managed six classics this past year! It helped that three of them were book club books, lol! We'll see if that particular benefit happens again next year.

Here's what classics I read in 2025:

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick 

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson

The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut

Soon I'll be figuring out what will be on my pile of possibilities for the 2026 version of this challenge. But in the meantime, I've created a Storygraph page where you can join if you'd like. Click here for the link to that page. Of course you don't have to be on Storygraph to participate. Just let me know here in comments and we'll randomly check in throughout the year.

North and South Read Along Final Discussion Answers

I posted questions the other day for the final section of our North and South read along.. .and promptly forgot that I was meant to actually answer the questions too! Yeah. It's been that kind of week!

So, here are my quick thoughts on those questions.


1.  There's much talk about all the deaths in this book. What are your feelings on that? Do you think they were necessary? Or too much?

They didn't bother me that much I suppose. I mean, it did seem hard and fast and crazy, but there was more time between them than it felt like to us the readers I think. I do think that some of the deaths were easy plot devices. But it worked for me for the most part.

2. Was there anything that happened during this last part that you found surprising or unexpected? Or was everything very predictable?

I can't remember what I felt like the first time I read this. Probably Mr. Bell's death. And Henry trying the wooing thing again. This time through I was just surprised at the differences between book and movie that I'd forgotten.

3. What are your feelings on the about face Margaret and Mr. Thornton have with regard to their financial status?


I thought it must have been hard for Mr. Thornton to have this happen. And very surprising for Margaret, especially after thinking just a short time before that it was all to be looked down on. I find the whole switcheroo fascinating.

4. Do you think Margaret is justified in being so anguished over the lie that she told? Does it mostly have to do with her feelings for Mr. Thornton? Or something else?

I think this may have been the first time she found herself in such a position and it felt so off and wrong to her. But I think she would have gotten over it fairly quickly if not for Mr. Thornton knowing all about it. That killed her and drove her crazy! If only she felt like she could go to him and explain things. If only.

5. At what moment exactly do you think her feelings for Mr. Thornton completely changed?

I think she totally realized where she stood when she was back in London and her relations were now saying the things that she had said the year (or two) before. And she wanted to defend him! And it hits her then how much she misses him and wants to be back where he's at. I think it was a slow growing thing, but it really hit her then.

6. Discuss the character of Nicholas Higgins. What do you think about the relationship he has with Mr. Thornton? Did he change Mr. Thornton? Did Mr. Thornton change him?

I love him so much! And to see the friendship develop between him and Mr. Thornton warms my heart. I love watching them come to an understanding with each other, and respect. I love that especially... the respect. 

7. How does Mr. Thornton's views on the master/worker relationship change? Or. . .did it change? Did your view on this issue change as you experienced this book?


I think he comes to understand that they are people too and important and needed. Not that he didn't really think that before, but it became so much more real and obvious after all that striking business and then getting to know Mr. Higgins and seeing the plight of the Boucher family. 

8. Do you have a favorite quote from this book? If so, share and let us know why it's your favorite.

“He is my first olive: let me make a face while I swallow it.” 

I just thought this was a perfect way to describe the feeling of getting used to the idea of something. It's not a profound quote, and I enjoyed many profound quotes found in this book, but it was fun one that made me smile. 


9. The ending! Are you happy with how things turned out? (Try not to compare with the movie here... that's for a later question!)

I was shocked, shocked I tell you, to read the ending and realize that was it! I did not remember this, even though I've read it before. I expected it to be more like the movie. The two things have totally meshed in my brain. That being said, I do find the situation still very romantic, with her shuffling through the papers and talking and talking and talking and him just saying... "Margaret.... Margaret... Margaret" until she stops, puts her face in her hands and leans on his shoulder and saying, "I'm unworthy!"  I still love that! 

10. What aspect of this book would you like to address that we haven't yet talked about? Is there something we've skipped over in our discussions that makes you want to say... "Yeah, but what about....?"  And if you've got nothing there, answer this: Did you like the book? Why or why not?

I love the book and will continue to love it, despite the fact that the movie has overshadowed it in beloved-ness. 

BONUS MOVIE QUESTION:

If you've already seen the movie, go ahead... now is your chance to compare the two! If you have yet to see the movie, skip everyone's comments on this part. After we watch the movie on Friday, you can write a post just about this. Because my guess is, you'll probably have some thoughts!

I love the movie for the swoony looks Richard Armitage masters, for the emotion contained on his face. I love the book for the fact that we can get in his head and know what he's thinking during those brooding looks. I love the movie for the changes and additions that make everything so much more romantic. I love the book for the thoughtful statement it makes on the life and times of the people during this period. I love the movie for the ending. I love the book for the story itself!

Sigh. What fun we've had. I think we must do it again! 

Book Thoughts: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

We just finished reading and discussing The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger for book club this
month. More people enjoyed it than I thought there'd be! I guess poor old Holden is a sympathetic character after all!

I first read this book back in 2008 and reviewed it then. My feelings haven't really changed since then. I do like Holden. I feel sorry for him. He needs help. The book is interesting as a character study. Re-reading it now I caught more things than I did the first time around. For instance, I was much more tuned into his suicidal thoughts, the fact that he was extremely depressed about his brother's death (something he's never gotten over,) that he has a terrible self image which is why he's cutting everyone else down, and that he's actually a really nice guy and does a ton of nice things for most of the characters in the book. I'm glad that by the end this story, we understand that he's in treatment and here's hoping it worked!

Anyway, I gathered some quotes that stood out to me, which I'd love to share:

"What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it.  That doesn't happen much though."

"I didn't answer him. All I did was, I got up and went over and looked out the window. I felt so lonesome, all of a sudden. I almost wished I was dead."

"Sleep tight, ya morons!"

"By any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over? Do you happen to know, by any chance?"

"The #($(#% movies.They can ruin you. I'm not kidding."

"I mean you'd be different in some way-- I can't explain what I mean. And even if I could, I'm not sure I'd feel like it."

"I'd rather have a $%&* horse. A horse is at least human for God's sake."

"I shouldn't have. I laughed. And I have one of these very loud, stupid laughs. I mean if I ever sat behind myself in a movie or something, I'd probably lean over and tell myself to please shut up."

"That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be. I know it's crazy."

"I mean how do you know what you're going to do till you do it? The answer is, you don't. I think I am, but how do I know? I swear it's a stupid question."

"It's funny. Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody."



And just for kicks, I looked up the poem by Robert Burns from which this book gets its title:

Comin Thro' The Rye

O, Jenny's a' weet, poor body,
  Jenny's seldom dry:
She draigl't a' her petticoatie,
  Comin thro' the rye!

Comin thro' the rye, poor body,
  Comin thro' the rye,
She draigl't a' her petticoatie,
  Comin thro' the rye!

Gin a body meet a body
  Comin thro' the rye,
Gin a body kiss a body,
  Need a body cry?

Gin a body meet a body
  Comin thro' the glen,
Gin a body kiss a body,
  Need the warl' ken?

Gin a body meet a body
  Comin thro' the grain;
Gin a body kiss a body,
  The thing's a body's ain.

So, it remains a fascinating book for me. What about you? Have you read it? Are you a fan? Do you want to be Holden's friend?

Armchair BEA and Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Classics

I love the classics. Before book blogging, it seemed that's pretty much all I was reading. Now, I've broadened my horizons, and sometimes the classics have suffered. But they are my first love.

Here's a list of my favorites:

Top Ten Favorite Classics

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
2. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
3. Jane Eyre by Charolotte Bronte
4. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
5. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
6. The Forsyte Saga by John Galslworthy
7. Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
8. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
9. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
10. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

What are some of your favorite classics?

Link up over at Top Ten Tuesday (where it's a freebie prompt today!) or Armchair BEA.

The Classics Club April Meme: Favorite Literary Hero

The question this month for The Classics Club is a good one, and a hard one. I want to ponder and answer, but I think it's going to be a struggle!

“Who is hands-down the best literary hero, in your opinion? Likewise, who is the best heroine?”

So, let me refer you to my fictional hero Pinterest board...we'll start there, shall we? Here's who I have listed:

Captain Wentworth

Samwise Gamgee

Gilbert Blythe

Marius

Edmund Dantes

Mr. Thornton

Aragorn

Mr. Darcy

Colonel Brandon

(And since my board is "fictional" and not necessarily "literary" I also have:)

Hans Solo

Malcolm Reynolds

Indiana Jones

Batman

Hmmm... my board is really just a beginning, is it not? Ha. Funny to see what struck my fancy when I thought of this idea and started the pinning!

But after looking at my meager list, I lean toward Samwise as my choice for "hands-down" best hero. I did a Character Connection post on him quite awhile back and here's what I said then:

I don't think there's a single other literary character that can match him in loyalty, faithfulness, steadfastness and pure courage. He is amazing. I love him with all my heart.

Yep, I stick by that assessment!

As for a favorite heroine? This one I haven't considered as much as the hero question. Does she need to have accomplished something heroic? Overcome great odds? Taught us something valuable and long-lasting? 

Elizabeth, though we love her, doesn't really fit that description. Jane Eyre maybe, if we think of the things she had to endure in her early life. Anne Shirley taught us how to look on the bright side of life and have fun. Anne Elliott might work also. But none of them really stand out to me! I don't know... who would YOU pick for a "hands down" best heroine?

Vanity Fair Read Along: Half Way (make that Quarter Way)

I'm so happy to be reading this book after having it sit here so long on the shelf! I must admit though, that after holding and hauling around that big thing, I decided to go ahead and load the free copy of it onto my Kindle!

It's MUCH easier to read! Not just the holding, but the actual words and layout too. I really like it. And besides, now I can highlight the funky things that stand out to me like:

"He was a little wild... and don't girls like a rake better than a milksop?"

Indeed! 

I'm finding the character of Rebecca to be a bit baffling so far. I mean, everyone really seems to like her. Does she have them ALL fooled? Or is she really nicer than she appears? Because to me, she appears to be faking everything! Not sure what's up with her yet....

And I just got to a part where she has revealed some secret and I'm thinking... wait, WHAT? And then I had to stop and I haven't found out the answer yet!

I had to stop because I had a couple of ARCs that I accepted that needed reading and reviewing too, so the read along was put on the back burner. BUT, not forgotten in the least!

Anyway, I'm very anxious to get to know Dobbin better. I think, I'm guessing, that he has a major part in this story? I don't know, and yet he has only been around for his intro chapter and then a little bit in another one (so far for me anyway) so I'm curious about him. I think I'm going to end up loving him, without a doubt.

That George guy is horrid. Amelia is a weak wimpy sort of girl. The younger Crawley brother, not sure about yet. He seems to be "a rake!" The older one seems really boring. (And what's with the name Crawley anyway? All I can think about is poor Matthew!)

I'm loving the fact that I feel like I "know" London well enough to actually picture neighborhoods and distances and such. That is so cool! I love that place! (I'm going there again this summer... so excited!!!)

The narrator...he is making me crazy. (He? I assume he, I picture the author!) He is breaking the fourth wall all over the place. I mean, he is funny sometimes. (See above quote.) And then sometimes he is explaining WAY too much and I'm just wishing to learn these things through the story. Know what I mean? Anyway, I guess I'm getting used to him.

Hmmm, I just checked out Trish's "few random questions" and I think I sort of answered them all in my above ramblings! Sweet.

So. I will be reading tons this next week. I hope. Perhaps I may even catch up!

Book Review and Book Club Report: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orszy

Book: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
Genre: Classic 
Rating: ★★★★★
For: Book Club
From: book club set from the library

Way back about nine years ago I read this for the first time as one of the first books this book club read! (Actually, in looking at my list, it WAS the very first book!) And now we've come full circle and read it again! I loved it then, and I loved it again.

It's the story of a British guy and his buddies who have taken it upon themselves to help rescue people who have been sentenced to die by the guillotine during the French Revolution, specifically during the Reign of Terror. In order to not be discovered and caught, he masks his true personality by acting like a crazy fool. Despite this, he has married a lovely (and smart?) French actress. They were quite in love at the first, but since then he has had cause to lose his trust. They are estranged and it makes them both sad... and the lady (Marguerite) is baffled as to why.

This is the story of how she discovers many interesting things about her fool of a husband, Percy, and gets herself needlessly involved in a rescue!

I love it because it's a fast-paced, intriguing yet easy-to-read story. I love the drama and the excitement. I love the romance that's there, but not there. I love the character of Percy, how he is first one way and then another. I love the time period and the setting. I love the movies and musical that have been based on this story.

Bottom line: It's a fun enjoyable story, and I love it.

Book Club's Thoughts:

We didn't have a whole lot to say about the book at book club! Everyone (most everyone!) seemed to enjoy  it and read through it quite quickly. The main consensus was that the character of Marguerite was very unlikable and that her place in the story is a mystery, that she served no purpose. It was mentioned that while reading it, you didn't really think about that, but afterwards it hits you that she is quite the drama queen and really does the story no good. Well, except for the romance part of the story of course!

We talked about how there are many "sequels" with the Scarlet Letter character and his other adventures. I hadn't realized this and it makes me want to check those out and see what they are like!

Other Reviews:

True, it veers dangerously close to being a romance novel, but there are adequate numbers of buckles being swashed and swashes being buckled that I'm still terming it "historical adventure." From Collateral Bloggage

I do remember that I loved the romance and the action of this tale based loosely on the French Revolution. I was still spellbound by the romance and drama of it all. From BooksPlease

One of the things wrong with this book: Marguerite. What a useless character! She was used as a plot device. There was all this set up like she might actually be of some help but she never was. So freaking infuriating. From Alternate Readality

I enjoyed the book, it had a very lovely flow to the writing, that made it easy to get lost in the book, not to mention the character, the Scarlet Pimpernel, was a fun character to read about and root for, making for a very enjoyable read. From Jules' Book Reviews

Here's a fun scene from the musical, though the sound is a bit off.

The Classics Club Spin List

The Classics Club is motivating us once again to have fun with our classics list. This week we are doing THE CLASSICS SPIN!

What this means is I pick 20 books from my list of classics I want to read (including some I'm scared of!) and then on Monday the club will pick a number between 1 and 20 and whatever book on my list that corresponds with that number, I read NOW! (Well, by April 1 they say!)

So, since I'm reading Vanity Fair with a read along already this month, this spin book will be my March classic. Hopefully.

And now, My Classic Spin List:

1. Evelina
2. Mary Barton
3. Where Angels Fear to Tread
4. Peter Pan
5. Basil
6. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
7. Anthem
8. The Bell Jar
9. Hide and Seek
10. Moll Flanders
11. Their Eyes Were Watching God
12. Felix Holt
13. Metamorphosis
14. Dandelion Wine
15. MaryAnne
16. My Friend Flicka
17. Death Comes for the Archbishop
18. In Dubious Battle
19. Eugenie Grandet
20. A Lesson Before Dying

Whew. I'm scared! I tried to not pick long ones because after Vanity Fair, not sure I can do that! Anyway, I'll let you know what my spin book ends up being. Wish me luck!

Book Review: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Book: A Tale of Two Cites by Charles Dickens
Genre: Classic
Rating:★★★★★
For: The Classics Club and Classics Challenge
From: free ebook

The first time I read this book I was in 9th grade. Much of it went right over my head, but through class discussions and a TV series that came out right about that very time I ended up loving it, even with all the confusing parts. Recently, I've been very anxious to read it again to see how it seems to me as a now old grown up person.

Here's what I  discovered:

-- this book that I thought was confusing was actually quite simple. Some people in French are very upset over their treatment by the nobility and so one day they rebel and storm the Bastille prison. After a few years, anybody with any connection at all to this nobility has their head on a chopping block, literally  In the meantime, Lucie (who earlier discovers her father she thought was dead has been released from the a fore mentioned Bastille) falls in love with Charles, who sadly has a connection to the French nobility, though he has renounced them and makes a happy life in England. But one day, he decides to go back to France to help a friend. Bad bad choice!

-- the character that I fell in love with the first time WAS as awesome as I remembered, although he didn't appear as often in the story as I remembered or would have liked. Why can't we get to know Sydney Carton a little better? His background? His story? It seems to me all we know is that he is a drunk, lonely dude, but smart as anything and helps his lawyer friend all night long, but gets no recognition. Why? I want to know more. Oh, yes, and strange thing, he looks a lot like Charles. And he loves Lucie, but of course, Lucie loves Charles.

-- I was surprised at the amount of sarcasm and witticisms the author threw into the story. I think that sometimes he was trying to be funny, but I felt like the book and its serious story really didn't lend itself to that, so it was just weird to me. This, of course, was something I didn't catch even a little bit as a 15 year old! I also noticed the literary devices (such as personification) that he uses much more this go around. And no wonder it was confusing to a 15 year old! He's appears to be talking about one thing, when he's really talking about another. This happens over and over again.

-- the end hit me just as hard now as then, maybe harder. Have you read this book? Do you know the ending? I'm guessing pretty much everyone does, but maybe there's a few who don't know it, so I will leave things spoil free here (even though it may be easily guessed too!) but I'd love to discuss in comments your feelings on this ending. The first time around of course I knew nothing so it blew me away. This time I felt the tension building up and dreaded every moment I got closer! Then, it was actually a little anit climatic from what I remembered, but still. There were parts that hit me much harder this time around and I got weepy, yes I did!

Bottom line: Oh, I so do love this book.

Other Reviews:

The plot is relatively fast-moving, and almost free from sub-plots and extraneous characters: it’s not as dense and wordy as a lot of Dickens’ works, and thus is an exciting and thought-provoking read. From Ela's Book Blog

Reading the book this time round the character of Sydney Carton is much clearer in my mind, with several vivid images of his slovenly appearance and drunken behaviour. From BooksPlease

Ultimately, what finally did bring me in to the novel was the human interest: the characterization. Once I understood how all the different characters fit together, I found myself engaged in the novel. From Rebecca Reads

It was an amazing piece of craftsmanship, and I was impressed with how all of the parts of the story worked together. From At Home With Books

Why Read Classics?

Remember how I joined that Classics Club thing awhile back? The one where you read 50 classics in the next five years? Yes? Well they ask a sort of meme question every month and this month's question is:

Why are you reading the classics?

What a good question, eh? Why indeed. I must ponder.

1. Reading classics makes you smart! These books make you think and make you wonder about things and give you fuel for small talk. They even make you catch all the references in shows like Gilmore Girls. Classic books tend to  have substance and usually, you have to work for it... which... in the end... makes you smart.

2. The classics have all the best characters. Whether you love them or hate them, you have to admit, the characters found in classic books are memorable. Mr. Darcy, Pip, Heathcliff, Mr. Thornton, Jo and Laurie, Tess... just to name a few. I find myself falling in love (or hate as the case may be) over and over and over again.

3. Classics, by their very nature, are still relevant today. There's something to learn from these books, the moral of the story if you will. Even today, years later, that still holds true.

4. Why not? I mean, if you cut them out of your reading buffet, you'll be missing so much! None of us wants to do that now, do we? We want to read ALL the books! Some (a lot) of my very most favorite books are classics and to think that I may have missed them if I wasn't keen on reading classics just makes me shudder.

5. Bottom line: It's fun to read the classics! Sometimes it's also a little hard, but in the end, you feel such a sense of accomplishment. And often, you have a movie to watch that goes with the book. And you've got to admit, that's fun!

Do you read the classics? Why? Or... why not?

Book Review: The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle

Book: The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
Genre: Classic
Rating: ★★★★☆
For: Double Classics Challenge and The Classics Club list
From: the very first book I added to my Kindle!

So, it only took me nearly six months to read this. This is in no way a reflection of the book itself, which is simply delightful, but rather my inability to concentrate on it and being distracted by too many other books.

But yes, I'm glad to have finally finished this quaint book so I can now say I've read one of the first Robin Hood books. I had to do a little Wikepedia research to find out if that's even the truth. (Because, as we know, Wikepedia is the place to go for said truth!) and I learned that this book was published in 1883....by an American no less. Wow, I would have guessed much earlier. And I also would have guessed he was British.

But regardless, Mr. Pyle took the ballads and stories of Robin Hood and compiled them into what they call "coherent narrative in a colorful, invented "old English" idiom." It was meant for children, which I can see a little, but I maintain that the "old English idiom" will/would/is a bit hard for kids to grasp. That being said, I think this book would be an absolute BLAST to read aloud. And kids will love it.

And while this book is not considered the "first" of course, it is considered the one that got everyone all interested in Robin Hood and sparked the retellings and fascination we see today. At least that's what some think.

The characters are wonderful, and it's a blast to meet them all and see how they are different or the same from other versions of Robin Hood. For instance, Little John is giant big and is proficient with a staff, but in this book, he is Robin Hood's closest friend out of all the guys in the gang. Some other stories I've read (or watched) have Much, the miller's son as his best friend (or Midge as he's called in this book.)

Will Scarlet is quite the dandy in this book, which is a little different that I'd thought of him, yet he IS a very strong and powerful one! Allan a Dale sings, as is his norm, and the Sheriff is as obnoxious as ever. Guy of Gisbourne shows up for only one story and he is quite the wimp, I see no tortured villain in him at all! (Must be just a BBC thing with that angle.)

But.. wait!!! There's no Maid Marian! (I think she is mentioned at the beginning, but never appears.) What's UP with that? So, that's one of my few complaints! How can there be Robin Hood without Marian? What was this author thinking?

But back to the language! I loved it! Such poetic fun style! Such description of these guys who are always "merry, lusty, stout, jolly, joyful, sweet" and etc. And verbs like "quoth, bade, jest, prate, spake" etc.

I highlighted a few passages that I liked, though I had to quit after awhile or I'd highlight the whole thing, and here's a couple to share:

The Little John turned to Robin Hood. "Why, how now, good master," said he. "Alas! Thou art in an ill plight. Marry, thy jerkin is all befouled with the dust of the road. Let me help thee to arise."

" A plague on thy aid!" cried Robin angrily. "I can get to my feet without help, good fellow."

Or this:

"Hold good cook!" said he. "Now, I bethink me it were ill of us to fight with good victuals standing so nigh, and such a feast as would befit two stout fellows such as we are. Marry, good friend, I think we should enjoy this fair feast ere we fight.  What sayest thou, jolly Cook?"

Isn't that just so tongue trippy? Makes me happy.

The stories are filled with sword fights, and archery contests, and mistaken identities, and lusty songs and ballads, and jokes and tricks and adventures, one after another after another. These boys had fun, I tell you! It covers the time from when Robin Hood first becomes an outlaw, takes us through how he meet all his jolly merry men, tells about all their adventures, and then sadly, we even are treated to the demise of poor Robin. Yes, a very very sad story there in the end and not jolly or merry at all.

Bottom line: I loved it. It was a blast to see the "beginning" of this tale.

Other Reviews:

It’s joyous and raucous and funny, and the characters, thinly sketched as they sometimes are, are really likable. From 50 Books Project

Robin Hood is like the ultimate pastoral fantasy combined with a heist story. From All- Consuming Media

Lots of laughs, and definitely lots of action as Robin gathers his band, outwits the sheriff and becomes a hero through his "redistribution of the wealth." From Jeanette's Books

And now, I'll attempt one more time (well, I'll not guarantee that) to convince you to watch this BBC show. What are you waiting for? 

Banned Books Week Book Review and Giveaway: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Book: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Genre: classic SF/Historical Fiction mix, sort of
Rating: ★★★☆ ☆
For: Banned Books Week
From: a gift last Christmas from Ibeeeg at Polishing Mud Balls

As part of celebrating the freedom to read this week, I agreed to participate in the party hosted by Sheila of Book Journey by reviewing a book from the banned/challenged book list. I've picked this book in particular because it's been sitting in on my shelf for quite sometime waiting for an opportunity just such as this!

I had no idea what to expect. I've never read anything by this author, though I've wanted to see what the fuss is all about surrounding him. But what this book was about (other than what I read months ago on Ibeeeg's blog, which of course I'd forgotten already) I knew nothing.

What I got was a weird, very strange, bizarre book! I don't even know where to begin!

So there's this guy who wants to write a book about his war experiences, so he goes to talk to his war buddy,  and they reminisce sort of. But then, the book shifts to another guy, Billy, who we follow for pretty much the rest of the book (the narrator pokes his head in now and then) throughout his sad and crazy life.

For you see, he time travels in and out of all his life's experiences, including the time he was kidnapped by aliens and put on display in their zoo. Yes.

But it's my opinion that Billy wasn't really time travelling at all, and that he didn't really get abducted by aliens, but in fact, his brain was doing strange and fantastical things in order to survive the horrors of war. Because it was the horrors of war that this book dealt with for the most part. Billy goes off to fight, gets caught behind enemy lines, is sent by train (cattle-like) to a POW camp that in fact didn't sound so bad at first, and then is sent to Dresden where the city was bombed and destroyed. But the American POWs survive.

Then he comes back home to live his life, all the while dealing with these memories. We jump back and forth, back and forth, from the war, to his post-war life, to his childhood, to his alien abduction. This method, I must say, wasn't as jarring as it sounds and actually gives the reader a fabulous feel of what it might be like to be in this guy's head.

And it wasn't a fun place to be at all.

In the end, I found the book a very quick and easy read despite the difficult subject matter. I did find several parts a bit offensive and the language sometimes harsh, thus the reason, I'm sure, for it's being on the banned list. The alien bits were at once funny and awful. I think alien stories creep me out as much as anything else, and this one was no exception. Though strangely (or maybe not when you think about it) enough, I think Billy was happiest during this "experience."

Bottom line: While I can't truly say "enjoyable" I can say that it was an interesting experience and one I'm glad to have finally accomplished!

And so it goes.

Other Reviews:

Bizarre, and incredibly engrossing. This is not a book to be missed. From Polishing Mud Balls

If people are shocked by this book, than they’ve been living under a rock. From Fizzy Thoughts

Vonnegut’s deceptively simple masterpiece is about life itself; it is about the futility and utter waste of warfare; it is about time, and the way that we perceive it; it is about fate and whether any of us really has any control over what happens to us next. From Book Chase

It was clever, but there wasn’t anything underneath the cleverness. From Jenny's Books


Now, as part of the celebration, I will giveaway a copy of this book to a lucky reader! Just fill out the form below (I plan to send it to you from Amazon, so anyone that Amazon ships to can enter) with your information.

I'd also love to have you comment on 1) have you read this book and how did you interpret it? and 2) what book from the banned list to you find most shocking to be there.

 I just have to end with this song, which was pretty much in my head the whole time while reading this book. You'll understand if you've read it. Besides, I LOVE this song, so I must share:


 

BBAW 2012: Read This Book!

Whenever we are asked to push a book we think no one has heard about or one we feel needs more love (as we are today for the BBAW prompt,) I'm always stumped. I'm pretty sure that every book I've read and loved, you, at least some of you, or most of you, have also. But after some thinking, I've finally decided to promote an old classic that I know you've heard of, but my guess is, most of you haven't yet read. No doubt, you've seen me mention this one before, as it often ends up on my Top Ten lists, but now I'm taking the chance to talk it up a little more.

The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy

If you love Downton Abbey, you'll love this book.
If you love sweeping family sagas, you'll love this book.
If you love books in a series, you'll love this book.
If you love period dramas, you'll love this book.
If you love stories filled with all sorts of carryings on, you'll love this book!

This book, commonly known as The Forstye Saga is actually made up of three books, a trilogy of sorts. They are: The Man of Property, In Chancery and To Let. They were written between 1906 and 1921. There's also a trilogy sequel called A Modern Comedy, and then even yet another sequel called End of the Chapter, also made up of a trilogy. Thus, this whole story is actually a trilogy of trilogies! I know!

It's all about a couple of families and their interactions with each other, their loves and hates, their money and property and houses, the spinster aunts and the endearing grandpas. Then they have kids, and the story then follows all THEIR loves and hates, and etc. It takes place in England starting during the late 1800's and into the early 1900's.

Now, the author himself I know nothing about, but he actually won the Nobel Prize for Literature for this book in 1932. Wow! Way to go John! Who knew? :) And in looking him up, I guess he wrote a gazillion things. So, why don't we talk about him more? Why is he not a Charles Dickens or Jane Austen, an Anthony Trollope or Elizabeth Gaskell? Good question. I say, he deserves more attention!

And so I say, if you haven't read this series (even if it's just the first trilogy in the trilogy) the time is now.

Once you are done with reading it, then you'll have the lovely experience of watching the Masterpiece Theater mini series. There's two seasons and I think it covers the whole of the first book (or...trilogy.) And it's simply wonderful. I'm telling you, just like Downton Abbey in its look and feel.

Here's a teaser:




I've only read the first volume...I think I had the second one in my hand at one time, but never quite managed it. Anyway, I remember while reading that first one (which was back in 2007, I looked it up, and sadly it was just before I started blogging about books!)  I was so caught up in it that it was all I could think about. Then I watched the show and things got even worse! Completely obsessed I tell you.

So now I must know... have you read it? Watched it? If not, does this make you want to? Even a little bit? Lucky for you, it's free online, nearly free on Kindle, and the show is on Netflix. So, what are you waiting for?

Book Review: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Book Review: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Genre: Classic romance
Rating: ★★★★★
For: a read along, and book club sort of
From: free from Amazon for my Kindle

I'm not sure I've ever done an official review of this book on the blog and having just finished it recently with a read along, I thought I'd go ahead and seal the deal with a review!

Has anyone NOT read this book yet? If not, here's a quick summary just for you! There's this family of five daughters... two silly youngest ones, two fairly level headed oldest ones, and the middle one is lost in the shuffle. (She's a bookish sort, we should all relate to her the most!)  Oh, and their parents are quite the characters too... a mom who is shallow and silly and a dad who, like his middle daughter is a bookish sort, but very witty.

So anyway, one day a bachelor (Mr. Bingley) moves in "next door" (next door being a relative term in the English countryside!) and of course all the girls become very excited at the idea that perhaps this could be "the one" for one of them. They manipulate matters in order to meet him, and they eventually end up at a couple of balls. Sweet. Things seem to be going as planned!

But, he has this friend... a proud, handsome, rich dude, Mr. Darcy. He snubs one of the daughters (Elizabeth) and she is forever after thinking of him as a snotty, stuck up, obnoxious guy. They have a couple of encounters that don't go so well which appears to create a wall between them. Meanwhile, her sister (Jane) is falling in love with the first guy, Mr. Bingley... Mr. Darcy's friend. This is cool, perhaps a bit awkward, but it's all good.

Then, suddenly, they disappear... gone, moved back to London. Everyone is baffled that things seem to NOT be working out after all. When Elizabeth goes on a little trip, she meets up with Mr. Darcy again, and then things begin to explode and go all sorts of crazy directions!

As you know I, along with so many others, adore this book. I love the wittiness of Elizabeth and her father, I love the silliness of her sisters and mother, I love the crazy characters that are so well drawn that we love to hate them, I love the change the characters make as more and more things are revealed about them, I love the romantic sparks that are constantly flying, I love the old fashioned rules and etiquette... I just love it all. The story will never get old and I predict I'll be doing re-reads of it for as long as I keep reading.

Bottom line: I will love it forever!

How about you? Are you a fan? If so, how would you describe, in just a few sentences, why you love it?

Other Reviews:

Jenni Elyse
Rebecca Reads
Becky's Book Reviews

Book Review: Lady Susan by Jane Austen

Book: Lady Susan by Jane Austen
Genre: Classic
Rating:★★★☆☆
For: book club
From: Free e-book

When the book club informally decided to "catch up" on Jane Austen books this month, I decided since I've read the big six (some several times) I would read a couple of the small more obscure titles... such as this one, Lady Susan.

It's a very small book written in letter form. So many letter writers, in fact, that I had a hard time following who was who and what they had to do with each other, but I finally caught on!

The plot is a simple one. Lady Susan is a bit of a trampy lady who wants to marry this young dude, even though she is first, newly widowed, and second, seeing another guy (who happens to be already married.) The letters are between the sister of this young guy and her mom, wherein she laments this Lady Susan intruding on their lives and fears for the well being of her brother.

Also, we see the true mind set of Lady Susan as she writes to her equally trampy friend to let her know how all the scheming is going.

In the middle of it all is a sweet young girl, Lady Susan's daughter, who actually loves the young fellow herself. So she is competition with her mom... and a mom that hates her at that!

So how will it all end up? Read it to find out!

As I said, I had a hard time following, but about half way through it clicked in and I found myself a bit intrigued. However, then the story is just dropped and she wraps everyone up quickly and bam, it's over. There could have been so much more!! I felt let down and disappointed!

However, she was just learning this writing craft after all. She was just 19 years old when it was written. And I doubt she ever had plans for it to see the light of day.

Bottom line: It was okay, and interesting in a way.

Other Reviews:

Life Time Reading Plan
Becky's Book Reviews
Reviews by Lola
Lit and Life
Iris on Books

Review: Precious Bane by Mary Webb

Book: Precious Bane by Mary Webb
Genre: Classic
Rating: ★★★★☆
For: Book Club
From: Paperback Swap

Here's a book I'd never heard of until it was suggested (by Kim from Good Clean Reads) at book club last year when we were figuring out this year's schedule. She seemed so enthused about it that there was nothing we could do but add it to our line up!

And I must say, I'm so glad we did because it's quite the gem. So why haven't I heard of this book before? This could definitely go into the category of good books that seem to get overlooked.

This is a story set in England around the time of Napoleon. It's about a family living in a very small farming community with little to no contact with outsiders. But most importantly, it's the story of a girl named Prue who was born with a harelip, and how she is the strength of her family even though the defect was considered a curse. Basically, it's the story of how she watches the downfall of her family and yet rises above it to survive.

The thing that stands out especially about the style of this book is that it's written using the dialect of the time and place. It took awhile to get the hang and feel of it, as these things often do, but once that kicks in, it's a blast. I loved it! Many words are totally made up based on what they sound like coming out of your mouth! My favorite is "tuthree" as in "we saw tuthree new lambs born today!"  (two or three, get it?)

Anyway, there were so many like that that I loved and which I had taken the time to write them down to share.

Not only that, but there were so many profound and deep thoughts scattered throughout! Many wonderful life observations! You know, I'm going to have to read this one again sometime if only for the purpose of writing these down.

Despite the sadness and the tragedy that is the most part of this book, it's also a really nice love story. Because of course Prue, even though she has this deformity, finds love! And you just want to cheer for her and say, "You go girl!"

Bottom line: I really enjoyed it!

Other Reviews:

One Librarian's Book Review
Good Clean Reads
Alternate Readality
Book Nut

So tell me, have you heard of or read this book? 

Happy Birthday Dickens!

I'm enjoying all the love this author is getting today! So I just had to join in with my own little tribute post.

Two hundred years ago on this day Charles Dickens was born! And then, what awesome books he wrote!

Here's what I've read:

Oliver Twist
Nicholas Nickleby
A Christmas Carol
David Copperfield
Bleak House
Hard Times
A Tale of Two Cities
Great Expectations





My favorites from the above are Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities. But I also really loved David Copperfield. Hard Times was not my favorite at all. Bleak House, the most recent one I've read, was hard going, but I enjoyed it in the end.








Here's what I want to read some day:

The Old Curiosity Shop
Martin Chuzzlewit
Little Dorrit
Our Mutual Friend

And I'm really anxious to re-read A Tale of Two Cities, then watch the movie again. But what I really wish is that they'd do a remake of this movie. That would be awesome!

So here's the thing about Dickens books. They are a strange breed. They are hard to read, and hard to understand... yet... they are so full of both amazing characters and crazy plot that once you get the hang of reading this style, you are sucked in completely. They get better and better each time they are read over and over again. I don't know, but I really truly love them!

How do you feel about Dickens and his books? Read any lately? 

Review: Persuasion by Jane Austen

Book: Persuasion by Jane Austen
Genre: Classic
Rating: *****
For: A Classics Challenge
From: own personal library (I have no idea where it came from originally!)

I've been wanting to  re-read this one for quite some time now, so finally, with A Classics Challenge as a push, I've finally done it! I hardly remember my impressions of it the first time around. I must have been too young to get it or something, because I seriously don't remember anything about it.

Then there was the movie from just a few years ago that revived my interest in it. But it was weird, because I expected the book to be like the movie. Yeah, that was not right at all.

But first, in case you haven't read this one, though I assume most of you have, it's about this girl named Anne who was in love with this nice boy when she was 19 I think it was. But then she was persuaded to not marry him because it was just not right. He did not have connections? Or money? Or something. So she refused him and he went off to the Navy. When the book opens, it's eight years later and he has come back. And of course, they are put in a situation where their paths cross again.

Many have said that Persuasion is their favorite Jane Austen book, but I have yet to be persuaded to fall into that category. Pride and Prejudice still has that spot in my heart. Though I understand that this one is very real, and very emotional and very touching. I mean, there's that LETTER after all!

Also, Anne is the strong silent type too, which I think more people relate to then say Elizabeth Bennett. Though, according to that survey thing that was all the rage awhile back, I'm more an Elinor than either Anne or Elizabeth!

So, even though it's not my favorite Jane Austen, I loved it. I love them all! And now I finally have it set in my head what is the movie (running at the end) and what is the book (no running!) I did watch the earlier movie this week though (the 1995 or something one), just to see what they did with it (no running.) It seemed really quite true to the book, though I didn't like the Captain Wentworth as much. He seemed too old or something. But it was fun.

Bottom line: I loved it! (And now I can't write that anymore without hearing my book club buddies snickering. Stop it! Stop it right now!!!)

Other Reviews:

Becky's Book Reviews
The Literary Omnivore
Fyrefly's Book Blog

Book Club Report: What We Thought of Middlemarch

Our book club takes a break during the summer (something I may reconsider this next year) but we like to pick a biggish sort of project to "keep us busy." This year, the book club voted to read a book and then watch it's corresponding movie. The book they choose to focus on was Middlemarch by George Eliot! Can I just say, I was surprised at this!? Yes, it was an ambitious choice I thought, but still, that's what they voted for!

As it turned out, only three of us read it, which is actually not too surprising. I think though, several attempted it and found the language and style to be just too darn hard! At least I think that's what the problem was. I must say though, many of them didn't give it a very fair chance and gave up WAY too soon. Yes, it's true people. Perseverance is the key!

So three of us read it and four of us watched the movie, which meant that we spent a lot of time at our book club discussion this month telling the other members the story, which I find quite fun to do actually. (You did see my review, right?) So we went through the synopsis to try and convey the complexity of this story, and in so doing, I find that I'm thinking to myself, this really is a crazy fun story, yes?

Then we watched (or at least tried to) several clips from the movie. We were especially interested in Rufus Sewell as Will and Jonathan Firth (aka Colin's brother) as Fred.

Here're a few thoughts that we voiced while discussing and watching:

• Some of us (one of us?) found Will to be quite the drama queen. After this thought was brought out, we watched the movie clips of him and laughed to see that yes in fact, Will is quite emotional and dramatic! (If you are interested in Will clips, here's a nice one on YouTube, see if you agree with the assessment.)
• We liked Dorothea for the most part, but felt that she was being stupid (to put it mildly) for marrying Casaubon and that she knew better. This fact made us crazy. Why Dorothea, why? We also felt the actress picked for the movie was too old for the part and that the impact of what she did would have been felt more had it been a younger girl (Dorothea was only 19 remember.)
• We had a blast IMDBing while watching the clips and we thought for a moment that the guy playing Casauban was Cornelius Fudge in Harry Potter, but then we realized it was actually Uncle Brooke.
• It was pretty much a unanimous thought that Fred and Mary are the best and favorite characters from this story. We wondered why, because Fred has many issues too, so why  is he so likable?
• We discussed whether Dr. Lydgate deserved what he got, or was he an innocent victim and was it all Rosamund's fault? No one seems to like poor Rosy, and some of us felt a little sorry for Lydgate, but I hold to my argument that even though he rushed into that marriage, he truly loved Rosy all along.
• We talked about the fact that this novel is held up as one of the greatest of all time. We tried to ponder why, but we must all be too clueless to get it. I do know that the general feeling is that she (as in George aka Mary Anne)  has created some of the richest, most dynamic, very real and authentic characters who are dealing with some of the most real and authentic issues. People truly FEEL it. 

Bottom line: I think those that read it, enjoyed it for the most part, but felt it was quite long and there was too much political moments and too much author narration. And I for one, still say to those that didn't read it, do read it someday! It may turn out to be your most favorite book of all time!

Review: Middlemarch by George Eliot

Book: Middlemarch by George Eliot
Genre: Classic
Rating: B+
For: Book Club
From: Hmmm.. I have no idea.... some store I'm guessing!

I remember loving this book the first time around, but sadly, it seemed to drop in points just a bit for me this time. I think my brain capacity to "get" these classic books has diminished! Oh boy, we could go on and on speculating the reasons for that assumption! An idea for another post perhaps? Ah, perfect. I need ideas!

BEWARE: SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW (that's because I assume most people reading this post have probably already read the book, so I'm giving the whole plot away... okay? Okay.)

So, here's the thing. The story itself is fun and interesting. There's this girl who decides to marry this old guy. She has a bunch of romantic notions about how wonderful it's going to be to help him with his scholarly pursuits. Of course that's NOT how it shakes down and he ends up acting like she is in the way all the time and brushes her off constantly. Why he ever wanted to marry her in the first place, I don't know. A trophy wife? Anyway, now she is sad and then in walks the gorgeous (dark and curly headed, hello) cousin and bam, the sparks start flying. But they hide them, they don't acknowledge them.  At least they thought they didn't. But Mr. Old Husband totally gets it and suddenly he's jealous, so when he dies, guess what he goes and does? He says that if she and the cousin get married, she gets no money! And that's a lot of money to not get.

Meanwhile, there's this doctor, newly come to town, and he marries the rich spoiled girl, again I have no idea why. But actually, he truly loves her I think. But then financial trouble ensues and she mopes and he worries and they get mad at each other and things are bad. But when the above mentioned cousin comes over to sing with her, she perks up!

Meanwhile, there's another old dude that dies and in the midst of his will reading excitement this stranger shows up and suddenly, he's getting all the money. Then he (I think it's him, or is it another guy? I got mixed up.) realizes that there's a connection between the above mentioned cousin and the banker dude in town, and that the banker dude was a bad bad man... but in the past. Oh, and then when he lends money to the above mentioned doctor just after he helps the stranger, who of course dies, everyone ponders what REALLY happened. So now everyone and everything is all messed up.

Meanwhile, our heroine sees the cousin and the rich spoiled girl singing together. And then holding hands! Oh no! But she couldn't be with him anyway, so what does it matter? Nevertheless, she is devastated!

Meanwhile, there's Fred and Mary who are truly the only normal people in this whole story, but they don't show up very much really. So that's sad too.

And suddenly, everything gets fixed and all is well! Don't you love it when that happens!?

So see, the story is kinda fun and crazy and the reading of it goes all just fine when stuff is happening...when there's conversation...when we are being shown what the characters are feeling. But when we start being TOLD what's going on, that's when my reading eyes glaze over. Wow, there's lots and lots and lots of in between rumination. So it was like things would happen and get crazy, then they would slow down and get boring, then crazy, then boring, over and over again for 700 pages.

Obviously, I'm over simplifying this story and I know there's lots of deep down wonderful literary stuff to chew on here, but this time through, I just didn't appreciate it much and by the end, just wanted it over. It's sad to admit this, but there you have it.

Bottom line: I loved the crazy parts, and suffered through the boring ones.

Other Reviews:

Nishita's Rants and Raves
Things Mean A Lot
That's What She Read
Alternate Readality


Tonight, I plan to watch the whole made for TV movie, all seven hours, with a few brave book club members who are crazy enough to join me. It's going to be a blast! I guarantee it! :)