Alice's Adventures in Wonderland/ Lewis Carroll/ 96 pages

         In this classic novel, Alice finds herself to have fallen down a rabbit hole into a very interesting land. Here she meets many well know characters as well as stumbles into many unusual situations. This was a fun story that quickly moved from one adventure to the next.
         Glad I finally was able to get around to reading this story and I am eager to see how the series continues. I just adored the dialogue at times and had a good time just absorbing the story. It is one that you just have to go with the flow of things because it takes away from the enjoyment if you ponder and question "why?" too much.  Definitely would be a great read-aloud.

Psycho/ Robert Bloch/ 208/ Horror

I think just about everyone recognizes this book. I am a huge chicken when it comes to horror but, after watching the movie and not thinking it was too bad I decided to read the book.  It was a very quick read and I enjoyed it, although I did find it a little bit dated in regards to the handling of the mental health. The characters were pretty stereotypical, and the relationship between Mary and Sam seemed like just a relationship of convenience. Overall I didn't think it was that scary, definitely creepy, and I would not recommend reading it while you are home alone.

Persuasion / Jane Austen / 290 pages

Bonus categories: Audiobook, Stories with a TV/movie adaptation

This was a re-read for me--one of my favorite novels by Jane Austen. I listened to two different versions, one from Dreamscape Media on Hoopla and one from Blackstone Publishing on Overdrive and preferred the latter, narrated by Nadia May, though both were well-done.

The premise of the story is this: Eight years before the novel begins, Anne Elliot is happily betrothed to a naval officer, Frederick Wentworth, but she breaks off the engagement when persuaded by her friend Lady Russell that she is too young and inexperienced for such a match. The breakup produces in Anne a deep and long-lasting regret. When Wentworth returns from sea eight years later as a rich and successful captain, he and Anne are thrown into company again by mutual friends who know nothing of the previous events. Anne has the pain of witnessing Captain Wentworth wooing other women while she herself is being pursued by interested men, and the story sifts through various changes until the quick and dizzying conclusion!

Jane Austen has always been one of my favorite authors because of her ironic observations on social custom, love, and marriage. In Persuasion even more than her other novels, we see the differences of rank and situation found in Regency English society and what all those differences entail. There are also many observations on life and society in the English countryside versus Bath, and I would recommend this to anyone with a love for classic British literature or a curiosity about life among the gentility of early 19th-century England.

A Death in the Family / James Agee / 320 pgs

Gosh, what a boring book. Seriously, most of the book is just people sitting around waiting to find out if the dad in the book is alive or dead after suffering a car crash, and then, sitting around grieving after finding out that he did, indeed, die. This isn't a spoiler. The name of the book already tells you that someone dies. If you thought that perhaps there's some sort of twist in the book, that someone else besides the dad dies, well, you'd be mistaken. There's no twists. There's no character development. There's no real story.  I only finished the book because it is on my list of 100 classic novels to read before I die.

West With the Night / Beryl Markham / 294 pgs

West With the Night is my book club's book for the month of March. Beryl Markham was a real lady who grew up on a farm/plantation in what is now Kenya back in the first half of the 20th century. She was born in 1902 and wrote her book in 1942. She started out her career as a horse breeder and trainer and moved on to flight in her 30s, becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west, which is much harder than flying west to east since you're going against the tradewinds. She very nearly became the first human to do so, but was beaten by a man by a matter of a few weeks.

Although I enjoyed the author's descriptions of Africa and definitely felt her love for the continent, I was disappointed with a few things. First, as you can imagine, colonial thinking was pretty blatant through out. There were times Ms. Markham spoke out against certain practices, like the killing of elephants for their ivory, but at the same time, she took a job in which she flew big game hunters to where they could find elephants and shoot them. She spoke of how she used to be friends with a young African boy, and on equal footing with him, but had no problem that once they were both grown, he showed deference by walking behind her. The author also conveniently forgets to mention that she was married three times, her last name, Markham, was her second husband's surname. In fact, she never speaks of any of her relationships throughout the entire book. When she writes of nights in which she is woken up to bring needed medicine to a dying person hundreds of miles away, she never talks about how these midnight calls affected her marriages.

Those things colored my view of the book, and I found myself really wishing I didn't have to finish it. Though she was a very unique woman, especially for her time, I don't find myself admiring her in the least, and so this is a book I just can't recommend.

The Inferno / Dante Alighieri / 352 pgs

Since I read the Barnes and Nobles classic paperback version, I am putting the page count at 352. It seems that the hardcover versions on Goodreads often have over 400 pages, and I feel that must be because a lot of extra commentary and footnotes are present that were not on my version. So, Dante is just one of those classic authors I never got around to reading. I'm certain my literature textbooks had excerpts from The Divine Comedy, but his writings were never assigned to me, and I never had the interest to read him until now, despite the interest I've always had in religious ideas of the afterlife.

What can I say? It was VERY Italian. It seemed almost everyone Dante meets in Hell are Italians, including a couple of popes. Of the few names I knew, they mostly were other great writers whom Dante meets in the limbo on the very outskirts of the nine circles of hell - people who never knew God so never outright rejected him and never committed sins great enough to merit Hell. Dante liberally inserts people who likely never existed, mostly those fictional characters from the writings of Homer, and treats them as if they were real. Dante's guide is the poet Virgil. All in all, I'm very glad I read The Inferno. I now own it, since I picked it up from the Book Sale Ladder in the foyer of Spencer Road. I hope I'll get a chance to read Purgatorio and Paradiso at some point in the near future.

The Good Earth / Pearl S. Buck / 357 pgs

I just finished "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck when I am using for the "Oprah's Book Club" challenge. I loved this book so much. In fact, it's one of my favorites so far this year. It's all about a young Chinese farmer, Wang Lung, who marries, O-Lan, a plain looking slave from the rich house of Hwang in the town near where he lives. O-Lan works hard and together they have children and make enough money that he can buy more land. As the years go by, there are famines and floods, but central to the story is Wang Lung's love for the earth. However, the story spans decades and as the farmer's fortune changes and he grows rich, he lets other things steal his attention away from the land he loves.
It's a beautiful story and I completely recommend it.

The Call of the Wild / Jack London / 172 pgs.

The Call of the Wild is a classic I had never read until now, making it a perfect answer to one of the book challenges I am currently doing. It was a very quick read. I was able to finish it in a day with no problem. Having spent some time in Alaska back in 2013, I really enjoyed reading about Skagway (spelt Skaguay in the book) and some other place I had the chance to visit.


The story is of Buck, a half German Shepherd, half Saint Bernard mix. He resides in southern California until he is stolen and sent up to Seattle where he is trained to be a sled dog. Buck must learn how to work with the other sled dogs, and with humans. He is passed from master to master while pulling sleds from the Yukon to Alaska and back. Buck's spirit and ability to survive in the harshest conditions is a really neat story and I would highly recommend it. However, fair warning, there is some gruesome animal violence in various places in the book that may shock some readers.

Animal Farm / George Orwell / 118 pgs.

So, I've been in a bit of a classics kick lately. For my different book challenges that I am doing (#ReadHarder, PopSugar, Geeky Girl Bingo), some of the challenges call for you to read books over 100 years old, classics of the 20th century, books you haven't read since high school, etc. I chose Animal Farm to reread after at least 15 years' absence, and I'm so glad I did. I feel like I understood more of what Orwell was trying to get across to the reader than I did in high school. Nineteen Eighty-Four was always a favorite of mine, but I have a new appreciation for Animal Farm now.


The plot consists of a farm in England where the animals are fed up with how they are treated by their human master. They mount a successful revolution and try to govern themselves, but find themselves soon under a worse situation than before when the pigs take over government. "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

Anna Karenina/ Leo Tolstoy/ 634 pages/ November Challenge

Anna Karenina, written by Leo Tolstoy, was originally published as eight installments in a Russian periodical over four years.
This novel focuses on Russian life in the late 1800's.  It explores both urban and country lifestyles of several main characters.  Through out the novel the reader shares the detailed thought processes of these characters.

This novel would appeal to someone interested in Russian History in that it describes daily life in pre-revolution Russia.
More information is available at the SCCCLD website.

Emma/ Jane Austen / 474 pages

    Getting hooked on Jane Austen is what is happening here.  Comparing the morays of the early 1800's to the modern Lorelei James is like talking about alien life forms.  Jane Austen's contemporaries may have had the same feelings as today, but they certainly refrained from displaying them.  If one became "attached" to someone, it wouldn't do to meet them without company or say anything too forward.  
     The character Emma seemed very high school or even middle school as she is such a busy body between her match-making, gossip, and just plain meanness to others.  She is no Fanny and she probably would have been snide to her if she'd known her.  She does realize some of these failings near the end of the book and will, hopefully, try to be nicer in the future as Mrs. Knightly.  oh, yes,  Jane Austen is dead for 3 bonus points. (not tacky, right?)
     

Mansfield Park / Jane Austen / 346 pages

Never having read Jane Austen, I thought I'd try a classic.  I listened on cd in the car and found myself driving around to hear more.  The time period is early 1800's in North Hampton, England.  The story is about Fanny Price, the poor cousin of Maria and Julia.
She comes to live at Mansfield Park, the home of very wealthy Thomas and his wife, Fanny's aunt.  Fanny is just summarily shipped off to the house at nine years of age.  She is not familiar with any of the family and even though they treat her kindly, but slightly less than their own children.  The story is a total slice of life with the girls and finding the "right" husband ie: one with money and not too old.  Only Fanny is steadfast in her love for her cousin Edmund. (yes, cousin love was okay back then apparently)  
Contrasting the morals of the early 1800's with today is quite different, but the human desires were still present; just repressed as much as possible. It makes a great story. 

Pride & Prejudice / Jane Austen Adapted by Nancy Butler / 120 pgs.

In the introduction to this Graphic Novel the author, Nancy Butler, flat out writes that Marvel Comics wanted a story that would appeal to girls and get them to buy more comic books.  I don't have a problem with that, nor am I opposed to the Austen classic that they chose.  I just wondered if it was some marketing ploy by Marvel Comics or just plain lack of imagination on the artist's part to make the main character, Lizzy, look exactly like Keira Knightley, who played the Lizzy in the 2005 movie version.


"Why, whatever do you mean?!  I look Absolutely
nothing like that comic book character."

Still, this really was a very nice Graphic Novel Adaption the classic "Pride & Prejudice".  I loved the movie and mini-series based on this novel, but I just could never bring myself to actually READ the 400 page tome.  I know that with only 120 pages, I am still missing a lot to the story, but it was nice to be able to slow down and read some of Austen's words.  In the movies the actors speak so quickly, I find it hard to catch everything they are trying to convey.  Clean, great story, great illustrations that add to the overall package. 

I would recommend this book to anybody that wants to try out a graphic novel and likes literary stories. 
  



The Great Gatsby/F. Scott Fitzgerald/192 pages

What can you say about a literary classic that is  required reading for almost every high school English class? Narrator Nick Carraway has just moved into a small bungalow next to the mansion of mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby. Nick leads us through a summer of decadence, over indulgence and sordid affairs. Gatsby is living the American dream --  money, wealth and popularity, but he has spent his whole life trying to win back Daisy, a young woman he fell in love with a few years back when he had nothing.  There are really no likeable characters in this story and Fitzgerald has created a world where the characters are corrupted by greed and their lives are incredibly sad and unfulfilled. Gatsby tries so hard to rise above a class rank that even money and wealth cannot buy, no matter how hard he tries, he will never belong in Daisy's world.

Lassie Come-Home / Eric Knight / 248 pages

Okay, Scottish book, you say?  and Classic Children's book? 
Yes!!  Lassie is a two-fer!  Classic children's book set in Scotland.

That being said, it's quite an interesting dog book. And better yet, the dog lives!  Lassie is bred in Yorkshire, but is sold to a duke who takes her to his land in the far north of Scotland so she will not be able to run away.  Never underestimate a dog.  Of course Lassie is going to go home.  That is what takes up most of the book; her travels. 

I love the passion for dogs and understanding of the dog mind.  The entire book uses Yorkshire dialect which I love to read. (Similar to Secret Garden)
It is such a good look into the lives of those people in Yorkshire who worked in the mines and were layed off.  The boy, Joe, has the unshakable bond with Lassie and deserves to keep the dog way more than a man who can buy him just because he's rich.  Any dog lover will become a Lassie fan.

Fahrenheit 451/Ray Bradbury/159 pgs.

I thought I had read this book years ago, but if I did, I really erased it from my mind. What a good book! The premise of firemen actually starting fires instead of putting them out, is hard to imagine. Guy Montag is a fireman in this dystopian society, and pretty "happy" with his lot in life until he meets his young next door neighbor, Clarisse. Montag's job as a fireman is to destroy books, and the houses that contain the books. Clarisse is a "free spirit" who causes Montag to question his life, the world, and his impact on the world. For such a short novel, it packs quite a punch. I understand why it has been on reading lists for such a long time.

The Great Gatsby/F. Scott Fitzgerald/180 pgs.

This is a book I have always had the intention of reading, but since I was going to see the movie this past weekend, I finally did it! It was a much better story than I anticipated. The "surface" story revolves around Jay Gatsby, his love of Daisy Buchanan, Daisy's husband, Tom, and the story's narrator, Nick Carraway (who is also Daisy's cousin.) It is also a commentary on that period in United States history--the great division between the "haves" and the "have nots." It's an engrossing, beautifully written work.

Fahrenheit 451 / Ray Bradbury / 199 pgs.

This book was written 60 years ago, but the themes and social issues are still very significant today.

The basic premise behind Ray Bradbury's novel 'Fahrenheit 451' is compelling. In the future, fireman don't put out fires, they start them. It is their job to seek out books and put them to the flame, making sure that no one indulges in the 'crime' of reading one. But what makes this nightmare so interesting, and relevant, is that it was not forced upon the people by their government, but was decided upon by the people themselves. Minority groups, religions, and ethnicities, which were offended by the words of writers, simply made reading unpopular and convinced the world that books were, first, a waste of time, and then the root of all evil.

This is not an easy read, due to the fact that the “meat” of story lies between the lines.  However, “Fahrenheit 451” asks important questions.  Take the time to answer them for yourself.

The Great Gatsby / F. Scott Fitzgerald / 216 p.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic story of love, lust, obsession, and greed.

Jay Gatsby, a newly rich rum-runner/gambler has come to West Egg, Long Island for the sole purpose of winning back (through throwing lavish house parties and ingratiating himself with her friends) his one true love Daisy, the girl who left him for a man with money.

The Great Gatsby will appeal to those who like classic, literary fiction. Similar titles include: The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton; Night and Day by Virginia Woolf; An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser; Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos.

Something Wicked This Way Comes / Ray Bradbury / 307 pages

 

Something Wicked This Way Comes  by Ray Bradbury is a menacing, character driven, dreamlike, horror novel, first published in 1962.

When the carnival comes to town, best friends Jim and Will have to grow up overnight, or Will’s father will be lost, along with their teacher, the town barber and even Jim himself, to the evil Mr. Dark and his band of freaks.

Something Wicked This Way Comes will appeal to those who like freakish, dreamlike horror. Similar titles include: The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger; The Talisman by Stephen King