There’s a conversation to be had here about “reading for pleasure” versus “reading to exercise the mind” or however you want to put it; it’s a long conversation that many people more accredited and more well-paid than I am have been having for much longer than I’ve been alive. I’ll say just this — while I do think that it’s important to read books (fiction and non-fiction) that push your boundaries and challenge you as a reader, I do not personally have enough free time to want to invest it in reading things that I am not enjoying.
reading
An American Tragedy
It’s a good book, if you like the inevitability of a soap opera. The story is interesting, and I always enjoy reading period prose. That said, I did spend quite a bit of it wanting to beat Clyde around the head, so if you need a protagonist you can root for, this is not the book for you.
The Trial
I hated it in the way that you hate something that you know is objectively very good, and which you also are just not enjoying on any level at all. I’ve run into this before, though thankfully not often — Requiem For A Dream, which is an incredible movie that I never ever want to see again; a lot of modern instrumental jazz; at least one of the previous “classics” I’ve read (Heart of Darkness). The Trial’s story is well-written, the plot expertly set, the prose beautifully translated (the translator’s note was the highlight of the book for me, and I am not joking even a little bit), and also the whole thing was a completely miserable slog from the very first page.
War and Peace
Why War and Peace? I honestly don’t know. It was the most impressive option, perhaps. It’s not a novel I’ve ever particularly aspired to reading, and as someone who was relatively out of the habit of reading , it was, on the surface, an absolutely terrible choice. Sure, let’s pick one of the longest books in the Western classic canon to get you back into reading, why not? Irritatingly, it worked like a charm.
Jude the Obscure
Jude the Obscure is similar to several other books on the list in that it was originally published as a serial; was later revised several times in the process of putting it into book-form; is making un-subtle points about society at the time of writing; and is definitely, absolutely, in no way about the author himself, why would you ever say such a thing?
The Picture of Dorian Gray
I'm on a bit of a tear this year with the Classic Books Reading List of Doom, which feels really good. I was stuck on Karamazov for so long it seemed like I'd never get any further, but once I got past the eponymous Brothers, I hit a little stretch of reasonably short and readable … Continue reading The Picture of Dorian Gray
Call of the Wild
Progress has been slow on the Classics Book Reading Project front, for all the usual reasons, which can be largely summed up as "life"- I've read a few more than indicated here, because I just haven't blogged about them, but I'm definitely still behind where I "should" be according to our five year plan. But! … Continue reading Call of the Wild
Pilgrim’s Progress
Since I know there are those of you out there waiting with bated breath for the latest news on Stephanie's and my ongoing Book Project of Doom, I figured I'd better give an update: Pilgrim's Progress puts me to sleep. I know, isn't this just riveting? This project is absolutely spellbinding in its fast-paced action and … Continue reading Pilgrim’s Progress
Don Quixote, Ingenious Gentleman of La Mancha
So, as you may (or likely may not) remember, back at the beginning of September, my dear friend and partner in over-ambition, Stephanie Whiteside, and I started a new project, specifically one where we were going to read All The Books. Well, it's been a month, and I am here to report that I am … Continue reading Don Quixote, Ingenious Gentleman of La Mancha
DIY Lit Camp
So, because I needed another project, my usual partner-in-harebrainedness Stephanie Whiteside and I decided that we are going to read our way through the classics.
Well. Some of them, anyway. 102 of them, to be exact.
Idlewilde 