Date Started: October 7, 2013
Date Finished: October 28, 2013
Wow, this was GLOOMY. I somehow never got around to this classic while in high school; not sure how that happened but I never read it. So, cue my predilection for reading classics that I've missed and there you have it, sitting on my kindle, judging me. I actually bought Divergent but couldn't bear the thought of Wuthering Heights continuing to sit there unread, so I dove in.
Showing posts with label classics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label classics. Show all posts
Monday, October 28, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Dead Souls - Nikolai Gogol
Date Started: 6/24/13
Date Finished: 8/7/13
FIRST BOOK READ SINCE BABY!*
*Ugh. It pains me to write this but I have to asterisk this completion because of a Kindle FAIL. I was at about 89% completion and the book just skipped ahead. Not sure how much, but enough. Oh well. I mean, I finished basically all of it. But for summary purposes, I'm taking Wikipedia on this one, other than to say, this was a much funnier Russian novel than most. I really like Gogol's style of writing - he directly addresses his audience, talks freely about Russians/Russia in a way that makes you understand what that meant in the mid-1800s, and has a great sense of humor. I would most definitely read more of his work.
See full Wikipedia summary here. But here is the basic summary from that page:
Dead Souls (Russian: Мёртвые души, Myortvyje dushi) is a novel by Nikolai Gogol, first published in 1842, and widely regarded as an exemplar of 19th-century Russian literature. The purpose of the novel was to demonstrate the flaws and faults of the Russian mentality and character. Gogol masterfully portrayed those defects through Chichikov (the main character) and people which he encountered in his endeavours. Those people are typical of then Russian middle-class. Gogol himself saw it as an "epic poem in prose", and within the book as a "novel in verse". Despite supposedly completing the trilogy's second part, Gogol destroyed it shortly before his death. Although the novel ends in mid-sentence (like Sterne's Sentimental Journey), it is usually regarded as complete in the extant form.
Endnote: I'm reading something "easy" next!
Date Finished: 8/7/13
FIRST BOOK READ SINCE BABY!*
*Ugh. It pains me to write this but I have to asterisk this completion because of a Kindle FAIL. I was at about 89% completion and the book just skipped ahead. Not sure how much, but enough. Oh well. I mean, I finished basically all of it. But for summary purposes, I'm taking Wikipedia on this one, other than to say, this was a much funnier Russian novel than most. I really like Gogol's style of writing - he directly addresses his audience, talks freely about Russians/Russia in a way that makes you understand what that meant in the mid-1800s, and has a great sense of humor. I would most definitely read more of his work.
See full Wikipedia summary here. But here is the basic summary from that page:
Dead Souls (Russian: Мёртвые души, Myortvyje dushi) is a novel by Nikolai Gogol, first published in 1842, and widely regarded as an exemplar of 19th-century Russian literature. The purpose of the novel was to demonstrate the flaws and faults of the Russian mentality and character. Gogol masterfully portrayed those defects through Chichikov (the main character) and people which he encountered in his endeavours. Those people are typical of then Russian middle-class. Gogol himself saw it as an "epic poem in prose", and within the book as a "novel in verse". Despite supposedly completing the trilogy's second part, Gogol destroyed it shortly before his death. Although the novel ends in mid-sentence (like Sterne's Sentimental Journey), it is usually regarded as complete in the extant form.
Endnote: I'm reading something "easy" next!
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Mansfield Park - Jane Austen
Date Started: 11/20/12
Date Finished: 12/9/12
Ah, one of the remaining Jane Austen books that I had yet to read. I had to tackle it! It was 100% what one expects from a Jane Austen story - romance, class issues, family parties, intrigue, betrayal and finally a happy ending.
Date Finished: 12/9/12
Ah, one of the remaining Jane Austen books that I had yet to read. I had to tackle it! It was 100% what one expects from a Jane Austen story - romance, class issues, family parties, intrigue, betrayal and finally a happy ending.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Journey to the Center of the Earth - Jules Verne
Date Started: 8/13/12
Date Finished: 8/27/12
Now the interesting thing about reading this book is that I grew up watching the 1959 movie. And when I say I "grew up watching" it, I mean I watched it a LOT. Like I know basically every line of dialogue. It was recently on TV (which is so much more exciting than popping in the DVD you already own, right?) so I re-watched it for the first time in a while. Still loved it. But watching it made me think - "you know, I've never actually read the book this is based on." Given how much I love 19th Century writing, this seemed like it would be right up my alley, and that was right.
And ALSO, after tearing through the first two books in Game of Thrones, I knew I needed to take a break, otherwise I'd finish the series without stopping.
So here we go...
Date Finished: 8/27/12
Now the interesting thing about reading this book is that I grew up watching the 1959 movie. And when I say I "grew up watching" it, I mean I watched it a LOT. Like I know basically every line of dialogue. It was recently on TV (which is so much more exciting than popping in the DVD you already own, right?) so I re-watched it for the first time in a while. Still loved it. But watching it made me think - "you know, I've never actually read the book this is based on." Given how much I love 19th Century writing, this seemed like it would be right up my alley, and that was right.
And ALSO, after tearing through the first two books in Game of Thrones, I knew I needed to take a break, otherwise I'd finish the series without stopping.
So here we go...
Sunday, May 20, 2012
The Idiot - Fyodor Dostoevsky
Date Started - 5/16/12
Date Finished -- 6/8/12
Woo-wee, I finally finished this one. It DID end up taking me a bit longer and I have to say, it wasn't my favorite. Read on for more...
Date Finished -- 6/8/12
Woo-wee, I finally finished this one. It DID end up taking me a bit longer and I have to say, it wasn't my favorite. Read on for more...
Sunday, April 8, 2012
The Great Gasby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Date Started: 4/2/12
Date Finished: 4/5/12
One-Word Summary: Gilded
I read The Great Gatsby in high school but had only vague memories. I seemed to recall something about a car wreck but that was about it. I'm glad I finally revisited this classic, especially in light of the fact that a movie is being made, which I will likely see.
Date Finished: 4/5/12
One-Word Summary: Gilded
I read The Great Gatsby in high school but had only vague memories. I seemed to recall something about a car wreck but that was about it. I'm glad I finally revisited this classic, especially in light of the fact that a movie is being made, which I will likely see.
Friday, March 30, 2012
The Catcher in The Rye - J.D. Salinger
Date Started: 3/20/12
Date Finished: 3/23/12
One-Word Summary: Adolescent
When I decided to read this book, my husband said "you won't get it." I forged ahead and while I did get it, I can see where he was coming from.
Date Finished: 3/23/12
One-Word Summary: Adolescent
When I decided to read this book, my husband said "you won't get it." I forged ahead and while I did get it, I can see where he was coming from.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Resurrection - Leo Tolstoy
Date Started: 1/4/12
Date Finished: 1/26/12
One-Word Summary: Inspiring
I decided to start the year off with a light read - ha! I found this one in a half-price book store and didn't recognize the title so I bought it on a whim, figuring that I like everything that Tolstoy writes. True to form, he didn't disappoint.
Date Finished: 1/26/12
One-Word Summary: Inspiring
I decided to start the year off with a light read - ha! I found this one in a half-price book store and didn't recognize the title so I bought it on a whim, figuring that I like everything that Tolstoy writes. True to form, he didn't disappoint.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Persuasion - Jane Austen
Date Started: 9/12/11
Date Finished: 9/17/11
One-Word Summary: Austen-y
I remember reading Pride and Prejudice in high school and thinking it was SO difficult to get through. Fast forward a decade (and a few more years) and I can't get enough Jane Austen. And I find it incredibly easy to read - what was my deal in high school? While that may never be known at long last I finally read the last of her classics, Persuasion (written in 1816, the year before she died).
Date Finished: 9/17/11
One-Word Summary: Austen-y
I remember reading Pride and Prejudice in high school and thinking it was SO difficult to get through. Fast forward a decade (and a few more years) and I can't get enough Jane Austen. And I find it incredibly easy to read - what was my deal in high school? While that may never be known at long last I finally read the last of her classics, Persuasion (written in 1816, the year before she died).
Saturday, July 9, 2011
The Time Machine - H.G. Wells
Date Started: June 30
Date Finished: July 6
One-Word Summary: Scien-terrific
It's hard to read a classic when you've seen at least one movie version. You keep referencing the movie and waiting for plot points to arrive that (surprise!) were never in the book to begin with! I had never read The Time Machine but I tend to love 19th Century literature so I was excited to take this one on. But reader beware: this is not like the movie (at least the most recent one from 2002).
Date Finished: July 6
One-Word Summary: Scien-terrific
It's hard to read a classic when you've seen at least one movie version. You keep referencing the movie and waiting for plot points to arrive that (surprise!) were never in the book to begin with! I had never read The Time Machine but I tend to love 19th Century literature so I was excited to take this one on. But reader beware: this is not like the movie (at least the most recent one from 2002).
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Washington Irving
Date Started - 5/19/11
Date Finished - 5/24/11
One-Word Summary: Beautiful
I love reading classics for a couple of reasons. First, they are classics for a reason - they've stood the test of time and therefore worth reading. Second, they provide a nice counter to the fluff literature that often fills my reading queue. Third, most of them are free on my Kindle!
So on with the review!
Date Finished - 5/24/11
One-Word Summary: Beautiful
I love reading classics for a couple of reasons. First, they are classics for a reason - they've stood the test of time and therefore worth reading. Second, they provide a nice counter to the fluff literature that often fills my reading queue. Third, most of them are free on my Kindle!
So on with the review!
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