read 43 classics

In junior high school, when we had to read Of Mice and Men and The Red Pony, I hated reading Steinbeck. In adulthood, I have gained an appreciation for his vision (part Jungian, part social reformer (like Dickens or Victor Hugo)) as well as his writing style.

The Grapes of Wrath was excellent and definitely I can understand why it has stood the test of time. The month of June here where I live was record-breakingly hot and dry, a good time to read about the Dust Bowl. And while our current recession is not as bad as the Great Depression, I felt like I could identify with the Joad’s hard times (not literally, but imaginatively). I read it in one month’s time, and it felt like it read too quickly!

Ship of Fools had a slow start, but I came to really love it as the story progressed. (You can read my review of it under the goal Do the 2009 TBR Challenge.)

I loved everything about this story.

I loved every minute of this book and found myself reading it aloud (in my head) in my best 1940s detective voice. Plot and characterisation is particularly important to me in a book. Not only is the plot well constructed and interesting but I built up a rich picture in my mind of the characters as I read this story. Oh and I must mention the language which is pure 1940s and a joy to read. Would highly recommend.

I read it twice. I read about it to try and work out what I missed. Just not my sort of book I guess.

This novella took hardly any time at all to read and was enjoyable. It presents the enduring theme of marrying for comfort and status or waiting for true love.

What a sad story. The Clutter family were true innocents and their killers had a strange relationship which fueled this violent act.

Probably one of my favourite books of all time.

As I was reading this, it hit me. Killing an Arab by the Cure must be based on this book. I wikipedia’d it and sure enough it is. Standing on the beach…staring at the sun…it’s all there in the book!

Poor Daisy! All she wanted to do was get out, look around and make the most of the opportunities available to her – being in Europe and having the attentions of charming young men. But this was not the done thing in those days. Sadly the man whose attention she wanted the most decided she was too common for him due to her shenanigans and a night time trip to the Colosseum proved to be the last straw. This was a quick and easy read. I’ve never been a big fan of Henry James but I liked this one.