So between summer trips back west and summer classes (and then fall classes) for some reason it’s been easy to forget about keeping this journal up even though I have at least been able to keep up my reading (as always, not as much as I like but at least still reading)…
So here is a quick rundown to get back up to date:
Kate Chopin’s The Awakening
Didn’t really like at all. Even with the understanding of it being a novella it just didn’t develop the characters well enough for me. I know it is supposed to be a feminist classic but I don’t know that I would ever say it was classic. I think the shock of it at the time has garnered it more respect… a classic just because it was the first? Or something like that. I also don’t think it’s a good example of feminist writing either, the main character was weak and after awakening to herself decides to die rather than live a more enlightened life?
Joy Adamson’s Born Free
I love this story. I’ve always love the old 1964 film and decided to read the book. While the movie obviously romanticized the story (when do they not?) I still enjoy both stories.
G.K. Chesterton’s The Man who was Thursday
This was so good I don’t know why I hadn’t read it already. I had been told by a friend several years ago to read this and of course I never got to it till last summer and could not put it down. It’s a marvelous mix of thriller, suspense, philosophy, allegory, political/social commentary, and comedic insanity. A must read for anyone.
John Kelly’s The Great Mortality
A non-fiction history on the 14th century bubonic plague epidemic. I think Kelly intertwined the various theatres of the plague, the long stretch of time, possible causes/theories, etc… quite well. Considering how disjointed such an attempt could have become I think it read very well and I (somewhat morbidly considering the subject matter?) enjoyed the work.
George MacDonald’s At the Back of the North Wind
I liked, although not as much as MacDonald’s “The Princess and the Goblin,” which I love. Still it was good, short, easy read, and was fantastical. Sometimes, I admit, the overly sweet nature of the boy annoyed me, but that may just be my cynicism. I did like that the world acknowledged that his sweetness was NOT normal. I wasn’t as if MacDonald was saying this was the average Victorian child, rather he was saying this WAS a special child that should be noted for his uniqueness. I may need to read it again to really appreciate it, but on first read it was good although different…
Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange
What a huge difference from the last book! I loved this book. It was somewhat sickening at first but so good that you could overlook the more distasteful scenes. And once into the middle section of the book this reflex of disgust becomes a part of the work itself. The brilliant Droog language Burgess uses is also rather easy to follow even though it should be foreign, and it creates, like Tolkien did for middle earth, a world one can step into. It was mentioned in the preface written by Burgess that the original American published Clockwork Orange was missing its last chapter which I think after reading the book was a gross disfavor to the American public and eventually the world since that is the edition that Kubrick used when making the film. I think that last chapter fits the story much better.
Dorothy L Sayers Whose Body, Gaudy Night, and Busman’s Honeymoon
I love Sayer’s mystery works. I first read “Have his Carcass” when I was 12 and can always reread the well written mysteries with witty banter and psychological aspects.
Dorothy L Sayer’s Are Women Human?
Sayer’s two essays on women’s position in society and feminism in the modern world. I like her approach, she is a classical feminist and not rabid about it all… much more focused on equality than trying to get back pay for years of discrimination and ill treatment.
P.G. Wodehouse’s The World of Jeeves
A fabulous collection of Jeeves and Bertie stories that are so witty and clever I can’t even think of a good way of describing them. Wodehouse is a must read.
So here is a quick rundown to get back up to date:
Kate Chopin’s The Awakening
Didn’t really like at all. Even with the understanding of it being a novella it just didn’t develop the characters well enough for me. I know it is supposed to be a feminist classic but I don’t know that I would ever say it was classic. I think the shock of it at the time has garnered it more respect… a classic just because it was the first? Or something like that. I also don’t think it’s a good example of feminist writing either, the main character was weak and after awakening to herself decides to die rather than live a more enlightened life?
Joy Adamson’s Born FreeI love this story. I’ve always love the old 1964 film and decided to read the book. While the movie obviously romanticized the story (when do they not?) I still enjoy both stories.
G.K. Chesterton’s The Man who was Thursday
This was so good I don’t know why I hadn’t read it already. I had been told by a friend several years ago to read this and of course I never got to it till last summer and could not put it down. It’s a marvelous mix of thriller, suspense, philosophy, allegory, political/social commentary, and comedic insanity. A must read for anyone.
John Kelly’s The Great Mortality
A non-fiction history on the 14th century bubonic plague epidemic. I think Kelly intertwined the various theatres of the plague, the long stretch of time, possible causes/theories, etc… quite well. Considering how disjointed such an attempt could have become I think it read very well and I (somewhat morbidly considering the subject matter?) enjoyed the work.
George MacDonald’s At the Back of the North Wind
I liked, although not as much as MacDonald’s “The Princess and the Goblin,” which I love. Still it was good, short, easy read, and was fantastical. Sometimes, I admit, the overly sweet nature of the boy annoyed me, but that may just be my cynicism. I did like that the world acknowledged that his sweetness was NOT normal. I wasn’t as if MacDonald was saying this was the average Victorian child, rather he was saying this WAS a special child that should be noted for his uniqueness. I may need to read it again to really appreciate it, but on first read it was good although different…
Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork OrangeWhat a huge difference from the last book! I loved this book. It was somewhat sickening at first but so good that you could overlook the more distasteful scenes. And once into the middle section of the book this reflex of disgust becomes a part of the work itself. The brilliant Droog language Burgess uses is also rather easy to follow even though it should be foreign, and it creates, like Tolkien did for middle earth, a world one can step into. It was mentioned in the preface written by Burgess that the original American published Clockwork Orange was missing its last chapter which I think after reading the book was a gross disfavor to the American public and eventually the world since that is the edition that Kubrick used when making the film. I think that last chapter fits the story much better.
Dorothy L Sayers Whose Body, Gaudy Night, and Busman’s Honeymoon
I love Sayer’s mystery works. I first read “Have his Carcass” when I was 12 and can always reread the well written mysteries with witty banter and psychological aspects.
Dorothy L Sayer’s Are Women Human?
Sayer’s two essays on women’s position in society and feminism in the modern world. I like her approach, she is a classical feminist and not rabid about it all… much more focused on equality than trying to get back pay for years of discrimination and ill treatment.
P.G. Wodehouse’s The World of Jeeves
A fabulous collection of Jeeves and Bertie stories that are so witty and clever I can’t even think of a good way of describing them. Wodehouse is a must read.
No comments:
Post a Comment