I must face facts. I am a person who cannot read 20 books between June 3 and September 3. For some reason, during the summer I find myself gravitating toward chunksters. I'm so interested in other people's plans, but I'd never make the boat.
Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott was a delight from start to finish. And for those considering reading it in the near future, I will caution you that Alcott wrote it in 1874 and gender norms of the Victorian period are adhered to, despite Uncle Alec's revolutionary departures. I'm waiting for A Rose in Bloom, the sequel, to arrive. I think I might devour it upon its arrival, but I do have other literary fish to fry.
I'm also waiting for The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper a Barnes and Noble paperback edition, which I'm reading for the Back to the Classics Challenge, which is hosted by Karen at Books and Chocolate. I very much like these low-priced classics from Barnes and Noble. The type is legible, the books have an intro, a chronology of the author's life, and reviews from the time the book was published. I have the Barnes and Noble e-book edition of this title, but for a book that's 445 pages, I really want a hand-held, hard copy. I feel I get lost in e-books that are over 400 pages.
And, in the meantime, while I wait, I'm thoroughly enjoying Elizabeth George's third Lynley/Havers mystery novel, Well-Schooled in Murder (1990). If there is one cardinal strength in George's Lynley/Havers series, it is her superlative creation of scenes. Each scene is meticulously crafted. I can picture each telling detail in each and every scene with such clarity. George is a marvel, in this respect. I know that these were BBC mysteries years ago, but I wouldn't want to see them now. The book, the text, is so extraordinary.
We are supposed to have three days in a row of sunny days starting tomorrow. Everyone is holding their breath, scarcely daring to believe it. We have had a very DIM, rainy spring. Think DARK.
Just leaves us wondering--what will our summer be like? Since last November, our weather has been out of the ordinary, so can't help trying to guess what's up next?
A Snowball Fest
6 hours ago
I can't read 20 books during that time period either, and will not even try. Eight Cousins sounds marvelous, but it will be a while before I can get to it. Library holds have started coming in faster than I can read them... always seems to happen that way!
ReplyDeleteHi JoAnn,
DeleteI am so eager to learn the titles of all your library holds. Help! I'm in suspense. Will wait to see, though. Happy reading!
I read no where near the number of books that I want to. I also tend to read long ones. I am currently making my way through The Magic Mountain. I am loving it but it is taking forever.
ReplyDeleteI have wanted to read Last of the Mohicans for a while. Have fun with it and happy reading.
Hi Brian,
DeleteI fully understand the time of life when it's impossible to read as much as one wants.
And how wonderful that you're in the midst of The Magic Mountain. I once made my way two-fifths of the way through and, to my detriment, stopped reading. If I were reading it now, that would not be the case because I now have the time and space to let a book sit just for a bit if I need to, but back when I tried to tackle it, my life was very different. I wish you the very best with it and look forward to your thoughts!
I am looking forward to The Last of the Mohicans and realize that I will need to have another, lighter read to turn to alongside of it.
LOVE THE SOUND OF EIGHT COUSINS; SO HAPPY YOU MENTIONED IT. HOPE THE WEATHER HELD OUT AND YOU HAD A LOVELY W/END.
ReplyDeleteHi Diane,
DeleteSpectacular weekend here. Warm, three days of cloudless skies, and low humidity--who could ask for more? I do think you will get a kick out of Eight Cousins--such a lark, such a fun book for these trying times we seem to be enduring.
20 books is a lot in three months, especially if you are gravitating towards longer works! :D
ReplyDeleteI loved the Elizabeth George Lynley mysteries up to number 16 or 17. I still read them, but they aren't as good as her early stuff IMO.
I hear you on useful and affordable classics. I am more partial to Penguin or Modern Library, but I appreciate them for the same reason: the forward and the notes. I know some readers like to skip all that but generally like the extra layer the annotations, etc. give to my reader.
Hi Ruthiella,
DeleteI totally agree with you about Elizabeth George--I read a number of her later books first, then decided to start over again with the first, and now that I'm on the third I must say that the first three at least are such magnificent mysteries.
I've had trouble with Penguins lately--fuzzy, fuzzy text with almost no leading between the lines. Quality control, please, Penguin. However, that said, I've found a great deal of inconsistency in the legibility of text in paperbacks just in the past couple of years.
I have been meaning to read Eight Cousins for years--maybe I will finally get it on next year's classic challenge. Your caution is well-founded, though. I can't take too much LMA, but spread out, I like her stories.
ReplyDeleteI've never read Elizabeth George, but she keeps popping up so maybe I should try.
I've also not read Last of the Mohicans--hope you find it enjoyable. Legible new editions are definitely a must for me!
As for Elizabeth George, her earlier books are the best, so I suggest you start off with a whopper--the first--A Great Deliverance. The second and third are equally good. How I wish there were more books as well-written as these.
DeleteI'm coming along with Last of the Mohicans and will do a first report on my progress soon.
Yes, I found Eight Cousins included a few "eye bumps" of LMA morality and gender norms, but other than that it was perfect. And it won't be long before I read it again.