“You’ve always dabbled in hyperbole, Charlie.”

Last January I decided to join in on the GoodReads.com 2011 book challenge, pledging to read 100 books over the course of the year. Not too difficult, or so I thought, before I realized just how leisurely I tend to read without other forces spurring me on (that means you, syllabus of every lit class ever). I did not make it in 2011, but this year I am up and running with a plan: nine books every month.

Easy enough to say when it gets dark at 4pm everyday and the weekends are shitty enough that staying in makes sense, but I think I’m gonna keep it up even when the sun (finally!) shines in. Because the best part of reading nine or more books a month is that at any given time I’m certain to be in the middle of at least two or three really good books (and the occasional not so great one since I can’t seem to walk away once I’ve started). To boil it down to the central draw, lemme put it this way: ideas, ideas, ideas. A book, after all, is like any other art piece – it’s a comment on the state of things and an invitation to conversation, if only with yourself. For a writer looking to get into better practice, every good book I read reminds me of why I feel compelled to write in the first place.

My reading list tends to fill out with the latest offerings by authors or presses that interest me (-slash- wish I knew or wish I were published by), books garnering enough ink/airtime in places like The Nervous Breakdown or NPR to convince me they would be worth my time and, under the heading of ‘because it’s good for you’, books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list – because why fall short of just one goal when you could fall short of two? I think I’m gonna start revisiting old favorites, too, since it’s been years since I’ve read books like Henderson the Rain King or House of Leaves.

I mention Henderson since the book I just finished, Busy Monsters by William Giraldi, reminded me so strongly of one of the best parts of Bellow’s work – the language. Giraldi’s hero, Charles Homar, is a lot like Eugene Henderson. He’s flawed and he knows it but he wants to do better, he’s unflappable yet emotional, and words in his mouth or his mind are a constant, surprising delight. Take this for example, as Charlie describes his lady-love Gillian’s jealous ex-boyfriend: “From Gillian’s pictures and videos I knew this vulgarian was a colossus of a gent whose voice and testicular presence could hush the human flotsam in any riled-up room.” Over the top? Yes. Completely infections and a joy to read? Indeed. And he keeps it up throughout the whole book without seeming strained or watered down.

While perusing the blogs of other participants, I found a similar challenge created by Michelle @ True Book Addict, but for non-fiction. You know where this is going, don’t you? Yes, I signed up for that as well. The amount of non-fiction I’ve read has increased of late, due in no small part to the high quality and accessibility of non-fiction so to challenge myself to read one a month (50 over 5 years) is not too daunting. I chose quite a few from the Time list I re-blogged a few weeks ago, added the ones that are on my bookshelf to read (more than I thought, actually) and rounded it out with ones I’ve wanted to read for years but haven’t for one reason or another.

When I was making these lists, what struck me was how symbiotic many of the non-fiction and fiction books were. I guess that is down to reading within my sphere of interests, whether it be fiction or non-fiction.

I will be posting reviews of every book I read here. In fact, I’ve posted a review for every book I’ve read so far this year. Yea me! If you are interested in what books I’ve chosen, click here.

How well is Great Expectations meeting those three goals? The world Dickens has created is interesting, but not entirely unknown due to the great amount of fiction I’ve read set in Victorian England. He is a master at description and the London that Pip experiences for the first time is vivid and detailed. His characters are, likewise, vibrant, though many of them, especially tertiary characters, tend to fall in the all one thing or the other trap, broadly written either overly comic or overly unsympathetic. His nuanced creation of the main characters – especially Jaggers and Wemmick – make up for this quibble. As to the final goal, my perceptions or knowledge of Victorian London has not been expanded, but enriched. In volume two I did learn something about myself.

I grew up in a small town in East Texas and had a safe, uneventful life. I loved my parents and got along well with them. But, as happens with teenagers the world over, so much so that it is a tired out, rote stereotype used too frequently in fiction, I was desperate to get out of my small town. I choose a state school that was as far away as I could get but still be in the Southwest Conference (dating myself, there) and proceeded to turn my back on everything I had been taught growing up, save my morals and firm beliefs of right and wrong. (Contrary to what many believe, liberal ideals and high moral standards of right and wrong can inhabit the same psyche, but that is touching dangerous political territory, a subject I promised never to broach on my blog, and has nothing to do with Great Expectations.) This was back in the day when you could fly roundtrip on Southwest Airlines for $50 so that first year, I went home quite a bit. I am ashamed to admit that when I did, I acted much the same way Pip did when he walked down the street of his hometown, head held high and overflowing with self-importance and worth.  I had nothing to be arrogant about, nor did Pip considering his greatest accomplishment in Volume 2 is running up an astounding debt and pulling Herbert down with him.

Which brings me back around to relatability and to a point I made in the review of Volume One:

I love how Dickens’ can gently skewer human nature and our foibles, getting us to laugh at ourselves while never seeing ourselves in the picture he so adroitly paints.

I saw myself in that aspect of Pip, but I’m not so arrogant to believe there aren’t negative characteristics of other players that I laugh at, deluding myself the entire time that particular foible is not mine but yours. Arrogant Pip makes me squirm because I believe I have left that immature attitude behind but the shame of my actions linger.

Other Thoughts:

• Herbert, besides being a little bit of a Gary Stu, serves as Mr. Exposition early on in the volume, telling Pip the details of Miss Havisham’s jilting. The man that wooed her, Compeyson, was working with Havisham’s half brother, Arthur, to swindle money? I can’t remember the details. Shame on me. It was a very interesting story.
• But, not nearly as interesting as the scene at the end of the volume when, during a dark and stormy night, Pip learns the true identity of his benefactor, the convict he assisted when he was young, Abel Magwich.
• There was a great little comic interlude at the beginning when Dickens introduces us to Herbert’s family.
• Besides Herbert, Pip’s other confidant is Wemmick, Jagger’s clerk, who very neatly keeps his work and family life completely separate, and brings Pip into the latter.
• While I was more comfortable with Dickens writing style, there were still many allusions and turns of phrase that went over my head.
• While looking on the internet for information about Great Expectations, I found a discussion on Dickens and readings from this novel on the BBC World Book Club podcast. It’s a great listen, if interested.

What did you think of Volume Two? Was it easier to understand? Is there any character or event that you can personally relate to? What do you think is going to happen to Pip, Magwich, Estella and Miss Havisham?

I know y’all are dying to know what has been keeping me so busy.  For Spring Break, my family and six others from our neighborhood went skiing in Colorado, along with every other Texan on spring break. Much to my husband’s dismay, we drove there and back, 12 hours going, 15 hours returning. Not sure why the discrepancy, though the 45 minute rage inducing attempt to get fast food in Raton, NM, might have something to do with it. I got almost no writing done, save a 30 minute burst of creativity as we drove through West Texas. If you’ve ever been to West Texas, let alone driven through it, you might think I’m being ironic when I say that, but I’m not. My novel is set in West Texas and the landscape, as monotonous as it is, can be quite beautiful, especially at sunset. I did lots of thinking about my novel, though, which some days is almost as good as writing.

While on the trip, I finished Great Expectations. (A post about volume 2 will be up tomorrow.) While I don’t want to spoil my future reviews/posts, just know that my opinion of the novel at the end was better than at the start.

In the last month, I have resolved to read more and watch less television. Only a very few shows have made the cut with me (The Mentalist, The Good Wife, Luck (RIP), Masterpiece and the upcoming Game of Thrones) which has freed up my down time for reading. After all, successful writers don’t say, “If you want to be a good writer, watch more television!” They tell you to read and read a lot. I followed Great Expectations with Henry James’ Daisy Miller (★★★),” a novella whose scholarly introduction is almost as long as the novel itself. Then, I moved on to my neighborhood book club selection for the month, In the Garden of Beasts (★★★★)by Erik Larson, a book that deserves its own post. Now, I’ve picked up Guns, Germs and Steel, a nonfiction book I’ve wanted to read for years. I predict it will sit on my bedside table and be read in fits and starts for a few months. I want to continue reading books, by American authors if possible, written during the time of my novel (1870s) to obtain a firm grasp on the rhythms of speech and sentence structure that will enable me to replicate it, to a degree that isn’t off-putting to modern readers, in my novel. To that end, I am considering another James novel or, possibly Edith Wharton (though her publishing time is 30 years after the time of my novel).

To combat the mind-numbing boredom of driving through West Texas and New Mexico where radio signals are sparse, on impulse I downloaded a bunch of podcasts. My greatest find was the BBC World Book Club podcast. Each month, the BBC World Book Club host interviews the author of the month’s book with questions sent in by readers across the world. I have listened to four or five of the 51 available. I have learned something valuable from each one. I highly recommend them for writers, or anyone interested in the process or writing.

My love of Rolos suckered me into making these brownies which, unfortunately, turned out to be a big waste of a bag of unwrapped Rolos. Recipe not recommended.

Because I’m procrastinating (I really need to get a grip on this horrible, horrible fault of mine) I just made a sourdough starter, which my dog seems very interested in. I need to go move it to a higher counter and then get back to work.

What has been keeping you entertained the last two weeks?

So onto Ethan Frome…

One day in high school, my sophomore English teacher overheard me gossiping about some show on the WB (that’s the old CW for you youngsters) and said that if I like “those kinds of shows” I would love The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton.  Long story short, I hated The House of Mirth.  I wanted to like it as I was fond of the teacher but I just could not get into it.  Recently, I’ve wondered if I didn’t like it because it was “assigned” and I had six other classes and homework and sports and I couldn’t give it my full attention.  A co-worker LOVES Edith Wharton and has been telling me to try her again.  So I picked up Ethan Frome and I won’t lie it was great.  I give it 5 out of 5 stars.  Clearly, I misjudged Ms. Wharton and her writing.  Her characters are well-drawn, the story is intriguing and it was difficult for me to put it down.  Her observations are spot on and while the story it a tad depressing, I can see why this is her most read story.

So it looks like I’m going to give The House of Mirth another try.  They say you should re-read the classics every ten years and it has been longer than that since I graduated high school.  Maybe now that I’m not being assigned the read and subsequent essay, I’ll be able to enjoy it more.

The house, in Salem, Mass, said to have inspired Hawthorne.

A year ago, I posted a rather scathing review of The Scarlett Letter. The good news is I liked The House of Seven Gables better. Of course, I’m a sucker for stories spanning multiple generations, though I’m constantly doing the math* to figure out what year what happened, what the style of clothes the people in various ages would be wearing and what was happening in England at the time (i.e., was Jane Austen born yet?).  Add to that witchcraft, a 150 year old curse and a creepy, haunted house, so much the better!

*If I would have known this would be my primary application for math in adulthood I probably would have paid more attention.

The bad news is the problems I had Hawthorne’s writing style in The Scarlett Letter are still evident in The House of the Seven Gables.

“He uses pages of prose to describe the inner turmoil of the various characters when a paragraph, or sometimes a well-crafted sentence, would do. {snip} But, probably 2/3 of the book is navel gazing by the characters or emotional exposition by the narrator…” my review of The Scarlett Letter

What makes this all the more frustrating in The House of Seven Gables is that when Hawthorne finally does give the reader character interaction and bring the story to the barn, so to speak, it’s damn good writing. Even lost amid the pages and pages of detailed character exposition are brilliant insights into the human condition, specifically the American mind, that resonate today. My favorite describes the very phenomena of history repeating itself and the constancy of humanity.

“You are aware, my dear sir, you must have observed it, in your own experience – that all human progress is in a circle; or, to use a more accurate and beautiful figure, in an ascending spiral curve. While we fancy ourselves going straight forward, and attaining, at every step, an entirely new position of affairs, we do actually return to something long ago tried and abandoned, but which we now find etherealized, refined, and perfected to its ideal. The past is but a coarse and sensual prophecy of the present and the future.” ~ pages 259-260, Penguin Classics Edition (1981)

The novel is full of symbolism; it’s easy to see why it would be a favorite of American literature classes. In fact, I would have much rather read this novel in high school than The Scarlett Letter. With that said, there were many times during the middle of the novel that I felt sorry for any high schooler that would have to slog through exposition about Clifford’s love of beauty and Phoebe’s sunny nature. I almost put the book down when Hawthorne took three pages to describe and talk about the ancestral chickens. Of course, I realized that though he was talking about the chickens he was really describing the Pyncheon family, which made it more bearable but only slightly.

I picked this novel up after finishing the first volume of Great Expectations  to contrast the writing styles between American (Hawthorne) and British (Dickens) contemporaries. (A better comparison would, probably, be between Twain and Dickens.) While Hawthorne could be very witty and creative in his exposition (there is an entire chapter about a dead man written in the most fascinating point of view I’ve read in a while) the overall tone of his writing is more staid and preachy. In short, he seems to take himself and what he is trying to say more seriously than Dickens who uses satire effectively to hold the mirror up to the foibles of his countrymen. Which style the reader likes better will depend on tastes of the reader. For me, I will be much more likely to re-read Great Expectations than The House of the Seven Gables.

Gillian Anderson as Miss Havisham

Just after I posted the poll asking my readers what Charles Dickens novel I should read to celebrate his bicentennial birthday, I received an e-mail from PBS letting me know that they will be showing a new adaptation of Great Expectations starring Gillian Anderson as Miss Havisham in April. After very little research, I discovered there will be a major motion picture adaptation of the novel starring Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham. Easy, peasy, the decision was made for me. Great Expectations it is.

One reason why I’m hesitant to read Science Fiction and Fantasy is that I don’t know the shorthand, the lingo. So much of what is written goes over my head. I feel a bit like that when it comes to Dickens, as well. A text with footnotes helps, to be sure, but I always feel like I’m missing something, as if I’m at a party with a person cleverer than I and, instead of taking the risk of looking stupid, I just nod, smile, laugh at the appropriate moments and drink a copious amount of wine so I won’t care that I’m so obtuse. In the best case scenario, the wine jump starts my brain and everything becomes clear. In the case of reading Dickens, I begin with trepidation and in confusion but force myself to soldier on until that inevitable point when the Dickensian turns of phrase cause barely a pause.

That confession isn’t meant to scare off readers new to Dickens but to encourage you to keep with it despite a little frustration and confusion. I find that most Victorian literature is like that but once I understand the writing style of the author and get into the story, I am eager to finish and read more. With Dickens’ birthday and the two adaptations of Great Expectations coming out this year, I thought it would be a great starter book for a Swamp of Boredom Book Club.  How regular this feature becomes will depend on you, the blog reader, and your participation. In case you’re wondering, not every book will be a classic and, if there is enough interest, I will solicit suggestions from you.

During the month of March, we will read Great Expectations and I will post recaps/reviews of the three volumes. If you have your own blog, you can post your own review of the appropriate volume and link to that in my comments or, if you don’t have a blog, you can give your thoughts in the comments section. Of course, Read the Movie Reviews will come after each adaptation with the same opportunity to link back to your blog or post in the comment section.

Great Expectations Posting Schedule

Volume 1 – Friday, March 16

Volume 2 – Friday, March 23

Volume 3 – Friday, March 30

Mini-series Part 1 – Monday, April 2

Mini-series Part 2 – Monday, April 9

Movie – TBD

Sound off in the comments if you are participating and link back to your blog so I can add you to my Blogroll.

There are numerous editions of Great Expectations to choose from. It is available free on Kindle, thorough Google Books and, possibly on the Nook. I recommend getting an annotated version for the reasons I stated above – they are very helpful for explaining some of the antiquated turns of phrase that we aren’t aware of. The best annotated books have the notations at the bottom of the page, in my opinion, because flipping to the back of the book is irritating. That’s my personal preference, but either way, I recommend an annotated version. Be aware that those volumes have introductions written by scholars that give away the plot. If you don’t want to be spoiled, don’t read it. But, those intros can also be helpful in understanding the story.

Published in 1899, The Awakening (★★★★) centers on Edna Pontellier, a Southern wife and mother whose increasingly unorthodox views of herself and her place in the world clash with the mores and standards of the age. In short, she falls in love, rejects the many restrictions that polite society places on its women, especially upper class women, turns bohemian and takes a lover. Seen through a 21st century lens, that sounds like a three episode arc on Desperate Housewives. Actually, Marc Cherry should kneel daily and thank Kate Chopin for breaking the ground that he so easily, and repeatedly, treads.

You can well imagine the response a novel such as The Awakening would engender in 1899. Some saw it for what it was, a well-written examination, free from condecension, of one woman’s inner life. Others, of course, thought it was “poison” and “too strong a drink for moral babes.” (source) Chopin didn’t write another novel and had a difficult time selling stories after The Awakening was published. She died five years later, in 1904, of a brain hemorrhage while at the St. Louis World’s Fair.

Years ago when I first picked this book up I did not like it. I can’t remember specifically why, but I believe it had to do with a lack of connection and interest in the main character, Edna Pontellier. It’s not uncommon for me to abandon books, but in the case of The Awakening, I gave up too soon. While Edna is not the most compelling of female characters, her journey is and deserves to be read and remembered as a the touchstone of modern women’s fiction.

Other Thoughts:

• As far as I can tell, there have only been two movie/tv adaptations of The Awakening which is a crime. If this were a British classic, it would have been adapted for small and big screen multiple times. It just proves the point that Americans in general, and the arbiters of American visual arts in particular, have no sense of our literary history.
• This is a short story and would be an excellent choice if you are looking for a good, fast read.
• Interesting website with more information about The Awakening.

• The Awakening by Kate Chopin
  
• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics; Later Printing edition (February 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142437328
• ISBN-13: 978-0142437322

The one Dickens I have read and one of my favorite books, all time. Also, if you are ever stuck on what gift to give me, any of the Penguin cloth bound classics would be a sure fire winner. Just sayin'.

Today is Charles Dickens’ 200th birthday and the internet is filled with tributes to the venerated, Victorian author. I sheepishly admit to having just spent an hour reading through Time’s top ten list of his best novels and realized, with shame, that I have read too little Dickens in my life. I tried to read Bleak House a few years ago, in anticipation of the Masterpiece mini-series starring Gillian Anderson (which was awesome). I bought the Everyman’s Library version and put it on my bookshelf, of which it seemed to take up 25%. When I decided to dive in, I only read the first page before my arms started cramping from the weight of the book and the enormity of the undertaking overcame my desire to continue. I sold the book to Half Priced books and haven’t read Dickens since.

After reading Time’s list, though, I’m inspired to put Dickens on my to-read list for 2012. The question remains, which one will I choose? Should I go with his shortest novel, Hard Times? Should I go with his one comic novel, The Pickwick Papers? Maybe I should read the one novel on the list I had never heard of, Domby and Son. Maybe, since I am writing in first person, I should go with the novel set in first person, David Copperfield. I should also check my 1001 Books list and see what Dickens is required. Read the list below and give your choice for me in the comments. (Don’t be put off by it taking me an hour to read the list. The reviews are excellent in their own right.)

Counting Down Dickens’ Greatest Novels

Dickens at 200: A Birthday You Can’t Bah-Humbug

There are 1491 news articles in the Google search for Charles Dickens Birthday.

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One of the most difficult aspects of dieting is making good choices. If I’m craving something sweet, I know an apple is a better choice than a Swiss Cake Roll. So, I choose an apple. Something like this follows:

1. Use apple corer to slice my apple.
2. Take a bite, enjoy the healthy crunch of good nutrition.
3. Chew for an exceptionally long time (I left the skin on.)
4. Swallow. That? Was awesome.
5. Be proud of myself.
6. Eat another slice.
7. Feel better than all those fatsos eating Swiss Cake Rolls.
8. Eat another slice.
9. Think about how much I despise people who eat apples whole. Note that it reminds me of horses eating apples and that eating apples is almost as loud as eating chips.
10. Wonder if I have any chips.
11. Start on slice number four.
12. When will this fucking apple end?
13. Consider adding peanut butter to my apple to make it interesting again.
14. Calculate how many calories/grams of fat that would add.
15. Decide to just have a little peanut butter on one slice of apple.
16. Open the peanut butter jar and smell the wonderful aroma of high fat food.
17. Thank the lord there are no life threatening allergies in my home.
18. Spoon some peanut butter on my apple slice. Lick it off.
19. Decide that half an apple is better than a whole Swiss Cake Roll.
20. Toss the remaining apple in the trash, where it belongs.
21. Eat a spoonful of peanut butter.
22. Repeat, with chocolate chips.
23. Feel a bit of guilt.
24. Resolve to eat an apple tomorrow.

In the scenario above, Cry the Beloved Country is the apple. I liked it for a while. Then I got bored. There is nothing that is drawing me back into it and there are too many enticing alternatives. Sure, they probably won’t enrich my mind but now I want to be entertained. I’m sure I will finish it. One day. But, not today. Or tomorrow. Or this week. Maybe next month.

I have added Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy to my list of books to re-read because not only did I enjoy it immensely, but also because, due to spy double speak, I fear there is much that went on I didn’t understand or comprehend. I doubt that the movie adaptation to be released in November will clear anything up, two hours being scantly enough time to describe everything in the book, but I’m looking forward to it nonetheless. – my review of the novel

On the other hand, sometimes the screenwriter does such an excellent job of distilling the information in a complex book down to the essentials that reading the book is unnecessary. Almost. I would never recommend to not read a book, especially one such as Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. But, there are times when I recommend watching a movie first then approaching the book with the overall story and visual cues to help you remember people and places already in your head. I recommend watching the 1995 mini-series adaptation of Pride and Prejudice to help people grasp Austen’s language. I would recommend watching Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy to grasp LeCarre’s complex story.  The story wasn’t changed, just distilled down to its core. Director Tomas Alfredson masterfully used flashbacks, most notably a Circus Christmas party before everything went to hell in Hungry, to give depth to characters and to illustrate interconnecting relationships. Visually, the movie looks like a recently found snapshot from the 70s – faded, gray and a bit shabby. Just as, logically, I know life wasn’t black and white in the 1800s, I know there were bright colors and sunny days in the 70s. Movie makers don’t seem to believe it, though, and seem determined to reinforce the public’s misconception that the 70s were sapped of color and that the sun never shines in England.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is not an action movie. Compared to the Bourne franchise, it would be considered slow and soporific. When a character is killed it is shocking because it to so out of tune with the talky, cerebral pace Alfredson set. It is a movie that makes you pay attention, think and one that takes for granted you are intelligent enough to follow along with the minimal amount of information they are able to give you in the time allowed. In short, it is a movie for adults that prefer complexity over explosions.

• Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (★★★★★)
• directed by Tomas Alfredson
• written by John LeCarre; screenplay by Bridget O’Conner & Peter Straughten
• starring Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Ciarian Hinds, Toby Stephens, Tom Hardy and Mark Strong

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Author: John Buchan

Publication Date: 1915

Review Score: 8/10

In The 39 Steps we are introduced to the steely, charming and witty Richard Hannay, the adventure hero who appears in 5 of Buchan’s novels, but none so delightful as this first one.

In this original Richard Hannay novel we find our leading man accidently caught up in an international plot of war, after a murder is committed in his apartment, and so, to save himself from the clutches of the police or worse, he must flee London, travel to Scotland and figure out what rouse is a foot.

It may sound like a basic idea and a story that has been told a hundred times, but the way in which Buchan weaves the plot makes it highly exhilarating and very unpredictable.

Giving the reader very little to piece the mystery together throughout, the book is able to hold its fast pace right until the end. Along the way you can’t help but get caught up in the continual shock and awe of events and become completely compelled towards Hannay who is a fantastically well developed character.

This may just seem like a stream of praise rather than an adequate description of the book, but there isn’t much to say but that. You know what a mystery, adventure tale is and this is one of the greatest!

I suppose, the best way I can think to describe it is by saying, the mixture of mystery, crime and adventure makes The 39 Steps a kind of cross between Sherlock Homes and James Bond. Hannay is less intelligent that Holmes and not as violent as Bond, but he is adequately equipped in both departments.

Inspiration to the likes of Graham Greene, Ian Fleming and John le Carré, The 39 Steps is well deserving of its place in literary history and on the list of 1,001 Books to Read Before You Die.

Author: H.G. Wells

Publication Date: 1895

Review Score: 7/10

One night at a gathering at his house, a Victorian scientist tells his guests of how he has invented a time machine. Obviously no one believe the young man and so to try and prove that time travel is possible he first shows them a scale model of his machine which he sends into the future.

Still not convinced, the scientist invites the men to come to dinner again next week and once they are again all gathered he emerges from his laboratory, tired and dishevelled, ready to regale his guests with the story of his time travelling adventure.

The scientist then takes his guests, and the reader, on a journey into the future, to the year 802,701 AD, where he first discovers a peaceful, calm and beautiful society, where a small, simple elf like race of people, known as the Eloi, play all day and live in peace with each other.

This at first strikes the time traveller as a wonderful society, until he discovers a second branch of our once great humanity, that live underground, feed of human flesh and have hidden his time machine. The Morlocks are a disturbing, ape like race, which the time traveller must confront in order to secure his machine and get back to his own time.

Given that the time traveller himself is telling this story in his own dining room, after the events have occurred, we know from the outset that he must find a way to get back to the Victorian age. However, although this does at first take some of the drama out of the book you will soon find yourself so wrapped up in the tale of his adventure that it becomes a fleeting thought and does not stop you from experiencing the highs and lows of his journey.

What’s more, as with War of the Worlds and the Island of Doctor Moreau, Wells has been able to come up with remarkably original ideas in The Time Machine that are still ingenious by today’s standards, despite being written over 100 years ago.

As with his other novels I am surprised at how much he Wells able to fit into such a small book and my only wish is that it had continued for a second adventure, perhaps into the past or less distance into the future.

This is the 1 of 3 books H.G. Wells has on the 1,001 Books to Read Before you Die list and, in my opinion, they are all well deserving of their place. This is once again a fantastic read for anyone who loves Sci-Fi or just great storytelling.

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Best Book(s) – To Kill a Mockingbird, Memoirs of a Geisha, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, The Searchers, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Unwritten Volume 3: Dead Man’s Knock, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Best Teen – Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky – It’s always impressive when you stop and consider how well some adult authors can get inside the head of their teen protagonists and tell their story. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an uncomfortable read, for parents, at times. But, I think the nervousness engendered when reading something like this reminds parents 20 or 30 years removed from being a teen just what it was like.

Best YA – The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan – Riordan has done what JK Rowling either doesn’t have the ability or desire to do – continue the story of the world he created past his initial heroes. Children and adult readers are richer for it.

Book I Still Haven’t Finished – Thank You, Jeeves by PG Wodehouse – Honestly, there are too many books that I started and haven’t finished to list, but Thank You, Jeeves is the biggest disappointment in that group. I heard so much praise for Wodehouse’s wit and the seminal characters of Jeeves and Wooster that I fully expected to be drawn in immediately. Never happened. I’m not sure I’ll ever pick it up again.

Biggest Disappointment – A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear – I wrote a detailed review about my disappointments with this book so I won’t bore you with a rehashing of all that (though I do recommend you read the review; I feel it is one of my best). I see on Amazon that Winspear has another novel coming out in March. I’ll buy it and read it, but I’m wary.

Unintentional Consequence of Joining a Reading Challenge – Discovering I don’t like Sense and Sensibility – I joined two challenges and finished none, but the biggest disappointment was my growing dislike of Sense and Sensibility. I’m not sure I’ll ever read that book again, but I’m sure I’ll watch another adaptation or two in my lifetime.

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Author: Lewis Carroll

Publication Date: 1871

Review Score: 7/10

Through the Looking Glass is the sequel to Alice in Wonderland, and in this adventure we follow young Alice as she steps through a mirror into the opposite world that lies beyond it.

In this backwards place Alice encounters a living chess set and a world that is one giant chess board that she must traverse in order to become a queen. Along the way she meets Humpty Dumpty, Tweedledum and Tweedledee and host of new characters that sing, dance and of course talk back!

In this second Alice novel, Lewis Carroll continues to charm the reader with his nonsensical, loopy and just plain insane ideas! The characters are just as mischievous and everything they do is upside-down, back-to-front and the wrong-way-round.

As with the first novel, Through the Looking Glass had me laughing out loud on almost every page with unfathomable ideas that just baffle the mind. I was delighted to find Carroll was no less ingenious with the second novel and yet again astounded with the originality of the book.

Given that it is the original and so brilliant, I think I do still prefer Alice’s Adventured in Wonderland, but Through the Looking Glass is still a fantastic novel and well deserving of its place on the 1,001 Books to Read Before you Die list.

The one thing I am surprised by is the fact that there hasn’t been a big Hollywood film version of Through the Looking Glass yet, although given my fondness for books over films I am quite glad about that!

Would love to hear all your thoughts of Through the Looking Glass and if you thought it was as Good as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland?

Author: Emily Bronte

Publication Date: 1847

Review Score: 2/10

SPOILER ALERT: If you love this book you might not want to read this review!

Mr Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange, is forced to take shelter one night at Wuthering heights, the home of his landlord. It is here, in this run down house, on the bleak Yorkshire Moors, that Lockwood learns the story of this bitter mans history and the tempestuous events that have taken place at Wuthering Heights.

On the journey through this book the reader learns of the passionate relationship between Healthcliff and Catherine, her apparent betrayal of him and the vengeance he then visits upon all he comes into contact with.

Ok that’s enough of that! You might as well ignore that synopsis as it may make the book sound interesting and good and I definitely don’t want to give off that impression! Of all the books I have read during my life I don’t think I have found one quite so terrible as Wuthering Heights!

I know a lot of you will think I’m mad and even people who haven’t read the book will probably think I’m wrong, given the fame of this novel and Emily Bronte, but trust me I have my reasons for making these claims.

Wuthering Heights is acclaimed as a work of brilliance as it is supposedly the ultimate tale of love and betrayal but it just isn’t! Women all over the world gush about Heathcliff but when it boils down to it he is just an evil, violent little man, who’s physical and mental abuse of women, children and even animals is god awful!

The back and forth between Heathcliff and Catherine is stale and boring, there isn’t a single likable character in the book and everything just feels stilted, cold and un-engaging.

Honestly I struggled to find a single enjoyable thing about this book! When you can’t sympathise with, or relate to, a single character it makes a book incredibly hard going and that is exactly how I found it, and I don’t understand why so many people can sympathise with these characters, they just don’t deserve it!

Anyway, I could continue but will stop there as I know that the majority of people reading this will disagree with me. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion so I will just if you love Wuthering Heights good for you but it just isn’t for me I’m afraid!

Author: Lewis Carroll

Publication Date: 1865

Review Score: 8/10

Sitting in the garden on a summer’s afternoon, Alice sees a white rabbit hop past, who seems very worried about the time. Without thinking about how she might get back out, Alice follows the rabbit down the rabbit-hole and tumbles into a strange and fantastical wonderland!

On her journey, Alice encounters animals that answer back, a never ending tea party and a royal family made out of a pack of cards. It also seems that no matter what she does, she keeps either growing to the size of houses or shrinking so small she might disappear!

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a beautiful piece of literary nonsense, full of hilarious characters, truly bizarre situations and fantastical ideas that do bring true wonderment to the mind of the reader.

As we follow Alice’s journey into this weird and wonderful world, we get to experience the fairy tale with the same shock, surprise and excitement that she does. And even though so much of it just seems absolute, ridiculous nonsense, it doesn’t matter, as you can’t help but read it with a big grin on your face!

Although a children’s book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland can be and is enjoyed by people of all ages and has continued to be popular generation and generation. It has had so many different interpretations and been re-defined over and over, continually reminding us all of how original, remarkable and enjoyable Lewis Carroll’s wonderful ideas were.

This is a book I will definitely be reading to my kids one day and think it is an excellent addition to the 1,001 Books to Read Before you Die list! No matter how old you are, I guarantee that Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland will bring out a childlike smile in you.

Author: Phillip K. Dick

Publication Date: 1968

Review Score: 7/10

Better known as the cult Sci-Fi film Blade Runner, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is the story of a modern world in which most people have emigrated to other planets, animals are all but extinct and a post war, toxic dust is engulfing the world and slowly killing all living organisms.

In this bleak future, we meet Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter hired to track down and “retire” rogue androids that have escaped servitude on the colonized planets and are trying to make a new life and pass for humans on Earth.

Your initial thought may be that this is a fast action novel as a ruthless killer hunts and terminates these runaway androids. However, the book is much more complex and intelligent than that. Rather than simply being about killing androids, the novel is a deep philosophical text that delves into the ideas of one’s self existence and knowledge of that existence, reminiscent of Descartes Meditations.

The line between android and human is becoming more and more blurred with each new upgrade and now Deckard is in a position of no longer seeing them as just malfunctioning machines but actually feeling empathy, compassion and even love for some of them.

With the idea of implanted false memories and emotions Deckard also has to face the idea that he may be an android himself and the justification of bounty hunting is getting more and more complex.

I know I always say this, but the book is much better than the film! Don’t get me wrong, Blade Runner was a visually stunning film, but I find that Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? paints a picture off a much darker, lonely and scary future.

Put it this way, if you like the film you will love the book, if you didn’t like the film I’m pretty sure you will still like the book and if you haven’t seen the film just read the book!

Nursed back to health by their keeper, Montgomery, Prendick soon finds himself on a mysterious island with his rescuer, a pack of strange beasts and the sinister Doctor Moreau; a genius biologist who’s radical experiments in vivisection have forced him from civilisation and perform his work on this uncharted island.

Hearing ghastly screams and discovering unthinkable creatures, it is not long before Prendick starts to piece together the horrific goings on of Moreau and the truth behind his experiments.

When thinking of H. G. Wells, The Island of Doctor Moreau usually takes a back seat in the mind, with most of the praise being put upon The Time Machine and War of the Worlds, but this novel is equally ground breaking, radical and enjoyable.

Probably Well’s darkest and most twisted novel, The Island of Doctor Moreau paints a picture so vivid of these beast creatures that it is almost sickening to read at times. The book is not just a horror story however, playing on the idea of Darwinism, the novel delves into what it actually means to be human and the taboo around playing God with animals.

First published in 1896, The Island of Doctor Moreau was way ahead of its time, and even now makes the mind slightly fearful of scientific advancements in human biology and animal vivisection.

Creepy, chilling and yet incredibly clever, The Island of Dr Moreau is highly enjoyable from both a sociological and literary aspect, although it’s probably not ideal for the faint hearted reader.

This is a great story about the bonds of friendship between a dwarfish boy, Owen Meany and his best friend Johnny Wheelwright.  But it is predominantly a story about faith.  When Owen hits a baseball that kills Johnny’s mother, he starts to believe that he is an instrument of God.  A Prayer for Owen Meany follows the spiritual journey of both main characters.  Owen’s is unwavering whereas Johnny is faltering.  Politics also plays a major role in the story and at times I was a little annoyed with how much Johnny grew to despise the Reagan administration.  Even though I got a little annoyed with his political rantings, it still did not detract from the whole story for me because…Irving is a master storyteller.  The Christmas pageant scene alone is worth the price of admission.  Here are few of my favorite quotes:

“I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice. Not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother’s death, but because he is the reason I believe in God. I am a Christian because of Owen Meany.”

“When someone you love dies, and you’re not expecting it, you don’t lose her all at once; you lose her in pieces over a long time — the way the mail stops coming, and her scent fades from the pillows and even from the clothes in her closet and drawers. Gradually, you accumulate the parts of her that are gone. Just when the day comes — when there’s a particular missing part that overwhelms you with the feeling that she’s gone, forever — there comes another day, and another specifically missing part.”

Make no mistake at over 600 pages, this is a long read.  I’m a pretty fast reader and even my pace was slow while reading this book.  But I enjoyed every page.