Sunday, July 3, 2016

The Reading List

I have been reading books from my reading list and thought I would gab about them for a brief moment before inundating you all with more cross stitch and horror stories about moving.

I'm thinking there really is no need to do some windy report on each book I cracked open and read cover to cover.  I'm not a critic anyway.  But I will try to find one word that describes how I feel about each one so far.

1984:  NO.  
A Christmas Carol:  YES
A Prayer for Owen Meany:  YES
Alice in Wonderland:  YES
A Game of Thrones (all the books so far):  MAYBE
Charlotte's Web:  YES
Diary of Anne Frank: (read probably a gabillion times now plus 1) YES
Ender's Game: (the series, not just one)  YES
Finnegan's Wake:  wait...what?
Hamlet:  YES
Jane Eyre:  YES
Robinson Crusoe: I resolve to say YES
Sophie's Choice:  YES
The Book Thief:  YES
The Catcher in the Rye:  NO. (you will probably ask why and I am prepared to tell you)
The Count of Monte Cristo:  YES
The Glass Castle:  YES
The Grapes of Wrath:  YES
The Handmaid's Tale:  YES
The Lord of the Flies:  YES
The Princess Bride: I want to say YES, but it truly ISN'T the movie.
The Road:  YES (so much better than the movie)
Wuthering Heights:  MAYBE (seriously, could this have been any darker?? Did the sun ever shine??)

Just started Cold Comfort Farm which is so wonderfully light hearted ESPECIALLY after reading A Prayer and The Catcher back to back...please don't do that to yourself.  


The 301 list isn't all I have been reading!  There are so many good things I cannot help throwing in something NOT on the list just to convince myself there really are no rules going on here.  



I received a tweet on Twitter (apparently that is what happens when...) from Tim McBain.  He co-authored the Scattered and the Dead series with L.T. Vargus.  So I gave the first book a read which is really a 0.5 book before the actual Book 1 (strangely it fits for these two) and found it to be very awesome. 



So you are now thinking, "ANOTHER zombie apocalypse series??"  YES.  But there really aren't very many zombies (there is Mitch, but he kind of didn't do it right).  So try Book 0.5 and see what you think.  It's a short read.  Then read the Book 1...you will kind of want to at that point.


Let's see, for book club I read Above the Waterfall.  If you like poetry (which this book isn't) you may enjoy it. 

There are more books crammed in, but for now this might get you thinking about picking up one or two at the library or wherever you like to grab books from and have a read.

Friend me on Goodreads and make sure you point out all the OTHER great books I need to read ha, ha!

Until next time.....Keep on Reading! 





11 comments:

  1. I like your succinct reviews! In answer to your Wuthering Heights question - it is set on the Yorkshire Moors, of course the sun never shines!
    The most depressing books I have ever attempted to read were the Thomas Covenant series by Stephen Donaldson. I read them on my train commute across the bleak East Anglian Fens one Winter, not a cheerful experience at the best of times!

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    1. ha, ha! Isn't that the way it goes? With Wuthering Heights it had been dark and gray and cold and raining the whole time!

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  2. Your reviews are certainly to the point! Why "resolve to say yes" for Robinson Crusoe instead of just yes? Have you read Tom Jones, and Moll Flanders?

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    1. Resolve to say yes is actually a joke stemming from the book...he "resolves" to do pretty much everything through out and it made my daughter and I giggle every time it came up :D

      As for Tom Jones, no I have not read that one, but I believe I have read Moll Flanders but it was so long ago that reading it again might not be a bad idea :D

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    2. Ah, I had forgotten. It's been a long time since I read Robinson. It may be time for a classic books reread.

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  3. I've read a few of those. But I haven't read many of the classics

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    1. The classics are seriously classic, if that makes sense. Even if the story isn't to your liking, the writing is usually done really well.

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  4. Hmmm of the ones I've read, we agree on some, not so much on others.
    A Christmas Carol was years and years ago but I liked it. Preferred Tale of Two Cities though.
    Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) YES!!!!!
    Charlotte's Web is the awesomest thing.
    Ender's Game, just the first book so far Yes.
    Hamlet YES, though my Shakespeare tragedy of choice is Macbeth.
    Jane Eyre MEH I wanted to like it better.
    The Catcher in the Rye, I had to read it in school, but remember none of it, that's not a good sign.
    The Handmaid's Tale, another must read in school, the only Atwood I actually like.
    The Road (is that Cormac McCarthy's?) if so NO NO NO NO NO. NO and again NO.
    Wuthering Heights, another one that I think I've read but apparently left little impression

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    1. You are right! We are pretty much of the same mind on these books. Leonore was saying something about the Paper Magician trilogy we should read, so I've added that to the "other" list ha ha

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  5. Have I ever mentioned I'm kind of trying to take that 301 challenge with you? Though I am at a bit of a disadvantage as many of the books that seem mandatory reading in English speaking countries aren't here and so I'm a bit behind on those classics.I just started the Catcher in the Rye, blindly without knowing anything about it, I will get back to you to discuss your firm 'No' when I have an answer of my own :D

    For the ones I already know:

    A Christmas Carol: Yes
    Alice in Wonderland: Mkay
    A Game of Thrones (all the books so far): Very much yes!
    Diary of Anne Frank: Not so much (and here I am prepared to explain myself if needed ;) )
    Robinson Crusoe: Yes so far, but I only read a very shortened translation ages ago so I will have to reread that






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    1. INTERESTING! I'm so glad you are joining me as best you can :D It kind of goes with your list of reading something from every genre :D I'm so sorry you are reading the Catcher in the Rye. If you need help understanding anything let me know.

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