Classics

#Readathon: The Woman of Andros

2022, Books in Bed, Classics, Dewey's Readathon, Fiction /

Last night, I wandered around my bookshelves looking for a middle grade or YA book I hadn’t read. Something I could use as a palate cleanser… I didn’t find that. But I did notice The Woman of Andros in the Penguin Books section of my rainbow shelves and realized I’d never read it. Since it was short, I added it to my stacks and for some reason woke up this morning and decided to start with that. Weird but quick and easy if a little deep and desperate. Those Greeks, y’all.

But that’s 80 pages and one book finished, just a few hours into the morning. I’ll take it.

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Airing Another Dirty Little Secret

2 Comments / Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Classics, Daily Dose, Personality, Pet Peeves /

Yesterday I confessed to hating Little Golden Books. (I know. I know.) Today, I have a bigger confession. This one makes me really nervous.

Until last year, I hated The Monster at the End of This Book.

I know. I KNOW.

Here’s the problem… while I loved (and still love) Sesame Street, I did not love Little Golden Books. I did not own many Little Golden Books. I did not buy many Little Golden Books for my kids.

The Monster at the End of This Book was published in 1971, (I was 8 and my brother was 4), as a Little Golden Book.

Pshaw.

For most of my life I’ve heard adults rave about how awesome The Monster At the End of This Book is. I’ve seen people I otherwise loved and respected put The Monster at the End of This Book on their favorite books of all times list.

I’ve always rolled my eyes at those people.

ALWAYS.

And then, Starbucks was doing that free song or app of the week thing, (They still do it, but this was back when it was still new and I was excited by those little cards every Tuesday), and The Monster At the End of This Book app was the free app. I shrugged and said what the hell. It’s free. I’ll look at it. I’ll delete it.

Except I did not delete it. I held on to it because the app is cute. And.

Gasp.

The book is cute.

When JMP was born I was very excited because I could play with the app with him some day… and we did that when he was here in January. It was a little dissatisfying for both of us, he was a little young — he’d be better at it now. The app is still on my phone. It’s on my iPad, too. We’ll play with it again someday.

And, I really like The Monster At The End of This Book.

I particularly like that I can buy it in formats other than Little Golden…

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The Clue of the Velvet Mask

2010, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Classics, Nancy Drew Challenge /

There have been moments this year when I have to laugh out loud at the old Nancy Drews  – Yesterday, there were a lot of moments like that. The Clue of the Velvet Mask included a bad woman in a “Javanese” costume and every time I read the word “Javanese” I laughed out loud. I mean really. I cannot even imagine what I thought of the word when I was 10… I wish I remembered.  

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Jane Slayre

2010, Books in Bed, Classics, Favorites, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Women /

I loved Jane Slayre – a lot more than I liked Pride & Prejudice & Zombies. Maybe because I liked Jane Eyre more than I liked Pride & Prejudice? Or maybe because it was about zombies and vampires and werewolves and not just zombies? I don’t know, but I liked it – a lot. I didn’t want to put it down. I think Charlotte Bronte would have been amused by it.

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Two Nancy Drews

2010, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Classics, Mystery, Nancy Drew Challenge /

Yesterday was… a day… so I figured the easiest books to read would be some Nancy Drews for my challenge list. And I was right. The Clue in the Jewel Box and The Secret in the Old Attic are history. Well duh, of course they’re history – I’m reading my old books. I should probably stick to Nancy Drews for the rest of the week due to the crazy schedule I’m keeping but I’m going to give a YA fantasy a try today. If that doesn’t work, I’ll head back to Nancy.

One question – wasn’t Helen scheduled to get married in the first few books? Suddenly she’s back and there’s no mention of a fiancé. Or a husband. Or maybe it wasn’t Helen – it was someone else??? It’s bugging me, I need to go back and figure it out.

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Romancing Miss Bronte

2010, Books in Bed, Classics, Favorites, Feminism, Fiction, Women /

The problem with a well written novel about a classic author, particularly when the novel is based on facts, is that it makes you want to go back and re-read those old classics. A book like that might spur you to pick up a never-read book by the classic author. Romancing Miss Bronte caused this over and over again. Because not only did I feel compelled to read (and re-read) the works of Charlotte, I realized I’ve never read Agnes Gray… and I was tempted to dig into Elizabeth Gaskell, too. Thankfully, nothing in the story compelled me to re-read Thackeray (shudder – that’s worse than The Moonstone!)

I tried to fight off the urge, but in those last pages, as Charlotte lay dying, I grabbed the iPad and started downloading. Maybe just the act of downloading Agnes Gray and Shirley and Mary Barton will be enough. Maybe I’ll get off easy… unlike any of the Bronte sisters. Or maybe I should download Vanity Fair and read a few pages – that should knock some sense into me, right?

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The Brontes Went to Woolworths

2 Comments / 2010, Books in Bed, Classics, Favorites, Meme, Women /

The Brontes Went to Woolworths is one of those books I’ve wanted to read but couldn’t find easily on the shelf – or at the library. I ended up buying the Bloomsbury edition though I wish I had a Virago like Sassymonkey has. Sniff.

When I needed to choose three books for the 1930’s Mini Challenge, this was the first one on my list. It would give me a good excuse to break down and buy it since my libraries have never been cooperative. When I started to read it, I was afraid I’d made a mistake. I knew it was going to be a farce but those first five pages were downright confusing and I was having trouble relaxing and just going with it. Whatever it was. That was the problem really, I couldn’t tell what was real, what was made up and what I was supposed to know was real or made up. I felt like one of the poor Governesses in the book.

After those first ten pages, I did settle into the characters and it was all fun. The Bronte Sisters, Toddy and Lady Toddington, the works – amusing maybe because I live in a house where people make up elaborate sagas all of the time – and then play them like they are real. Yep, we definitely live in a “fun house” around here.

And with that  – my 1930s Mini Challenge is complete. It was fun. Three great books that I’ve wanted to read  – finally read. I’m glad I joined.

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Gaudy Night

2010, Books in Bed, Classics, Favorites, Feminism, Fiction, Meme, Mystery, Women /

Again I’m thankful for Sassymonkey and the 1930’s mini challenge. I’ve read Dorothy Sayers in the past and wasn’t all that impressed – but Gaudy Night, once I dug into it – I was hooked. I think it’s that I don’t really love Peter Wimsy but I do love Harriet Vane.  The key to my Sayers pleasure may be to find books really heavy in female characters. Not that she writes men badly – she does not. I found myself wanting to read more about Padgett (I liked him much the way I liked Betteredge in The Moonstone.)

Nice job of twisting me around – I thought I knew who the villain was but towards the end I was really doubting myself. Nicely, nicely done.

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