ŷ������

"When you finish, please post the following information to the feed: Title, Author, Translator (if applicable), Year of (initial) Publication, Number of Pages, and Format (print, e-reader, audiobook, etc.). You may also post analysis, critique, or questions about the book if you wish."

Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes, 1959, 324 pages, ereader/text to speech. Edited to add page numbers.

Any guess as to page #?

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925, I believe it was 187 pages, print

The Minority Report, Philip K. Dick, 1956, 112 pages, ereader.

John wrote: "The Minority Report, Philip K. Dick, 1956, 112 pages, ereader."

Logged.

Emily wrote: "The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925, I believe it was 187 pages, print"

Logged

THE WARDEN; Anthony Trollope; 1855; 185 pages (print)

[NOTE: I reported this on Facebook also -- so it has already been logged.]

Thomas Hardy, "Tess of the d'Urbervilles," published in 1891, 330 pages, audio book.

It is a pretty good read, but a bit burdened by some Victorian cultural convictions that are (thankfully) totally unrealistic in today's world. That said, it is obvious that Hardy is protesting these outdated sentiments and trying to get society to change its opinion by writing the novel, so it makes sense that they are included. Also, there are a few of those stereotypical melodramatic Victorian moments (women fainting, people sleepwalking and sleeptalking, etc.) that detract from the narrative, so be ready to suspend disbelief if you read it. The imagery and narration is simply beautiful. The characters have very diverse and believable personalities in general. There’s also a major plot-twist at the end, which I imagine has something to do with the classic nature of the book. I’d give it three stars out of five and recommend it to sit on your shelves near Jane Eyre and Wuthering heights.

I just finished Anthony Trollope's BARCHESTER TOWERS (1857), the second book in the six-novel Barsetshire series. My Penguin Library print edition is 499 pages.

I love this book -- a re-read for me. The vivid details of life in a Victorian English cathedral town and the hilarious battles between "high" and "low" church advocates (really nothing more than power struggles) make it a joy to read. But I also love Trollope's clear-eyed understanding of the change that he saw taking place in all aspects of life; he makes a strong case for tradition and "the old ways." A lovely book!

*already posted on Facebook*

Liz wrote: "I just finished Anthony Trollope's BARCHESTER TOWERS (1857), the second book in the six-novel Barsetshire series. My Penguin Library print edition is 499 pages.

I love this book -- a re-read for m..."

Logged.

I nailed "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury this week on my commute. It was published in 1953, weighs in at 179 pages, and was read via audio-book. I was assigned this (I think) in 9th grade, but never really read it, so I figured I'd make it up, and I'm glad that I did. It is a fast read with a good story, believable characters, and is bone-chillingly insightful about the effects of miniaturization and mass-media on modern society (though, computers have in large part replaced the television). Bradbury has a fantastic sense of pacing, and very vivid use of visual imagery. Another three-star read for me. Place it on the shelf next to “Starship Troopers,�� ��1984,�� “A Brave New World,�� and “Atlas Shrugged.��

Never Let Me Go,Kazuo Ishiguro, 2005, 288 pages, print.

I still don't really know if this counts, but I finished 'Never Let Me Go' by Kazuo Ishiguro on Wednesday. It was published in 2005 and is 288 pages long and was read in physical copy. Again, as it's sort of a more modern book, I don't actually know if it counts, but it was a fabulous book, incredibly well written and incredibly sad. If you don't like really, really depressing endings...well, you should read this anyway, because it's fabulous.

Beckie wrote: "Blood Meridian: Or The Evening Redness in the West, 1985, Cormac McCarthy, Kindle E-Book, 329 pages. A bloody, beautiful work of art that I had been curious about for years. Every once in a while y..."

logged

The Last Man, by Mary Shelley, 1826, 342 pages (missing quoted poems), e-reader/text to speech.

I have wanted to read The Last Man for a while and as part of this project, I persevered and finished it. The first half, a somewhat veiled biography of Percy Shelly and Lord Byron, was painfully tedious. It wasn't until a third of the way through that plague was even mentioned. The last half picked up and was definitely more interesting.

x-posted to facebook.

I just finished DOCTOR THORNE, the third book in the Barsetshire series by Anthony Trollope, which was first published in 1858. My Penguin Classics print edition was 592 pages.

I love this book, which has elements of an Austen-esque love story. The fundamental question asked by Trollope is: what constitutes a "good" match? And how can one separate a potential husband or wife's true worth from his or her "prospects" (which of course for anyone reading or writing in the 19th century meant "money.")

*also posted on Facebook*

So, I thought I’d try to get over my bias against American literature and read Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road.�� (1951, 301 pages, audio-book) I managed to finish it, and I have to say that I find nearly all of the characters to be weak-willed and detestable, the plot line to be nonexistent, and the philosophy to be unhealthy. Maybe it’s because I place such value on logic and hard work (I imagine that Kerouac would call me a pedant) but the indolence, chaos, and spontaneity of all of the characters in almost offensive. To make matters worse, Kerouac’s grammar sucks. Right now it’s sitting on my one star shelf.

There's a movie of 'On The Road' underway or maybe due for release soon. Those beat type works are hard to render into film, though I watched the film of Allen Ginsberg's Howl and it was pretty good - then I read the poem for the first time and found it tremendous.

The Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson, 1956, 201 pages, ereader/text to speech.

Half of this reminded me of the 1957 classic sci-fi/horror film adaptation. The other half was all about the main character's loss of manhood in the form of power, sex, strength, etc... Not exactly what I was expecting.

Metropolis by Thea von Harbou, 1926, 231 pages, ereader/text to speech.

Metropolis is both a classic science fiction film and a novel, which has influenced the genre. I can't say I understood what was going on, but it was an exciting read none-the-less.

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I finally finished slogging through FRAMLEY PARSONAGE, by Anthony Trollope. The story was serialized throughout 1860, then published in book form in 1861. It is novel number four in the Barchester series, and it's my least favorite of the six. See what I do for you?!

My Penguin Classics print edition was was 576 pages. Next up: THE SMALL HOUSE AT ALLINGTON.

*also posted on Facebook*

City by Clifford D. Simak, 1952, 216 pages, Ereader/text-to-speech.

This novel was a collection of 8 connected short stories full of interesting ideas and concepts.

X-posted on FB

Melisande by E. Nesbit, 1901, 48 pages, Illustrated Children's Books/Ereader Text-to-Speech (I read both versions)

A classic princess in distress style fairytale, with both a rescuing prince and some more progressive elements.

Five Children and It by E. Nesbit, 1902, 174 pages, Ereader/Text-to-speech.

Be careful of what you wish for is the central premise of the book. It was interesting, but it does include some dated and highly stereotypical depictions of American Indians.

X-Posted on Facebook.

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander, 1964, 190 pages, Ereader/Text-to-Speech. A little simpler than I expected, but still enjoyable.

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For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway 1940. What a journey this book is! Essentially it's a treatise on life and death, on morality and courage, on loneliness and connection - all the big themes of big literature. At the same time it's a very personal and heartfelt experience from the worldview of one man, Robert Jordan, an American volunteer who fights with local partisans for the Republic against Franco's fascist forces. At once bitter and sweet, For Whom The Bell Tolls is gripping emotionally as well as in terms of a story you just have to stay with to the end. So glad I finally got around to reading it, which I did via Amazon Kindle. The year of publication was 1940 and the Kindle version is published by Scribner, publication date is 2002.

Roberta wrote: "For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway 1940. What a journey this book is! Essentially it's a treatise on life and death, on morality and courage, on loneliness and connection - all the big the..."

Logged. Thanks!

The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander, 1965, 182 pages, ereader/text-to-speech

The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander, 1966, 170 pages, ereader/text-to-speech

These are quick light reads with a decent heroine and bumbling hero who doesn't always make the best decisions, but seems to mature as the series continues.

X-Posted on FB

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, 1959, 324 pages, print.
The plot is a classic (read the summary if you don't know what I mean) and the basis for the movie Charly. If you are short on time, track down the novella which captures the spirit of the story without the background detail. Sometimes the excess detail was a bit over the top and took away from the main plot, but only enough to get a 1-star (really 1/2 star if I could) deduction.

Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander, 1967, 219 pages, ereader/text-to-speech

The High King by Lloyd Alexander, 1968, 253 pages, ereader/text-to-speech

Taran Wanderer read like a book of short stories, which later informed The High King. A satisfying light read overall. Despite being a princess, Eilonwy is a much better role-model for my daughter than some of the other options out there. Reminds me of Éowyn from Lord of the Rings.

I finished these on the drive to my family's for Thanksgiving, but after reading so many classics lately, I decided to take a break. I got sucked into the Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey. I highly recommend it for any fans of dystopian lit.

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I just finished On The Road by Jack Kerouac original 1957 Viking Press, I read the kindle version by Penguin 2011, 307 pages. On The Road deserves its status as a classic. A series of mad, impulsive road trips reveal the deep but troubled relationship between two friends, Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty. Infused with all kinds of philosophical questions and existential angst, the story rambles and speeds through many lives and experiences. So much, so fast, it really took me longer to read than I first thought, as I had to do bite size portions. Ultimately it seems to be a sad book. Though full of vibrancy and amazing detail there is a dark sense of impending senselessness in the midst of all the crazy travel - onward all the time, then when you get there, after a few days of mad partying, head back again across a whole continent! The Mexican section is perhaps the most moving. I'm glad I read it but felt unnerved by the total abandon and ultimate sorrow of the characters. That said it is a window onto a dynamic era, symbolised in the infusion of jazz music throughout the book.

Done! I finished Anthony Trollope's THE LAST CHRONICLE OF BARSET last weekend; my Penguin Classics print edition was 928 pages. Serialized throughout 1866, it was published in book form in 1867.

I am a little sad to say good-bye to all of my high and low-church friends of Barsetshire. This is my third reading of the Barsetshire series; I feel like I know them better than I know some of my more modern friends in the real world! I tend to read a lot of literature and history of the World War One era, and have been moved to discover that the British soldiers of the "Great War" craved Trollope's novels as they plodded through the trenches of Belgium and France. They reported that in that world of mechanized doom and random death that surrounded them in the trenches, the idealized lives of the curates and families of Barsetshire seemed to offer a world worth striving for.

I suspect the only cure for post-Barsetshire melancholia is to plunge ahead into the Palliser novels. Forward!

*also posted on Facebook

A Christmas tradition for me for the past twenty years has been to re-read THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING, by T.H. White. It's my favorite book; it approaches the Arthurian legend from a modern point of view while fully embracing the tragic core of the medieval story told by Sir Thomas Malory in 1470.

And anyone who loves to read will understand how hard it is to commit to one novel as "the favorite" -- it feels like a betrayal of all those other fabulous books that have changed our lives! But THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING (1958) is the book I always, always go back to.

My print edition of this book (a cherished gift) is 656 pages.

Two days left. There are plenty of short classics out there if you want to squeeze something in. I am trying to finish the Hobbit in time.

According to Scott, between this group and the Facebook page we have logged in over 200 books and 68,000 pages so far.

He also asked, "how many of you might be interested in doing this again next year?"

Absolutely! It's a great motivator to seek out and read a classic plus you get the benefit of other people's submissions. Thank you and all the best for 2012 :)

That was
Meant to be 2013 btw ! :)

Just in under the wire:
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925, 154 pages, print.
It seems like people either love or love to hate this book. I didn't feel as strong a reaction, though I did enjoy it. I never had to read this in high school, so I'm not sure how I would have reacted at age 16.
On to 2013 and another batch o' classics.

x-posted to facebook

Another under the wire. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, 1937, 246 pages, e-reader/text-to-speech.

I enjoyed reading The Hobbit some 20 years ago, and found that it still met my expectations today. It is a great fantasy adventure story, where good and evil are not always easily defined.

I highly recommend reading it, especially if you are planning to watch the new trilogy. If you read it straight through you might be able finish it in less time than it takes to watch the complete trilogy.

x-posted on Facebook

One last short one for the year.

Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam Translated by Edward FitzGerald, 12th century, 96 pages (although there was often just one quatrain per page), print.

X-posted to Facebook

I wasn't very active in the 2012 version of the Read a Classic group. I hope to fix that this year. My contribution to the group is John Steinbeck's East of Eden. I read it in paperback - the Centennial edition (1902-2002) from Penguin books. It contained 601 pages.

Happy New Year and good reading in 2013!

I slogged through a fairly difficult to read translation of Le Morte D'Arthur for a Summer Institute on Medievalism back in college. Since then I have had a slight aversion to Arthurian legends. I will have to try The Once and Future King as perhaps the modern retelling will help.

January is Action/Adventure month in Read a Classic in 2013. The dull winter month is a great time to escape on a swashbuckling , near-death, hair-raising, and romantic adventure.

If you’re a ‘one classic a year�� kind of participant, or an ‘I’m going to read every book from a single author this year�� kind of participant, then bravo, carry on. But if you like some variety and aren’t adverse to suggestions, please feel free to participate.

Here’s how it works. I’ll suggest about a dozen books in the genre. Feel free to read one or branch out and find your own classic adventure story—just be sure to report back with the author, title, translator, year of initial publication, page number, and format (e-reader, audio-book, print, etc.) when you’re finished. My cousin is also managing a ŷ������ page where you can connect with others who are reading the same book. Here’s the address: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/7...

Some Classic Adventure Books:
James Clavell �� Shogun --
Daniel Defoe �� Robinson Crusoe ��
Arthur Conan Doyle �� The Lost World ��
Alexandre Dumas �� The Three Musketeers ��
C.S. Forester �� The African Queen ��
H. Rider Haggard �� King Solomon’s Mines ��
Anthony Hope �� The Prisoner of Zenda ��
Jack London -- The Call of the Wild --
A.E.W. Mason �� The Four Feathers ��
Howard Pyle �� The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood --
Robert Louis Stevenson �� Kidnapped --
Jules Verne �� Around the World in Eighty Days --
P.C. Wren �� Beau Geste ��

I found an old copy of Kidnapped on a bookshelf last year, read it and enjoyed it (which I did not complete at school many years ago!). Thanks for reminder, it has a style of its own, quite a charming book in a way but full of intrigue and tension too. Like many classics, hooks you into the story and characters early on without any clever gimmicks - just downright great story-telling! Might try to read again soon but a lot of work on, however would recommend heartily. Great initiative by the way, a real motivator. Thank you all.