Classic Book Review: A Separate Peace

TITLE: A Separate Peace
AUTHOR: John Knowles
PUBLISHED: 1959
CATEGORY: Young Adult (sort of)
GENRE: Historical Fiction
PREMISE: A man remembers his time in school during WWII.
MY THOUGHTS: Sigh. This is yet another book in what I'm beginning to think is a sub-genre: Old (usually white and straight) guy thinks back on one memorable thing from his childhood. I've stumbled across so many literature books that do this and...honestly dudes? I'm sorry, but your childhood is not as interesting as you think it is. This one had all the problems that books that do this idea have: mainly...it's dull.
I get what the author was doing with it. War is hell, it effects us all, even those not in the war, etc. etc. Probably also some metaphors for losing your innocence as well. This is not a difficult novel to grasp or even to read. Which is probably why it winds up on reading lists for schools all the time. But personally, I suspect this is better read as an adult. I have no doubt that teenage me would have hated this. Adult me....didn't enjoy it, but appreciates what the author was trying to do.
I just, for the life of me, couldn't get into this one. Yet another classic that is just not for me.
WHO SHOULD READ: literature fans, those that don't mind slow-paced books

(Modern) Classic Book Review: The Neverending Story

TITLE: The Neverending Story
AUTHOR: Michael Ende
PUBLISHED: 1979
CATEGORY: Middle-Grade
GENRE: Fantasy
PREMISE: A boy finds a book that magically transports him to a magical land.
MY THOUGHTS: I have seen the Neverending Story movies a long time ago. I believe back in middle-school, actually. I enjoyed them well enough. That's kind of my reaction to the book: I enjoyed it well enough. It's not really life-changing or anything, though.
Probably if I had read this as a tween, it'd be a different story. If you have a tween into fantasy, give them this book. They will probably at least get a kick out of it. Me, I just can't give it more then a shrug. Part of it is that it's predictable. Nothing happens that isn't really unexpected. It follows typical fantasy quest rules. It's wish-fulfillment for boys, basically. It is also frankly...a little dated. Female characters don't really do anything, the one PoC character is a horrible stereotype. He...kind of does stuff, but is quickly pushed aside, once Bastian goes into the book. Which...I get it, it's a wish-fulfillment book. So naturally, everyone is going to be focused on making Bastian the best hero he can be. It was still kind of annoying though.
So...I get why it became a thing. It's a decent story and does the trick. There's some meta stuff in the beginning about reading that I really liked. For the age group it's aimed at, I recommend it. For older folks though...I suspect it might bore you. Especially if you're like me and have seen the movies, so you already know what happens.
WHO SHOULD READ: Tweens/Middle-school/early high school readers, fantasy fans

Book Review Catch-up Post Part 1: June 2018 Reads

Yeah...I'm woefully behind on reviews on here. I have been reading...I just haven't been terribly motivated to post reviews. So I'm going to do a catch up and try to get back into the swing of reviewing/posting stuff this month.

Here are the rest of the books that I read in June:

Rebel Mechanics Book 3: Rebels Rising by Shanna Swenson
Category: YA
Genre: Steampunk/Historical Fantasy
Published: April 2017
Rating: Three and a half out of Five steampunk outfits
Okay ending. Everything tied up a little too quickly and neatly for my taste. A bit of a let down after how great the second one was.
Rating for series: Three and a half out of Five

Tyranny of Petticoats Book 2: The Radical Element by various authors
Category: YA
Genre: Historical Fiction/Historical Fantasy, Short Stories
Published: March 13th, 2018
Rating: Four out of Five awesome female leads
If you've read Tyranny of Petticoats, this is just more of the same. Lots of good stories in this one.

A Land of Permanent Goodbyes by Atia Abawi
Category:YA
Genre: Contemporary
Published: January 23rd, 2018
Rating: Three and a half out of Five
I like the overall message in this book, and there were some beautiful passages of writing in it. But the story overall...just fell a little flat for me for some reason.


The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Category: Adult/Classics
Genre: Contemporary
Published: 1905
This was...interesting. It was a bit slow for my taste, but overall I liked it. I find that Wharton's books tend to subvert expectations and I really like that aspect of her books.

Numair Chronicles Book 1: Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce
Category: YA
Genre: Fantasy
Published: February 6th, 2018
Rating: Four out of Five
I adore the Tortall books and pretty much everything Pierce writes. So it was a given, I was going to read and enjoy this. However, even as I enjoyed it...I think the series is unnecessary as most prequels are. It gives good insight to Numair's character...but that's honestly about all it does. But this was mostly just build-up, I think I suspect the next book will be where everything I actually care about happens. Such as Numair meeting Alanna and co.

The Collected Poems by Langston Hughes
Category: Classics
Genre: Poetry
Published: This edition, was published in 1995. It includes all of Hughes poems written over the the years, going as far back as the 1930s.
Still very new to poetry, so I can't comment on the quality. But I personally loved these. I also found some that were written over fifty years ago that are still relevant today. Part of me thinks it's because Hughes was just that good and part of me also thinks its because our society has not evolved as much as we like to claim.

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
Category: Classics
Genre: Non-Fiction/Philosophy/Politics
Published: 1513
If you're into history, you'll probably like this. As a lot of it is Machiavelli talking about politics and drawing from examples of history to back up his ideas. I just honestly found it dull.

Graphic Novels read:
Ms Marvel Vol.s 7 and 8
Batman and the Outsiders Vol. 1
Squirrel Girl Beats Up the Marvel Universe
Hawkeye: Kate Bishop Vol. 2

Reading Through the Classics (Play version): Waiting for Godot

TITLE: Waiting for Godot
AUTHOR: Samuel Beckett
CATEGORY: Play
GENRE: Um...Magical realism...I guess?
PUBLISHED: 1952
PREMISE: Two old men wait for a man they call Godot every day. Here are just some of the things that happen to them while they wait...
MY THOUGHTS: This is a weird play. Like, of all the plays I've read so far I think the weirdest is either this one or Angels in America. But like Angels in America....this works for me.
A large part of it is the banter. I love me some good banter, and this play has that in spades. It just makes you laugh, even as you have no idea what's going on sometimes.
I enjoyed this. It is a weird ass play. But apparently, weird ass plays are my thing. What can you do?
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of the play, Angels in America fans, philosophy fans

Modern Classic Review: The Woman in Black

TITLE: The Woman in Black
AUTHOR: Susan Hill
PUBLISHED: 1983
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Paranormal, Historical Fiction
PREMISE: A man goes an old mansion to discover it is haunted...
MY THOUGHTS: The Woman in Black is very old school ghost story du jour. I personally really enjoyed it. I believe I've mentioned I love ghosts here, well this is basically ghost story 101.
This is another book that I think is perfect for the summer. It's atmospheric, has a great creepy vibe, and builds suspense very nicely. As it's a novella, it moves very quickly, but it tells the story in a satisfactory way.
If you want a quick read that gives a nice spooky vibe for those summer thunderstorms, I highly recommend this classic ghost story.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of ghost stories, those that have seen the movie

Modern Classic Review: Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

TITLE: Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
AUTHOR; Jeanette Winterson
CATEGORY: Adult
PUBLISHED: 1985
GENRE: Contemporary/Realistic Fiction
PREMISE: A character tells about her life growing up and her complicated relationship with her very religious mother.
MY THOUGHTS: When reading this, I was reminded strongly of Rubyfruit Jungle. Probably very groundbreaking for its time, but nowadays...not so much.
The writing in here is great. There are lines in it that are hilarious and poignant. The characters are interesting. At least unlike Rubyfruit Jungle, it didn't constantly act if like you weren't living the life the character/author thought you should be, you were doing it wrong. It does do its job as a memoir like fiction book. It's just...these kind of books are all over the place in literary fiction. So I was kind of bored because it didn't particularly offer anything new.
But again: this is an older book. At the time it was written, this was considered new. So I totally understand how it became a thing when it was published. It's just one of those things, that maybe hasn't aged very well. It's still good. Just rather dated.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of Rubyfruit Jungle, fans of Fun Home

Book Review: If Beale Street Could Talk

TITLE: If Beale Street Could Talk
AUTHOR: James Baldwin
CATEGORY: Adult
PUBLISHED: 1974
GENRE: Contemporary
PREMISE: A husband and wife try to figure out how to get him out of prison when she discovers she is pregnant.
MY THOUGHTS: This is the first James Baldwin book that I've read. I've been meaning to read him for years, but best laid plans and all. This was a random read. I had a few hours to kill at the library while waiting for someone, so I picked up a small book I could find and read it. This turned out to be that book. It is under two-hundred pages. You can read it in one sitting.
It is a short book that packs a powerful punch. As with most literature, it covers a lot of subjects: racism, prison, classism, family issues and so much. There is a lot in this under two hundred page book. As with most classics, the way it deals with women leaves something to be desired (there's a moment of abuse with a husband that basically gets dismissed by everyone. Which...no. Not okay). But other then that, this was a damn good book. I definitely get why Baldwin is a thing.
I'll probably be picking up more Baldwin in the future. I don't know when exactly. But it will be soon.
WHO SHOULD READ: James Baldwin fans, contemporary fiction fans

Reading Through the Classics: Gone With the Wind

TITLE: Gone With the Wind
AUTHOR: Margaret Mitchell
PUBLISHED: 1936
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Historical Fiction, Romanceish
PREMISE: Follow Scarlet O'Hara and her trials and tribulations as the South goes to war with the North.
MY THOUGHTS: I have...complicated feelings on Gone With the Wind. First, I'm going to address the elephant in the room: yes, this book is racist. Anyone tries to tell you it isn't, please side-eye them like hell for me. It absolutely is. I see all of you defenders about to go "but but but historical accuracy! That's why it's in there!" NO. If Mitchell cared about historical accuracy, she wouldn't have had a scene with black men leering at Scarlet in public. Guys, black men back then would never have done that. Because if you were a black man back then, and you so much as looked at a white woman wrong, you got killed. Racism is not in there because of historical accuracy. It is in there because Mitchell herself was more then likely racist. This was written in the thirties. Racism was a big thing back then.
Ultimately, that is what hinders this book for me. Mitchell's personal biases shine through like a beacon in this book. It makes an otherwise decent saga of a deeply flawed woman dealing with the stuff life throws at her the best way she can just tedious to get through. I am in the minority where I actually love the character of Scarlet. Yes, she is horrible. I won't lie to you and say she's actually secretly likable and you're just sexist or something if you hate her. No. She is an aggravating character and I one hundred percent understand if you don't like her. I am personally glad Rhett left her. But damn is she entertaining sometimes. Also, she's oddly inspiring at times, with how she goes on no matter what life throws at her. She endures. She's that character that I like, despite wanting to shake her half the time.
Writing wise, this book is not at all hard to get through. The writing is straight forward. The story is easy to understand. It's actually a very easy classic. It's just LONG and you have to have a lot of patience with it. You also have to mine through a lot of racism, and just willful ignoring of history that doesn't suit the author's worldview in it and believe me, that can get frustrating. There's a reason it took me two months to finish this. My best advice going into this is to have a lot of patience with it, because you will need it.
WHO SHOULD READ: those that don't mind dealing with racism in their classics, people with a lot of patience

Reading Through the Classics: 1984

TITLE: 1984
AUTHOR: George Orwell
PUBLISHED: 1949
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Dystopian
PREMISE: In a future imagined by Orwell in the forties, a man starts to question his government and the way things are...
MY THOUGHTS: 1984 is one of those books that has been making the rounds this year (along with The Handmaid's Tale). After finally sitting down and reading it I definitely see why. There is stuff in here that is sadly, incredibly relevant to what is going on in the US government right now. BTW, guys? Our government resembling Big Brother is....really not a good thing. We should all be seriously worried about that.
As with all classics, there is stuff in here that is dated. Orwell's take on women is...more then a little questionable (I'm also kind of getting the feeling that he hated kids. Or possibly people in general. This book is not kind to humanity). I find it interesting how people go after YA dystopia for poor world-building, but when you read this...well...it's not exactly terribly detailed either. Also the romance in this is ten times worse then anything I've read in YA. Just saying. One thing I found interesting was in this one...there's no hopeful rebellion or anything like that. In fact....the ending is rather bleak. Which is a far cry from today's dystopians that try to at least have a rebellion of some sort going on to give hope for the next generation.
Like Fahrenheit 451 I get the sense that a lot of people read this and deliberately misinterpreted things to suit their world view. This happens a lot in classics and entertainment in general. Hell, I admit, I've probably been guilty of it. But I get the sense a lot people think they're Winston in the beginning of this story. Rebelling against authority, sticking it to Big Brother and all of that. The truth of the matter is....most of us are the sheep willingly going along with society because it's the easy path. At worst, we're O'Brien, helping Big Brother stay in power. Or we're the neighbor's bratty kids, gleefully turning on anyone who doesn't follow society's rules.
This book offers a lot of food for thought. I definitely see why people have been reading it again and why it tends to be on everyone's must-read list. I don't think it's a perfect book (the treatment of women leaves a lot be desired for me), but it is interesting and is one of those books that tends to stay with you for awhile.
WHO SHOULD READ: Dystopian fans, George Orwell fans

Reading Through the Classics: The Sound and the Fury

TITLE: The Sound and the Fury
AUTHOR: William Faulkner
CATEGORY: Adult
PUBLISHED: 1929
GENRE: Realistic Fiction
PREMISE: A book detailing the various tragedies of the Compson family.
MY THOUGHTS: Oh boy, where do I begin with this one? Full disclosure: I hate this book. I understand it was experimental fiction. According to literature snobs, this book is genius. Me...I just think it's a confusing mess. This book is a perfect example of pretentious as hell.
I'm sorry writers, but if I need some sort of key or code to understand your book...you did not write a very good book. Someone on Goodreads explained it perfectly: this is a book that makes people feel smart if they get it, so they decided that meant it was a masterpiece. All of this is not even going into the rampant sexism and racism in this book. Faulkner was definitely a man of his time and so that stuff is everywhere in this. Again: I know, it was written in the twenties. Again: DOES NOT MAKE IT OKAY and definitely does not mean I have to like it. I also frankly did not care for the way Faulker messed with writing style in this. I assume there was some sort of reason he kept changing up whether or not he was going to use apostrophes on things like don't or won't, but really all he succeeded in doing was making me want to take a big red pen and correct my book.
This is yet another classic that I just could not get into. Do I get what the author was going for? Sure. Is it brilliant writing...well...I don't think so but writing is very often in the eye of the beholder. I think this book is kind of a product of its time and hasn't aged terribly well. Perhaps I will try his other books (I hear they're all kind of different from each other) but...don't hold your breath.
WHO SHOULD READ: Literature fans, Faulkner fans, Hemingway fans

Reading Through the Classics: The Glass Menagerie

TITLE: The Glass Menagerie
AUTHOR: Tennessee Williams
PUBLISHED: 1945
CATEGORY: Play
GENRE: Realistic Fiction
PREMISE: A family in St. Louis go through family issues
MY THOUGHTS: Believe it or not, I never read Tennesse Williams in high school. No, not even this play. Which is weird when you consider that my school was in the St. Louis area. But that was my teachers for you. They had weird ideas sometimes about what they thought we needed to read.
This is what I've started calling: a family driven play. Basically: it's about a family at some moment in time in their life. I've started to notice this is a common story element in plays: take a family at some pivotal moment in their life. Study how that moment effected the family and their dynamics. It's interesting and it works. This one was one of the more interesting ones to me because of Williams' use of memory in the play.
Like Raisin in the Sun, this is mostly a character study so there's very little action. But it is definitely memorable. I can see why people have revived it over and over again (including this past year).
WHO SHOULD READ: Tennessee Williams fans, those who like plays

Reading Through the Classics: A Room With a View

TITLE: A Room With a View
AUTHOR: E. M. Forster
PUBLISHED: 1908
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Contemporary (for the time period it was written in anyway)/Romance
PREMISE: A young woman goes on her coming of age trip through Europe and experiences many ups and downs through out it...
MY THOUGHTS: I have to admit, this was not at all what I was expecting. People always make such a big deal about Forster in the lit world that I honestly, was expecting something super serious. Turns out: Forster is FUNNY. His prose remind me a lot of Austen's prose. It has that biting snark that manages to keep slow pace drama such as this one, rather fun.
If you've seen the 1985 movie, you likely know what to expect from this. I confess...I haven't seen it. But from what people tell me, other then a few liberties, it is mostly the same as the book. This is actually a fairly quick classic, at under two hundred pages. I read it in about a week.
All in all, this one was a fairly pleasant surprise. I'll definitely be picking up Forster's other books such as Howard's End and whatnot in the future.
WHO SHOULD READ: Jane Austen fans, North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell fans,

Reading Through the (Modern) Classics: Rubyfruit Jungle

TITLE: Rubyfruit Jungle
AUTHOR: Rita Mae Brown
PUBLISHED: 1973
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Contemporary
PREMISE: A woman goes through life figuring things out and being proud of who she is.
MY THOUGHTS: I have so many mixed feelings on this one. On one hand, there things in here that make me side-eye the author really hard (like some very judgmental comments about pretty much everyone who doesn't live the life the main character/author seems to think they should be living). On the other hand...it was written in the seventies.
On one hand....nothing really happened? I'm reminded a lot of On the Road, where the characters just go here, do stuff and then move on. I mean, this at least didn't have the sexism and whatnot of On the Road. I definitely liked the characters better in this book. But again: slow plot. But on the other hand, context is important when reading classics. This was a very bold book when it was written in the time it was in. On the other hand writing is....eh.
So...yeah. I don't know how to feel about this one you guys. I didn't hate it...but I didn't love it either...but I also get why it made the splash it did when it was published. Just...I have a lot of mixed feelings.
WHO SHOULD READ: those looking for more LGBTQA classics, Rita Mae Brown fans,

Reading Through the Classics: Summer

TITLE: Summer
AUTHOR: Edith Wharton
PUBLISHED: 1917
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Romance (sort of...), Drama
PREMISE: A young woman has an affair in her small town...
MY THOUGHTS: So, this is my first Edith Wharton. I actually wasn't planning on reading this, but library. picked up on a whim, you know the drill. Plus, I'm just trying to get stuff off the TBR list. Have I mentioned it's huge?
Anyways, Wharton...very interesting. I kind of think of this as the anti-romance novel. Like, you know how romances in general tend to mostly be escapist fiction with happily ever after guaranteed? Yeah, Wharton basically took that idea and tossed it out of the window. She made everything in this realistic, including (spoiler alert) not having the affair end in happily ever after. Like Madam Bovary, this is one of those books that during its time was seen as sensual. Like Madam Bovary it...really isn't. But it was interesting seeing a book from this time period actually have its main female character be interested in sex and not slut shame her for it (like Madam Bovary did).
This was an interesting reading experience, to be honest. I'll definitely be picking up more Edith Wharton in the future.
WHO SHOULD READ: The Awakening fans, classic book fans, Edith Wharton fans

Reading Through the Classics: Franz Kafka's Short Stories

TITLE: The Metamorphosis and Other Stories
AUTHOR: Franz Kafka
CATEGORY: Classic
GENRE: Er....mixture?
STORIES IN VOLUME:
The Metamorphosis (1915)
The Judgement (1913)
The Stoker: A Fragment (1913)
In the Penal Colony (1919)
A Country Doctor (1919)
An Old Leaf (1919)
A Hunger Artist (1922)
Josephine the Singer, Or the Mouse People (1924)
Before the Law (1919)
MY THOUGHTS: So...Kafka. How to explain Kafka to those who haven't read it? Honestly...there's probably no real way to explain Kafka. He's one of those authors you just have to read for yourself.
Of these small stories, the best ones in my opinion are The Metamorphosis and In the Penal Colony. The rest...I don't really know what to make of them to be honest. Like...I don't think they're bad. But they're just...confusing. He's one of those kinds of writers that just puts you in a situation and expects you to make sense of things without giving any explanation. That's...something that kind of drives me batty to be honest. Like, I don't need everything spelled out for me...but at least have some explanation if you're going to turn a guy into a huge cockroach, just saying.
I honestly am not sure how I feel about Kafka. His stuff is interesting. It's just...so weird that I honestly don't know how I feel about it. I might be checking out some of his longer works in the future, I do know at least that much.
WHO SHOULD READ: Magical realism fans, literature fans

Reading Through the (Modern) Classics: The Gunslinger

TITLE: The Gunslinger
Book 1 in The Dark Tower series
AUTHOR: Stephen King
PUBLISHED: 1982
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Fantasy
PREMISE: A man pursues another man in a mysterious western fantasy world..
MY THOUGHTS: Okay, unpopular opinion time: I...am not a huge fan of Stephen King. I like the ideas he comes up with. He has great concepts. I even like King himself, because from the interviews I've seen him in...he's a pretty cool dude. Those interviews and the cool concepts make me really wish I liked his books more. But of the two (and with this one, now three) I've read....I've come to the conclusion his books just aren't for me.
First....his treatment of female characters is frankly....ick. I forgot that but after I started this, I remembered right away why I haven't picked up one of his books in like five years. This one was definitely different from his other two I've read (Hearts in Atlantis and Carrie for those interested). But it still had the same issues I've found with his work: boring writing style, characters that feel more like ideas of characters then actual characters, and a fantasy world that also feels more like an idea then an actual fantasy world. That ultimately is always my issue with his books: they always feel like unfinished drafts of things that need to be worked on much more then they were.
Now, I know some people have said this gets better as it goes on and there's a big plan and yadda yadda yadda. I'm sure it does. I mean, there has to be some reason it has all the fans it does. But me personally? Yeah, sorry, I have zero interest in continuing. I think it's time I just face facts: I'm probably never going to be a Stephen King fan.
WHO SHOULD READ: Stephen King fans, fantasy fans who don't mind very vague world-building

Reading Through the Classics: Four Anton Chekhov Plays

TITLE: The Seagull
Uncle Vanya
Three Sisters
The Cherry Orchard
AUTHOR: Anton Chekhov
PUBLISHED: 1895, 1897, 1900. 1904
CATEGORY: Plays
GENRE: Realistic Fiction/Family Drama
MY THOUGHTS: So I recently took the plunge into plays, and one of my ongoing projects this year is to read through the ones being put on Broadway this season (I'm really excited about the Tonys, FYI). There are two Chekhov plays being done. One of them is The Cherry Orchard. The only copy my library had was a volume that was a bind-up of these four plays. Which is fine, these were also on my TBR list.
Of all four of them...I think Cherry Orchard was the best. Chekhov does a lot of focus on family drama things. There's probably some commentary on Russian things that I'm missing due to not knowing much about Russian history as well.
If you're just getting into Russian lit, I think Chekhov is a great place to start. I say this as someone also very new to it. His writing is easy to understand and quick to get through. You don't have to know everything about Russia to get his plays. So for those of us who may have been say...intimidated by Russian lit in the past (I fully blame Tolstoy. Trying Anna Karenina first, was probably not my wisest choice), Chekhov is a nice gateway into Russian lit.
WHO SHOULD READ: Theater nerds, Russian lit fans

Reading Through the Classics: North and South

TITLE: North and South
AUTHOR: Elizabeth Gaskell
PUBLISHED: 1854
CATEGORY: Classic, Adult
GENRE: Romance
PREMISE: A young woman moves to a new town after her father has a crisis of faith.
MY THOUGHTS: The first thing that popped into my mind as I read this was "this is kind of like Pride and Prejudice" and...it honestly is basically a bit of a redux on it. Gaskell definitely does her own take on people falling in love despite differences of opinion on things. Things don't go down quite the same way. I'm not saying it's a rip-off or anything like that. But...you can sort of tell, Gaskell got a lot of inspiration from Austen. As an Austen fan, I don't mind.
This one took the social commentary to higher levels then Austen did. But there was also still plenty of heart tugging romance. I definitely see why a lot of people fell for this story. There's lots going on, a lot of things to think about and the prose are great. Very wordy at times, like most of the classics are (daily reminder: a lot of authors back then were paid by the word. The books are wordy for a reason).
This was actually a rather enjoyable classic. I'll definitely be looking into Gaskell's other books in the future.
WHO SHOULD READ: Romance fans, Jane Austen fans, Bronte fans

Reading Through the Classics: The Unbearable Lightness of Being

TITLE: The Unbearable Lightness of Being
AUTHOR: Milan Kundera
PUBLISHED: 1984
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Realistic Fiction/Philosophy
PREMISE: A group of people carry on and have affairs in the Czech Republic before its fall...
MY THOUGHTS: You know that person in the back of the room who is convinced that their taste is the best taste around and they probably know more about stuff then anyone in the classroom, including the teacher? I feel like this book was written for that person. It just has that air about it where you can tell the author thought they were being terribly clever.
Now okay...like most literature: it has pretty writing. But that's pretty much all it has going on for it because the story is dull as dishwater. If you like reading about selfish people having affairs and justifying their horribleness to themselves via philosophy, then you might like this. Me...I like to have an actual plot and character development in my books. There were neither of those here. I won't even go into horrible treatment of female characters in this book. I could rant for hours about it and the sex scenes that were not sexy at all. They were mostly just awkward.
Now it does go a bit into the fall of the Czech Republic because that's where the author is from. Those parts were interesting to me because honestly, I don't know much about the Czech Republic. Some of the insights into the revolution and how the fall happened were interesting and good. I feel like the author maybe should have made this about that instead of focusing on boring people who basically just have sex with each other, justify the fact that they cheated, and then move on.
So yeah...I hated this one. Part of me wants to deny it's a classic out of spite. But my rule is it has to be over thirty years old and people still talk about it and like it or not this book qualifies.
WHO SHOULD READ: Um...philosophy fans? I don't know really.

Reading Through The Classics: A Doll's House (note: there are spoilers for the ending)

TITLE: A Doll's House
AUTHOR: Henrik Ibsen
PUBLISHED: 1879
CATEGORY: Play
GENRE: Realistic Fiction
PREMISE: A wife's life starts to come down around her and then she realizes she was perhaps trapped all along...
MY THOUGHTS: I continue through my new obsession with plays. This recent one has been on lots of feminism lists and...I suppose in a way it is. If you go by first wave feminism rules. Nowadays...I personally have issues with the way the wife left (she could have at least taken her kids with her...). But I notice everyone has different takes on that ending so...
This is a very slow character piece and honestly the realization Nora goes through seems to come out of no where as the first half and midway through the second half, she seems perfectly fine with how things are. It's not terribly subtle in making you the viewer see that this marriage was not okay though.
Honestly, like most classics, I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one. At the time it was released, it was probably very gutsy as divorce/leaving your husband was just not seen as an option back then. Nowadays...I feel like the pacing is awkward and there could have been a much better lead up to Nora leaving. I have to say I'm very curious about the new play on Broadway that is apparently a sequel to this about what happens when Nora comes back.
WHO SHOULD READ: those interested in first wave feminist literature (who don't mind how dated said literature can be), theater nerds, feminists