Three years ago I made a resolution to read one classic novel per month, and that classic book's title would start with the same letter of the month I’m trying to read it within. My plan started out great with “Jane Eyre” a book I should have read ages ago, even though I do prefer Jane Austen to the Bronte sisters…I kept it up through February reading Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” of which I don’t really have an opinion either way, but I’m glad I read it. Then I thought, what could be better than “Middlemarch” for the month of March? Huh. That book is huge, I got about 10 pages in started a new job while finishing my two weeks at my first job and gave up on the idea. Last year I didn’t even get past New Year's Eve. But this year I’m the queen of resolutions and good intentions, so here we are.
For my purposes a ‘classic’ is a book I should have read; perhaps at a different high school or college but for whatever reason, haven’t. I freely admit romances have become my go to read for the past 8 or so years, because they're entertaining and comforting and I love them. However, after a while they can start to feel like the literary equivialent of too much junk food. So, time for some whole grains and veggies.
January 2010 – “The Joy Luck Club” - Amy Tan - 1989.
A hugely successful debut novel about the complex relationships between mothers and daughters woven through and around complex ideas of national identity. Very good.
1 down, 11 to go.
So, it all went downhill when I decided to give myself two months to read "Jude the Obscure" by Thomas Hardy and only read the first two pages...in mid-July! Then I said to myself, well, that was a summer vacation of sorts, back to it in August. Let's just say I've had two different copies of Betty Smith's "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn"" for two months now. Just like the romance I'm currently reading, one or two pages and I'm out. Sigh. To be fair (to myself) most of September was dedicated to "Entitled"but now I've got some down time. So, what will be - "O, Pioneers" or "On The Road"?
