The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

As I read this book, I kept wondering why it is considered a classic. The only thing I can think of is the fabulous description of the bull fights. The rest of the book left me bored and struggling to pick it up. I even went looking for reader guides or discussion questions to give insight into what I failed to notice. Even with those questions, I don't see what the fuss is about.

I'll be sending this back to the person I borrowed it from - and I'll have to think of something to say at book club next week.

Selected Stories - Henry James

After Reading Lolita in Tehran, I did it. I actually picked up Henry James's selected stories. Ok - I only made it through Daisy Miller and then a small portion of Washington Square, but at least I picked up the book. I really don't know what all the fuss was about - maybe I need the literature class discussion about the meanings behind things? Maybe, I missed the subtle nuances? It just seemed like a straight forward story, and of course the girl who broke with convention died. It didn't stick with me the way that short stories by Shirley Jackson or Franz Kafka have stayed with me. It seemed overly simplistic - but I guess you can't have the same character development in a short story that you have in a longer one.

I'm glad I read it, and I'm sure I'll read more. But I won't be reading it cover to cover - I'll just pick and choose.

Les Misérables - Victor Hugo

This is one of my mom's favorite books. It's a book I have tried to read before - several times. This time I suggested it for book club, figuring that I would HAVE to finish it. In talking to Mom, I also got the recommendation to skip over the history parts unless I was really in the mood for them. I could always go back for them later if I wanted. With that, I started in on the 1400 page tome.

It starts with a detailed description of a bishop - the man who shapes the rest of the story. Once you get past these 100 pages, the story really picks up. At least until you hit on a lengthy history section. Once Jean was introduced, the pages flew by, although I did stop to read The Margarets near the death of Fantine. This is a book that in today's world would be a series - but for once, all the cliff hangers have endings. There is so much commentary on life hidden in the pages (or in some sections hammered home over and over), it was a surprisingly fun read that at times I couldn't keep myself from continuing.

I skipped many of the historical sections - Waterloo, convents, sewers (yes, I know they are interesting topics, just wasn't in the mood).

I highly recommend this book. Since I borrowed it from the library, it will have to return. Since we recently cut back on the number of bookshelves for my books (giving some up for toy storage), I won't be buying a replacement for the library.

Ragtime - E.L. Doctorow

As I was reading this book, I was amused because of the overlap in characters between this book and Assassination Vacation. Or course, Emma Goldman has a much bigger role in this book than in the previous one.

I enjoyed the fact that many of the main characters didn't have names; now I won't be faulted for not remembering them. The way the story moves from character to character was very well done, following one character until the next character could take the lead. It was almost like a square dance where you keep switching partners- and oh the blasphemy for saying that about a book that is also highlighting ragtime and the start of jazz.

I started the book because I needed to finish it before Thursday and the first night I was through to page 181, and I finished it the second night. It went quickly and gave me ideas to think about, and made me really think about how far we have come. We still have a ways to go in race relations, but at least we have made some significant progress.

Not sure if I would read it again, I'll probably pass it on.

The Call of the Wild - Jack London

After my last attempt to find something to read for a few minutes before going to bed, I turned to the classics pile. An hour later, I put the book down; finished. I don't remember reading The Call of the Wild in school , but I remember my brother carrying it around at one point.

I haven't read a book from the point of view of an animal in years and years - unless it was one of those sci-fi ones where the "animals" are more intelligent than the humans. It was interesting to see things through the eyes of a dog. It was a change of pace to have the writing try to reflect what we think dogs actually think about; not adding all kinds of human emotion to the life of the dog. We were having a discussion about how people are like the pack animals with a layer of intelligence over the top of it. Controlled and behaving like pack animals - jockeying for position, revelling in a job well done, desiring a sense of purpose, and taking advantage of poor leaders.

I very much enjoyed this book, and I think I'll keep it around until Owen's old enough for me to read it to him. Although, maybe I would be better off getting another copy when he's older rather than using shelf space all those years...

Death Comes for the Archbishop - Willa Cather

A book club meeting on Thursday forced me to put down the "Otherland" series so that I won't feel guilty at the meeting. I still feel bad about "The Lemon Tree". Having heard from the book club organizer that Cather was her husband's favorite and from my mother that she could barely make it through Cather's work, I was unsure what to expect. I found the writing poetic at times, but also a bit impersonal. It almost had the feel of a non-fiction book - somewhat detached. While I feel I learned something about the life of a Bishop in New Mexico during the late 1800s, I didn't feel attachment to Father Latour. It was romanticized life in the west and while it wasn't distasteful, it wasn't fully satisfying either.

Since, I bought this as a compilation of several books by Cather in one volume, I'll read a few others before making a decision on whether it stays.

The Optimist's Daughter - Eudora Welty

Extremely well written story of the days leading up to and after Lauren's father's death. It showed the grieving process - without being a tear jerker. I am still processing this one, so I don't know what to say. I don't think I'd read it again (even though I was motivated to finish it in less than a day), but it was definitely good enough to pass on to others.