I noticed that my recent reads have all been YA dystopian novels. So it is time to mix things up and jump into something different. I have not done a review of any classics on my blog so I decided to list some of my favorites as well as come up with a "to read" list for classics. In order to make this more manageable, I will limit myself to three favorites and three to be read titles.
First of all, by classics I mean books that have been in print for a very long time and basically withstood the test of time. So classics is not really a genre. They are truly the best of the best of various genres that were written mostly in the 17th, 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. My favorites tend to be from the 19th and early 20th centuries and those are the ones you will see listed below.
A lot of people, myself included, are sometimes intimidated by classics, and I think some of it has to do with the differences in language/archaisms; and some of it is the fact that the classics we do read tend to be required readings for school. And if you are made to read a book, it is hard to call it enjoyable. Nevertheless, it is very possible to read classics for pure enjoyment and fun. I thoroughly enjoyed all of these and would encourage everyone who has perhaps been intimidated by classics to give them a try.
1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - I love this book. I cannot even tell you how many times I've read it. It does not get old for me. The heroine has an amazingly independent free spirit, and passion for life despite having come from humble beginnings and a really awful childhood. It is also an incredibly romantic love story, so I would definitely say this is my favorite classic work of literature.
2. My second favorite is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I love all of her novels, but this one has to be my favorite. It is sweet, funny, romantic and very easy to read. This is the kind of book that gets one hooked on classics. There are also multiple film adaptions of both of these books, so you can visualize the characters as you read.
3. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. This is a mammoth of a book - 4 volumes. However, I liked it so much that I actually read it twice. Do not be put off by its size. Tolstoy is a great writer and this is an epic story that follows the lives of several families during Napoleon's war with Russia. It has everything: incredible romance, war, heartbreak, coming of age, etc. You will grow with the characters and come to love some of them and hate others. There is truly a reason this book is still in print.
I have several classics on my bookshelf that I've been meaning to read. So I decided to set a manageable goal and try to read three classics over the next six months. Here are the titles I've chosen:
1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I've been planning to read this book for the past 15 years or so and just never got to it. So I think this is the perfect one to start with.
2. The Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. This is another book I've been meaning to get to. It has also been mentioned in some books I recently read which sort of renewed my interest in reading it.
3. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - I've had this book on my Kindle for a while, so it is probably time to read it. I love Wilde's plays and this is his only novel, so I hope it is just as witty and clever as his plays.
First of all, by classics I mean books that have been in print for a very long time and basically withstood the test of time. So classics is not really a genre. They are truly the best of the best of various genres that were written mostly in the 17th, 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. My favorites tend to be from the 19th and early 20th centuries and those are the ones you will see listed below.
A lot of people, myself included, are sometimes intimidated by classics, and I think some of it has to do with the differences in language/archaisms; and some of it is the fact that the classics we do read tend to be required readings for school. And if you are made to read a book, it is hard to call it enjoyable. Nevertheless, it is very possible to read classics for pure enjoyment and fun. I thoroughly enjoyed all of these and would encourage everyone who has perhaps been intimidated by classics to give them a try.
1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - I love this book. I cannot even tell you how many times I've read it. It does not get old for me. The heroine has an amazingly independent free spirit, and passion for life despite having come from humble beginnings and a really awful childhood. It is also an incredibly romantic love story, so I would definitely say this is my favorite classic work of literature.
2. My second favorite is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I love all of her novels, but this one has to be my favorite. It is sweet, funny, romantic and very easy to read. This is the kind of book that gets one hooked on classics. There are also multiple film adaptions of both of these books, so you can visualize the characters as you read.
3. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. This is a mammoth of a book - 4 volumes. However, I liked it so much that I actually read it twice. Do not be put off by its size. Tolstoy is a great writer and this is an epic story that follows the lives of several families during Napoleon's war with Russia. It has everything: incredible romance, war, heartbreak, coming of age, etc. You will grow with the characters and come to love some of them and hate others. There is truly a reason this book is still in print.
I have several classics on my bookshelf that I've been meaning to read. So I decided to set a manageable goal and try to read three classics over the next six months. Here are the titles I've chosen:
1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I've been planning to read this book for the past 15 years or so and just never got to it. So I think this is the perfect one to start with.
2. The Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. This is another book I've been meaning to get to. It has also been mentioned in some books I recently read which sort of renewed my interest in reading it.
3. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - I've had this book on my Kindle for a while, so it is probably time to read it. I love Wilde's plays and this is his only novel, so I hope it is just as witty and clever as his plays.
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