September 12: Throwback Freebie: Ten Books I Loved During The First Year I Started My Blog, Favorite Books Published 5 or 10 or 15 Years Ago, Ten Older Books I Forgot How Much I Loved, etc. etc. Tweak however you want!
For this week's list, I'm going with a very literal throwback: some of the oldest books I've read, based on date of publication, according to Goodreads. I didn't go with all of the actual oldest books, since most of them were classics I struggled through for school. These are old books that I enjoyed and would recommend to anyone.
1. 1340: A Cup of Sake Beneath the Cherry Trees by Kenko Yoshida
This was an accidental philosophical read, full of nuggets of wisdom and beautiful words.
2. 1818: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
I think this was the most "dated" of these books, but the terror and ethical dilemma of Frankenstein's experimentation is timeless.
3. 1835: It was snowing butterflies by Charles Darwin
This is just an excerpt from his diaries, and I'd love to get my hands on a full copy. If all naturalists and biologists wrote this beautifully, textbooks would be a breeze to read.
4. 1908: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Anne Shirley's appeal transcends time and location. For a Filipino kid growing up in the late 90's and early 2000's, she was the most relatable book character, equalled only by Lois Lowry's Anastasia Krupnik.
5. 1917: Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley
This also felt pretty dated at times, but Helen's spinsterhood and "fed-up-ness" fit in with today's issues.
6. 1931: Night Flight by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
I don't even have anything to say about how this is universal or relatable, or feels timeless or current. It's just beautiful writing.
7. 1949: Smith of Wootton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien
These are medieval short stories that I think should achieve fairy tale/nursery rhyme-levels of popularity and ubiquity.
8. 1951: Fallen into the Pit by Ellis Peters
This Post-WWII mystery is what got me interested in what I call "old-timey detective stories," and introduced me to Agatha Christie.
9. 1952: Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Another childhood favorite, this was a fun read and never felt stuck in any time period.
10. 1954: Half Magic by Edward Eager
I guess this is also dated for a children's book, but the premise is so, so good (your wishes only get half-granted) that it didn't matter to me.
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Struggled to Get Into
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.
September 5: Ten Books I Struggled to Get Into But Ended Up Loving or Ten Books That Were A Chore To Get Through or Ten Books I've Most Recently Put Down (the theme is...books you had a hard time with...tweak it how ever you need)
1. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Honestly, I'm the biggest scaredy-cat I know. The mere mention of any unusual events that could be supernatural in origin had me putting this book down, taking a deep breath, and preparing myself for a fright. I don't even remember anymore what frightened me, but I remember having to take a lot of pauses before the action swept my fears away.
2.The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
There must be something about supernatural themes that make me have to brace myself. I already knew from Tumblr that I'd love the characters, but the graveyard...? setting of one of the scenes spooked me. I ended up giving this (and The Historian) five stars, so I guess I did get into them eventually.
3. One Hundred Names for Love by Diane Ackerman
This one was a four-star read, but the premise of the book was so heavy, I actually felt it weighing me down emotionally. Eventually the beautiful words won over the unease and fear of the future, and I ended up speeding through the latter half of this.
4. Pirates of the Levant by Arturo Perez-Reverte
Alatriste books are generally easy to read in spite of the bloody subject matter, but something about the way the Moors were described in this made me uneasy and conscious of how xenophobia and racism still cause so much suffering today.
5. Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern
I love epistolary novels (when they're written well), but I feel like they allow you to form ideas of different characters at different paces, if that makes sense. When a character is described, it's often in broad strokes of adjectives, maybe a fine brush for some interaction with the sender or the addressee, but the sender/narrator seems more like a negative space or silhouette. Still a fun way to read, but it slows you down a bit.
6. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
This is cheating, a little: it wasn't a struggle because of the unusual format, or subject matter, it was a struggle because I wanted to copy out all the lines or poems I loved, which took me ages until I realized I'd be holding on to the book no matter what,
7. Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley
The summaries and reviews I'd seen had only impressed on me that there would be a traveling bookstore. I was somehow surprised to see that there was a bit of farmstead drudgery and an awful brother before I could get to the action. Once it got rolling (heh), it was a wonderful ride (heh) to independence and love.
8. The Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura
The title managed to lure me into buying this without glancing at the back, where the mere mention of Zen Taoism would have scared me off. Nonfiction of any but the most straightforward kind intimidates me, but the philosophical insights in this book were sweetened by tea- or nature-related imagery that set the mood beautifully.
9. A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel
Again, nonfiction. When anyone holds forth on something dear to me (in this case, books and reading), I start off defensively, measuring their opinions against mine, begrudgingly accepting some ideas and facts. Once I set that aside, this was a lovely read (four stars).
10. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
This book was a struggle from start to finish. The words were lovely individually, and I did find myself saving a lot of sentences to copy into my notebook, but it was so emotional, so painful for me that I took breaks before difficult scenes, sometimes during them, and often walked off to get chocolate or candy to help me turn the page. (Still a four-star read.)
September 5: Ten Books I Struggled to Get Into But Ended Up Loving or Ten Books That Were A Chore To Get Through or Ten Books I've Most Recently Put Down (the theme is...books you had a hard time with...tweak it how ever you need)
1. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Honestly, I'm the biggest scaredy-cat I know. The mere mention of any unusual events that could be supernatural in origin had me putting this book down, taking a deep breath, and preparing myself for a fright. I don't even remember anymore what frightened me, but I remember having to take a lot of pauses before the action swept my fears away.
2.The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
There must be something about supernatural themes that make me have to brace myself. I already knew from Tumblr that I'd love the characters, but the graveyard...? setting of one of the scenes spooked me. I ended up giving this (and The Historian) five stars, so I guess I did get into them eventually.
3. One Hundred Names for Love by Diane Ackerman
This one was a four-star read, but the premise of the book was so heavy, I actually felt it weighing me down emotionally. Eventually the beautiful words won over the unease and fear of the future, and I ended up speeding through the latter half of this.
4. Pirates of the Levant by Arturo Perez-Reverte
Alatriste books are generally easy to read in spite of the bloody subject matter, but something about the way the Moors were described in this made me uneasy and conscious of how xenophobia and racism still cause so much suffering today.
5. Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern
I love epistolary novels (when they're written well), but I feel like they allow you to form ideas of different characters at different paces, if that makes sense. When a character is described, it's often in broad strokes of adjectives, maybe a fine brush for some interaction with the sender or the addressee, but the sender/narrator seems more like a negative space or silhouette. Still a fun way to read, but it slows you down a bit.
6. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
This is cheating, a little: it wasn't a struggle because of the unusual format, or subject matter, it was a struggle because I wanted to copy out all the lines or poems I loved, which took me ages until I realized I'd be holding on to the book no matter what,
7. Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley
The summaries and reviews I'd seen had only impressed on me that there would be a traveling bookstore. I was somehow surprised to see that there was a bit of farmstead drudgery and an awful brother before I could get to the action. Once it got rolling (heh), it was a wonderful ride (heh) to independence and love.
8. The Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura
The title managed to lure me into buying this without glancing at the back, where the mere mention of Zen Taoism would have scared me off. Nonfiction of any but the most straightforward kind intimidates me, but the philosophical insights in this book were sweetened by tea- or nature-related imagery that set the mood beautifully.
9. A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel
Again, nonfiction. When anyone holds forth on something dear to me (in this case, books and reading), I start off defensively, measuring their opinions against mine, begrudgingly accepting some ideas and facts. Once I set that aside, this was a lovely read (four stars).
10. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
This book was a struggle from start to finish. The words were lovely individually, and I did find myself saving a lot of sentences to copy into my notebook, but it was so emotional, so painful for me that I took breaks before difficult scenes, sometimes during them, and often walked off to get chocolate or candy to help me turn the page. (Still a four-star read.)
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