A Big Box of Penguin Classics!

My only New Year's Resolution was to curtail the amount of books I was adding to my to-read shelves by not purchasing any more books.  But gifts don't count, right?  Well, what about . . . prizes?  Because a couple of weeks ago I received an unexpected email from Penguin Books!  To my surprise and delight, this is what it said:

"Congratulations! Your predictions for the final list of 10 Essential Penguin Classics were closer than anyone else's (okay, full disclosure, you and another person tied, so we're awarding two grand prizes). Because of your Nostradamus-like powers of prediction, you've won a set of Penguin Classics Deluxe Editions."

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was gobsmacked!  Okay, I've won prizes before, but I don't think I've ever won anything that wasn't random or pure luck, like a giveaway from another book blogger, or a door prize.  Or bingo -- certainly nothing that involved actual skill or knowledge.  I've never even been able to guess how many jelly beans are in a jar (not that I'd even want them -- seriously, if isn't chocolate, why bother?).  But I digress.

Anyway -- today I received a box with TWENTY FOUR Graphics Deluxe Classics from Penguin books!  A twenty-three pound box!!  Here's a photo of what was inside, properly alphabetized by author:

If you can't read the titles very well, here's a list of what was in the box:

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott*
2. Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen
3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen*
4. The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte*
6. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte*
7. The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
8. White Noise by Don DeLillo
9. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens*
10. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne*
11. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
12. Metamorphosis and Other Stories by Franz Kafka
13. Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence
14. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
15. The Portable Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker
16. Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
17. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley*
18. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
19. The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights by John Steinbeck
20. Dracula by Bram Stoker*
21. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain*
22. Candide, or Optimism by Voltaire*
23. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton*
24. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde*

Update: Titles with asterisks are those I have read.

I've read quite a few classics but only half of these, so I've just added another 12 books to my owned-and-unread challenge.  I do own a few of these already, my other editions aren't nearly as nice!  I had originally thought I'd share some of these with friends, here in town and in the blogosphere, but these are so beautiful I don't know if I can part with any of them. They now have their own dedicated bookshelf.   

I'll start reading them soon and I'll be sure and post updates with my reviews.  Any suggestions where I should start?

And before I forget, thanks again to the generous folks at Penguin Classics, and congratulations to Jane at Reading, Writing, Working, Playing, the other winner of the sweepstakes!  Woo hoo! 

Back to the Classics Challenge: Mid-Year Check-In and Giveaway!

2015 is halfway over! How's everyone doing with the Back to the Classics Challenge?

I'm pleased to report that I've already finished eight of of the twelve categories, and I'm making good progress on #9!  Here's what I've read so far:

• 19th Century Classic: Phineas Finn by Anthony Trollope
• Classic by a Woman Author: Aurora Floyd by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
• Very Long Classic: The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
• Classic Novella: Liza of Lambeth by W. Somerset Maugham
• Classic With a Name in the Title: Lady Anna by Anthony Trollope
• Humorous or Satirical Classic: Frozen Assets by P. G. Wodehouse
• Forgotten Classic: The Towers of Trebizond by Rose Macauley
• Children's Classic: Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers

I think my favorites were Lady Anna  and Mary Poppins, and of course Wodehouse is always a hoot. I did find Pickwick to be a bit of a slog, but I mostly listened to the audiobook. I'm also about a third of the way through my Classic in Translation, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, just in time for Paris in July!

I'm so pleased with my progress. And how is everyone else doing? As a little incentive, I'm having a giveaway! Just like last year, one lucky winner will receive a beautiful Penguin Clothbound Classic of his or her choice (up to US $20).  

Here are the rules for the Giveaway:

Updated: Since it is a holiday weekend here in the U.S., the deadline has been extended to July 10. 

1.  To enter, you must already have been signed up for the challenge (sorry, the cutoff date was back in March.) If you have not already on the list, YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE.

2.  Challenge participants must have already linked at least one review to one of the twelve categories in the 2015 Back to the Classics Challenge. If you've signed up but haven't posted any reviews, the cutoff date to post is July 10. 

3.  Any new links to the Challenge must follow the original parameters for the Challenge.

4.  Challenge participants must leave a comment below, letting me know which book they've most enjoyed reading for the challenge. If you like, you can also tell me which Penguin Clothbound Classic you would choose if you won (you can change your mind if you're the winner). Include an link or an email address so I can let you know if you've won. 

5. One lucky winner, drawn at random, will receive his or her choice of Penguin Clothbound Classic valued up to $20 (US) from either Amazon.com OR The Book Depository. The winner must live in a country where they can receive delivery from Amazon.com or The Book Depository. If you're not sure, click here to see if The Book Depository delivers to your country. 

6.  Comments and links must be posted no later than July 10, 2015 at 11:59 p.m., U.S. Central Standard Time. On July 11, 2015, I'll post the name of the winner. 

7.  The winner must contact me with a good address by July 16, 2015, at 11:59 p.m., or I'll choose another winner. 

So what are you waiting for?  Post some reviews, tell me which books you liked best, and let me know which Penguin Classic you'd pick if you won! 

Back to the Classics Challenge: Mid-Year Check-in and Giveaway!

2018 is already halfway over! How's everyone doing with the Back to the Classics Challenge?

I'm happy to report that I've already finished nine of of the twelve categories.  Here's what I've read so far:

• 19th Century Classic: Nina Balatka and Linda Tressel by Anthony Trollope
• 20th Century Classic: The Jewel in the Crown by Paul Scott
• Classic in Translation: A Love Story by Emile Zola
• Children's Classic: Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery
• Classic Travel or Journey: Orient Express by Graham Greene
• Classic With a Single-Word Title: Peony by Pearl S. Buck
• Classic With a Color in the Title: Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxeley
• Classic By a New-To-You Author: Effi Briest by Theodor Fontane
• Re-Read a Favorite Classic: Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

That leaves me with only three categories left: Classic by a Woman Author; Classic Crime Novel; and (naturally) Classic That Scares You. So far I think my favorite was The Jewel in the Crown (except for Wives and Daughters, of course!) I'm hoping to start the next book in the series this summer, though I won't be able to count it for this challenge since it doesn't really fit any of the remaining categories. 

I'm also planning on reading Crime and Punishment this summer, which I will probably count as the Classic that Scares Me (unless I count it for Classic Crime). I'm also hoping to read something by Irene Nemirovsky which I can count as my Classic by a Woman Author.

I'm very pleased with my progress. And how is everyone else doing? As a little incentive, I'm having a giveaway! One lucky winner will receive a beautiful Penguin Clothbound Classic of their choice (value up to US $20).  

Here are the rules for the Giveaway:

1.  To enter, you must already have been signed up for the challenge (sorry, the cutoff date was back in March.) If you have not already on the list, YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE.

2.  Challenge participants must have already linked at least one review to one of the twelve categories in the 2018 Back to the Classics Challenge. If you've signed up but haven't posted any reviews, the cutoff date to post is July 31.

3.  Any new links to the Challenge must follow the original parameters for the Challenge.

4.  Challenge participants must leave a comment below, letting me know which book they've most enjoyed reading for the challenge. If you like, you can also tell me which Penguin Clothbound Classic you would choose if you won (you can change your mind if you're the winner). Include an link or an email address so I can let you know if you've won. 

5. One lucky winner, drawn at random, will receive his or her choice of Penguin Clothbound Classic valued up to $20 (US) from either Amazon.com OR The Book Depository. The winner must live in a country where they can receive delivery from Amazon.com or The Book Depository. If you're not sure, click here to see if The Book Depository delivers to your country. 

6.  Comments and links must be posted no later than July 31, 2018 at 11:59 p.m., U.S. Pacific Standard Time. On July 1, I'll post the name of the winner. 

7.  The winner must contact me with a good address by August 8, 2018, at 11:59 p.m., or I'll choose another winner. 

So what are you waiting for?  Post some reviews, tell me which books you liked best, and let me know which Penguin Classic you'd pick if you won! 

Top Ten Books That Scare Me The Most

So, I'm about a third of the way through one of the biggest, fattest books on my TBR Challenge List, The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek.  Quite frankly, I'm pretty pleased with myself for tackling it, because it's long, and it's about war, and it's in translation from a former Communist country.  And the coolest thing is that I'm actually enjoying it.  Earlier this year, I made a list of 20 books for a Classics Spin, and one of the categories was "Five Books That Scare Me."  So far this summer, I've read three of the five on the list, and I've actually enjoyed all of them!  (The other two were Lady Chatterley's Lover and Giants in the Earth.)

So it got me thinking that hey, maybe I could work up the nerve to read something that really scares me.  Not books that are scary, necessarily, like horror.  Really, what I mean are books that intimidate me, that I'm afraid to tackle, because they're really long, or sound really depressing, or, quite frankly, I'm afraid I'm not smart enough to understand or appreciate.  Basically, pushing myself.  I'm not a total idiot -- I read Dickens and Zola and Edith Wharton, though I have no desire to ever tackle Ulysses.

So here is a list of books, mostly from my own shelves, which I have not read and which I've been putting off.  Am I right to be scared, or should I put them in the library donation box?

1.  Moby-Dick by Herman Melville.  It's 600 pages of men chasing a whale. Rumor has it the whale doesn't show up for 100 chapters, and it's full of allegory which is not my strong point.  But I have a beautiful Penguin Deluxe Classics copy which was free, so I feel that I should try it sometime.  Plus I like books about sailing, since I live miles from any ocean.

2.  The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.  Another Penguin Deluxe Classic that I own.  The cover of this particular edition gives me nightmares.  I'm told by a good friend that it isn't any more gruesome than Germinal, which I loved.

3.  Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.  It's 1,232 pages, and there are entire chapters about the Paris sewer system.  I know many people love this book but I find the length daunting.  I bought the Penguin clothbound classic edition because the cover was really pretty.

4.  Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo.  I have a Wordsworth Classic edition which I actually bought at the Notre Dame gift shop. (It still has the price tag on it, in Euros which I find really cool).  Bought after I walked halfway up the 20 gazillion steps and desperately needed a break, because there are no elevators.  The people who work there must have awesome thigh muscles.

5.  To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf.  Bought at a library sale for $1, so if I never read it, I won't feel the loss too badly.  Stream-of-consciousness is not my thing, so I don't know if I'll ever actually read it.

6.  The Invention of Curried Sausage by Uwe Timm.  A very short book, a novella really, but I started reading it and it's set in Germany after WWII, which sounds really depressing.  I bought it at Half-Price Books because it was on that 1000 Books to Read Before You Die list.  I'd never heard of it before that and the title really intrigued me.

7.  The Canterbury Tales by Peter Ackroyd (retold).  Another Penguin Deluxe Classic.  They've been retold into modern English, but anything written before 1800 makes me nervous.

8.  The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka.  A guy wakes up and he's turned into a giant bug.  I know it's an allegory, but I really hate bugs.

9.  Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky.  (Also The Brothers Karamazov). A long Russian novel about crime.  And punishment.  Seriously, Russian novels scare me.  My last was Doctor Zhivago, not a great experience.

10.  Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes.   It's long, it's picaresque, which means it has sort of a meandering plot, and it was published in 1605.  That's enough to scare anybody.

So -- those are the books that scare me the most, at the moment -- this list could change.  Are my fears well founded?  Are these actually awesome books that I will grow to love, and kick myself for waiting so long?  Or should I run screaming in the other direction before I read them?

Inquiring minds want to know.

TBR Pile Challenge 2014

2013 wasn't even halfway over when I started planning my list for the 2014 TBR Pile Challenge!  The goal:  read at 12 specified books that have been hanging around the TBR shelves unread for at least one year.  I've been revising this list for a while, and I think I'm finally done.  I'm nearly finished with the 2013 challenge, and this year, I'm trying to include more fun books -- I really liked most of the books on the list this year, but I was really dreading some of them.  I'm going to try and make this less of a chore this year.  Here's my list:

1.  Peking Picnic by Ann Bridge. Bought at the Borders liquidation.  Completed 7/3/14.

2.  Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert.  One of many black-spine Penguin Classics on the TBR shelves.  Also bought at the Borders blowout.  Completed 12/29/14.

3.  I, Claudius by Robert Graves.  It's been on my to-read list for years, because it's on the Modern Library Top 100 list.  I'm especially interested because my oldest daughter is taking Latin and she's learning all about Roman culture.  I've never seen the PBS miniseries adaptation, so maybe I'll watch that too. Completed 12/17/14. 

4.  The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard.  I loved The Cazalets miniseries, based on this book.  Bought it (and the second in the series, Marking Time) for only $1 from the library's donation cart.  Completed 1/5/14. 

5.  Kim by Rudyard Kipling.  Another book from the ML Top 100.  I've only read 49 so far, so if I complete both this and I, Claudius, I'll be more than halfway through the list. Completed 5/10/14.

6.  Dusty Answer by Rosamund Lehmann.  A Christmas gift from about three years ago.  Completed 2/16/14.

7.  The Sisters:  The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary S. Lovell. Bought after reading (and loving) The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate -- in 2006. Completed 6/15/14.

8.  Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami.  I bought this while I actually lived in Japan almost ten years ago (via Amazon, ironically).  Still haven't read it.  Completed 12/5/14.

9.  Singled Out:  How Two Million Women Survived Without Men After WWI by Virginia Nicholson.   Bought during Downton Abbey withdrawal.  I'm thinking about reading up on WWI next year, in honor of the 100th anniversary.  There's also a WWI Library Thing readalong.  Completed 7/19/14. 

10.  Miss Marjoribanks by Margaret Oliphant. Another Penguin I have wanted to read for years.  I've heard this one somewhere between Jane Austen (or is it Elizabeth Gaskell?) and George Eliot's Middlemarch, which I loved. Completed 2/1/14.

11.  The Edwardians by Vita Sackville-West.  Also purchased during Downton Abbey withdrawal.  Completed 8/31/14.

12.   The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.  From my Big Box of Penguin Classics.  My copy is actually the Graphic Deluxe Classics version, and the cover is really disturbing.  Completed 6/7/14. 

Alternates:

1.  Appetite for Life: The Biography of Julia Child by Noel Riley Fitch.  Yet another purchase from Borders before they closed.  Sigh.

2.  The River's Tale by Edward Gargan.  Another book about Asia purchased while I was overseas.  I should have really put this in the must-read list for the challenge.

So -- several Penguins, several non-fiction books, four from my Classics Club list, two in translation, and some lighter reading as well.  What do you think, bloggers?  Good list?  Which are must reads, and which should be put off until the bitter end?  And who else is signing up for the 2014 TBR Pile Challenge?  What's on your list?

Back to the Classics Challenge 2014: Mid-Year Check In (and Giveaway!!!)

Well, it's almost halfway through 2014, so I thought I'd check in and see how everyone's doing with the Back to the Classics Challenge!!  I'm really proud to say that I've actually finished seven of the eleven categories -- and I can count my current read, Moby-Dick, for number eight!  I'm quite proud because I've deliberately chosen not to count books from my other big challenge, the TBR Pile Challenge, towards this challenge, thinking this would inspire me to read even more books off my own shelves.  I've also decided not to repeat any authors, to try and vary my selections.

Here's what I've read (and watched) so far:

20th Century Classic:  The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West
Classic by a Woman Author:  The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton
Classic about War: The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck
Classic by an Author That's New To Me: The Post-Office Girl by Stefan Zweig
Historical Fiction Classic: Sapphira and the Slave Girl by Willa Cather
Classic Adapted into a Movie or TV Series: He Knew He Was Right by Anthony Trollope
TV Series Adaptation: He Knew He Was Right BBC Miniseries

I really liked all of them but if I had to choose, my two favorites so far would be The Post-Office Girl and The Glimpses of the Moon.  Now I only have four categories left: 19th Century Classic; Classic in Translation; American Classic; and Classic Mystery, Suspense, or Thriller.  Right now I'm reading Moby-Dick which I'll count for either my 19th Century or American Classic, I haven't decided which.

And how is everyone else doing?  I'm so pleased with all the links I've seen posted already!  And to thank everyone who's signed up, I'm offering a midpoint giveaway!!!  Yes, to further entice everyone to reading even more classics, one lucky winner will receive a beautiful Penguin Clothbound Classic of his or her choice (up to US $20).  

Here are the rules for the giveaway:

1.  To enter, you must already be signed up for the Challenge (sorry, the last day to sign up was back in March.)  If you are not already on this list, you are NOT ELIGIBLE.

2.  Challenge participants must have linked at least one review for the 2014 Back to the Classics Challenge.  If you're signed up and you haven't linked any reviews left, the cutoff date is July 1.

3.  Any new links must follow the guidelines originally set for the challenge.

4.  Challenge participants must leave a comment below telling which book they've most enjoyed reading for this challenge.  If you want, you can also tell me which Penguin Clothbound Classic (valued up to $20) you'd choose if you're the lucky winner.  Include an email or link to your blog so I can contact you if you've won!!  

5.  Contest winners will receive their choice of a Penguin Clothbound Classic with a value up to $20 from Amazon.com or The Book Depository.com.  Contest winner must live in a country where they can receive delivery from either Amazon or The Book Depository.  If you're not sure if The Book Depository ships to your home country, you can check here.

6.  Comments and links must be posted no later than July 1 at 11:59 p.m., U.S. Central Standard Time.  On July 2, I'll announce a winner.

7.  Winner must contact me with a good address no later than July 7, or I'll pick another winner.

So what are you waiting for?  Post your reviews, pick your favorite Clothbound Classic and tell me in the comments below!!  I can't wait to give a prize away!

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo: Book One, Fantine

So I've decided to take the plunge and make another attempt at Victor Hugo's epic masterpiece, Les Miserables. At 1260 pages (depending on the edition), it's quite possibly the longest book I've ever read! (I'm not sure if it's longer than War and Peace, it's tough to say based on different editions. It's definitely longer than Gone With the Wind and anything by Dickens or Trollope.) 

Since the book is so long, I've decided to write blog posts after each of the five books. The first book, Fantine, took me just about a week to finish. If you don't know the setup, here's what's happened so far:

The book begins in the 1820s, and begins with a lot of back story about a priest, Monseignur Bienvenue, who only appears in this section but is a pivotal character. (He is saintly and allows a newly released convict, Jean Valjean, into his home for the night. Valjean has spent 19 years doing hard labor onboard a galley ship after stealing a loaf of bread (his initial sentence was five years, but was extended after repeated escape attempts). Valjean steals the family silver and uses this to start a new life, eventually working his way up to become a successful businessman and the well-respected mayor of a town about five years later. Meanwhile, one of the factory workers, the beautiful Fantine, has left her illegitimate daughter Cosette in the care of the unscrupulous Thenardiers, who take Fantine's money and spend it on their own children, treating little Cosette like a servant.

Cosette's nasty co-workers discover where she's been sending her weekly wages, and get her fired from her job. She then sinks to selling her hair, then her teeth, and finally her body on the streets. Finally one day she is arrested for assaulting a man on the street when Valjean (now known as  Monsieur Madeleine) witnesses the event and stops the policeman Javert from throwing her in jail. Fantine health is wrecked and he takes charge of her care, promising to reunite her with Cosette.

Meanwhile, Javert has become suspicious -- he believes Mayor Madeleine is a former convict who is wanted for thefts after his release. However, Javert tells Madeleine his fears were averted when another man is arrested for the crimes. Madeleine realizes another man may be sentenced for his crimes and struggles with the decision to come forward. And that's only the first 200 pages!

There is A LOT going on in this book -- plot, characters, setting (Hugo loves detailed descriptions), and many asides in which Hugo pontificates about politics, philosophy, religion, etc. This seems to be a feature of books of the time -- I remember Moby-Dick included entire chapters about chowder and the color white. I've heard there are entire chapters in Les Miserables about the Paris sewer system, so that'll be . . . interesting. (Fun fact: you can take sewer tour in Paris -- there is an actual sewer museum! Apparently it's closed at the moment for renovations, so if you're planning a trip, you're out of luck). Also SO MUCH back story about the characters -- Monseigneur Bienvenue was the reason I gave up my first attempt reading this a few years ago. 

Anyway, I'm really enjoying it so far, despite all the asides. I've been lucky enough to find a digital download of the audio from the library, so I've been able to make real progress while walking the dog and driving around town. The audio version is the Charles Wilbour translation from 1862, and I like it so far. It's the same translation as the Modern Library hardcover edition, also checked out from the library. I do actually own two other copies of this book, but it's easier to keep reading the same edition. I also own the beautiful Penguin clothbound copy and the Signet mass-market paperback, both pictured. I love the Penguin copy but it's actually easier to read the Modern Library version, as it lies flat when open. The Penguin and Signet editions are also different translations. I'm sure they're equally good but I find it easier to just stick with one -- maybe someday I'll go back and reread the others to see which one I like best!

I'll be posting more thoughts about Les Miserables in the coming weeks -- I'm hoping to finish one section every week, so if all goes as planned I'll finish up by the end of March. I'm also going to include some travel photos related to Paris and Victor Hugo, and various adaptations.

Bloggers, have you read Les Miserables? Which edition is the best? And what are the longest books you've ever read?

Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence

Finally, I have finished this book, which has been on my TBR shelf since 2011 when I received a Big Box of Penguin Deluxe Classics.  Which was awesome, but the box contained a few that I feared I would never read, including Moby-Dick, The Jungle, and this one.  (Plus Gravity's Rainbow and White Noise, but I've given those away to someone who will truly appreciate them).  I put it both the list for the Classics Club Challenge and the TBR Pile Challenge 2013.  And last month, it came up as my Classics Spin selection.  There was no escape. 

I was a little afraid, but I'd read Sons and Lovers a few years ago (with similar trepidation) and really enjoyed it.  I was actually pleasantly surprised. Chatterley wasn't bad at all -- in fact, I rather liked it -- except for the cover of the book, which is the one I own:

If you don't know the setup, here it is in a nutshell:  Constance Chattereley is a twentysomething woman, from the upper-middle class intelligensia.  Shortly before WWI, she married her husband Clifford.  After a month's honeymoon, he goes off to war and is gravely injured, paralyzed from the waist down.  His older brother died in the war, and he's now the heir to a title and to the family estate, Wragby Hall, somewhere in the English Midlands (sound familiar?  It's a bit like the second season of Downton Abbey, or what might have happened to Mary and Matthew).  

Anyhow, Constance is bored to death at Wragby.  She's shut up there in a dreary estate, the weather is terrible, and it's somewhere in the coal-mining district, so they're surrounded by factories and coal pits, which are on their last legs. (Besides Wragby, her husband also owns some interest in the mine or the factory or something like that.)  It all sounds very depressing.  Also, Clifford doesn't seem particularly interested in Constance at all.   He's got something of a writing career going, so occasionally intelligent, creative people come to the house and she's the perfect hostess, but inside she's dying.  She hates Wragby, Clifford is very distant and cold, and she's terribly lonely.  Plus, she knows she can never have a baby due to Clifford's injury.  She's not even thirty and it seems like her life is completely over.

Clifford is desperate for an heir and tells her he wouldn't mind if she had a child, even if it wasn't his.  Meanwhile, Constance has spent a lot of time tramping around the grounds and meets the gamekeeper, who's rather dishy.  He's lower-class but has some education.  One thing leads to another and they start an affair. 

The beautiful Penguin clothbound edition, which I do not own, but am tempted to buy.

I thought this book was going to be awful and dreary, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.  I thought the writing was mostly very good and I felt really sorry for Constance.  I don't think she was necessarily craving sexual contact so much as intimacy -- her husband was so distant and self-centered.  Yes, he was disabled, but she was really unhappy and all he could think about was whether or not she'd take care of him.  He was really quite selfish.

Lady Chatterley's Lover was very scandalous when it was first published in 1928 -- a full version wasn't widely published in England until 1962 -- and there is a fair amount of sex in it, as you'd suppose from all the fuss made about it; however,  it really wasn't that shocking in this day and age (I'm sure it pales in comparison to Fifty Shades of Gray, which I have not read.  And you would not believe how many little old ladies at my library have read it!!  Seriously!!) 

I can see how it would have been scandalous back in the day.  But if you can get past the sex, it's really about relationships and was truly insightful about attitudes of the time, both between Constance and Clifford, and the snobbery between the classes.  The fate of the miners, though a small part of the story, was also very sad.  It reminded me of the strikes that were to come later, like in Billy Elliot.  I wonder if they ever recovered or if Clifford made tons of money when the war started ten years later. 

My one real complaint about the book was about the ending, which I found somewhat unresolved.  But overall, I'm really glad I finally got around to reading it.  Between Chatterley and Sons and Lovers, I'm over my fear of Lawrence, and now I'm thinking about tackling his other famous works, The Rainbow and Women in Love.  Anyone read either of them?  Did anyone else like Lady Chatterley's Lover, or did you all run screaming from the room?   And who else completed their Classics Spin selection?

Back to the Classics 2021: My List

My list of possible reads for this year's challenge. Once again, mostly taken from my own TBR shelves -- how many of them will I actually read this year? 

1. 19th Century Classic: The Doctor's Wife by Mary Elizabeth Braddon -- I do love Victorian sensation novels! 

2. 20th Century Classic: A Wreath for the Enemy by Pamela Frankau. Bought at The Strand Bookstore last year. 

3. Classic by a Woman Author: The Portable Dorothy Parker. Received as part of my prize from a Penguin book giveaway back in 2011. Also my Classics Club Spin pick so I have to read it by January 30. 

4. Classic in Translation: Renoir, My Father by Jean Renoir. I bought it at the Frick Museum gift shop in 2013. Or maybe I'll put in the effort to finally read Crime and Punishment!

5. Classic by a BIPOC Author: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. Or something by Zora Neale Hurston.

6. Classic by a New-to-Me Author:  I've hardly read any Victorians this year so I'd like to read one for this category. I still have The Clever Woman of the Family by Charlotte Mary Yonge and Marcella by Mrs. Humphrey Ward -- are they obscure because they're terrible or are they forgotten gems?  I could also try again to read The Real Charlotte which I plan to read for the European Reading Challenge

7. New Classic by a Favorite Author: The Bright Side of Life by Emile Zola. I'll probably read Zola in April for Fanda's Zoladdiction challenge, or for Paris in July -- maybe both! I still have about five unread novels in the Rougon-Macquart series and the final novel Doctor Pascal has finally been reprinted in a new translation.

8. Animal Classic: Either Green Dolphin Street by Elizabeth Goudge or A Pelican at Blandings by P. G. Wodehouse. I bought a bunch of P. G. Wodehouse years ago when Borders went out of business, and I still have two left unread. 

9. Children's Classic: Kilmeny of the Orchard by L. M. Montgomery. I bought a lovely early edition last summer during my trip to Second Story Books.

10. Classic Humor or Satire: Something by P. G. Wodehouse. His books always make me laugh, and lately I've been reading my way through the Blandings Castle series. I could read Galahad at Blandings for this category and Penguin at Blandings for the Animal classic.

11. Travel or Adventure Classic: The Caravaners by Elizabeth von Arnim. I think this is the fifth time I've put it on a reading challenge list! 

12. Classic Play: She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith. It was on the schedule for one of the DC theaters in 2020 but has been postponed until whenever -- hopefully it'll be rescheduled when the theaters finally reopen! Or I might try to read some Shakespeare, I haven't read any since college. 

So -- ten from my own shelves, which is a good ratio, and more than half are by women. I'm really looking forward to a new list in the New Year! 

What do you think, bloggers? Have you read any of the books or authors from this list? Which should I read first -- or avoid altogether? 

Anthony Trollope Bicentennial: Second Giveaway!

Anthony Trollope

It's Anthony Trollope's 200th birthday, and that means it's time for another giveaway! This week, one lucky winner  (world-wide this time) will win his or her choice of any Trollope novel available from The Book Depository ($20 US or less). There are lots of lovely Penguin and Oxford World's Classics available.  Here are just of few of the possibilities  (I've included links to books I've reviewed on this blog):

The Chronicles of Barset:

The Warden

Barchester Towers

Doctor Thorne

Framley Parsonage

The Small House at Allington

The Last Chronicle of Barset

The Pallisers Novels: 

Can You Forgive Her? 

Phineas Finn

The Eustace Diamonds

Phineas Redux

The Prime Minister

The Duke's Children

Other novels published by Penguin:

Christmas at Thompson Hall

Doctor Wortle's School

He Knew He Was Right

The Way We Live Now

Other novels published by Oxford World's Classics:

The American Senator

Cousin Henry

He Knew He Was Right

Lady Anna

Orley Farm

Rachel Ray

The Way We Live Now

Here are the rules:

• To enter, simply leave a comment and let me know which of Trollope's novels you'd choose if you were the winner (you can change your mind if your name is chosen).  Please include an email address in your comment if it doesn't link to your blog automatically. 

• The deadline to enter is Thursday, April 30, at 11:59 p.m., U.S. Central Standard Time.  A winner will be chosen randomly and announced the following day.

• The winner must live in a country to which the Book Depository delivers.  To check and see if your country is included, here is a list. 

• The winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to respond with a mailing address; otherwise, I'll choose another winner.  

And that's it! Easy, right? Well, good luck, and happy reading!

Moby-Dick or The Hunchback of Notre-Dame?

Readers, I have a conundrum.  A couple of weeks ago, I signed up once again for the Classics Spin VI, one of my favorite blogging challenges.  My spin selection was the #1 book on my list, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, a book I purchased in Paris (at the actual Notre-Dame Cathedral, in the gift shop) way back in 2007.  I've been dreading it ever since, so I was happy and apprehensive at the same time.  I have until July 7 to finish this book and post about it on my blog.

And then Adam over at Roof Beam Reader announced a Moby-Dick readalong that lasts from June 1 through July 15 -- about 15 pages per day, according to his calculations.  It so happens that I have an unread copy of Moby-Dick on my shelves, a beautiful Penguin Deluxe Graphic edition that I received from the nice people at Penguin Books a couple of years ago.  It also happens that Moby-Dick was the second book on my Classics Spin list.

So here's the conundrum -- I know there's no way I can read both of these books at the same time.  So which one should I choose?  Moby-Dick is longer (625 pages versus 429) but it has the advantage of the readalong -- so much more fun to read a book and discuss it online with others!  Also, my library has two different audiobook editions, one narrated by George Guidall and one by Paul Boehmer.  I could possibly listen to the entire thing on audio and keep up with the schedule.  Both of them are on my Classics Club challenge list, and both of them are books I've been putting off forever.  If I finish either of them, I know I'll be very satisfied.

Bloggers, what do you think?  Which one should I read?  Both classics, but I think they're very different.  An American or a French classic?  Queequeg or Quasimodo?  And has anyone listened to any of the audiobook versions?  Which do you recommend?

Big Fat Books from My TBR Shelf

By the end of the month I will have completed two very fat books from my TBR shelf: Charlotte Bronte's Villette and The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (by far the largest book on the shelf  because it's a hardcover).  But I am still left with a whole bunch of chunksters -- more than 20 books that are 500 pages or more.  I know these are probably all amazing, but after reading two BFBs (Big Fat Books) simultaneously, it might be time to take a little break before tackling another.

Here are some of the BFBs that await me (page numbers indicate those in my particular editions):

The classics.  These comprise most of the unread pages, not surprisingly.  Of course they're actually shorter than they appear since many of them have endnotes.  Still big and fat and a little scary, though.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck.  One of the books selected by Amanda for our reading swap.  I have been meaning to read this since I zipped through The Grapes of Wrath a few years ago.  Despite the length, it shouldn't be a terribly long read.

The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hacek.  This was the selection for one of my online groups which sounded really interesting -- a satire about WWI, written from a European perspective.  It sounds like a Czech version of Catch-22.  Includes lots of funny little cartoons.  The book group seemed to like it but of course I didn't read a single page. (784 pp.)

Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson.  Technically, it's an omnibus of three books in one, but this is a big, fat edition.  Bought after reading all about the beloved series, which I still haven't seen -- it's never aired here on PBS and I thought I should read the book first.  (537 pp.)

Moby-Dick by Herman Melville.  One of the freebies I won in the Penguin contest.  People either love it or hate it.  I hope to give it a try later this year in an online readalong. (652 pp.)


The Portable Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker:  Another gift from the nice people at Penguin Classics, and one of those I was most excited about receiving.  I've never read her but I've heard she's hilariously witty. "This wasn't just plain terrible, this was fancy terrible.  This was terrible with raisins in it." This collection includes stories, essays, and letters, so it's probably a good thing to read a little at a time.  But there's still 640 pages of it.

Orley Farm by Anthony Trollope.  And Phineas Finn, Can You Forgive Her, He Knew He Was Right, The Eustace Diamonds. . . . Okay, don't even get me started on Trollope.  I bought a whole bunch of his works after I read The Way We Live Now, and more after one of my online groups decided to read the entire Pallisers series. (There are six, all more than 500 pages.  Some are closer to 800!  I have yet to finish a single one).  Plus I've started the Barchester Chronicles (only four volumes left) and I have several of the stand-alone books as well.  There's probably close to 5000 pages of unread Trollope on my TBR bookshelf this minute.  Trollope wrote 47 novels, and I'd like to read as many as possible, so I'd better get started.  

Miss Marjoribanks by Margaret Oliphant.  Bought during my obsession with Victorian literature.  She is described as something of a transition between Jane Austen and George Eliot, which intrigues me. (512 pp.)

Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens. (880 pp.)  One of about five more works by Dickens that are sitting on the shelf unread -- I also own The Old Curiosity Shop, Sketches by Boz, and Pictures from Italy.  And did I mention I just bought Martin Chuzzlewit last week?  Eight hundred pages of teeny tiny print, what was I thinking?

South Riding by Winifred Holtby.  This will probably be my next Big Fat Book -- I won this in a giveaway during Virago Reading Week and I am really looking forward to the BBC adaptation which airs in the U.S. in May.  I'll need no convincing to read this book. (502 pp.)

Contemporary books.  Mercifully, these tend to be faster reading than the Victorians and other classic chunksters.  They're still taking up a lot of space, though.

The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay.  A coming of age story set in South Africa just after WWII. I know it has something to do with boxing, of which I have no interest whatsoever, but I've heard this is just fantastic. (528 pp.)

The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt.  I found this hardcover for $2 at the library book sale.  I liked Possession, so I couldn't resist at that price.  And the cover is really pretty. (675 pp.)

The Crimson Petal and the White by Michael Faber.  A neo-Victorian, also bought at the library sale.  This one's a paperback so it was only $1.

Nonfiction.  These are actually less pages of text because of references, indexes, etc.  They're still darn long.

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang. Another library sale find.  I've heard it's great but it sounds kind of depressing.  It has pictures though. (544).

John Adams by David McCullough.  Everyone says this is just great, but it's 751 pages of early American history and politics.  Was this a bad purchase?  I paid $1 at the library sale.

The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary Lovell. Purchased after I read and loved The Pursuit of Love and  Love in a Cold Climate.  I have since bought more books by the Mitfords.  I haven't read those either. (640 pp.)

Few Eggs and No Oranges by Vere Hodgson.  Naturally, there is at least one Persephone on the list.  This diary of life in wartime England sounds fascinating, but I am put off by the length, I admit it. (640 pp.) 

Does anyone else tend to put off the big fat books in favor of the shorter ones?  Which of these have you read and loved, and which should be sent directly to the library as donations?  Any input would be greatly appreciated.  I'll probably take a break and read some novellas soon -- Readathon is coming up in just a couple of weeks and I have a whole stack of those too.