classic – Page 4 – Cannonball Read 17

“Of course he despised the world as a whole; every thoughtful man should; it is almost a test of refinement.”

A Room with a View by E.M. Forster

October 10, 2021 by faintingviolet Leave a Comment

When thinking about my White Whale pick for Bingo this year I was coming up short. Then the Go Fug Yourself Book Club on Goodreads voted to read A Room with a View for October and I found my whale. Many classics are heavy reads, but I found A Room with a View to be refreshingly light on the whole with some lively characters. It’s an accessible story, funny, biting, poignant, wistful, romantic. It’s a study of (mostly) good people, who love one another as […]

Everything old is new again

Moonbear by Frank Asch

January 21, 2021 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

In June 2020 Moonbear’s very first adventure was reissued. Frank Asch’s Moonbear can be experienced in a fresh, new format, but stays with the classic story. I knew who Moonbear was but had not really read anything in the series. Or if I had, they did not “stick” with me. And even though the reader copy I had said Moonbear I thought it was going to be a new book, not a new edition. I am honestly not sure how I felt about a bear […]

The classic to end all classics, or is it?

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

January 5, 2021 by postcardsandbooks Leave a Comment

I have mixed feelings about this book. I have this impression that The Picture of Dorian Gray is the unanimously loved classic, and I might be the exception but alas, let’s move on with the review. I feel the basic premise of Oscar Wilde’s most famous novel is part of the collective consciousness. I only noticed how little I knew about it once actually listening to it. A beautiful young man poses for a portrait. Upon completion, he becomes obsessed with his beauty and makes […]

Mindless Creator

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

December 7, 2020 by Caesar's Wife Leave a Comment

I feel as though, following my reading of Frankenstein, I need to do some kind of deep analysis of its themes and subtext. There is so much just beneath the surface that needs further research and thought. Alas, I don’t really have time for a self-imposed literature assignment, so I’ll just stick with a book review and a few random thoughts and observations for now. Frankenstein is the tale of a man whose thirst for knowledge and invention is his ultimate undoing – a ‘modern’ […]

“A dreamer, I walked enchanted, and nothing held me back.”

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

October 24, 2020 by faintingviolet Leave a Comment

Rebecca has been on my literary radar for 20 years and on my to read list for 6. It has felt like a big, important work that I needed to read, if only to more easily understand some of the references that are out and about: Mrs. Danvers, the opening line of “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again”, and so on. Rebecca joined the list of books I categorized as White Whales (Daughter of Fortune, The House of the Spirits, The Lottery, […]

I’m never crossing a rope bridge again

The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder

October 12, 2020 by Mobius_Walker Leave a Comment

A group of people are crossing the Bridge of San Luis Rey, an Incan rope bridge in Peru, when it collapses and all, tragically, plummet to their deaths. Observing this tragedy is Brother Juniper, a friar, who decides to tell the stories of those who died in this accident in order to conclusively prove that God has a divine plan. What follows in a series of vignettes into the interconnected lives of these few in early 18th century. Originally published in 1927, this novel won […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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