Pam’s Comments (group member since Jul 12, 2018)

Pam’s comments from the Never too Late to Read Classics group.

I vote for Tolstoy, Nabokov, Chekhov, and Dostoevsky.

I want to read Demons but don’t think I can get to it this year! I’m going to bump it up my list.

I wondered if it could be The Smokies! I lived in Knoxville, TN for several years and would drive down and go hiking and swimming in the mountains. My husband and I took a week vacation in Gatlinburg in 2019. It’s really beautiful, especially in the fall! We missed the changing of the colors by a few weeks but still loved it.

I haven’t talked with any of my family in southwest Florida yet. I hope they will let me know today that they’re ok! What a storm!

Here in Albuquerque, we are all ready for Balloon Fiesta which starts this weekend! I live close to the Balloon Park so I have a great view without going to it. If the wind blows to the east, some will fly over my house and land nearby at the park or in my neighborhood. One year, a balloon landed in the middle of a youth soccer game! The kids loved it! And, since they had a captive audience, they gave the kids tethered rides. I’ll be out there early Saturday morning, with my grandson, watching!

BTW, if anyone uses Hoopla, Aura by Fuentes is on there!

Good luck Sandy with the hurricane recovery process! I’ve been nervously watching Hurricane Ian all week since I have friends and family in the Tampa Bay Area and other areas in FL. I hope none of you are being affected by this storm.

Chrissie - Weird isn’t the right word. What I meant was that it’s very different from other parts of the US, where kids sell cookies, chocolate bars, popcorn, & magazines. I think you are fortunate to have lived in different countries. That’s why I like to read world lit - so I can experience other countries, which I will likely never visit.

I lived in WI too but only for 2 years (5th-6th grade). I’m not a Cheesehead but I do love cheese! I remember for school fundraisers, we sold crocks of cheese! Kinda weird but they were so good.

I vote for 1) cat lovers and 2) mental illness.

Tiffany- I opened a Storygraph account but never used it. I’m so vested in GR. I do like the concept and I wouldn’t mind having a real TBR vs the out of control one I have on GR! I need to find my password and take another look at it.

Two authors who suffered from mental illness:
Osamu Dazai (Japan)
Janet Frame (New Zealand)

Rosemarie- That what I prefer also. I struggle reading with any kind of schedule. It’s especially hard if you rely on the library for your books.

Winnie - I started The Trial a few months ago but put it down to read something else. I still plan to get back to it this year!

I was going through my reading notebook and found 2 lists I had previously picked up from the library. One is a list of 51 Latin American Fiction. The other is 100 Must-Read Latin American Books (from Book Riot). I also found some Book Riot lists online that highlight translated books from Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico. Not all on these lists are classics, some are already on our list, and there are duplicates between the lists BUT I will go through them and see what I can find published before 1974.

*Does anyone have an author or particular book you plan to start reading at the beginning of the year?
*Does anyone have a preference if we try to read the same author and/or book (or country) in a given time frame? Or do we just want to read whatever we like and discuss as we go? Thanks for any and all input!

Sorry to hear that news Sandy! I hope you will be safe.

Some more suggestions! On the Facebook page Five Books, there was a post today on 5 of the Best Mexican Classics, recommended by Mexican novelist Ave Barrera. Here’s the link:

https://fivebooks.com/best-books/clas...

Here are the books:
1. Recollections of Things to Come by Elena Garro (1963)
2. Cartouche by Nellie Campabello (1931)
3. Balún Canán by Castellanos Rosario (1957)
4. Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo (1955) (Author already on list)
5. Aura by Carlos Fuentes (Already on the list)

Has anyone read them or have any interest? I’m a yes for all of them!

I suggest Vladimir Nabokov. “The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov” contains 67 stories published between the 1920s and the 1950s.

Sounds very interesting Rosemarie!

I just started the 1941 Hungarian science fiction/satire Voyage to Kazohinia by Sándor Szathmári.

Schedule looks good! I’ve got several books by Kafka and 1 each by Fallada and Seghers. I loved Zweig’s Chess Story and want to read more of his books. So, I definitely plan to join in! I feel like my 2023 reading schedule is filling up fast!