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

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

Ralph Ellison
John Steinbeck
Wallace Stegner
Upton Sinclair
Edna Ferber

I read all of S. E. Hinton’s books in the 1970s when I was a teenager. I loved all of them but The Outsiders was my favorite! I saw the movie when it came out but it didn’t move me the way the book did. Amazing that the author was a teen herself!

I read this book last year and loved it! If my library reopens in April, I will try to find it. I’ve seen so many people in another GR group say they hate Westerns. This book is a wonderful Western set on the Venezuelan llano (grassy plain). It’s definitely a book with a strong “sense of place”. It’s the rare book on my list to re-read!

I had planned to start the year reading Middlemarch BUT I’ve gotten distracted by library books, even though I’ve pushed out all my holds! I hope to read it during the first quarter of the year.

Jazzy- with regards to starting Pietr early, I received an email notification that the group was reading it in February so looking for it now seemed like a good idea. We are only 5 days out. This one is very short but I’m reading 2 other books so it may be February before I finish it! For me, the beauty of an online book club is that you don’t have to read the book by a certain date. I gave up on one of those groups.

Rosemarie- This is my first Inspector Maigret book. I only heard of it recently when I was looking for translated mysteries. I see there is a tv series, an older one and a newer one w Rowan Atkinson. I can’t watch it on TV (don’t have channel MHz) but I found it on Hoopla! After I read a few, I’ll try watching it. The only place I could find the book Pietr the Latvian is on cloudLibrary, which has the first 3 books in the series as an Omnibus. I just learned about cloudLibrary yesterday. I’m amazed at all of the different ways there are now to access books via the public library!

I’m reading Pietr the Latvian (#1 Inspector Maigret series) by Georges Simenon.

I read the first page just to get a feel for the writing style! I’m finishing 2 library books before starting this one. I own it so it can wait. The edition I have also contains “Juneteenth”.

I didn’t realize this was a Jan group read. I borrowed Maus (but it’s not The Complete Maus) from my parents a few months ago. I’ll go ahead and read it.

I just put it on hold from the library but not sure how long the wait is. It may just need to be transferred from another branch. I’m really interested to read it again since it’s been 40 years since I’ve read it!

Rosemarie- Good luck finding it! Does your library have an InterLibrary Loans program? I’ve had to go that route to find a find a few British authors who aren’t so popular in the US. I looked in Hoopla and it has the study guides for the book but not the book itself!

I'm also interested in Invisible Man.

I am really glad to see Pietr the Latvian on the list! I had that on my plan to read in 2020. Also, I'm glad to see Dona Barbara. That's such a good book that I would consider rereading it!

I am interested in The Red and the Black and The Adventures of Augie March. I don't care which month. I'm reading Vanity Fair now, otherwise I would've suggested it.

I don't have time to read this one but, like Jazzy and Gabi commented, I have Every Man Dies Alone. Maybe we can add it for next year or do a buddy read? As much as I would like to, I can't keep up with all of these group reads!

I read this book in high school English, back in the '70s, and loved it! It was one of the few required readings that I enjoyed. I've been meaning to re-read it.

I read #13 & 14- Seven Crystal Balls and Prisoners of the Sun (a 2 book story) set in Peru with an Incan theme. I enjoyed them! My favorite line was from Snowy saying (or thinking, I don’t know which) to a llama, “Hoity toity. Aren’t you grand?” 😂 The ending was predictable (same tactic used in a famous American classic) but maybe some readers will be surprised. The one I’m most interested in reading next is the one set in the Soviet Union.

Welcome Gabi! I joined this group for the same reason, not because I’m a classics reader but because I wanted that push to try a few. This group is great for that motivation with the different challenges and group reads!

I recently took my first trip to Europe and stayed in Bavaria. It was absolutely wonderful!

I read 3 Tintin books in 2017- Red Rackham’s Treasure, The Lost Unicorn, and Tintin in Tibet. Of the 3, I liked Red Rackham the best. I especially love the dog Snowy and his funny thoughts! I like the series, just for something light, and would probably read more of them if they were more accessible. I had to go to a different city’s library to find them. Mine has a few now. I think this series is more well known in Europe than the US. I thought I was fairly familiar with children’s lit but had never heard of the series until 2 years ago.

Thank you all for your suggestions! I have 3 of the books mentioned plus Tess of the D'Urbervilles (which I think I read decades ago plus saw the movie). I have some catching up to do!

A Group of Noble Dames sounds good! I have quite a few Thomas Hardy books in my house that my husband has read. I’ve yet to read any of his works, I hate to say. But, I will read one soon! Any suggestions which one to start with? My husband recommends The Mayor of Casterbridge.