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

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

Mikiko - The Door into Summer sounds really interesting plus I haven’t read anything by Heinlein so I added it to my 2020 TBR. Thanks for the recommendation!

Leslie- To use Hoopla, you download the App but your library has to be associated with it. It’s free to use and you can download different media - music, movies, books etc. I don’t use it much, only if I can’t find things on Overdrive. I’m not sure if you have to use it on a mobile device.

I did find Dom Casmurro on Hoopla so I downloaded it and will try to read it early.

My library doesn’t have any of Ginzburg’s books so I will not be reading it. It’s possible I could find it through ILL. Hoopla has several other books by her but not this one. The Manzoni Family sounds interesting. I might try that one. Has anyone read other books by her, that you recommend?

I found a used book store (the 2nd largest in our state) in our neighboring city. So, of course, I had to browse through it. This is what I left with: Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene, My Century by Günter Grass, The Jungle Books, The Rotters' Club by Jonathan Coe, The Good Soldier Švejk by Jaroslav Hašek, and The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse. They are all books I've wanted to read for a long time but I think I will start with The Rotters' Club since there is a 3rd book in the series that just came out in August. I still need to read the first two!

So, I decided to put my other books on hold and start it. The premise is interesting but I'm disappointed in the writing style. It reads a bit like a 1950's SF movie. I like the psychological aspect although I see other readers found it to be too much, especially towards the end. I started it last night and thought I would read 1 or 2 chapters. Come to find out, there are no chapters, which is a little annoying. It did keep me engaged but I could tell this was a first effort. I'm curious to see if some of the themes in Dune are present in this book, also.

Book Nerd wrote: "It's been a long time since I read this. Interested to see what people think of it.

Patrick wrote: "I don't know about you but I could read anything by Frank Herbert after reading his Dune series!..."

Soul Catcher sounds really good! I'll have to try to find it. Thanks for the recommendation

I’m looking forward to reading this one! My brother had found a copy at Goodwill for me. It may be later in the month when I get to it since I’m trying to finish reading 3 other books and not start a 4th!

I’m reading Something Wicked this Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. After that, I have Dandelion Wine also checked out.

I hope to start this one next week. I have another book I’m trying to finish up first. My brother gave me this book (a beautiful hardback edition with a slipcase) for a birthday present one year, knowing that I collect penguins!

Nidhi- I am struggling a bit with Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain! This is one of the rare books where I think reading the Introduction is helpful, although some of it is over my head (references to Faust, etc.) I want to keep reading it, though! I’ll give it another 100 pages. Although, I do have to return it to the library at some point!

I’m reading the German classic The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann.

Thank you Manybooks for the suggestion!

I don’t remember reading classics as a kid. I remember loving mysteries, Judy Blume, and Joan Aiken’s books- Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Nightbirds on Nantucket, etc. I wish I would’ve read Anne of Green Gables and a Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I read Anne recently but didn’t appreciate it so much, as an adult. But, I loved A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and I think I would have enjoyed it in junior high or high school. I have no idea what Phantom Tollbooth is but I’ve seen and heard it mentioned. Maybe I’ll read it some day with my grandkids.

I read the book and watched the mini-series last summer! I loved both of them. There is one really shocking scene (I won’t say what) in the book. In the mini-series, it was a cliff-hanger at the end of an episode. It was soooo dramatic and well done! I will never get that image, when they froze the scene, out of my mind! I plan to read more of the books in the series eventually.

Yes, ARC is an Advanced Reading Copy.

Not a classic but I won an ARC of Who Slays the Wicked by C.S. Harris. I haven't read any books by this author.

I picked up free copies of Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison and The Guns of Navarone (such a good movie!) by Alistair MacLean.

I read this book in December and enjoyed most of the stories. I thought the Illustrated Man story was very interesting! I didn’t care for the story with the black community that settled on the moon. But, you have to consider the time period in which the story was written. It’s a bit dated! I liked the story about the man who built the rocket. Unfortunately, I didn’t take notes while I was reading the book so I don’t remember the story titles. This was a good classic SF collection!

I wound up returning it to the library before finishing it since I got interested in something else! I’ll get back to it some day!