Never too Late to Read Classics discussion
Archive Hefty/Husky
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What stops you from picking up a Hefty Classic?
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I've not heard of serial reader either Claire. And, Leslie, I agree totally.
Lesle wrote: "Ok Claire being dumb. What is that for?"I just googled it. Go to
www.serialreader.org
It seems to be free apps for Apple or Android, & for Kindle. You can choose from about 500 books, to get 20 minutes of a book automatically delivered to you each day. But it seems limited to that amount unless you pay a small fee, so if you had an hour to spare one day you couldn’t read extra. I haven’t used the app, so others will be able to explain in more detail. Hope this helps.
Trisha wrote: "Lesle wrote: "Ok Claire being dumb. What is that for?"I just googled it. Go to
www.serialreader.org
It seems to be free apps for Apple or Android, & for Kindle. You can choose from about 500 boo..."
Indeed. Sorry I didn’t reply earlier. Some people like it a lot to read books in episodes. Also, you do pay a small fee, but you get the books for free too,
Claire wrote: "Trisha wrote: "Lesle wrote: "Ok Claire being dumb. What is that for?"I just googled it. Go to
www.serialreader.org
It seems to be free apps for Apple or Android, & for Kindle. You can choose fro..."
Sorry, Claire - I posted in case you didn’t have time to look at this again today. The app is probably very useful to lots of people & a good way to start reading some books.
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I will look into it. Seems interesting.
Vicky wrote: "I enjoy reading all kinds of books... and all sizes. Currently, I am over a 3rd of the way through Gone With the Wind, which is a hefty classic by any standard at over a thousand pages. Concurrentl..."How are you liking Terra Nostra ?
I have it sitting accusingly on my bookshelf, and I've meant to get around to it for years, but I wanted to read some of his other work before I took on a book like that. I've already committed to try to read both Joseph and His Brothers and the The Man Without Qualities this calendar year, so I don't really need to add anymore heft, but if Terra Nostra really is as good as some say it is, that will move it up right to the front of the queue.
And I'm still bitter that Carlos Fuentes was not awarded the Nobel Prize before he passed. Once they gave it to Mario Vargas Llosa (who totally deserved it as well) in 2010, you knew it would be years before they awarded it to another Spanish-language author, so that, unfairly, left Fuentes out of luck.
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Pillsonista wrote: "How are you liking Terra Nostra ? I have it sitting accusingly on my bookshelf, and I've meant to get around to it for years, but I wanted to read some of his other work before I took on a book like that. I've already committed to try to read both Joseph and His Brothers and the The Man Without Qualities this calendar year, so I don't really need to add anymore heft, but if Terra Nostra really is as good as some say it is, that will move it up right to the front of the queue."
Rosemarie wrote: "I think Joseph and his Brothers is one of Mann's best works."
Oh, Thanks for bringing those classics to my eye. I will certainly be moving Joseph and his Brothers in my schedule very soon.
Terra Nostra is a great work, definitely and Fuentes is a genius to have come up with so much metaphor in such a scope of history. But, because of that there are constraints you should be aware of up front. I got sucked in first by the incredible narrator's voice of Walter Krochmal. It sounds incredible to listen to the man speak!
But, I splurged to add Kindle e-text, because you definitely need to see some of the words to follow the ideas.
Also, you will most likely find it necessary to back-read some of the history of the events that take place in the book to 'get' the metaphors he dishes out in heavy doses. Being a North American, having some events turned into metaphor and changing actual historical events (like having Elizabeth marry Philip) can cause you to do a double-take in surprise at first.
Thirdly, the book can be quite graphic and explicit in some of its metaphor. To give an example of both the tame and the explicit, I felt the beginning thread of the old lady giving birth, devolving in a dream like sequence of all the women of France giving birth on the streets to be a tame and intriguing metaphor for the birth of the New World. A bit later though, 'El Senor' finds some really disgusting things in his bed upon awaking, and thinks God brought that upon him, when actually his enemies brought an animal to give birth in his bed while he was passed out.
So, yeah... a bit graphic at points and shocking in some of the metaphors. It reveals some of the extremes of the Spanish Catholic mindset of that era.
It will take some time to finish it, since I am reading it slower than the others. And, it is my first of Fuentes works. I'm glad I discovered it.
Pillsonista wrote: "Vicky wrote: "I enjoy reading all kinds of books... and all sizes. Currently, I am over a 3rd of the way through Gone With the Wind, which is a hefty classic by any standard at over a thousand page..."I teach business and conversational English to adult students privately in Querétaro, Mexico, and I have Residente Permanente status here. I have yet to encounter a single student who has read a single book by Carlos Fuentes, and believe me, I ask. I have not met anyone who has read Octavio Paz's The Labyrinth of Solitude and Other Writings, either. I do have one student who is a Juan Rulfo fan, but no one else seems to have read Pedro Páramo even though it is considered THE classic Mexican novel.
My point is not to pick on Mexico but simply to indicate that literary, cultural, historical, and philosophical knowledge are rare attainments in ANY country, even among the university-educated (most of whom are career-driven, not knowledge-driven). Never assume that when you meet someone from another culture, they will share your enthusiasm for the best achievements of that culture. You might know more about those than they do.
Patrick wrote: "Pillsonista wrote: "Vicky wrote: "I enjoy reading all kinds of books... and all sizes. Currently, I am over a 3rd of the way through Gone With the Wind, which is a hefty classic by any standard at ..."Yes, I get total blank stares when I mention Lazarillo de Tormes to Latin American friends. Some have heard of Marinella, but only through the soap opera... which is only slightly similar. And, only one or two have read Don Quijote.
I love almost all I have read from the Spanish culture though, with the exception of Gabriel García Márquez, One hundred Years of Solitude.
The Capitan Alatriste books are my favorite swashbuckling fun books lol.
I am crazy about the movies of Capulina Y Viruta as well.
Rosemarie wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "I had to read so many hefty classics for university that I am now often heftied out."I have been in that situation, but fortunately that was a long time ago."
Ditto!
Trisha wrote: "Lesle wrote: "Andrea wrote: "I take occasional reading breaks to think more deeply about what I've read rather than consuming too many books too fast. ..."I like your thought process for reading ..."
I hear ya! And I've been there and feel your pain. That would be my Moby Dick and Don Quixote. I want to know nothing else about 19th century whaling! Ever.
However, that said, I really do want to read Dante's Inferno.
Sydney wrote: "Trisha wrote: "Lesle wrote: "Andrea wrote: "I take occasional reading breaks to think more deeply about what I've read rather than consuming too many books too fast. ..."I like your thought proce..."
If you're seriously interested in Dante, I cannot recommend the Hollander translation of the Inferno highly enough.
Ciaran Carson's translation runs a very close second, and word for word, may even be better, but the Hollander translation is was clearly commissioned to be a book for all seasons and all people.
Whether the reader is a specialized Dante scholar or simply a lay reader, they will find this specific edition useful. Not only is it a bilingual, but the notes and bibliography are copious (sometimes even, possibly, too copious) and yet always accessible.
Rosemarie wrote: "I think Joseph and his Brothers is one of Mann's best works."I find it almost semi-miraculous that Thomas Mann was able to complete not only Joseph and His Brothers, but would go on to write such works as Doktor Faustus and The Confessions of Felix Krull amidst the upheaval of his exile and the self-inflicted annihilation of the culture Mann himself epitomized.
Most other writers would be paralyzed and unable to write in circumstances that were only half so difficult and chaotic, but Mann not only continued to write, he was able to complete some of his very best work, which is amongst the finest the 20th century had to offer.
All of this, while he assumed the responsibility as the unquestioned leader of the German-language writers in exile. One of my favorite quotes about Mann was written by Clive James in his book Cultural Amnesia : "One of his many reasons for hating the Third Reich was that it forced him to be a better man than he actually was."
Rosemarie wrote: "I usually take a hefty classic with me on vacation, especially for those long plane or train trips. I think I might take Tom Jones along on my next trip. I read it in 1978, so I know that it's a f..."
Rosemarie, coincidentally, I read Tom Jones in 1978 too.
Well, the longer the book (and 800pages is a lot of paper!), the heavier it gets to carry the book around. It's the type of book i have to read at home, for its weight and volume. Apart from this, motivation and determination are required, because it can take up half year, or more, to finish it.
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Yes, that is a lot of paper lol. The Count of Monte Cristo was very difficult to hold and read the first time I read it in hardback. Audible was much lighter-weight, and less bulky :) the 2nd time around. Unfortunately many of the hefty tomes aren't digitalized yet.
Pillsonista wrote: "Vicky wrote: "I enjoy reading all kinds of books... and all sizes. Currently, I am over a 3rd of the way through Gone With the Wind, which is a hefty classic by any standard at over a thousand page..."I just finished up with Terra Nostra, and it was something else, on of the weirdest strange books I've read in a long time, but was mesmerize at a good part of the dialogues. Read it on my reading device and glad I did, so that I look up stuff mentioned in the book.
The Count of Monte Christ is huge indeed :) it's on my list for a long time now. One day will be the day... ;)
Ana wrote: "The Count of Monte Christ is huge indeed :) it's on my list for a long time now. One day will be the day... ;)"Doubledf99.99 wrote: "Pillsonista wrote: "I just finished up with Terra Nostra, and it was something else, on of the weirdest strange books I've read in a long time, but was mesmerize at a good part of the dialogues. Read it on my reading device and glad I did, so that I look up stuff mentioned in the book."
Yes, I'm using whisper-sync on Terra Nostra. Definitely an unusual book Pillsonista. I admire you for finishing it. It is a hefty book.
Ana, I had no idea what it was about the first time I picked it to read. Wow! It is an incredible story of forgiveness and revenge. You won't regret reading it. I'm planning to re-read it this year, because I enjoy it so much.
Inability to read it on the bus! (I do most of my reading on the bus, so anything that is difficult to carry is a no. I do have a kindle, but it is having some battery issues at the moment)
Serian — If you have an old Kindle, batteries do wear out on digital devices.If it's rather new, get in touch with Amazon. I had some battery issues on my last Kindle, and they just sent me another one.
On-line chat is probably the best way to deal with them, as you can't really call.
Vicky wrote: "Ana wrote: "The Count of Monte Christ is huge indeed :) it's on my list for a long time now. One day will be the day... ;)"Vicky, everybody i know, who has read that book, says the same. Great book! Thanks for the recommendation ;)
Serian wrote: "Inability to read it on the bus! (I do most of my reading on the bus, so anything that is difficult to carry is a no. I do have a kindle, but it is having some battery issues at the moment)"Serian, inablity to read it on the subway! I know the feeling.... :)
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I don't think a book size is intimidating. My only thing is finishing it. Before I read a long commitment I make sure there's time in my schedule to start and finish it.
Vicky wrote: "I enjoy reading all kinds of books... and all sizes. Currently, I am over a 3rd of the way through Gone With the Wind, which is a hefty classic by any standard at over a thousand pages. Concurrentl..."I do the same with reading books. I will read three different ones at a time. Sometimes you need to digest what you read.
For me it's important to remember that hefty classics usually do have slow beginnings. Lots more detail than the usual 300+ page novel that you can whip off in a few days. So, I really have to be in the mood. Don Quixote is my nemesis. Can't, just can't get into it.
Absolutely nothing. If it sounds good to me I'll read it no matter how long it is.
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Doreen, I guess that really is the best way to look at it. Just holding the book intimates me!
And they aren't called classics for nothing. Usually they have many layers to ponder. So gotta be in the mood to ponder layers of meaning!! LOL
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All of last year I read most of the Wheel of Time series, reading only a little each day while I read other stuff.
I'm also going to add price and time on my Russian list.
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I have been reading Anthony Trollope's novels that way.
Frankly, I prefer the big beautiful book, because it gives you time to really get into it.
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The number of pages and the size of the book would never make me put it back on the shelf...but when the print is minuscule, and barely readable, I sigh... for I cannot read it.
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I don’t have trouble picking up a hefty book. If it pulls me in enough, I dip in & out while I read other books too. If it doesn’t suck me in enough, I put in a bookmark and wander away to read more enticing books. Maybe I will return later.
That's a fine bunch of fatties there, Book Nerd. Done yourself proud!
I seem to have the opposite problem. The bigger, heavier and dustier a book is, the more it shouts at me to pick it up. The only awkward thing is that I then need the world to leave me alone so that I can read it! Smaller, lighter books do tend to fit better into the tiny gaps that life leaves for reading.
For those struggling with the hefty Russian classics, there are plenty of short Russian classics, too. I would highly recommend 'Childhood' by Leo Tolstoy (the first in a series of three. The other two are 'Boyhood' and 'Youth'), 'The Queen of Spades' by Alexander Pushkin (a little bit Gothic and slightly disturbing), or 'Poor Liza' by Nikolai Karamzin (an extremely short and sweet but tragic romance).
I am afraid of forgetting characters and incidents by the time the book ends, especially in Dickens books I confuse minor characters and minor incidents as which belongs to which novel. I know Mr Micawber is from David Copperfield because I have read that book three times.
Never too Late to Read Classics
Books mentioned in this topic
Cultural Amnesia: Necessary Memories from History and the Arts (other topics)Confessions of Felix Krull, Confidence Man: The Early Years (other topics)
Doctor Faustus (other topics)
The Inferno of Dante Alighieri (other topics)
The Inferno (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Thomas Mann (other topics)Clive James (other topics)
Dante Alighieri (other topics)
Robert Hollander (other topics)
Ciaran Carson (other topics)
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The idea of 1000 pages is scary. How can the whole 1000 pages keep me intrigued? You know there has to be boring drawn out parts. When you have that in a regular read it is bad enough, cant imagine that in a hefty read!