The Great American Read discussion
Challenges and Favorites 2018
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RECAP - What was the Best Surprise for you? Or favorite book?
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This marks a transition in my reading tastes I think. I still love a great story with complex characters, and I still like to be transported to another time and place, or to feel deeply, or to learn something new. But now, I want to take a little more time to really enjoy the words, and be surprised by the writing itself. Perhaps its because of those "senior moments" that cause me to lose words, I want to savor and enjoy them while I can.
NancyJ wrote: "Perhaps its because of those "senior moments" that cause me to lose words, I want to savor and enjoy them while I can.":D "senior moments"! that made me chuckle. I think it's wonderful you want to dwell in the beauty of the language a book it's written in. That's at least one of the reasons why I like to re-read Jane Austen's books. I sometimes read a description of the country Lizzy is seeing while traveling and I enjoy the fluid and elegant language while I'm imagining I'm there myself. Or find myself re-reading a dialog between any two characters and admire the way they simply express themselves. I wonder if they really did talk like that back then. I'm assuming so.
Anyway, it looks like Their Eyes Were Watching God is a book I should have on my to-read list.
The surprise for me was The Color Purple. It made me want it to never end since I was listening to it on CD. It may have been the fact that it was Mrs. Walker who narrated it too.
My favorite book this year so far was a three way tie Charlotte's Web, The Color Purple and Catch-22.
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:D "senior moments"! that made me chuckle. I think it's wonde..."
Color Purple followed close behind. The book had so much more than I remembered from the movie. Alice Walker was one of the people who worked hard to bring Their Eyes Were Watching God back to life. It was out of print for a long time. If you liked Color Purple, you'll like Their Eyes Were Watching God too.
I didn't reread Charlotte's Web but it makes me smile just to think about it. I gave it a lot of votes all summer and only stopped recently because I wanted a grown up book to be #1.
I agree with you about Pride and Prejudice. Biographers say that Jane Austen used to keep a notebook to write down phrases she liked from real people. I reread it a few weeks ago and caught some new nuances. I want to read Persuasion sometime soon too. Austen was writing just a little earlier than Mary Shelley. I suppose the language was similar, but Austen's writing "sounds" more natural or less formal than Frankenstein. Maybe it's just because the dialogue is so familiar to me now.
Wow a favorite with catch 22? LOL it’s my last book on the list, at least for my library bingo. I don’t really like it but I’m trying to read more humor .
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:D "senior moments"! that made me chuckle. I think it's wonde..."
Zoe I also liked Alice Walkers narration of Color Purple. Based on that, I think you'll really love Ruby Dee's narration of Their Eyes were Watching God.
My biggest surprise was Moby Dick. I have always been so nervous to start reading it, thinking that it would be too hard. I listened to the audiobook and would forget where I was and what I was supposed to be doing.There have been a lot of okay-ish books for me on the list. I have never been a huge "bestseller" reader so that in itself wasn't a surprise.
@Nancy: Definitely will listen to Their Eyes Were Watching God since I put it on hold at the library. They didn’t have it on the shelves (hardcopy or audio) yesterday when I returned the Geisha cds.
I was really surprised at him much I enjoyed Dona Barbara! It’s a great story and well-written (beautiful, lyrical style). I still haven’t talked to anybody who’s read it, not even a professor at the University of New Mexico who teaches film criticism and Latin literature! I was pretty sure I would like Lonesome Dove, which I did. I liked everything I read off the GAR list with the exception of The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe. I’m still trying to get through Don Quixote!
Pam wrote: "I was really surprised at him much I enjoyed Dona Barbara! It’s a great story and well-written (beautiful, lyrical style). I still haven’t talked to anybody who’s read it, not even a professor at t..."I've read it! (albeit, a long time ago....) I had offered to mod a group here, if people were to have shown interest.
Anyway, yes, it's one of the 3 "telluric" novels of the beginning of the 20th century in South America. Newly founded countries trying to figure out who, if they're not Spanish and not indigenous, they are.
There was a pretty good movie version done a few years ago. It may have been Univision, which I'm not the biggest fan of, but it was good enough that I showed it in class. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
EDT; If you liked it, you might want to try "The Vortex" (Jose Eustacio Rivera, similar novel during the rubber boom in Colombia, but without that strong female character :( )
Linda Abhors the New GR Design wrote: "Pam wrote: "I was really surprised at him much I enjoyed Dona Barbara! It’s a great story and well-written (beautiful, lyrical style). I still haven’t talked to anybody who’s read it, not even a pr..."Linda- I am so glad that someone has read it! I will look in to The Vortex. Thanks for the recommendation! Next year, I plan on reading more South American lit.
Pam wrote: "Linda Abhors the New GR Design wrote: "Pam wrote: "I was really surprised at him much I enjoyed Dona Barbara! It’s a great story and well-written (beautiful, lyrical style). I still haven’t talked ..."Good!
I recommend poetry by Gabriela Mistral (1st Nobel Prize for lit in South America, and one of Neruda's teachers), Garcia Marquez's Of Love and Other Demons or Strange Pilgrims, Alejo Carpentier'sThe Kingdom of This World", Allende's "House of Spirits", Manlio Argueta's One Day of Life. And one of my personal all-time favorites (very short and easy) The Old Man Who Read Love Stories
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I love when a book can do that for me!
I finally read The Count of Monte Cristo in December. I had always thought I'd find it hard to get through, but it was such a fun, centuries-old soap opera. I'm glad I gave it a chance. Since reading it, I've learned that many of my older family members read the abridged version as kids and still remember the drama, so it was fun to share at Christmas.
Jacinta wrote: "I finally read The Count of Monte Cristo in December. I had always thought I'd find it hard to get through, but it was such a fun, centuries-old soap opera. I'm glad I gave it a chance. Since readi..."I really want to read The Count of Monte Cristo - glad that you found it to be fun and readable. I felt the same way when I read Jane Eyre. I expected it to be slow and heavy with description but found that it kept moving...
Cathy wrote: "Jacinta wrote: "I finally read The Count of Monte Cristo in December. I had always thought I'd find it hard to get through, but it was such a fun, centuries-old soap opera. I'm glad I gave it a cha..."I want to read it, too!
My da turned me on to The Count of Monte Cristo when I was around 10 or 11. I loved it, but was irked that the female basically did nothing. (I liked strong female characters even then!) I later read it in French, and it was even better. I've enjoyed all of the movies based on it as well.
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I read it when I was in High School and I loved it. Given my age, I sometimes wonder if I actually read an abridged version. My dad worked for Reader's Digest so it could be. Either way I want to read it.
Parker wrote: "My da turned me on to The Count of Monte Cristo when I was around 10 or 11. I loved it, but was irked that the female basically did nothing. (I liked strong female characters even then!) I later re..."I downloaded the Public Domain copy of the original French to my Kindle.........and immediately got intimidated by the advanced vocab dealing with the ships/harbor, etc. So I have to start it with a chunk of time to sit down with the English translation, at least for the first few pages, so that I can read it in French!
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I was also surprised by Jane Eyre when I read it (as a middle aged adult). But in my case, I somehow had it in my head that it would be too light! I guess I had only seen the movies (or read junior versions of the book) as a child. It was so much better than I expected.
The Great American Read
Books mentioned in this topic
Of Love and Other Demons (other topics)Strange Pilgrims: Twelve Stories (other topics)
The Kingdom of This World (other topics)
One Day of Life (other topics)
The Old Man Who Read Love Stories (other topics)
Please share your biggest surprise, or favorite book that you read this year on the GAR list. It might even be a reread that felt different this time.