Announcing the Tag for March

[Karin]

Margaret wrote: "Eccentricmoodreader wrote: "Excellent classics shelf. I think I'll try reading Peter Pan for March. I loved that show as a child."

The original Peter Pan is pretty dark, I think. You won't find so..."

Disney made a point of taking dark aspects out of books they turned into cartoon movies. I learned a bit about that in The Queens of Animation: The Untold Story of the Women Who Transformed the World of Disney and Made Cinematic History

[Margaret]

Karin wrote: "Margaret wrote: "Eccentricmoodreader wrote: "Excellent classics shelf. I think I'll try reading Peter Pan for March. I loved that show as a child."

The original Peter Pan is pretty dark, I think. ..."

Thank you for mentioning Queens of Animation, Karin. It looks like one I would like. When I was in about the 5th grade or so, I had Dreams of becoming a Disney cartoonist. My specialty was birds in hats, big fancy Easter parade style hats.

[Theresa]

Margaret wrote: "Eccentricmoodreader wrote: "Excellent classics shelf. I think I'll try reading Peter Pan for March. I loved that show as a child."

The original Peter Pan is pretty dark, I think. You won't find so..."

A couple of years ago I read this beautiful illustrated edition of Peter Pan. It is darker than the musical or Disney but this was a joy to read.

[NancyJ]

Theresa wrote: "The Master and Margarita is a brilliant humorous satire of Stalinist Russia that was written in the 30s, suppressed until the 60s and then only a highly censored edition allowed. More..."

I'm really looking forward to it. I was going to read it later this year for another challenge, but I guess I'll read it early.

[Jgrace]

A couple of years ago I read this beautiful illustrated edition of Peter Pan.

Get thee behind me, Teresa. I'm trying to curb my illustrated book collecting.

[Amy]

Great that we get to read it together…

[NancyJ]

Has anyone here read The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon? It's a thousand year old Japanese book that two characters were reading in My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki. I remember hearing about it a few years ago. I don't know if it will be comprehensible or meaningful to someone like me.

[Theresa]

At the beginning of the year in my personal challenge tracking thread, I listed a few classics - lit class type classics - that I might try to fit in this year. One was something by Dickens - a new read or a reread. I was inspired to set up a personal challenge for classics because I'd been thinking its past time to read some Dickens again and he was one of my nominations for WPF - and was rejected by the randomizer 😥

But most are chunksters and I just will not have time in March.

Then I looked over my list. I realize that a book that has been winking at me for weeks will fit the monthly tag beautifully - the Lydia Davis translation of Madame Bovary
. It's a re-read although my prior reading was in French and a very long time ago. Given how familiar it is, I think it will be a prety easy read.

I also have a collection of Louisa May Alcott's horror gothic stories on my library hold list --Behind a Mask: The Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott. Those too should be quick and easy reads!

I think it will be a fun reading month -- lit classics, a couple crime fiction classics, at least one fantasy or sci fi classic, and some of these will be modern.

[Kimber]

My first choice was nature, but I have so many classics to choose from as well!

I may re-read something from my younger years -- perhaps Black Beauty, Walden, or The Hobbit, or There and Back Again.

Or I may choose a classic that I haven't read yet, but has been sitting on my shelf for a while - I have quite a few of those: Candide, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, A Moveable Feast.

A classic that I would recommend is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It's one of my mom's favorites and became one of mine also after I read it.

There's also The Thornbirds! I've wanted to read it forever, but just haven't committed to it yet.

[DianeMP]

I've never read an Agatha Christie book. I'd like to read one for the tag this month, but I have no idea where to begin. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

[Book Concierge]

DianeMP wrote: "I've never read an Agatha Christie book. I'd like to read one for the tag this month, but I have no idea where to begin. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them."

And Then There Were None or Murder on the Orient Express

[Margaret]

I suggest And Then There Were None because it's such a perfect mystery that writers are still measured against it. Also it isn't part of a series. If you decide to begin one of the series, you'll probably enjoy them more in order.

[Theresa]

I agree with all - if this is the first you are reading, go with And Then There Were None. It's perfection. Then, if you are inspired to continue, you can start on the Poirot ones - The Mysterious Affair at Styles and the Miss Marple ones - The Body in the Library, or any of hte many others that are stand alones or part of smaller series like those featuring Tommy and Tuppence.

[Robin P]

Its been a long time since I read Poirot but my memory is that order isn't important, Poirot never changes, gets married, has to deal with issues from the past, etc. like modern detectives do. I think the only recurring character is his sidekick. The same is true of Sherlock Holmes, even when he comes back from people thinking he was dead, things just carry on as before.

[NancyJ]

I didn't really get into And Then There were None, but I could see how it affected the whole genre. I enjoyed Death in Venice and Poirot, so I plan to read with The Mysterious Affair at Styles.

I'm adding Cyrano de Bergerac to my plan. I saw an ad for the new movie, and I realized I didn't remember how it ends.

[Kelly]

OOO exciting tag! I have a list of books from last month that also fits this tag! I'm really enjoying book tag and that it's expanding my typical reading patterns!

[Anita]

Kelly wrote: "OOO exciting tag! I have a list of books from last month that also fits this tag! I'm really enjoying book tag and that it's expanding my typical reading patterns!"

That's wonderful to hear, Kelly!!

[Eclecticbookreviewer]

Margaret wrote: "Eccentricmoodreader wrote: "Excellent classics shelf. I think I'll try reading Peter Pan for March. I loved that show as a child."

The original Peter Pan is pretty dark, I think. You won't find so..."

Oh really I never considered that. Anyway it will be great to read the original story.

[Eclecticbookreviewer]

Theresa wrote: "Margaret wrote: "Eccentricmoodreader wrote: "Excellent classics shelf. I think I'll try reading Peter Pan for March. I loved that show as a child."

The original Peter Pan is pretty dark, I think. ..."

Yes found this in our library so reading this one.

[Jemima]

I’m halfway through Sense and Sensibility, so that is perfect. I read Jane Eyre last month and learned so much vit was a very different read as an adult.