I skipped February, March, and now it looks like April too.
I had ordered Anna Karenina from the library and it arrived straight away. Unfortunately it was in Russian. Yeah, well, learning Russian is on my list but not this year.
A copy of Treasure Island was opened and considered, but I wanted to do Anna, so ye ole Mister went to the Book Haven today and found a beautiful volume.
Damn the thing is huge! A real door stop like War and Peace. So I do not think I will complete this masterpiece in four days for April.
For May then, I have Hardy's Far from the library, yet I feel a strong pull to stay with women authors and read Little Women.
My idea is just to keep plugging along doing the best I can. I see now that building a literature section in my personal library is highly desirable. Also re-reading and note-taking, and auxiliary reading will add depth that makes this endeavor more of a lifetime pursuit and not just a quick read and chat of the-book-of-the-month that (seems most) book clubs have become. *Not that there is anything wrong with that. *
What I mean to say is that I'm evolving, and although I'm not sure what I wanted when I started, I am sure now I don't want to read just to have read. To spend time with a classic book is sacred time.
I am behind as well, but am with you on the idea of just continuing to plug away! Also, I feel bad that I have thus far slacked on replying to your *wonderful* Cranford post, but I still plan to do so. (Writing in general hasn't been as...flowy, lately.)
ReplyDeleteFor February, I finally finished "David Copperfield!" Then I read the March selection "The Thirty-Nine Steps" in literally a day. Short and sweet. (Although, so is "Dorian Gray," but I've already read that one.)
I am noticing now that "Jane Eyre" isn't supposed to be until June, yet that is what I picked up this last weekend. Read the first couple of chapters. Ok - well, I will put that one down, because I feel I need to stick to a schedule. So, next up, I will be late with reading the April selection "Treasure Island."
Then "Little Women" for May, and "Jane Eyre" for June. (AND, tentatively: "The Painted Veil" for July, and "A Handful of Dust" for August.)
Not that I don't want to read the other selections listed for all those months, because I do. Just trying to be realistic about what I can actually accomplish within that time frame.
Re: "Anna Karenina" - When I read this novel (back in '01), I was hooked on AK. I ate, breathed, LIVED "Anna Karenina." If people tried to talk to me on the bus while I was reading AK, I would hiss and snarl at them (with my eyes). I do look forward to reading it again...some time!
Maybe we should extend CBC, at the end of the year, if there's anything that we haven't gotten to yet. :) (I really wish I would have read "To The Lighthouse" back in November.)
Amanda: Good for you and David Copperfield! Whew that was a commitment.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think we should consider an extension of CBC.
Thanks for hanging in there. Your enthusiasm is inspiring!