The folks at The Broke And The Bookish are talking books we loved more than we thought we would and/or books we found kind of disappointing. I thought I would take the coward’s way and talk about Classics — you know, so no one would get their feelings hurt š . To find out what other bloggers are talking about, click HERE.
I am a book nerd without apology. I love a really good classic, and by good, I mean one that is highly readable. The kind that I would recommend to normal people; the kind that I think just about anyone could (or should š ) enjoy! I’m not talking Finnegans Wake, but Jane EyreĀ (a book IĀ knew I would love from the start). My list this week includes classics I just wasn’t sure of, but found I loved. Books that I easily can recommend. I have also included a few beloved classics — beloved by others, but not by me! Books that many love, but I just don’t understand why. So without further ado, here is my Top 10 Tuesday list:
Classics I Didn’t Think I’d Like, But Found I Loved.
Bleak House by Charles Dickens — I have to admit that I picked this book up after seeing just one episode of the BBC miniseries. This 900+ page book is a gem. If you didn’t like A Tale of Two CitiesĀ in ninth gradeĀ (I didn’t), don’t despair. This book is so much better!
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens — this book is a masterpiece of description. Way better than any movie version.
IvanhoeĀ by Sir Walter Scott — I started this book in college and never finished, although I did write a paper on it. Cringe! Later, having endured years of guilt, I started it anew. Loved. It.
Moby Dick by Herman Melville — this novel was another college assignment that I did finish. At first I thought whales, ships, uh no! But I loved this book. I loved it so much I talked about it with my youngest son, who also loves it. He in turn told his dad he had to read it. My husband? Not so much. He couldn’t get past the whales and ships . . . .
Beloved Classics, But Not By Me!
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen — I know it may be almost blasphemy not to like a Jane Austen novel, but I cannot help myself. Austen is one of my very favorite authors and I love Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, Emma Ā . . . . But I just can’t get into this novel. I didn’t like any of the movie adaptations I have seen either.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen — now I know you really think I’ve gone too far, but Catherine Morland is just plain silly, and unlikable to boot! Again, I didn’t like the movies.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte — I loved Jane Eyre by sister Charlotte, and Villette by sister Anne is one of my all time favorites. But I wish Cathy and Heathcliff had just gotten lost on the moors at the beginning of the book and put this reader out of her misery!
What about you?
Which books did you love and/or hate more than you thought?
For the first time since their children were born, empty nesters Judith and Stan Winters spent Thanksgiving without the kids, and it’s looking like Christmas will be the same. Judith can’t bring herself to even start decorating for the holiday; her kids always hung the first ornaments on the tree, ornaments they had made each year since they were toddlers. Sure they were strange-looking–some could be called downright ugly–but they were tradition. A tradition she’s heartbroken to miss this year.
Seven-year-old Buddy inaugurates the Christmas season by crying out to his cousin, Miss Sook Falk: “It’s fruitcake weather!” Thus begins an unforgettable portrait of an odd but enduring friendship between two innocent souls — one young and one old — and the memories they share of beloved holiday rituals. 
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