Books have always been a big part of my life. I remember in first grade when we learned those first couple of words how exciting it was to be a reader.
I even have my old readers from the 1960's!
I loved this picture in the book and could hardly wait to read the story.
I can also remember going to birthday parties in fancy dresses with the scratchy petticoats!
Most of the stories had moral lessons to be learned. As I looked over the books they were the good basics, be nice to each other, don't lie etc. Don't you love these pictures? I think I am vintage now!
Every summer I like to try and expand my reading list and try a classic. I can see why they are called classics. This summer I read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. The Red Tent is not technically a classic but the title fit the small space!
I can see why teenagers don't want to read them, they are very profound. I think they just don't have enough life experience to appreciate the writing. So far some of my favorites are:
To Kill A Mockingbird
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn
The Good Earth
East of Eden
Of Mice And Men
The Grapes of Wrath
How Green Was My Valley
Do you have any favorites to recommend?
Kelly
I can't believe you have those books! Your house is always so neat and tidy. Where do you keep all the stuff?
ReplyDeleteI LOVED those petticoat dresses! My favorite - a hand-me-down from a cousin, was gold taffeta with black velvet bows. :) And we had the "Donkey Party Game", used it every year at my party. Must try some of your classics, I remember reading Ray Bradbury in h.s. - Dandelion Wine and Fahrenheit 451. My English teacher was very cool.
ReplyDeleteHere's a classic for you: The Human Comedy, by William Saroyan. WOW!, I must be the oldest follower of your blog. francie monaghan@comcast.net
ReplyDeleteOh...not enough space..I've read those you listed - a few re-read recently. The first book I remember loving was Of Human Bondage - Maugham (jr. high I think)
ReplyDeleteClassic 'old' titles or authors:
84 Charring Cross Road
The Boat of Longing - O.E. Rolvaag
The Painted Veil - S. Maugham
Cry the Beloved Country - Paton
Newer:
The Whistling Season - I. Doig
Cutting for Stone
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
Shadow Baby - Mcghee
The Lady and the Unicorn and anything by Tracy Chevalier - most recently read Remarkable Creatures.
I'll stop :)
jean
Thank you all for those great suggestions! I wrote them all down and will start checking them out. There is nothing like the idea of a new book on the horizon!
ReplyDeleteI love anything by Jane Austen. Emma is a favorite but they all amuse me and remain timeless!
ReplyDeleteMy favourite classics are by Jane Austen and Charles Dickens.
ReplyDeleteI can't even remember learning to read but I do remember the early learner books.
ReplyDeletewhat a fun post. I have most of my weekly reader books. I was in a mail order book club. I owe it all to my mom. Loved reading the book lists.
ReplyDeleteLoved the red tent.
Here are just some of my favorites:
Anna Karenina
Birth of Venus
Anything Charles Dickens
Moby Dick (favorite of all time)
Pillars of the Earth
World without End
Book Theif
my book club challenge book this summer is "angle of repose" it's good so far.
Happy Reading - I love the block!!
p.s.
ReplyDeleteIf you read a book you love, enter it into Itunes or amazon and they will give you a list of similar books, it's worked great for me.
I love this post!! Books are wonderful, they teach you things, they take you to places you might never go in real life, they make you think or simply make you smile. I loved The Red Tent because it's the story of Rachel from the bible. I always thought it was so romantic that Jacob loved Rachel so much that he worked hard for 14 years to earn her hand in marriage. It was great to read it as a novel. You have a few on your list that I haven't read so I'll be tracking those down. A classic that is simply fun to revisit is Anne of Green Gables. I read it for the first time a couple of years ago and loved Anne's positive view of life, that's a book that made me smile!!
ReplyDeleteI would add A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations.
ReplyDeleteAnd, for a new read, since your son did some hiking on the App. Trail, try Wild by Cheryl Strayed. I know it's Oprah's choice for her new book club but I read it first!
You read different story books than I did. I've never seen a children's book with a nun in it! Wow! Can't say any classic books are a favorite, but I've appreciated reading some of them. The last was "Atlas Shrugged" and it was a pretty heavy tome. An all-time favorite book that I have read several times is "Gone With the Wind." I think many people assume they know it from seeing the movie, but there's so much more to it. You asked a good question. Hope you get some books to add to your reading list.
ReplyDeleteI have some old readers too! My favorites were the Alice and Jerry books. Here are a few suggestions for your classics list: Jane Eyre, anything by Jane Austen, The Woman in White, The Moonstone, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, The Hobbit, Out of Africa, My Antonia.
ReplyDeleteThe Good Earth, The Red Tent and East of Eden are some of my favorites too..I also enjoyed Poisonwood Bible, Ten Thousand White Women, Cane River, Selena, of my I could go on and on. joanne , I just wish I had written down everything I have read. I recently took out The Girl with the Blue Beret, a World War II novel and realized I had read it last year. I enjoy war novels and anything historical in nature.
ReplyDeletesomeone mentioned Tracy Chevaliar all of her books are wonderful, I love reading more than anything, but am running out of so like you I will take not of the ones I have not read. was in town for a few days over the 4th
ReplyDeleteand my son Andrew got engaged. I am so happy for them. so now we have all our kids covered. bring on the grandkids. you are way ahead of me. hope to getback in the fall joanne
To kill a mocking bird is one of my all time favorites.
ReplyDeleteLet me guess what year you were born....1953? Same as me?
Happy Sewing
Wonderful block and book list. Someone posted about The Human Comedy by William Saroyan and I have to say that that book is still with me. I read my Dad's copy at my Grandmother's house as a teenager and it was wonderful. I noticed that The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks in not on your list. You really must read that, words can't do it justice - it's simply an amazing story.
ReplyDelete