Yesterday really announced itself as spring here - highs in the upper 70's, mild breezes, sunshine. It was time to put away the snowman collection and start the spring cleaning. That always means that I'm pulling up rugs, tucking away blankets, and generally trying to make our spaces more airy. That always means I'm going to be rearranging the things on the bookshelves on either side of our fireplace. Remarkably, every time I do that, I'm surprised to find, amongst our collection of old books, some of the classics that I'd like to read some day.
It was a great coincidence that I happened to turn up some of these classics yesterday because only Friday I'd begun contemplating signing up for The Classics Club (hosted by Jillian of A Room Of One's Own). It's a big commitment (at least 50 books) but you get to set up your own time frame for completing the challenge (up to 5 years). Amongst your choices you can include short stories, novellas and children's books so that does make reaching that number much easier. I started poking around my house the other night and realized that I can reach that number without buying one book because we have so many classics I'd love to reread.
I'm very much enjoying the Bleak House readalong, although I lost track this past week of where I was supposed to finish off reading and read several chapters more than I should have. I'm twelve chapters in, though, and Dickens is still introducing new characters and story lines. It's a lot to keep track of so I'm glad to have the rest of the group to point up things I may have missed along the way.
This week I'm finally getting to my mystery reading, starting off with a review this week of the latest Maisie Dobbs mystery, Elegy for Eddie. I've got another of Jacqueline Winspears' books to read this month in celebration of Maisie Dobbs as well. I'm going to finally get to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, pick up some Harlan Coben, maybe some more Stephanie Plum...who knows where my mystery reading will take me in the next couple of weeks!
What are you reading this week? Do your reading patterns change when the weather changes?
All those books sound wonderful. I want to read Cather too! So many great ones in your post...where to start??? Isn't the weather gorgeous???!!!
ReplyDeleteI need to watch a few more episodes in Bleak House today and also get caught up with my reading!!
Have a beautiful Sunday!
Jillian's Classics Club is so tempting! I've just spent the last half hour composing a tentative list... so many are already on my shelves.
ReplyDeleteI borrowed the DVD, Bleak House, preferring to see the series rather than read the book. Good luck with the Classics Challenge!
ReplyDeletegood for yu, you good Nebraskan!
ReplyDeleteI have read a few posts this weekend for this classics challenge. Four years feels like too long for me, will blogging still be around in four years? :)
ReplyDeleteI have read two classics already this year, reviews scheduled for this week.
Spring cleaning! woohoo
Curious to read your review for dragon tattoo... let me know if you think I would like it. I still don't know anyone (in real life) who has read any of the books in this series, to recommend it to me.
Have a great week!
I do not do well with the time change. I wake when it's dark anyway, so for me... it's darker, longer which makes for a very long morning. And, last night I should have been wide awake but I was exhausted.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to do a classics challenge of some sort but I don't want to give myself a huge number. It seems silly but now that I work at an independent bookstore, some of the more commerical new stuff i have read doesn't always match my clientele. I need to reach down deep into my wanna be English major soul and read some of those classics...like Hemingway. I am listening to Paris Wife right now and really feel I should read some Hemingway to go with it.
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