This post was originally published on January 12, 2012. Reading Dickens pleases my husband. He has no idea that the first line of A Tale of Two Cities is, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” yet I could detect his pleasure at seeing me sprawled out on the couch... Continue Reading →
My favorite part of Thomas Hardy’s Far From the Madding Crowd (1874), number 47 on the BBC book list, is when the maltster at the local pub tells Gabriel Oak that despite the grittiness of the bacon they are about to eat, he can try not to chew too closely and therefore enjoy the meat... Continue Reading →
How do I explain Tess of the D’Urbervilles (1891) by Thomas Hardy and number 12 on the BBC book list? It is one of those awful (in a lovely way) novels that I see myself in. I think any woman can relate. And unfortunately, the #YesAllWomen campaign on Twitter a few weeks ago attests to... Continue Reading →
I think I’ve passed the age at which I can enjoy Jane Austen. I finished reading Sense and Sensibility (1811) and number 54 on the BBC book list, but I didn’t really care to. I felt bored and yawned through it. A lot. The plot doesn’t have much action. In fact, there’s hardly any action. ... Continue Reading →
I love Dracula (1897), number 72 on the BBC book list, by Bram Stoker. It is one of my favorite books, and I have read it several times. And I would read it again. One of my favorite memories of these many readings is when I read it with my neighborhood book club in October.... Continue Reading →
There’s a reason why I’d rather read a book than look at a fashion magazine. In case you didn’t know, the women in fashion magazines aren’t real. I know. Newsflash! I cannot compete with that sort of fake, outward beauty so I’ve stopped trying. I still shower, curl my hair, and wear makeup (and I... Continue Reading →
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848) is one of my new favorite books. It is my first taste of Anne Brontë, and I have to say that I am hooked. In the past year, I have read for the first time Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and this novel, when before I had only ever read... Continue Reading →
The Today Show recently fired Ann Curry from the top female anchor position. Ever since she got the coveted job, she had been affected and stiff. Her wardrobe had gone from normal to strange, but that is not a reason to fire somebody, and I contend that she is not the problem with the Today... Continue Reading →
This is the third and final installment of my thoughts for Middlemarch Week. If you missed post one, A Preview of Middlemarch, click here. If you missed post two, George Eliot on Marriage, Human Nature, Money, Politics, Religion, Feminism, and Gossip in Middlemarch, click here. If you’re sick of Middlemarch (1874), which is number 20... Continue Reading →
Well, that title is quite a mouthful. I should’ve just said that George Eliot covers just about everything in her 800-page novel Middlemarch (1874), number 20 on the BBC book list. I decided to read Middlemarch at the same time as Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Let’s just say, Middlemarch is now finished, and War and... Continue Reading →
The Bookshelf of Emily J. 