The Good Earth - Pear S. Buck

Title: The Good Earth
Author: Pearl S. Buck
Pages: 357
Published: 2004 (first published 1931)
Challenges: The Classics Club, Historical Fiction, OfftheShelf, Embarrassment of Riches
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary
Edition: Paperback
Source: Personal

Description: This tells the poignant tale of a Chinese farmer and his family in old agrarian China. The humble Wang Lung glories in the soil he works, nurturing the land as it nurtures him and his family. Nearby, the nobles of the House of Hwang consider themselves above the land and its workers; but they will soon meet their own downfall.

Hard times come upon Wang Lung and his family when flood and drought force them to seek work in the city. The working people riot, breaking into the homes of the rich and forcing them to flee. When Wang Lung shows mercy to one noble and is rewarded, he begins to rise in the world, even as the House of Hwang falls.  (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: It took me at least until the half-way through the book to get into the book and to actually understand the point of the book and see its importance in the modern literary canon.  Its almost as though the land is a part of Wang Lung, no matter how poor or wealthy he becomes; as though he is a nurturer of the land around him and sees himself as a steward for the earth, treating it in a manner that is respectful and honourable.  The book, in a way, could be a morality story on how to treat the land, in that if one treats the land well and with respect, it will in turn treat you well and with respect; almost an early form of environmentalism before the term was being used frequently.

Bottom line: I would probably recommend this book that enjoy books by the likes of Steinbeck, Hemmingway, and Faulkner.  It has the same sort of epic and literary quality that one can find with those authors (yes, I have read at least one piece of each).  Highly recommended.

Rating: 4/5

Pages for 2013: 17,120

Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen

Title: Northanger Abbey
Author: Jane Austen
Pages 235
Published: 2003 (1818)
Challenges: The Classics Club, OfftheShelf, Embarrassment of Riches
Genre: Classics, Gothic, Literature
Edition: Paperback
Source: Personal Library

Description: Catherine Morland, an unremarkable tomboy as a child, is thrown amongst all the 'difficulties and dangers' of Bath at the ripe age of seventeen. Armed with an unworldly charm and a vivid imagination, she must overcome the caprices of elegant society, encountering along the way such characters as the vacuous Mrs Allen, coquettish Isabella and the brash bully John Thorpe. Catherine's invitation to Northanger Abbey, in her eyes a haven of coffins, skeletons and other Gothic devices, does lead to an adventure, though one she didn't expect, and her misjudgement of the ambitious, somewhat villainous General Tilney is not wholly unjustified. However, with the aid of the 'unromantic' hero Henry Tilney, Catherine gradually progresses towards maturity and self-knowledge. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: Maybe it was due to the fact that I had read Sense & Sensibility not long before reading this one and the fact that I really I enjoyed that particular book or that I hit a reading funk just as I started the book, I don't know, but I just couldn't get into this particular Austen.  It kinda felt like it was an early book of hers (which upon further research it was actually one of the first that she completed) and probably therefore needs a re-read of the book before I make an overall judgment of the book (I have a bookclub meeting this coming spring that is focused on the book).  But in a way I can see the formula for her later and more beloved books being started.  That being said, it wasn't exactly my favourite and hence I struggled with the book, as it seemed choppy at times and her thoughts and concepts didn't feel as though they were coming from somebody like Jane Austen.  It was an enjoyable read and I will give it a re-read to formulate a more well-rounded opinion of the book. 

Bottom line: Like Mansfield Park and Persuasion, I would recommend the book to those that are more familiar with Jane Austen rather than those that aren't as familiar with her work. Recommended.

Rating: 3.5/5

Pages for 2013:  16,763

Fall Into Reading 2013 - Update #1

I apologize for not updating as soon as I said I would, but blogging hasn't exactly been at the forefront of my mind, being that I have been busy reading over the last few weeks.

Surprisingly I have finished quite a few books on my list for this challenge, but no reviews of the books that I have read.    I even read one book that I didn't include on my list and I think that there will be many additions to the list during the course of the readathon for the next couple of months.





Here is what I have read, but not reviewed as of yet:
• The Thorn Birds
• Agnes Grey
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• The Book Thief

I am planning on working reviews of these books during the next few days.

I also want to give people a heads up on a readathon that started on Friday.  Its called the Wonderfully Wicked Read-A-Thon.  You can still sign up for another few days and I think you can just hop right it in.  You can sign up here: http://www.myshelfconfessions.com/wwreadathon/

I hope to read some of the same books that I have scheduled for Fall Into Reading.

Fall Into Reading 2013

This is my third year participating in this annual fall reading session and each year I enjoy it more and more.  I don't think I was thinking about this past August, but when Musings of a Book Addict put up a post that she would be hosting the event this year, I knew that it was coming up and started to think about the books that I would probably read this coming fall.

And when I did think about it earlier today, this years list is going to be a bit longer than last years.  Part of the reason is that the number of books that I am currently reading and am hoping to complete more than I did last year.  Maybe I should aim low like I did last year so as not to be disappointed when my list isn't complete when winter starts.

But in any case here is my list:

• The Thorn Birds
• Northanger Abbey
• War & Peace
• Agnes Grey
• The Count of Monte Cristo
• Vilette
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• The Snow Child
• The Light Between Oceans

I will try to update my reading progress about every two weeks. Happy reading everybody.

Fall into Reading 2012 - Wrap up post

I realize that this is late, but with the Christmas season, I got a bit lazy about a month prior to Christmas and with me traveling around the end of fall and the beginning of winter, it was just a little more hectic than usual.

As I look at the books I wanted to complete during this year's  Fall into Reading, I realize that I completed every single one of them.  Of course it helped that two of them were for my book club and one was for a readalong, but nonetheless, I was able to finish all of them this time around.

I even finished one of the books that was on my probable list as well, Taming of the Shrew, and read a number of books that weren't on the list of three and ended up finishing Les Miserables a few days after Fall into Reading 2012 finished (I went to the movie opening day).  I am looking forward to Spring Reading Thing 2013.

Fall into Reading 2012 - Update #1

I can hardly believe that a month has gone by already.  Out where I am, we have only had our typical fall weather for about a couple of weeks and already I am disliking the cold and the rain; my body doesn't seem to want to get adjusted to it and nor does my apartment for that matter, as it feels cold all the time, but only seems to get warm in the hour or so before I wish to go to bed.  Its very frustrating, but then I think and realize that its less than 2 months until Christmas and I need to probably get cracking on getting my gifts purchased, as I am planning on getting my gifts online again this year, well at least most of them...

Anyways, the reading hasn't been going too great, although I have managed to get 60% of Les Miserables and Anna Karenina completed and its a real possibility to get them completed before the end of the calendar year.  I have finished a few of books since the start of the readathon (one I put the review of the book the day of the start of Fall into Reading), with only one of them being on my list (I have another book that I am a few chapters away from completing and I should have that done tomorrow).  I am hoping to have a few more books completed in the next month, but depending on how much I focus on Les Miserables and Anna Karenina, it may not be much.  Hope everybody is having a great time.

Reviews:
1) A Race to Splendor (review)
2) A Farewell to Arms (review)
3) Quiet (review)
4) Gone Girl (review)

Talk to you guys next month.

Fall into Reading 2012

I have been looking forward to this for a number of weeks and had been thinking about it since sometime in late August.  And now it is back!  Yay!

This fall looks like a a busy reading few months for me, between the two books for my book club this fall and the Wuthering Heights readathon.

I also have library stuff I would like to read, but that is largely dependent on my due dates for the books and what else I have on my plate and it seems that with my e-reader, the list has grown even more.

Anyways, here are the books I am for sure planning on reading:


• A Farewell to Arms
• Wuthering Heights
• Mansfield Park

I am probably going to work on completing on these books as well:

• Bleak House
• Anna Karenina
• The Taming of the Shrew (just saw a production on Friday afternoon and would like to read the play)

But those aren't a sure thing that I will get them done, but who knows with my trip to Edmonton in the next few weeks.

Have a great fall of reading everybody!

Fall into Reading 2011 - Wrap-Up post

Wow, I can't believe that this completed; it doesn't seem like it was 3 months ago this started, as so much has happened in the meantime.

I managed to finish 7 of the books that were on my initial post back on Sept. 23 and feel quite proud of myself that I got that many completed.

My favourite book that I read during the fall, that wasn't a reread, was Frankenstein, which was on TBR list.  And the least favourite was The Christmas Wedding.  The reason that I chose these two was because Frankenstein was complete revelation to me and totally exceeded what I expected the book to be and found it to be very relevant to our modern society as well and insightful to the things that Humans create, especially when it comes to computers and other things that come to rule our lives.  The reason that The Christmas Wedding was my least favourite because I found the story very simple and not exactly thought provoking and found that Gaby was a very selfish individual, which was in contrast to her children, who didn't really seem to be as selfish and really much more grounded than she was.

My favourite thing about the challenge was the length of the challenge.  Whereas many of the challenges/readathons seem to be either constrained by what one can read or by time, this one seemed relaxed and not really concerned with what I am reading.

Hope to see the challenge either in the Spring or in the Fall!  Merry Christmas everybody!

Fall into Reading 2011 - Update #5

The last two weeks weren't that great, both personally and reading wise.  I didn't get much reading done, but I hope that I will get more this coming week.  Its hard to believe that its less than a week until it is winter due to the fact that a number of trees still have leaves on their branches and the grass out here still is fairly green.  But it hasn't been a normal fall due to the lack of rain that we have had this year; most days its been either cloudy or clear and the air temperature has been fairly cool (like I have to wear gloves and a toque and a thick jacket in order to feel warm; the umbrella has barely been out).

Anyways hope the last two weeks have been better for you.

Reviews:

1. Lost December
2. The Quiet Little Woman

Fall into Reading 2011 - Update #4

The last couple of weeks have been very productive, at least in terms of getting books done and I am getting closer to my goal of 50 books read.  I managed to pass what I read last year by 3 (I read 38) and judging by what I have lined up to be read for the next few weeks, I will likely get to my goal of 50 books.  I have managed to get past my goal of reading 15,000 pages (which I barely accomplished about 5 years ago) and will probably increase the amount that I want to read by about 10,000 pages.

Right now I seem to be in a bit of a lull, especially since I haven't been feeling well this past week, but since I am on the upswing, I should back in fine reading form this coming week.

See you in a couple of weeks.

Reviews:
1. Rebel Angels
2. The Wild Rose
3. The Christmas Scrapbook
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Fall in Reading 2011 - Update #3

This was by far the most productive two weeks that I have had.  I have been reading on a more regular basis (yay!) and I managed to complete 4 books (yay!).  Okay 2 were of books that I was almost complete, one was a short book and one was a fairly easy read.  But still I finished 4 books.  I am almost finished another (wished I had gotten this book done a few days ago), but it will be done within the next couple of days.

Hope you all have a great weekend and I will talk to you in a couple of weeks.

Book Reviews:

1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2. Captivity
3. Frankenstein
4. Little House in the Big Woods

Fall into Reading 2011 - Update #2

These last two weeks have bee pretty bad in regards to reading, as I got stuck basically reading one book.  Part of the reason was that I got a tad depressed and hence got into bit of a reading rut as a result.  Hence I didn't get much done, but this readathon isn't meant for speed and am starting to get out of the rut and almost finished a second book within the last few days, even though it is a book that I have been reading for quite sometime. One thing I have done is cut back on the time that I am spending on Facebook.  Its not that I am quitting cold turkey on that site, its just that the games are starting to take more and more of my time.  That will mean more time reading and hopefully getting the books that I need to get done in the next couple of weeks, not that I am pushing myself.  Basically I am uncomplicating my life by a huge bunch.

Book Reviews:
1.  The Night Circus

My next update will be in two weeks.

Fall into Reading 2011 - Update #1

I can't say how much I love this readathon! Can't all readathons be like this?

Anyways, it was a fairly productive 2 weeks, as I completed 2 books and almost managed to finish a third one.  While I have reduced the amount of library books I have out at the present time by quite a few (a bunch came due and had 2 renewals on them), I still have quite a few out and hopefully with the upcoming long weekend here in Canada (its Thanksgiving on Monday), I can get a couple more done, especially with one of them only been a fairly short book and there being a three hour drive both later today and on Monday.

While I have family that I will be visiting with during the weekend, there will be times in which I will have time to do reading, especially since I am cutting down on the amount of time that I spend online.

Reviews:
1. Moneyball
2. Persuasion

My next update will be in two weeks.

Fall into Reading 2011

I am a sucker for readathons, especially for readathons that take over a long period of time.  Now the list that I am going to put out is only going to have a few books on it, as I don't know exactly what I am going to read due to the fact that I don't exactly know what books I will or won't read.  But here are the books I will or I believe will read during the next 3 months:

• Persuasion
• Moneyball
• Speak
• Tabloid City
• A Race to Splendor
• The Submission
• I Shall Not Hate
• 1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus
• Boneman's daughter
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Something Missing
• Rebel Angels
• A Good Hard Look
• Dash and Lily's Book of Dares
• The Book Thief
• Frankenstein
• Captivity
• Crime & Punishment
• The Night Circus

I also plan on making updates about every 2 weeks with reviews of books that I have finished during that two week period.  Anyways, off to do some reading for a bit.