Day 10 – A Book That Reminds You of Home

Day 9 – A Book You Thought You Would Hate and Ended up Loving

I had been planning to read this Greek classic for years but was completely intimidated.  While I had a very basic overview of ancient Greece, what did I truly know about the people, their lives, their beliefs, their motivations?  Yes, I could certainly read the book, but I didn’t feel I had the background information to truly understand it.

What I considered the theme of the Iliad was also off-putting.  War, war and more war.  What lessons were there to learn from it?  What point was there in reading about the power-struggles of men and the capriciousness of the gods?  It was going to be a terrible slog through, it was going to take forever to finish, and I was sure I would regret the time I wasted on it.


When I saw one of the groups on Goodreads preparing to read The Iliad, despite my reservations, I decided to jump in and what a surprise when it exceeded my furthest expectations!!  Fortunately, some well-read intellectuals in the group were able to impart background information that made the work and the times come alive and I became on intimate footing with Agamemnon, Achilles, Hector, King Priam and many of the warriors and women within the poem.  

The read and the group brought Ancient Greece to life and at the end it was difficult to leave this world in which I had become so invested.

One day when I have more time, I’d like to make it a yearly read but, for now, I can only say, if you haven’t read it, DO!  Homer is truly a master of epic verse!  

Day 8 – A Book That is Over-rated

Again I’m going to allow myself a two-book choice for this challenge, covering both classic and modern periods.

For the most over-rated modern book, my vote goes to The Hunger Games.

An uninventive, at times awkward plot, a reasonably flat main character and a unimaginative story add up to a very average book.  

I thought the premise for the Hunger Games was interesting, but I think Collins missed a great opportunity.  The book revolves around these games which have children trying to kill each other, most of them quite happy to do it without any inward moral struggle.  Wouldn’t it have made the plot more interesting if Katniss went against what everyone else was doing and refused to kill?  How would she have gotten away with it?  What ramifications would her actions have had?  How many people could she have affected in a positive way? 

It’s not so much that I have a problem with violence in novels per-se.  I’ve read a number of excellent books where violence is the theme.  Like it or not, it’s part of the world in which we live and it’s important to face that.  My issue with this book (and many modern novels targeted at children) is HOW they portray the violence and the actions and characteristics of the protagonists.  Katniss puts survival (ie. self) before anything else (except her sister) and is presented as the hero that the reader should look up to.  IMO, there are many better roll models to admire.  

My second “classic” choice goes to The Catcher in the Rye.

A whiny main character who goes through the whole book finding fault with the rest of the world, one who never develops or changes throughout the entire story.  I could never see the appeal, except perhaps for the shock value of the times, but otherwise, a complete disappointment.

Day 7 – A Book That Makes You Laugh

Okay, it’s time to unveil a really obscure book for this challenge day!  

Cyrano by Geraldine McCaughrean is a retelling of the play based on the life of the well-known historical figure, Cyrano de Bergerac.  

Cyrano, a swashbuckling soldier who is a master of words, meets and falls in love with the beautiful Roxanne.  Unfortunately Roxanne has given her heart to another man and, to his dismay, Cyrano ends up helping his rival write romantic love letters to his sweetheart.  Cyrano yearns to win Roxanne’s love but his enormous nose gets in the way.

While this book is sweet, poignant and, at times, sad, there were parts where I laughed my head off and overall, I couldn’t put it down.

This book was shortlisted for the Carnegie Award in 2007.

Day 6 – A Book That Makes You Sad

        (Big Spoiler Alert – If you haven’t read Rilla of Ingleside and want the story to be a surprise, don’t read any further!)

I could pick a number of books for this challenge and I’ve decided to pick two!  My first choice is:

This book came immediately to mind because I am presently reading it.  Because it is set during the First World War, the reader is able to look into a family and a community, and see how the war affected them on an on-going basis.  This was actually fascinating and made me better understand people’s willingness to fight for freedom and the continuation of the life they valued.  There weren’t misguided; they truly felt that they were preserving a way of life that was more valuable to them than their individual lives, sacrificing themselves for others.

However noble their actions were, it was truly sad when one of Anne’s children was killed.  While I wished for the “happy-ending” in this last book of the series, I was glad that Montgomery chose to make it realistic.  It brought home the realities of war in a way that was very effective.

My next choice is:

A story of an “outlier” priest in France, who does not conform to the expectations of society or of his religious colleagues.  He attempts to fulfill his job to the best of his abilities but is continually misunderstood and, at times, undermined by the people of his community.  The priest’s “aloneness” and his inability to share his feelings of inadequacy and suffering, drew me right into his story.  Very sad, but very worthwhile reading!

Day 5 – A Book That Makes You Happy

Usually my first criteria for choosing a book is not for the fact that it will make me happy.  I look for a well-written book that will expand life for me, and impart some sort of wisdom or life lesson.  That said, I occasionally come across books that leave a happy kind of feeling and I Capture the Castle was one of those books.

Written by Dodie Smith of 101 Dalmations fame, this book is narrated by Cassandra, a witty and whimsical teenager who lives in a castle with her father, Mortmain, a one-book-wonder author, her stepmother, Topaz, a young model and her sister, Rose, who tends to have a blighted view of life and the circumstances in which they find themselves.  Cassandra’s view of her unusual life is so fresh and naive, yet is touched with such wit and vivacity, that you can’t help but be pulled into her world.  
So for a “feel good” novel that imparts wisdom as well, I Capture the Castle, can’t be beat!

Day 4 – Favourite Book of Your Favourite Series

Admittedly I have not read the complete Swallows and Amazons series yet, but to-date, my favourite of the first six is Swallows and Amazons.

John, Susan, Titty and Roger get permission to camp on an island for their summer vacation and oh, what exciting adventures they have!

A near perfect vacation adventure story for children, complete with camping, sailing, pirates, and buried treasure, but most importantly, a meeting of new friends.

A classic for children that will not disappoint!