And the lucky Spin number is:
Classics Club Spin # 26 … And The Winner Is ……
19
Classics Club Spin #26
It’s time for the Classics Club Spin #26. I did finish the last spin in an odd way, reading Cirtnecce’s pick of Tevye the Dairyman and Motl the Cantor’s Son, but at least it was on my Classics list, so I was able to tick that one off. Thus, with that success in mind, I’m joining once again!
Tevye The Dairyman and Motl The Cantor’s Son by Sholem Aleichem
Tevye the Dairyman: “In honor of my dear, beloved friend Reb Sholem Aleichem, may God grant you health and prosperity together with your wife and children, and may you have great fulfillment whatever you do and wherever you go. Amen. Selah!”
Actually, I read this book for Cirtnecce’s Classic Club Spin, choosing to join her to check off a book on my own Classics Club list. I was expecting a light, enjoyable read and Aleichem lived up to my expectations, with a lively and appealing look in at a Jewish-Russian family and their lives and struggles told through the narration of Tevye, the father. Tevye is an honest and pious Dairyman who strives to make a living for himself, his wife, Golde and his seven beautiful daughters. But children who are not good children (in Tevye’s eyes), can be challenging at the least, and a poor dairyman’s life is not always easy. Tevye will tell his stories and you can’t help but listen.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by G.K. Chesterton
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1897) Giovanni Boldini
~ source Wikiart
“The greatest of Shakespeare’s comedies is also, from a certain point of view, the greatest of his plays.”
Or so G.K. Chesterton says with regard to Shakespeare’s well-known comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It appears Chesterton and I differ radically. Even with three readings and two performances, A Midsummer Night’s Dream has left me somewhat unimpressed. I’m not sure if it’s the silliness that puts me off, but the comedic aspect of it fails in my opinion and I’ve never been able to find much meaning in it at all. Can Chesterton change my mind and reveal to me the appeal of this play that I’ve perhaps been missing? Let’s find out!
Partners in Crime by Agatha Christie
Partners In Crime: “Mrs. Thomas Beresford shifted her position on the divan and looked gloomily out of the window of the flat.”
Detective: Tommy and Tuppence Beresford
Published: 1929 (Christie’s 12th published book)
Length: 277 pages
Setting: The International Detective Agency, 118 Haleham St. W.C.
Deal Me In Challenge 2021
Jay at Bibliophilica hosts the Deal Me In Challenge every year and it’s one of my favourite challenges. Even considering the fact that I’ve been abysmal with even getting halfway through this challenge the past few years, I’m still going to participate in the Deal Me In Challenge 2021. Why, you ask? Well, I do have a very good reason ….
The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe
The Mysteries of Udolpho: “On the pleasant banks of the Garrone, in the province of Gascony, stood, in the year 1584, the chateau of Monsieur St. Aubert.”
Finally, I have finished The Mysteries of Udolpho, the turtle coming in over the finish line of her own read-along. It was actually more like a last-minute buddy read but still everyone finished before me and I think a good number of you enjoyed the read.
I must say, Radcliffe surprised me. I had expected a novel infused with the overly dramatic, filled with unbelievable occurrences, overdrawn characters, and sentimentality galore. While there was a little of each within the novel, it was much less than I expected. Emily, the heroine, while she did faint on occasion, was actually quite strong and steadfast given her age and circumstances. I’m a little puzzled as to why she’s mocked so heavily in other reviews I’ve read.
2020 In Review
A Thinker, A Young Roman Monk (1848) Alexandre Cabanel
~ source Wikiart
2020 Reading Stats:
Christmas Greetings ~ From A Fairy To A Child by Lewis Carroll
Christmas Greetings ~ From A Fairy To A Child
Lady dear, if Fairies may
For a moment lay aside
Cunning tricks and elfish play,
‘Tis at happy Christmas-tide.
2021 Reading Schedule January to June
View of Ornans and Its Church Steeple (1858) Gustave Courbet ~ source Wikiart
2021 is almost upon us and already I have a couple of challenges planned, a read-along and a few buddy reads. I first saw on Fanda’s blog her posted reading schedule and thought, “what a great idea.” Then when Ruth asked if I write out my TBR for the year I wondered if someone “up there” was trying to tell me something. So even though lists are not my favourite things, a list it is. To keep me on track, of course!