In My World

I tried for several days to read this book.  I think my problem is with the characters.  They are well developed and even interesting (a bit) but I don't like them.  Should I try to read it again some time in the future?  I don't know.  According to the "300 Books . . . " list, I guess I should. That's all I have to say.

I don't know how many times I have read Animal Farm in my life.  Let's just say a few.  The story has always stayed with me.  I understand there are movie and cartoon adaptions that I vaguely recall but they don't have the power of the original book. George Orwell writes about a farm run by the drunken Mr. Jones which is untended and conditions are harsh.  The animals join together and overthrow Jones and create an equal society for the animals and the farm becomes a wonderful place to live.  Well, except for the fact that it does not take long before the pigs begin taking over and recreate the conditions of the original farm. The most loved character in the book, at least for me, was Boxer the old workhouse who continued to believe in the dream and work for the dream even as he was being taken away, sold to the slaughterhouse by the pigs. This novel is meant to illustrate the rise of Russian revolution and the rise of Stalinism. This is ...

Yes, I do read rather an eclectic range of books.  I love reading.  And I am enjoying reading the 300 Books Everyone Should Read at Least Once.  I general read favoured books over and over.  I've only read Bleak House once so far but I'm sure I will pick it up again. Charles Dickens is my kind of comedian.  Jokes and satire and downright meanness are hidden in the beautiful language he uses.  Apparently Dickens was a law clerk at one time and also spent a lot of time in the courts trying to enforce copyright on some of his earlier books.  As a result this novel is a harsh but humourous critique of the court system of his time. The central theme of the  novel is the long-running litigation of Jarndyce v Jarndyce in which the testator apparently left several different wills.  The court case is finally resolved by the end of the novel but the court costs are so high there is no money or property left to award.

When I finished reading  Vanity Fair  by William Makepeace Thackeray for the second or third time . . . that's right . . . a 950 pages complete and unabridged paper back book . . . I was actually sad that it was done.   I love Thackeray's middle name and love love love the names he chose to use for his characters.  The characters are so off the wall and yet identifiable.   First published in 1847-8 this novel is a satire of society in early 19th century England.   Vanity Fair  is so fun and amusing and biting and ridiculous. I highly recommend this book for a good laugh and a delightful experience. 

Uncle Tom's Cabin is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. It was published in 1852 and had a profound effect on attitudes toward slavery in the U.S.  The title character is said to be based on the story of Reverend Josiah Henson. Henson was an author, abolitionist, and minister born into slavery in Maryland.  He escaped to Upper Canada in 1830, and founded a settlement and school for fugitive slaves near Dresden, Ontario.   I purchased my copy of Uncle Tom's Cabin many years ago after visiting Uncle Tom's Cabin Historic Site in Dresden, Ontario.