Chelsea’s Comments (group member since Jan 09, 2013)

Chelsea’s comments from the Classics Without All the Class group.

The book I'm currently reading - The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe by Roger Penrose - is a 1000+ page monster about mathematics and physics. I attempted it once before, and gave up at around 200 pages. For fiction, I have had three attempts at reading War and Peace and I have yet to complete it. The most difficult book that I've actually finished reading would either be one of Franz Kafka's (his stories are short, but very dense) or House of Leaves (quite thick, and uses a difficult-to-follow format).

The most difficult read in terms of emotional impact would have to be the novelisation of Grave of the Fireflies. I read it when I was around eight - much too early, in my opinion. I had nightmares about not being able to protect my little brother at wartime for years.

I've read 35 books, which is 15 books short of my goal of 50. I had forgotten when setting the goal that I wouldn't be able to get much reading done in October and November because of exams, and I also chose a few books that took more time to read than I expected.

I am going to lower my goal significantly to 20 books for 2014, since I'd be even busier studying pre-med and I want to put quality over quantity. Other than this, I don't think I will participate in any particular book challenges, but I didn't read any of the books of the month and would like to try at least a couple in 2014. I will also try to finish all my owned books that I have yet to read, which is about a dozen.

I'm playing the original Half-Life, but I am rather rubbish at it - I've been stuck in the first section for about two weeks, too scared to continue.

The best - Bridget Jones's Diary. A friend had recommended it a while ago, but I "judged the book my its cover" (blurb, actually) and thought that I wouldn't like it. I came across the book in the library when I was out of books to read and I picked it up for a quick read. I'm very glad I did, because I absolutely loved it.

The worst - I haven't actually encountered any horrible books yet, but Bel Canto was a little disappointing. It was also the only book that I've read this year that I hadn't chosen myself, so it seems I am becoming an excellent book connoisseur :-)

I'm thinking of trying The Dresden Files, but I'm a little worried that it's too dark for my liking, and it's difficult to read reviews without accidentally being spoiled. For reference, I enjoyed V for Vendetta but I found A Game of Thrones to be too grim.

The Lord of the Rings. It was all a problem of timing - I've been a keen reader since I was little, and I read The Hobbit when I was about seven or eight. I really liked it and attempted to read LotR straight after, but it was above my reading level at the time (obviously). I re-read the trilogy when I got a second-hand set for my fourteenth birthday, and was pleasantly surprised at their quality.

Judy writes about reading several classic books in Daddy-Long-Legs, after being separated from the outside world in the orphan asylum for so long. She mentions that she had never read the Sherlock Holmes novels (very relevant this month!) or Little Women before she went to college, and she admires the imagination of Emily Bronte for coming up with a story like Wuthering Heights.

I always borrow books from the library first and almost never buy books that I haven't read and liked, so my rule of thumb is that if I haven't finished it by the due date (so about 4 weeks), I give up and return the book.

I'm reluctant about giving up any books, though, since I tend to be a slow starter when it comes to reading and only get interested as I read on. It takes me a while to decide whether a book is good or bad.

I'm definitely influenced by the book's reputation, too. I stopped reading Twilight after about a week and decided it wasn't worth my time, but I've given War and Peace three tries already and I intend to come back to it again.

I came across If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor at my library and the title caught my eye. It doesn't look like it would take too long to read so I might try it regardless, but can someone offer their opinion on the book, and the sort of person who might enjoy it?

I think that the length of the book isn't as good as the "density" or style of the writing as an indicator of difficulty; I always struggle with Franz Kafka, even though his stories are short.

I've attempted War and Peace and The Silmarillion three times each, but I've yet to finish either. Not only are they long, they both have a large cast and I find myself going back constantly to remember who the characters are.

The Secret Garden!

Hello everyone. I'm tenpm, a seventeen-years-old girl from Japan. I've lived in New Zealand since I was eleven, and this year I'm a Year 13 (last year of high school).

My favourite authors are Jane Austen, L. M. Montgomery, Neil Gaiman, Michael Ende and J. R. R. Tolkien. Besides the works of these authors, I'm also a huge fan of the Sherlock Holmes series, The Little Prince, Daddy-Long-Legs and other books. I like reading all sorts of books, but I have a soft spot for fantasy and children's literature.