Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

Not at all. All anyone wants to read is Twilight and Catching Fire. Even if they were waterboarded and flogged they would still refuse to even touch Sense and Sensibility or be in a five-foot radius of Siddhartha. I am, as always, in the minority.

Jordan wrote: "Not at all. All anyone wants to read is Twilight and Catching Fire. Even if they were waterboarded and flogged they would still refuse to even touch Sense and Sensibility or be in a five-foot radiu..."
Please excuse my ignorance, but what are Twilight and Catching Fire?

Twilight and Catching Fire are bestselling fantasy books for younger teenagers. The first is about Vampires and the other is a sequel to The Hunger Games.
I read The Hunger Games to see what all the fuss was about, and don't plan on reading the sequels. I was teaching in a middle school then and everybody told me how good it was. Well, I can say I have read it.

Right now I am reading The Collected Poems of Edna St. Vincent Millay.

I have downloaded some ebooks, but I have only purchased two actual books this year.
Ebooks-
Common Sense
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine
La Révolte des Anges
Tales of Space and Time by H.G. Wells
The House Without a Key
Meno by Plato
The Piazza Tales by Herman Melville
And the Delphi Collection of works by Jerome K. Jerome


Shane by Jack Schaefer- I ordered a used copy since this book is really hard to find
The Paul Street Boys by Ferenc Molnár- a lovely paperback that I bought in a local used book store

Edna St. Vincent Millay is quite fabulous.

I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.

I read the Twilight books. The series might not be one that I keep forever. While I did like the books, I did not love them. I read them in my early to mid-20’s. The Hunger Games series I read soon after, and I actually did love those books. Having a taste for some books, I think, largely depends on your personal preference of how characters and stories are as well as the age you are when you first read them. Of course, personal life experience probably plays a part, too, in whether you like a book or not, classic or contemporary.

Samantha, I agree that the age you first read a book makes a huge difference. When I was a teenager, I was fascinated by vampires, but too timid to read Dracula. When I finally read it a couple of years ago, I loved it.
I know that I would probably have read all the Twilight books back then. 😁

I picked up free copies of Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison and The Guns of Navarone (such a good movie!) by Alistair MacLean.

The Bartimaeus Series is good. It is really different from Harry Potter, which I also like.

Rosemarie wrote: "The Bartimaeus Series is good. It is really different from Harry Potter, which I also like."
In checking this series, as I have not heard of it, it would appear to be another series regarding magic, similar to, but not the same as Harry Potter. Both have something to do with young people learning to use magic, white I suppose.
But should you be interested in black magic stories and series, you might try the British author, Dennis Wheatley. Very dark and compelling. Several characters and series involving the black arts.

The Bartimaeus books sound good. At least, I like the sound of the premise for book one. I loved Harry Potter. I might have to check those out … eventually.

First, I’ll soon read The Magicians by Lev Grossman. It’s another contemporary fantasy trilogy and is often called an adult Harry Potter type series. I find the tv show a wonderful fusion of HP, Narnia, and even Alice in Wonderland. I love the show and hear the books that the show is based on are fantastic, too. I found book one at Salvation Army, but I might gift that to a friend who also loves fantasy and buy the paperback boxset for myself.

Rosemarie wrote: “The Bartimaeus Series is good. It is really different from Harry Potter, which I also like.”

I love that series! It’s one of my favorites. I also like Stroud’s Lockwood & Co series.

And Bartimaeus gets some really funny lines.

my boyfriend bought me two lovely leather-bound Shakespeare collections from the Strand this weekend - one collection of the comedies, and the other, a collection of the tragedies. i'm obsessed with them! they're gorgeous

i also bought a french translation of kerouac's "on the road". in contemporary lit, i purchased a copy of "milkman" and "the lost children archive".

meghan so nice of him to get you such wonderful editions!

meghan wrote: "my boyfriend bought me two lovely leather-bound Shakespeare collections from the Strand this weekend - one collection of the comedies, and the other, a collection of the tragedies. i'm obsessed wit..."

The books sound beautiful.
I envy your boyfriend's visit to the Strand. When I worked in that part of Manhattan, I must have spent 2-3 lunch hours a week there, upstairs and down. I can't imagine how many volumes I bought.

Gilbert wrote: "meghan wrote: "my boyfriend bought me two lovely leather-bound Shakespeare collections from the Strand this weekend - one collection of the comedies, and the other, a collection of the tragedies. i..."

the Strand is a dangerous place. collectively, the two of us spent $220 on books on our visit... you definitely need a good 2 hours at least to sift through everything and avoid being overwhelmed! hands-down my favorite bookstore. the used penguins classics shelf is my first destination once i get in the doors

John wrote: "meghan wrote: "my boyfriend bought me two lovely leather-bound Shakespeare collections from the Strand this weekend - one collection of the comedies, and the other, a collection of the tragedies. i..."

Shakespeare's life is especially fascinating! thank you for the recommendations. i'll be sure to check them out. his plays have always captivated me - i read othello, romeo and juliet, midsummer's, and twelfth night in middle school for pleasure. such rich language. plus, a good innuendo or two is always funny.

Today I’m subbing for a biology teacher who is going on a field trip. She is here for the first half of the first class. I saw a book unrelated to biology or science at all sitting on a side table. I remarked, “There’s a random novel sitting on that table.” Turns out, the book belonged to her daughter and was to be brought to Goodwill. I now own & can read a copy of As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner. She told me to take it. :)

My latest addition to my "classics" library would be the Tolkien translation of Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary, together with Sellic Spell. I read another translation of Beowulf decades ago in high school, so I'm looking forward to reading this version and seeing how it compares to my (admittedly vague) memories.

For anyone interested, the following is a short list of publishers you might find creating some interesting reads:

Forgotten Books
Nonsuch
Hesperus Press
Dover Publications
Victoriansecrets.co.uk
Leonaur Ltd
victorianweb.org

Thanks for the info, Gilbert.

Nice!
Samantha you are a lucky girl!

Michael
That translation I would think be a good one to have!

Gilbert, I didnt get far before I was really intrigued:
Forgotten Books:

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/en

A really nice website! interesting layout too

Not a classic but I won an ARC of Who Slays the Wicked by C.S. Harris. I haven't read any books by this author.

Lesle wrote: "Nice!
Samantha you are a lucky girl!"

Yes, I am! Between that instance over a week ago and the time a few years ago when I gained a B&N leatherbound copy of Shakespeare by asking about it on the counter at a mechanic shop, I’ve learned this: whenever you see a random book in a place that makes little sense for it to be, ask about it. You never know. It might be up for grabs. :)

Exactly, John. You never know what can happen from bringing a book into conversation.

Samantha wrote: "Lesle wrote: "Nice!
Samantha you are a lucky girl!"

Yes, I am! Between that instance over a week ago and the time a few years ago when I gained a B&N leatherbound copy of Shakespeare by asking ab..."

I remembered you talking about that book at the car shop! You have the best stories for inheriting books! 😀

new latest addition to library: a picador modern classics edition of Joan Didion's Slouching Towards Bethlehem. i'm nearly done with it, but it is such a fascinating commentary on a plethora of topics, such as the beatnik generation, the attitude and way of life of those in the 50s/60s who strove for that white-picket California dream, John Wayne, and other personal topics that are closer to Didion's heart, like notebook-keeping and self-respect. i'm not sure about anyone else, but the beatnik generation is fascinating to me. my literature teacher recently lent me Big Sur, [book:The Dharma Bums|412732, and another one of Kerouac's lesser known works whose title currently escapes me. i both find that generation of thinkers both inspiring, and simply irritating...

Bluegrass Pam wrote: "Not a classic but I won an ARC of Who Slays the Wicked by C.S. Harris. I haven't read any books by this author."

Just curious, what is ARC?

I think it stands for Advanced Reading or Readers ? Copy.

Rosemarie wrote: "I think it stands for Advanced Reading or Readers ? Copy."
Thanx!

Yes, ARC is an Advanced Reading Copy.

The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James.

I stopped into the local Book Warehouse yesterday and brought home these classics plus a contemporary fantasy, all brand new & for only $17:

-- Foundation by Isaac Asimov
-- The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien
-- The Aeneid of Virgil translated by Allen Mandelbaum
-- The Turn of the Screw and Other Short Fiction by Henry James
(and appropriately for current events) -- The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo I read today or last night that finding the novel is becoming increasingly more difficult right now with the recent tragedy.

Other classic books I picked up brand new for very low prices there, since discovering the bookstore open about a couple months ago...

-- Collected Nonfiction, Volume 1: Selections from the Autobiography, Letters, Essays, and Speeches by Mark Twain (Hardcover, even!)
-- Billy Budd, Sailor and Other Stories by Herman Melville
-- Persuasion by Jane Austen - (I've read this, but I liked it so much I couldn't resist a physical copy.)

samantha,
the hunchback of notre dame is one of my favorite books of all time! it was the novel that first introduced me to hugo’s style of writing. absolutely gorgeous prose.. quasimodo is so well-written, as is esmerelda

Meghan, I’ve never read Hunchback of Notre Dame or any Hugo works. I’m quite curious and hope to get to it this year.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is good, especially the second half. It has a very dramatic ending.

Read “The Hunchback Of Notre Dame” last year and followed up with the Charles Laughton-Maureen O’Hara movie.
Great read, especially in light of this week’s tragedy. Laughton at his best.

independent bookstore day was this past saturday, and of course, it is just considered rude NOT to buy a book (or three) at your favorite indie bookstore. i've acquired:

The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays
The Plague
My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read, and Shop

if anyone has read any Camus, please let me know what you think of his work. this'll be my first time reading Camus, and i'm interested as to what you lovely people think of him. his notebooks have been on my TBR list for a little while now, but i figured i'd read some of his work before i delved into his personal life.

Just received Moby-Dick, or, the Whale by Herman Melville

Nice addition Gilbert!

I just got a Kindle version of The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, though won’t start reading it yet.

What a surprise I received today!

My boss bought me Wives and Daughters!!!
It is a World Classic edition from 1923!

She knows Ive been struggling to find a hardcover without paying a small fortune! Thank you Jane!

That is great, Leslie. Happy reading!

I nipped in the Oxfam (charity shop) on Friday and picked up
The Garden of the Finzi-Continis - Giorgio Bassani

I just love the cover.

Well at first I thought Steinbeck himself but the PP put a wrench in things!

For my friends retirement I purchased her a 1969 edition that has this cover but comes with an open ended box, it is in beautiful shape. The edition stated it was a First Edition of the reprint of 1969. She loved it!

I almost kept it for myself!

Lesle wrote: "I almost kept it for myself! "

Haaaahahaha

John wrote: "Sept. 1, 1939 I hereby present my most famous book to Carolyn McCartney

for her first book of autographs Patrince (maybe Patience) Pegan

Any ideas who the autograph may be?"

Well, there was a Patience Pegan who was the librarian at Manual High School in Denver Colorado at that time. Apparently she lived at home with her aged father.

Patience Pegan was also the librarian at North Side High School, Denver, Colorado, during the school year 1919-1920