Tuesday, March 12, 2019

A Reading Life (51) - March #reading plans and February's short #reviews


Wow! It's March. It's Spring Break this week so we have some fun planned. Looking forward to it because we're going to the Frist Art Museum. Might be the last time we visit before we move back to Michigan next year. We're also going to see Captain Marvel tomorrow. I've been hearing great things about it. Reece and I are excited!

In February, I read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and The Princess of Cleves by Madame de La Fayatte (True Book Talk February Selection). I'm still working on Suetonius' The Twelve Caesars. It's a bit dry so I decided to take a bit longer to read it, and to read it in doses.

My thoughts on February's reads...

Frankenstein

I can't believe I waited so long to read this book. I've read Dracula three times. I recently watched the film, Mary Shelley. I immediately picked this up to read. While somewhat more wordy than Dracula, in my opinion (I enjoy Dracula's epistolary format), I liked its insight and observations on mankind. How we so often have difficulty looking beyond the physical appearance to what the person is like inside. How we judge and underestimate on appearances alone. I would even go so far to say that Shelley's "monster" was symbolic of women and how they were treated in her time. Judged by gender/outward appearance; believed not capable of anything beyond typical womanly tasks. Certainly not capable of writing a novel such as Frankenstein!

I will definitely reread at some point. I bet there is a great audio version available.

Challenges read for:
Book Challenge by Erin 10.0
Classics Club
13 Ways of Looking at the Lifetime Reading Plan
2019 Book to Movie


The Princess of Cleves

A quote from the Madame de La Fayette author page on Goodreads: "... the work is often taken to be the first true French novel and a prototype of the early psychological novel." This was definitely an interesting depiction of the intrigues of the French court, and when I say intrigues, I mean the intrigues of love. Initially, a bit overwhelmed with the multitude of characters described in the novel, I was finally able to keep everyone straight, although with effort. Regarding it being an early psychological novel, I would have to agree. The author was very skillful in depicting the inner workings of the characters' minds, especially those of the Princess of Cleves and the Duc de Nemours.


Challenges read for:
Classics Club


March Reading Plans

I'm not doing the #Bookjar and Random Reading Projects this month because I'm working on Book Challenge by Erin 10.0 which ends on April 30. I need to read three books this month and three next month, plus finish The Twelve Caesars, to complete the challenge (I'm also listening to the Northanger Abbey audio book for this challenge...very close to finishing). Below are the books and Book Challenge prompts I'm reading for this March.


Read a book that is a friend or family member’s favourite...or the favourite book by another participant in this challenge - Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith (one of my mom’s favorites)


Read a book that was made into a movie - The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Read a book that is set in Europe - The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

Also, currently reading Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, March selection for True Book Talk.


What's going on in your reading life?




Never miss a post!

* indicates required

2 comments:

Thank you for visiting and taking the time to comment. It means so much.

I apologize for word verification, but as soon as I changed the settings from only users with Google accounts, I started receiving a ton of spam comments...within one hour of changing the settings. The bots are on high alert apparently.

  1. I read Frankenstein many years ago when I was in college. It's definitely a great book!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, it is already May, I might add. Saved your post, obviously in March to comment...and here we are! Much to my surprise I loved both Frankenstein and Dracula. Not at all what I was expecting. Mary Shelley managed to include so many parts of life in her story, it is truly genius.
    The Princess of Cleves sounds good. It is interesting to read old books sometimes, to see how the subject of our lives was looked at then. I loved The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Sad, but written in such a beautiful way. The Miniaturist is also a favourite. I have her other book The Muse, but have not yet read it.
    Quite a variety of reading in March.

    ReplyDelete
- See more at: http://www.techtrickhome.com/2013/02/show-comment-box-above-comments-on.html#sthash.TjHz2Px9.dpuf
- See more at: http://www.techtrickhome.com/2013/02/show-comment-box-above-comments-on.html#sthash.TjHz2Px9.dpuf