Tag: English

2012 Challenges, Books, The Classics Club

Book 131: A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens

Geoff W

I knew very little about Charles Dickens going into reading A Tale of Two Cities. Seriously, the most I know I’ve got from either The Muppets version of A Christmas Carol or the Doctor Who episode from a few years ago. (Yay Gwen!) I am glad, however, that I’m reading two of Dickens’ greatest most well-known novels this year as it is his 200th birthday! What better year to read it than on such an occasion?

I picked up this version of the book almost exactly a year ago helping my sister move to New Hampshire for grad school, mentioned in my very first Lunchbreak Interlude! I really only picked it up because I’d never read Dickens, it was incredibly cheap and is staggeringly beautiful I think – both the black and the red are actually imprinted so the cover has texture; and the pages are uneven cut. This novel counts as part of my Mount TBR Challenge (book 19 of 25 – 76%) and The Classics Club (book 10 of 100 – 10%).

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Books

Book 130: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – J.K. Rowling

Geoff W

[Click here to read an updated response from August 2018.]

I’m glad I re-read this book. It’s never been one of my favorites, but there are so many moments that are great in it to sort of make up for the things I don’t like. But before I delve in, I want to say Tom started reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone last night! I think he’s enjoying it and he’s about 70 pages in! (And we’re already discussing a movie marathon of all the films – which we would’ve done regardless of whether he decided to read them. 😀

However, don’t get me wrong, Harry is a whinny little git in this novel. And it’s almost enough to put me off from wanting to re-read it EVER, but like I said I’m glad I did. I get he’s a teenager, I mean I’m still a moody git and I’m well out of my teens, but come on Harry use your head. The world doesn’t revolve around you! All these other people have lives and fears and hopes and dreams! There are so many great characters (both good and evil-ish) introduced in this novel you can’t help but love it and I have to remind myself of that or let Harry’s whinging override the good in this novel.

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Books

Book 129: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J.K. Rowling

Geoff W

[To see an updated review of when I re-read this in August 2018 click here.]

This is the book where everything changes. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban really shows the wider wizarding world, but Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire really sets the stage for the rest of the series. It’s funny though that I didn’t really get this until Fiona, over at The Book Coop, shared her views about Book 3. I definitely agree with her that Book 3 shows that these are going to be a much broader series than just about a boy wizard at school, but what I think this book does is it shows just how dark this series has the potential to become.

Let’s face it Harry Potter is a dark series. It’s about good versus evil and surviving the lowest lows to get to the highest highs. Book 4 starts with a murder and it’s a plain fact. Every book prior to this mentions deaths and murders, but there are none that happen on the pages of the book and with this book it happens within the first 30 pages setting the tone for the rest of the series.

Click here to continue reading AND for a cool Harry Potter image.

Books

Book 128: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – J.K. Rowling

Geoff W

[To see an updated review of when I re-read this in July 2018 click here.]

How many times can I say ‘WOW’ to open a book response? Especially if I’ve read the book already? Apparently, every time because these books just make me so happy. Definitely considering abandoning all challenges next year and just reading whatever strikes my fancy, but I doubt I will.

When I first read this book, I wasn’t that impressed. For some reason it just didn’t mesh well with me, but unlike Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets this book has definitely grown on me. Whereas Book 1 introduces us to the world of Harry Potter, Book 3 introduces us to some of the vitally important characters to the world and the series. How can you not be intrigued by Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew and want to find out even more about Severus Snape? You can’t! Rowling gives you just enough information to make you question what you know about all of the characters, but not enough to reveal who or what they really are or where they’re going or who they’ll be at the end of the series.

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Books

Book 127: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – J.K. Rowling

Geoff W

[To see an updated review of when I re-read this in July 2018 click here.]

Two down, five to go! So my month of bucking reading challenges may be a little longer than a month. I’m totally finishing the series again before I move on to anything else! On to the response!

SO MANY HINTS AND REFERENCES to the later novels its unreal! This time as I’m reading, I’m not finding as much I haven’t found before, but it keeps striking me how many hints and details there are in these first few novels that she carries through the entire series. Just one example is the cabinet Peeve’s smashes to get Harry out of Filch’s office. I mean seriously, that doesn’t make an appearance again until Book 6, but it and it’s partner are both in this book!

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