Book 43: Finished.

I was trying to decide how to write this review. On one hand, I don't feel like I should be ragging on any of these "classics." Maybe it is because I feel like I am not qualified to give my own thoughts and interpretations on books that have been analyzed for years, and years, and years.

But then again, this whole process is for me, and these are my thoughts.

When I closed Of Mice and Men, I sat there for a bit and waited for that feeling. Usually, when I finish a book, some thought will hit me. Maybe is one along the lines of "Wow, that was AMAZING!" Or it could be, "Wow, that was the biggest waste of time ever."

I got nothing when I closed this, just like I did when I read The Stranger by Camus. I felt like I should be feeling something, but nothing was kicking in. Perhaps I am simply missing the point. Or I just didn't connect with the book.

Of course, I could analyze this for you just like an English teacher would, but that would defeat the purpose. I mean, this novel is analyzed all the time in schools across the United States (and I am assuming elsewhere), so what would my stab it amount to? I won't add anything new.

George and Lennie are friends. One is smarter than the other and takes care of the other-protects him. But when he does something to compromise everything, it tests the boundary of that friendship.

It is a pretty universal theme.

Anyway, I am hoping that the next book shows me something more, because I am in desperate need of that next GREAT read.

Book 43: Of Mice and Men and Book Stats.

Title: Of Mice and Men
Author: John Steinbeck (1902-1968)
First Published: 1937

My Edition: Penguin Literature Series
Pages: 107

Other Works Include: The Red Pony (1933), Tortilla Flat (1935), The Grapes of Wrath (1939), The Moon is Down (1942), Cannery Row (1945), The Pearl (1947), East of Eden (1952), Sweet Thursday (1954), The Winter of our Discontent (1961), Travels with Charley (1962)

I have read one other Steinbeck in this process so far. Book 15 was Travels with Charley in Search of America and I really fell in love with it. I will also be reading The Grapes of Wrath and The Winter of our Discontent. These four titles are my first exposure to Steinbeck. I somehow made it through high school and college without reading any of his large pieces of work. I have read snippets before, but never a complete novel.

This novel(la) is commonly taught in schools, and was taught in my own high school. For some reason, I was never in a class that was required to read it. We were given the option in tenth grade to pick the books we were going to read off of a list of required reading. Then in eleventh and twelfth grade, I picked some of the lesser-taken English electives (mystery/sci-fi, Shakespeare, Creative Writing), rather than go for American or British literature.

It is funny how things work out that way.

In any case, I am looking forward to my second go with Mr. Steinbeck, and I am hoping I love it just as much as I loved Travels with Charley. I am also reading this to fulfill the rest of the LOST books challenge, so seeing correlations there with also be a highlight.

Sunday Salon: May 16, 2010.

I finally feel like I have a chance to breathe this weekend! I have been on the go at work for a while and I thankfully am enjoying a 4-day weekend that started yesterday. The break is much needed and I have a lot of plans for what I want and need to accomplish.

We went to a wedding yesterday for a good friend I went to college with. We really are at that age where everyone we know is starting to settle down a bit.

Today I am going to relax with my little sister, bake some goodies, and have a Disney movie marathon. It will be a great time to relax and chill out, and cuddle with the kitties.

Yesterday I made a post giving the details of the Cranford Read-Along. If you haven't already, go and visit (and perhaps sign up) to participate! Later on today, you're going to see the sign-up for Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift if Cranford is not your cup of tea. Either way I hope you will consider reading at least one of these with me.

I went to my library's used book sale on Friday, which I had been looking forward to for weeks. Imagine my disappointment when I went in to find that there were not nearly as many books as in past sales. I made it a point to ask a volunteer if donations were down, but she told me that on Thursday a man and a woman came and loaded up 35 boxes of books. When they were asked about the quantity they were buying, they said they were buying them to sell on Ebay.

I was really upset with this. I understand that the sales are open to the public and anyone can come in and buy the books, but I was always under the impression that the sales were also for the community, not for someone to make a profit. I said as much to the volunteer, but she told me the library still made money off what the couple bought, so it was all the same to them.

When I went to the sale in September, I went armed with the list of books I am planning to read. I found a great selection and ended up bring home something like 40 books. I even left a great number there that I wanted so I wasn't going overboard. However, by the time I made it to the literature and classics section, I was lucky to find a grand total of 30 or so books there (there were hundreds at the previous sale). I picked through and found a few that I wanted, but it is obvious that the couple who purchased so many really picked out everything.

So, that was a huge bust and I am sorely disappointed, but I ended up with a couple of great finds, including a beautiful green hardcover collection of some of Mark Twain's novels. I also found a great teaching resource book, as well as 4 more books off of my list. I also bought a couple of fun things for the future, including a two book collection of D.H. Lawrence short stories, and another Willa Cather novel.

I managed to finished The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy yesterday, and I rather enjoyed it. I was worried I wouldn't like it, since I have quite a number of Hardy novels on my list, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a wonderful novel.

I think I am going to dive into Of Mice and Men to finish off the LOST books challenge, and try to get through some more of Holmes.

Happy Reading!