Classic Novels

What are the top 5 classic novels worth reading?

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 15:51:00 +0000

Hello all out there, reader of classics, perhaps lover of classics such as I.

I came across this Quora question today:

http://www.quora.com/Book-Recommendations/What-are-the-top-5-classic-novels-worth-reading

I encourage everyone who loves classics to take a read. Then comment there or here about what your top 5 list is.

Life goes on but classics endure

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Wed, 16 Oct 2013 15:10:00 +0000

It has been a very very long time since I wrote on this blog. Life as it tends to do sneaks up and allocates your free time to everything. I certainly want to post more about classics on this blog. I want to share what I have read and hear what you have read and get suggestions. So please feel free to comment on suggestions here on this post. I know that I do not have a very big readership. I thank ETJ for following me so many years ago (he knows who he is). I will hopefully be adding a new blog post soon and try to get into a rhythm publishing a new post.

Iron Heel by Jack London

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:36:00 +0000

I was looking at Wikipedia's list of dystopian novels and came across Jack London's "Iron Heel". It looks very intriguing.

Have any readers read this classic? If so please leave a comment telling me what you thought of it. Is it plausible?

What do you recommend?

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:26:00 +0000

Hello all,

After an extremely long hiatus from posting, here is a short and sweet new post.

What are YOU reading that is a classic?
What do you consider classics that do not currently have 'Classic' printed somewhere on them? (Such as Signet Classic, Bantam Classic, Perennial Classics, etc).

I have been reading Jim Butcher's series "The Dresden Files" (currently on book 3, Grave Peril).
I do not consider this to be a classic. It is entertaining though!

So let's hear it... what do you consider to be classic AND have you read it this year? Are you reading it right now? How many times have you read it?

Entire Barnes & Noble Classic set still available

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:03:00 +0000

Those that had seen my post last year about Barnes & Noble offering the entire paperback edition of their classics for sale will notice that the link I provided is no longer available for purchase (the 2008 edition).

For whatever reason they have changed the link, and dropped 1 book (2008 says 200 titles, this link says 199 titles). I find it funny that you can add the library to your 'bag' in order to purchase on the site. :)

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/barnes-noble-classics-library-set-barnes-noble/1019066027?ean=9781400500420&itm=1&usri=barnes%2bnoble%2bclassics%2blibrary

If I had the money I'd be doing this! However I probably have a good 1/3 to 1/2 purchased in this format anyway!

What do you all think of getting a set of classics this way? Is it overkill? I personally think it is a wonderful way to get the classics if you know someone (like me) who truly enjoys classics.

What classic are you reading now?

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 06:58:00 +0000

Please tell me those of you on the internet that you are reading a classic right now! If so, please leave a comment and tell me the following:

a) Title and Author

b) how far along you are?

c) how long have you been reading it?

d) if you have read it before or if this is your first time

e) would you recommend it?

f) do you consider it a classic?

I haven't read a classic in quite awhile, but I am looking to here in the distant future. I have a lot of books that aren't classic yet but I want to read that are ahead of my next classic. Namely I have the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series by George R. R. Martin (that was recently made into an HBO show) that I recently purchased. I also have "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson that my new friend Steve lent me. If you have read any of those books I would appreciate a comment here as well!

Harry Potter the modern day Classic?

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 21:10:00 +0000

How many of you out there would consider the Harry Potter series as classic? I personally would think that the series is classic or that it will be considered classic in coming generations. Your thoughts are appreciated!

Please let me know why or why not you would consider Harry Potter as a series classic or not!

Life does not stop the continued aging of good classics

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 05:19:00 +0000

Whew! What a summer/winter since my last post. I hope in the future to have some time to devote to this blog but the amount of time available seems very low. However during the lapse our beloved classics continue to affect and effect people around the world. What classics have you read recently? Are any of you out there going through a "phase"? If so what is it?

I hope to go through an Edith Wharton phase as I still would like to dive into her work.

Do any of you foresee Robert Jordan's "The Wheel of Time" becoming a Sci-Fi classic? I know I do.

Long Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:34:00 +0000

It's been a very long summer for me... not much time for reading. However while I am unable to read I know that there are those out there who are enjoying classics. So, while you are reading your classic please post what you are reading and what (so far) is your favorite part? What do you plan on reading next?

Favorite summer classic

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Sun, 10 May 2009 04:18:00 +0000

Now that we are getting close to summer, does anyone have a favorite "summer classic"? If so, what is it? If not, are you planning on reading a classic this summer?

Your favorite classic?

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 20:55:00 +0000

For the few who read this blog, please tell me what your favorite classic is and why! I would love to hear your response.

Thanks,

Mat

Ethan Frome and now Flatland

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 22:45:00 +0000

Since my last post I was able to read "Ethan Frome" by Edith Wharton. What an excellent book! If you have time please read this book. It is extremely sad but very well written. I can now say that I really enjoy reading Edith Wharton.

On the flip side, now that I am done with Ethan Frome, I am next going to tackle "Flatland - A Romance of many dimensions" by Edwin A. Abbott.

Has anyone out there read this classic? What did you think?

What did you think of Ethan Frome? I absolutely loved it.

Hunger turned out to be good

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:53:00 +0000

Although "Hunger" by Knut Hamsun was kind of hard to digest early on, I found the book to be very good overall. The ending to me happened abruptly but as it should. I would not know how to end that type of book any other way.

I would recommend this book to a lover of classics.

Recently purchased Classics

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 02:56:00 +0000

It has been awhile... but Classics live on. I guess that's what makes them classic. Since the last post I was able to get some more classics from Barnes & Nobles thanks to some wonderful gift cards acquired over Christmas and New Years (my birthday).

I absolutely love these editions. Have you read any of these books? What are your thoughts about them? Any recommendation on which I should start first? (I won't have any time but one can dream...)

They are (from top to bottom, left to right):

The Return of the Soldier - Rebecca West

The Collected Stories of Guy De Maupassant - Guy De Maupassant

At Fault - Kate Chopin

The Professor - Charlotte Bronte

The Writing of Fiction - Edith Wharton

I wish that the Edith Wharton and Kate Chopin didn't cost so much (over $10 each) but at least the Penguin edition is one of my favorite types of paperbacks ever made. I don't like paying $10+ per book but if I am going to do it, it might as well be a very nice Penguin.

What are your thoughts? I'd really like to hear from you!

Hunger by Knut Hamsun

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 04:48:00 +0000

I'm still in the process of reading this book. It is a bit tough for me to get through. It is interesting... however, the main character tends to go off on wild fantasies and does things like makes up a word and wonders what it actually means all while sitting on a park bench at night about to dose off while he hasn't eaten in 3 days.

Has anyone else out there read this book?

In your opinion, does it get better?

Lets hear your thoughts!

Are Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winners classics?

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 08:24:00 +0000

Should Pulitzer Prize / Nobel Prize novels be considered classics?

What are YOUR thoughts?

What classic is up next?

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:59:00 +0000

It has been a crazy last two months. I haven't had much time to devote to classic novels and at the same time haven't really had a chance to get back into reading one. That leads me to the question: What classic is up next for you?

For me, when I have the time, Hunger by Knut Hamson will be my book of choice.

Read Classic Authors online!

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:23:00 +0000

http://www.classicauthors.net/ is a site that I just came across that has a very nice selection of classic writers with their writing formatted in HTML.

Each author selection has selected works that have been converted to HTML, a timeline of events in the authors life, and section for resources on the web.

I became aware of the following classic writers by finding this site:

Joseph Addison
Walter Bagehot
Pedro Calderon De La Barca
Thomas Dekker
J. C. Friedrich Von Schiller
Richard Brinsley Sheridan

It is worth checking out! I found the HTML to be easily read from with additional information that is not usually found with HTML/eBooks for classic literature.

Anne of Green Gables turns 100!

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 03:01:00 +0000

This year, Anne of Green Gables by L.M. (Lucy Maud) Montgomery turns 100. I have not personally read this series, however after quickly reading the Wikipedia entry it definitely has sparked some interest for me. I am a fan of series where the character grows and goes through different stages of life.

I probably will not get to these books until much later in life, however, if you have read these and can convince me of their greatness I might just go ahead and try them sooner rather than later.

So, who out there has read Anne of Green Gables? What did you think?

Periods of Classics

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 23:07:00 +0000

When looking at the different periods of classics, would you agree that these are the defining periods or do you think there are others?

Contemporary Classics
20th Century Classics
Victorian Literature/19th Century Classics
Pre-Victorian/Romantic/18th Century Classics
17th Century and Earlier
Ancient Classics

That list comes from Random Houses' Everyman's Library collection. Each of those periods have a specific colored cloth on their hardcovers to help delineate the time period.

I tend to agree with the categories although I am more apt to change "Contemporary" to "Modern".

Your thoughts?

Unabridged vs. Abridged

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:40:00 +0000

Do you care if your classics are abridged or unabridged?

Personally I try to never read an abridged version if an unabridged version is available. I would rather read the story as it was meant to be told. I try to not even purchase abridged editions because I probably won't read them since I would rather read the unabridged classic. The only exception to this rule is that one of the black dustjacket Barnes & Noble classics is abridged. For the sake of the set I had to purchase it. After all I did want to collect all of the volumes. I will probably not read it though as I could easily find an unabridged copy to satisfy the "full" length of the novel as it was meant to be read.

What are you reading now?

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:18:00 +0000

What classic are you in the middle of now? What do you think of it? Are you going to finish it?

What classic are you going to dive into next?

I'm not sure if it is considered a classic just yet but next I will be starting The Magician by Raymond E. Feist. It is the first book in the Riftwar Saga series.

Would you consider this to be a Science Fiction classic?

Classic Review - The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:48:00 +0000

The Jungle is a book written by Upton Sinclair in 1906.

It is an excellent book that I would recommend reading if you love classics! If you are not partial to really sad stories or political messages then you can pass it up for a different classic, however I feel like it is worth the read.

The Jungle was written originally in order to try to further the idea of Socialism in America but instead lead to the creation of the Food and Drug Administration. I had wanted to read the book just on the basis that it helped create the FDA!

If you are interested in reading the effects that the Jungle had on this country, be sure to read the
Wikipedia entry.

Scott, if you are reading this, the spoiler is about to start. So even though I finished before you, keep reading!

To all other readers: if you are interested in reading The Jungle do not read the rest of the post. Please enjoy the novel first and then come back to this.

If you find yourself without a copy, feel free to download it for reading from Project Gutenberg.

**** SPOILER ****

The first part of this book is the saddest piece of fiction that I've ever read. In the beginning we meet Jurgis and Ona, a Lithuanian couple who have just immigrated from Lithuania with their family and a few close friends. They arrive in Chicago looking for jobs and head towards "Packingtown".

Why is the book so sad?

Well, to run down a quick list:

Antanas, a grandfather gets a job in a packing plant where he has to stand in blood up to his ankles. His foot gets an infection and he loses his job and gets sick. While he sick he only gets worse and eventually dies.

Ona has a baby and that is fine but when she has her 2nd baby, the 2nd baby tries to come at the end of her 2nd trimester and she ends up dying and so does the baby.

Jurgis' first child is out playing in front of his house on the sidewalk, when the wooden sidewalk gives way. The boy falls into water and drowns.

The family gets a house that they are told is new. It is not. They are also told one payment of $7 per month for rent however they do not understand this is only interest and doesn't include taxes or any other fees associated with the house. There is a constant struggle to keep jobs in order to pay for this after their agreement so that they do not loose the house. However even after sending out three children under 12 years old into Chicago to sell newspapers in order to contribute to the family fund they still loose the house.

How do they loose the house? Jurgis finds out that Ona is being "taken advantage of" by an Irish boss named Connor. He goes and finds Connor and attacks him in a Packingtown Plant. It looks as if he has attacked him unprovoked. As Connor has some ties with corrupt politicians and judges, Jurgis is sent to jail.

Jurgis goes to jail another time and is eventually swindled out of his entire savings.

All of those sad things happen not necessarilly in the order that I gave them, but they do all happen. There seems to be a stream of worsening conditions of sadness through the first part of the book.

The book though can ultimately be broken into three separate sections: family, solitude, and socialism.

The first third/half of the book is Ona, Jurgis, and family trying to make an honest living. They do make a great effort at it but the system is set against them based on their honesty.

The second part of the book is after Ona and both babies die. Jurgis becomes a tramp and also decides to become a criminal. He has lost all ties that would keep him an honest moral man. He abandons his former life in order to survive and with crimes to then thrive.

The final part of the book is about Socialism. He suffers the loss of all of his savings by being swindled by another crook. Jurgis had attacked Connor again in a drunken rage and although he could have avoided jail with a much lower amount than $300, he is in such a panic that he is lead to believe that this is the amount that will allow him to avoid jail.

Without money he finds a hall where there are speeches about Socialism and after a few nights he finally decides to listen. When he finally hears what the man on the stage is talking about he starts to buy into the "wage slavery" that the man is trying to fight. We find that Jurgis becomes a convert to Socialism and gets lucky in finding a job and board in a hotel.

**** End of SPOILER ****

I found 2/3 of the book to be very satisfying and the last 1/3 to be bland and more of a political statement (of which really was the reason that Upton Sinclair wrote the book). Overall I believe it was a really good novel, but longer than it needed to be.

There is an excellent article I encourage you to read on Slate by Karen Olsson titled Welcome to the Jungle. Does Upton Sinclair's Famous Novel Hold Up?.

If you have read it, what did you think?

If you have decided to skip it, why?

I'd like to hear your thoughts and comments about it.

The Barnes & Noble Classic Library

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 02:38:00 +0000

Oh Glorious Day!

I believe that I am about to release a lot of cliche phrases about the dearest subject in classics to me: Barnes & Noble Classics. I love B&N Classics more than anyone you've ever met - if you think you love them more then please tell me all about it (because I don't think you do!).

This past weeekend I got a Google Alert about classics and one item that made the news and hence the alert was the celebration of the 5th Anniversary since Barnes & Noble re-released their Classic Library. That press release can be found here.

Have I died and gone to heaven?
Did Hell freeze over?
Did the sky come crashing down?

(Feel free to help me with cliches or whatever the correct term is for these phrases)

Why would I rant like this? I never thought I'd see a full Barnes & Noble Classic Library collection being sold like my previous post last month involving the Penguin Classics.

But, it is now available - from Barnes & Noble - 200 of their paperback Classic collection for only $1,457.00 list price, an online price of $869.95, or a member discounted price of $782.95!!!! Feel free to purchase one HERE!

Could there be a better addition to a classics collection? I think NOT!

I must also mention that their press release also announced some additional specials besides offering the 200 volume library collection. Through July 7, 2008 a promotion of "Buy two get one free" will apply to online and store sales. Also through that date they are offering three limited edition collection sets available online only. The aforementioned 200 volume library collection, the "Barnes & Noble Classics: Great Novels" collection which includes Moby Dick, The Brothers Karamazov, War and Peace¸ Don Quixote, Great Expectations and Jane Eyre for $29.95, and "Barnes & Noble Classics: Tales of Adventure" collecton which includes Arabian Nights, The Call of the Wild and White Fang, The Jungle Books, King Solomon's Mines, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Tarzan of the Apes, The Four Feathers, and The Scarlet Pimpernel also for $29.95.

Please let me know what you think of this promotion! If I had the money and hadn't already significantly purchased a large portion of the classics collection already I would have already purchased the 200 volume set myself!

After you've left a comment head on over to http://www.barnesandnoble.com/classics/index.asp to order me- erm yourself any one of the sets that are on sale (or any other classic that will satiate your desire for a good book!).

Summer of Classics

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Landers) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 01:30:00 +0000

I was looking through my Google Alert on Classic Literature and came across an awesome idea by "Pete Lit". He has an event planned where he reads classics all summer. What a great idea!! It is definitely an inspiration to me to see others embrace classics the way that I do.

Please read his post from last year here. It is an excellent summary about the books that he read including Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson and Knut Hamsun's Hunger both of which I have wanted to read for quite some time.

Are any of you up for the challenge of having a "Summer of Classics"? I know I am!