Mount TBR 2017 discussion

Yeah, read my first book, first mountain. I liked it enough to give it three stars. I like historical fiction. This takes place in Lyme Regis where they still collect fossils today. It is 1820 and the idea of extinction contradicted their religion.

Jane Eyre
2nd book! I'm diving into the classics. I've had this book for decades.....I listened to it on audible and appreciated the narration. In light of the historical time frame, I can see why this broke new ground. I just didn't buy into the romance.

Really enjoyed this one since I'm a nurse. I read his wonderful biography, On The Move, at the same time. What a wonderful man.

Well another one that has been sitting around for decades. I've decided to read all of the Bronte's. Such drama! Again, I can see how ground breaking this was at that time.

In spite of all the dramatics of the Bronte sisters (they are called gothic novels, after all) I still love them and turn to them time after time!

Taylor wrote: "In spite of all the dramatics of the Bronte sisters (they are called gothic novels, after all) I still love them and turn to them time after time!"
Yes I can understand why they are CLASSICS!

Of all the Bronte books, I liked this one the best. It amazes me that these were written at this time. I can see why this one is considered one of the first feminist novels. I appreciated seeing things through her eyes.

woo hoo, another one down. I like Sinclair Lewis' writing. It is very "comfortable" to read. Although the characters were kind of two dimensional, I really appreciated the story of a man becoming a doctor/scientist and dealing with the medical industry at that time. I work in clinical trials and I was fascinated by how ahead of his time he was in his thinking. I am definitely going to read Babbitt, Main Street and Elmer Gantry. Given our times, I also picked up his book "It Can't Happen Here."

The Kitchen House
I forgot to add a few books here. I finished the Kitchen House. I liked it "okay." It was a little sappy and I hate sappy. The characters were all very stereotypical. Having said that I was never bored and enjoyed all the subplots.

Fantastic book. Needs to be read by everyone. What a brilliant and wonderful man to articulate this difficult topic of end of life issues. We need to learn to focus on what's important in our lives as well as listening to those that are facing the end of their lives and what they truly want done for them. Interesting history of nursing homes, etc. too. Some find this topic depressing; I found it revealing and hopeful in improving what's best for all of us. I will absolutely read all of his books.

I did enjoy this book. I would probably give it a 3.5 rating. I knew nothing about WWII in Poland. The author writes from journals and articles about this true story. She embellishes it to make it read like a novel. That didn't bother me at all. I understand that this bothered others causing them to give this a low rating. Since it is a true story, the author didn't make up vignettes that would give a novel depth. This made some people complain that it was boring. But I was okay with her method. I find a lot of creative additions make some fiction "sappy." Now I'd like to read some more non-fiction books on WWII in Poland.

The House of Mirth

Well....I loved the first half with all the sarcastic wit that Edith Wharton put into it. I guess the second half was fairly predictable but was new and bold when written. This is why it is a classic. It certainly is a scathing review of that Gilded period. I confess that I couldn't bring myself to feel a lot of empathy for entitled people when I knew that there was a whole other section of society in dire straits. But this is why we read I guess - to be exposed to all sorts of manner of living with its ups and downs. In any case, I got bored in the middle of it and wished it would have been edited or end. Thank God I could switch to the auditory version and listen to that. The narrator was very good. I'd give it a 3.5 and am glad I read it although it isn't one of my favorites. The Spark Notes helped me to understand all the vehicles that Edith Wharton used that were contemporary for that period of time: realism, Darwinism, fatalism, luck, women's power and chiasmus (symmetrical crossing-over). Makes me wish I had learned these things in a Literature class.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
I'm very glad I got around to reading this. It was the quintessential "girl coming of age" novel. I loved it and can see why it remains a classic. It wasn't sappy at all which is why I put it off. I didn't read Little Women for the same reason. Maybe I'll give that a try. It also colored my review of House of Mirth. I read them at the same time. (I actually listened to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - very good narrator). Anyway, it was difficult feeling sorry for the poor rich woman in House of Mirth when the main character in this one couldn't even go to HIGH SCHOOL because of the lack of money!

The Alchemist
So I've had this book forever. I liked it just okay. It was fairly predictable. Didn't knock my socks off. I'm willing to try another Paulo Coelho book. I tend to like spanish writing. I finished my first peak! Onto the second!