Every November the Goodreads Choice Awards announce the nominees for the best books of the year in every category, from Literary to Poetry. Every November I smugly peruse the list, having read over 80% of the candidates and vote for my favorites. The winners always smile at me from my shelves throughout the year as I continue to immerse myself in googling New York Times Bestsellers.
This year, I stared at my screen in dismay as I realized that I wasn't familiar with a single book on the list. How did I miss the entire 2016 of literature, science fiction, memoirs and poetry? I've been on a Classics kick that slowly morphed itself into a What's the oldest book I can enjoy? challenge. So often, I hear from my literary and not literary friends that old works are not accessible to the average 21st century Joes and Janes. I can relate to that sentiment, having spent a good six months slogging through 1860's The Mill on the Floss despite the fact that it had plenty of drama and action. Yet the intense draw of the literature from a time we can only vaguely imagine in our minds remains. There is no better way to understand the daily minutia of our brethren from long ago than reading these tomes and bringing them to life in our mind. Through the list of titles I picked up this year I could relate to the gentlemen and ladies of yore far better than I could by reading a history textbook (or Wikipedia articles, which have all but replaced history textbooks).
I've delved into the belly of the 19th and early 20th century beasts and emerged with plenty of recommendations for accessible and semi-accessible stories of people just like you and me - but in far stranger clothes and with a lot more hangups.
Don't let the boring cover and the fact that this "travel guide" was published in 1889 turn you away from a lighthearted and hilarious dive into a timeless silly mind of Jerome K. Jerome. You may not believe me when I say that a semi-fictional memoir from 127 years ago will make you laugh out loud - but your doubts will dissipate on the very first page. From the introduction of main characters as lazy hypochondriacs out to plan the easiest vacation with the most sumptous dinner options, to the fact that the story of said vacation gets interrupted repeatedly for the author to share random amusing anecdotes, to the adorable illustrations that go along with the most random tangential storylines - this book will make you wish you were the fourth man on the boat to enjoy the company.
Unlike the previous selection, this 1908 Edwardian piece by E.M.Forster has barely any action at all. I would describe it as a mood piece - and the mood is staunchly "early 1900s England." Though I was well aware of customs and viewpoints in Edwardian England, to see it translated on the page was both shocking and educational. This novel follows a young lady named Lucy on her oppressive Italian vacation as well as her return home to a life of potential marriage. While Lucy herself is a vaguely simple character presented with the world, the supporting characters are metaphoric and complex. Lucy's chaperone represents the conservative undertones of the society at the time, Lucy's love interest represents the masculinity and pompousness of the upper class, and Lucy's unlikely friends from Italy represent the struggles and revolution of the mind.
This easy-to-read classic is often taught in high schools - and for good reason. Kate Chopin (an early widow who had to fend for herself) wrote and published her only novel right at the turn of the century, in 1899, to scandal and censorship. One of the first feminist novels to come from a Southern author, it deals with the complexity of gender roles, women's liberation, and societal constraints on both men and women in the Louisiana Creole community.
Aside from all its splendors as a work of feminism, this novel is also a fantastic journey into the mind of an outsider. The main character, Edna, is an introvert surrounded by extroverts, an independent thinker surrounded by doting mothers and obedient wives, and a lover of classical music and solitude in a culture that valued neither. To follow her evolution and growth as a human being independent of societal constraints is a melancholy pleasure.
The Anne of Green Gables series are timeless, despite their publication year of 1908. Originally intended for children and young adults, this novel can be a 21st century adult's peak into the mind of an early 20th century children. Even though Anne and today's readers grew up exactly a century apart, the novel's themes of childhood rebellion, intimate friendships, embarrassing mistakes, and first love will strike a chord with anyone who still remembers middle school drama.
As a bonus, the book series follows Anne from her tumultuous entrance into the first novel at 11 years of age to adulthood, allowing the readers to grow up with her while witnessing the changing times of early 20th century.
Do you have any recommendations? Post in the comments and your recommendation will be noted and read as fast as my Kindle app will allow.
This year, I stared at my screen in dismay as I realized that I wasn't familiar with a single book on the list. How did I miss the entire 2016 of literature, science fiction, memoirs and poetry? I've been on a Classics kick that slowly morphed itself into a What's the oldest book I can enjoy? challenge. So often, I hear from my literary and not literary friends that old works are not accessible to the average 21st century Joes and Janes. I can relate to that sentiment, having spent a good six months slogging through 1860's The Mill on the Floss despite the fact that it had plenty of drama and action. Yet the intense draw of the literature from a time we can only vaguely imagine in our minds remains. There is no better way to understand the daily minutia of our brethren from long ago than reading these tomes and bringing them to life in our mind. Through the list of titles I picked up this year I could relate to the gentlemen and ladies of yore far better than I could by reading a history textbook (or Wikipedia articles, which have all but replaced history textbooks).
I've delved into the belly of the 19th and early 20th century beasts and emerged with plenty of recommendations for accessible and semi-accessible stories of people just like you and me - but in far stranger clothes and with a lot more hangups.
Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)
Don't let the boring cover and the fact that this "travel guide" was published in 1889 turn you away from a lighthearted and hilarious dive into a timeless silly mind of Jerome K. Jerome. You may not believe me when I say that a semi-fictional memoir from 127 years ago will make you laugh out loud - but your doubts will dissipate on the very first page. From the introduction of main characters as lazy hypochondriacs out to plan the easiest vacation with the most sumptous dinner options, to the fact that the story of said vacation gets interrupted repeatedly for the author to share random amusing anecdotes, to the adorable illustrations that go along with the most random tangential storylines - this book will make you wish you were the fourth man on the boat to enjoy the company.
A Room with a View
Unlike the previous selection, this 1908 Edwardian piece by E.M.Forster has barely any action at all. I would describe it as a mood piece - and the mood is staunchly "early 1900s England." Though I was well aware of customs and viewpoints in Edwardian England, to see it translated on the page was both shocking and educational. This novel follows a young lady named Lucy on her oppressive Italian vacation as well as her return home to a life of potential marriage. While Lucy herself is a vaguely simple character presented with the world, the supporting characters are metaphoric and complex. Lucy's chaperone represents the conservative undertones of the society at the time, Lucy's love interest represents the masculinity and pompousness of the upper class, and Lucy's unlikely friends from Italy represent the struggles and revolution of the mind.
The Awakening
This easy-to-read classic is often taught in high schools - and for good reason. Kate Chopin (an early widow who had to fend for herself) wrote and published her only novel right at the turn of the century, in 1899, to scandal and censorship. One of the first feminist novels to come from a Southern author, it deals with the complexity of gender roles, women's liberation, and societal constraints on both men and women in the Louisiana Creole community.
Aside from all its splendors as a work of feminism, this novel is also a fantastic journey into the mind of an outsider. The main character, Edna, is an introvert surrounded by extroverts, an independent thinker surrounded by doting mothers and obedient wives, and a lover of classical music and solitude in a culture that valued neither. To follow her evolution and growth as a human being independent of societal constraints is a melancholy pleasure.
Anne of Green Gables
The Anne of Green Gables series are timeless, despite their publication year of 1908. Originally intended for children and young adults, this novel can be a 21st century adult's peak into the mind of an early 20th century children. Even though Anne and today's readers grew up exactly a century apart, the novel's themes of childhood rebellion, intimate friendships, embarrassing mistakes, and first love will strike a chord with anyone who still remembers middle school drama.
As a bonus, the book series follows Anne from her tumultuous entrance into the first novel at 11 years of age to adulthood, allowing the readers to grow up with her while witnessing the changing times of early 20th century.
Do you have any recommendations? Post in the comments and your recommendation will be noted and read as fast as my Kindle app will allow.
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