Why you should read books from the previous centuries

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.

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.

Top free Amazon Kindle books: Classics

I have a non-kindle e-reader, which I love and carry with me everywhere – this tiny gadget is what lets me get through over a book a week. I read it on subways, in waiting rooms, and wherever else I remember to bring it. So what do I do when I forget it at home or find it inconvenient to carry (small as it is, it can’t fit into a jeans pocket)? I turn to the free Kindle app on my phone and the free books that you can get through Amazon. These are the books that I read sporadically – only when no other entertainment is available – so they have to be good enough to keep my interest and attention through months of grabbing a page here and there.

Here are my top few classic works of literature available for free through Amazon and perfect for bite-sized reading sessions on the go.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Length: 191 pages

Premise: Scientist creates mutant; shenanigans follow.

Why should you read it? I will admit up front that neither of the main characters is particularly likable. Frankenstein – the scientist behind the mutant – is perhaps the whiniest protagonist in literary history. Frankenstein’s mutant is a gentle soul who turns on the world upon being mistreated by it. Shelley’s beautiful descriptions of each setting (icy seas, urban and suburban Geneva, Swiss Alps) as well as the underlying philosophy of existentialism (who deserves life?) are what make this book worth reading. Other reason to read – Frankenstein’s life has more drama than a reality show confessional room. There’s incest, revenge plots, story-within-a-story-within-a-story, conspiracies, death count as high as Hamlet’s, and long agonizing bouts of flu.

Time Machine and War of the Worlds by H.G.Wells

Length: 80 pages and 180 pages

Premise: One is a novella about going to the future in a time machine and seeing how the human race ended up. The other is about Martians attacking London and surrounding suburbs.

Why should you read it? H.G.Wells is a pretty brilliant science fiction writer who was ahead of his time. Reading these works, published in the last few years of the 19^th century, introduces us to the beginnings of the genre (much like Jules Verne novels). Both of these stories are quick reads and balance quick action (Attack! Run away! Explore! Run away!) with long internal monologues about the state of the world and humankind.

Best cookbooks for the imaginative chef

I love cooking but I hate recipes. Recipes to me are nothing but lists of complicated ingredients followed by several steps of careful measurements of weight, temperature, and viscosity concluded with “until tender.” I’ve never owned a kitchen scale or a kitchen thermometer. I have no idea what the recipe authors mean by “until golden brown” and whether they would agree with each other on what the perfect “golden brown” is if they were in the same kitchen.

I also have to admit to never following a recipe precisely due to my ego. Following someone else’s recipe doesn’t have any grandeur to it. Like any chef, I want to make my special mark on the dish. Sometimes that means substituting a spice, sometimes that means hovering over the pan and stirring when I’m not supposed to. This either has the effect of creating a new flavor, or completely ruining the meal.

My favorite moments learning how to cook have always come not from cookbooks, but from cooking with others. Drinking beer with a friend and flinging garlic, onion, cumin, curry, ginger, and tamarind into a pot taught me several Indian dishes. Standing side by side with my mom and watching her create meals by intuition, unable to quantify any single step along the way. Get-togethers with my hippie friends taught me how to handle exotic vegetables without any exotic spices.

This is what I want out of cookbooks. The feel of another, more knowledgeable, human being chatting with you and sharing their knowledge as opposed to a set of strict instructions that yield only one type of meal. Though I’m an avid collector of cookbooks (if nothing else, for the pictures), it took me a long time to find the few cookbooks that could deliver just that.