I’m not talking about the Wisconsin Travel Federation, I’m doing a real WTF?!!!
One of the goals I set for myself last year was to read some of the books on the Time-Life list of the 100 Best English Novels. Now I’ll have to admit that any list that doesn’t include “The World According to Garp” is suspect but hey, they didn’t ask my opinion.
Anyway, I figured I was reading way too much brain candy and it wouldn’t hurt to throw in some bona fide stuff here so I decided to read 5 that I’d never read and re-read 5 others. So far I’ve re-read “Catcher in the Rye” which wasn’t as great as I remembered and then added “Mrs. Dalloway” (gave it a B+) and just finished “The Sun Also Rises” by Ernest Hemingway.
I say I “finished” Hemingway’s book but just barely. And it’s a true “WTF?” as far as I’m concerned. What is the big deal about that book? I’m either too dumb to appreciate something that really smart people see in it or something. I thought it was boring, boring, boring.
Oh well – another one marked off my list!
And today I started re-reading “Animal Farm” – I suspect Orwell’s satire is going to seem very appropriate to today’s political atmosphere.
I read Animal Farm in 7th grade… wow.. that’s a great book??? But then again.. It might have more meaning without the mean Mrs. Wilkes trying to explain the connections to Communism. I never liked her.
Animal Farm is one of my very favorite books. I re-read it a few years ago and still enjoyed it. You should also re-read 1984. Scary, but great. I need to check out this list to see what I should read or re-read. Of course, in my humble opinion, To Kill A Mockingbird is the best book ever written.
But that’s just my opinion.
I just glanced at the list and saw 1984 is on it. Also saw A Clockwork Orange. Good luck with that one. I attempted to read it about three times before quitting. Too weird. I did see the movie, but we all know movies are poor substitutes for books!
I have a lot of the books on the list if you want to borrow them. Don’t ask for any Faulkner. He and Melville are on my “do not read” list!