Recently Read - A Couple Classics

A few months back, someone in my Facebook feed (my nephew?) made a general comment about books, and he inadvertently started a discussion in the comments about the greatest classics and favorite novels.  It's fun when that happens.  In that discussion, my brother said that one of his favorites was The Count of Monte Cristo, and I confessed that I had never read it.  It inspired me to pick up a copy and give it a read.  As promised, it was wonderful!

I'm not really sure what inspired my husband to re-read The Catcher in the Rye, but he did.  When he finished, I realized that I didn't really remember the book very well.  Had I actually read it back in high school, or did I skim the cliff's notes before the test?  Who knows?  Either way, it didn't resonate with me back then.  I read it again (or for the first time…I can't remember), and I really enjoyed it.  I can understand why teenagers find it refreshing - the simple use of language, the rambling thoughts and honesty of Holden Caulfield…  But I found it much more compelling as an adult.

Have you gone back and read (or re-read) any classics as an adult?  It's fun to do.  I read To Kill a Mockingbird last year, and although I loved it when I was in high school, I struggled to get through it this time around.   My favorite is probably East of Eden, by John Steinbeck.  I'm going to go back to working through the giant stack of unread books on my nightstand, but then I may have to pick up a couple other classics from my shelves.  Pride and Prejudice, The Brothers Karamozov, A Tale of Two Cities…  Do you have a favorite?