New month, new beginning, new reading and new reading experiments….that seems to be the flavor for the month of April. I know that it’s a bit late to share April reading plans and lately I have not managed to stick to any of my planned readings , due to work pressure; but perseverance is the key to success and I preserver!
To begin with, I am participating in the Classic Club Spin#9 and it has spun #2 which in my list is Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening”. I have been dreading reading this book for some time, though many wise people have told me that this is a brilliant piece of work, but my heart quails, but perseverance…I have ordered the book and now await the delivery. (Some books are better read as books and not Kindle, especially the one I consider “challenging”)
I have also heard a lot of great things about Isabel Allende’s “The House of Spirits” – it’s a family saga, set over three generations in some of the most difficult time in Columbian history. I have not read much outside the tradition Anglo- American literature, but this year, I had planned to change that and this seems right up my alley for start into world literature. I was sooooo hoping that the Spin would have spun me this one, but it did not and woe was me. But then I decided, that I really do not have to wait for the Classic Club spin, it is one of the books that I planned to read anyway and now is a good time as any!
Science and I have never been good friends – Newton was enough for me and I did not want to know more! But recently under the influence of several blogging inspirations, especially one, (Stefanie, I am so looking at you!) I began to wonder how bad it can get. Therefore another tentative experiment was to get the much acclaimed and but never read by moi Stephan Hawkins “A Brief History of Time” and Charles Darwin’s “Origin of Species”. I have already begun reading the first and I must say I am quite enjoying it and if Science and I had not been skeptical of each other’s abilities (especially the part where Science is skeptical of my abilities), I would have been more garrulous in my praise. But it’s early day in our relationship and we will see how things pan out. I had ordered Origin along with Brief, but Amazon delivered Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s “Humiliated and Insulted”; I am not sure how Origin is related to this or even in alphabetical stack rank Charles Darwin is way ahead of Fyodor Dostoyevsky, but that’s Amazon for you. However they have promised to replace the book and I await the correction.
My final experiment is to read this very obscure historical fiction published in 1842 called “Windsor Castle” by William Harrison Ainsworth. The book apparently has Gothic overtones and traces Henry VII’s wooing of Anne Boleyn in the company of ghosts. It should be interesting at any case!
Naturally with such extensive experimental reading, I needed some comfortable fall back options; therefore I am also doing some re-reads – two well-loved books that I have not revisited for some time – Edward Rutherford’s “Sarum” and Robert Byron’s “The Road to Oxania”. The first is a work of historical fiction, a Michener style telling of the story of Salisbury, through 4000 years of history via the fictitious families that reside on these lands. The latter is considered a classic and one of the foremost travelogue of present day ; Robert Byron travels in the company of now infamous Christopher Sykes and through Iran and Afghanistan and documents some of the most beautiful architectural essay on the monuments of these lands, most of which no longer exist, thanks to hard working efforts of Taliban and other such groups!
That’s what my reading landscape for April looks like….I am really hoping that this would be a better reading month and I persevere again 😉
Mockingbirds, Looking Glasses & Prejudices... 
I hope you enjoy your spin book. It was brave of you to put a book you were dreading on your list! I’ve read all of Edward Rutherfurd’s books and Sarum is my favourite – I would like to re-read it one day too.
Thanks Helen…I have read all of Rutherford works too except New York…Sarum is brilliant but I also really like London. Hope you do a re-read soon!
I’ve never read The Awakening and it doesn’t really appeal, but at least it’s short and should leave you some time for other books. Your plans look very interesting and I’ intrigued by ‘Windsor Castle.’
Yeah…Windsor Castle does sound very different..will keep you posted on that. The Awakening’s premises also does not appeal to me, but I am hoping its one of those cases where I end up liking the book.
I think I have The Awakening somewhere on my shelves. If I wasn’t so overloaded at the moment, I would have tried to join you. Torture is much more bearable in pairs! 😉
The Origin of the Species made my eyes glaze over and I only made it ⅓ of the way through but I do plan to fully read it one day. Good luck to you!
I own a couple Edward Rutherford books (I think London & The Forest????) but I’ve never read them. I have a desire to read them but I can’t see it happening soon.
Happy April and happy spin read! Hopefully it doesn’t turn out to be the April of torture!
Thanks Cleo..I need all the good luck in the world! I would strongly recommend London…I know its fat and all, but it is one gripping yarn. The Forest is also good! I do wish you could have joined me for read along on The Awakening.. Torture for sure is more bearable when there is company!!
I’m having a completely insane moment and I think I may join you for The Awakening. Honestly I don’t know how I can do this because I have soooooo many books to read this month and next, but I’m going to try. Or perhaps you should just send the men in the little white coats …… 😉
Cleo…come on and join…throw caution to the wind…anyway it is a very short novel….not even 200 pages and the first two chapters that I have read…give me hope!! Do it…its like living on the wild side of Classic Literature journey!! 😉
The Awakening is a wonderful book. I hope you like it! I look forward to what you think of the ending. And yay for science! I’ve not read Hawking’s book. I have read Brian Greene’s Fabric of the Cosmos which is wonderfully mind-bendy 🙂 That reminds me I want to read Greene’s book on parallel universes!
I have been getting such wonderful reviews about The Awakening that I am now quite eager to read the book! I also saw some wonderful reviews on Brian Greene’s book and I have added it to my TBR….I must say science and I are getting along very well as adults!
Why have you been dreading “The Awakening”? Even if you don’t like it, at least it’ll be over quickly. Technically, it’s a novella.
I read it a few years ago and maybe I just happened to be in the right state of mind, but I was surprised at how much I related to it. I loved it. I loved all the descriptions from Chopin’s spot on imagery of the ocean to her depiction of the main character’s emotional turmoil, I connected with and loved it all.
Happy reading!
I have just started reading the book and I have to agree with you on the descriptions, they are really lovely and there is just such vivid imagery! They are really something…I also agree its a novella so it will not prolong; but I must admit that the first few chapters are really good!