Till We Have Faces by CS Lewis

I really like this book. I couldn't put it down. As a fan of Greek/Roman mythology in high school, I was already familiar with the myth of Cupid and Psyche. But I never heard of this book by CS Lewis. I know, I know. My adolescence was sorely lacking in someone to guide me to classics despite my voracious reading habits. Thank goodness for book club and better read friends in adulthood!

This book is beautiful. It turns the classic myth on it's head and gives it from a whole new point of view - that of the sister. It comes at morality and love from a perspective that is not common. It rolls you right along with the sister's feelings so well that you don't readily recognize how in the wrong she is until you're supposed to, even if you already know the story of Psyche. And the redemption at the end is also wonderful. It almost feels like CS was linking Cupid's role to that of Christ (something common in many of his works). Which would seem really odd, but in the way this is written - it works. It also plays on many of the class differences, gender inequality, and blindly following a religion without thought that was so common in that era. I found it very enlightening.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in the classics, a fan of CS Lewis, or lover of mythology

Persuasion by Jane Austen

I read this for book club.  I have mixed feelings about this book.  On the one hand, I loved being so inside Anne's mind throughout the book. I definitely love her character.  But I would have liked to have known other characters more.  They all seem flat to me, especially Captain Wentworth. However, I expect that may have been purposely done by Austen.  Keeping us so tied to Anne's point of view made it easier to see the satirical commentary Jane was creating about courtship and rank in that era. Over all, a very enjoyable book that I highly recommend to others.

Books Chosen for 2017 Classics Challenge

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Number of Books to Read: 6-12

Here are the books I've chosen to read for the challenge this year:

1.  A 19th Century Classic


2.  A 20th Century Classic 


3.  A classic by a woman author.


4.  A classic in translation 


5.  A classic published before 1800.


6.  A romance classic.


7.  A Gothic or horror classic.


8.  A classic with a number in the title. 


9.  A classic about an animal or which includes the name of an animal in the title. 


10. A classic set in a place you'd like to visit.>


11. An award-winning classic.


12. A Russian Classic

Back to the Classics Challenge 2017

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Number of Books to Read: 6-12

1.  A 19th Century Classic - any book published between 1800 and 1899.

2.  A 20th Century Classic - any book published between 1900 and 1967. Just like last year, all books MUST have been published at least 50 years ago to qualify. The only exception is books written at least 50 years ago, but published later, such as posthumous publications.

3.  A classic by a woman author. 

4.  A classic in translation.  Any book originally written published in a language other than your native language. Feel free to read the book in your language or the original language. (You can also read books in translation for any of the other categories).

5.  A classic published before 1800. Plays and epic poems are acceptable in this category.

6.  A romance classic. I'm pretty flexible here about the definition of romance. It can have a happy ending or a sad ending, as long as there is a strong romantic element to the plot.

7.  A Gothic or horror classic. For a good definition of what makes a book Gothic, and an excellent list of possible reads, please see this list on Goodreads. 

8.  A classic with a number in the title. Examples include A Tale of Two Cities, Three Men in a Boat, The Nine Tailors, Henry V, Fahrenheit 451, etc. An actual number is required -- for example, Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None would not qualify, but The Seven Dials Mystery would. 

9.  A classic about an animal or which includes the name of an animal in the title.  It can be an actual animal or a metaphor, or just the name in the title. Examples include To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, The Metamorphosis, White Fang, etc. If the animal is not obvious, please clarify it in your post.

10. A classic set in a place you'd like to visit. It can be real or imaginary: The Wizard of Oz, Down and Out in Paris and London, Death on the Nile, etc.

11. An award-winning classic. It could be the Newbery award, the Prix Goncourt, the Pulitzer Prize, the James Tait Award, etc. Any award, just mention in your blog post what award your choice received.

12. A Russian Classic. 2017 will be the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, so read a classic by any Russian author.