Is reviewing books. I’m not sure how well this will go over since the books I read don’t usually appeal to a ton of people.
But get over it, you don’t have to read it.
Here is an example: I recently finished House of the Seven Gables, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and now I will review it for your viewing pleasure.
First off, I like Nathaniel Hawthorne. He’s very witty; throwing in these metaphors that you wouldn’t normally consider but that made a ton of sense when you think about it. I chuckled aloud a couple times. I enjoyed his writing style, even though it did tend to ramble-and I mean ramble. Long descriptive passages.
Also, in recent years, I traveled to Boston and went on a day trip to Salem, where I saw the very house that inspired Hawthorne’s novel. That whole town is creepy. The house is definitely not an exception, so I was excited to read his book about said house.
Second off, the characters are great. They are all very flawed and very human, not the normal beautiful girl and the tall dark handsome bachelor. The main character is an old woman named Hepzibah and I LOVE HER! There is also her cousin Pheobe, who is young and zealous and not annoyingly perfect like some other book characters. There’s Clifford, the mysterious and more than a little crazy brother, and the infamous Judge, whom nobody likes. A lot of the central conflict in this novel is between the characters.
Third, the plot was…subtle. I read the jacket of the book and I was like sweet! mysterious deaths, old creepy house, weird people! (that’s what I like reading about 😀 ) After about the first five chapters, however, there was not more than one mysterious death, no creepiness, and no real issues. I had a hard time figuring out what was going on, you really have to pay attention. This book is very much a character driven novel, but it helps to know what’s happening. So i stopped reading it for awhile cause it just wasn’t what I expected it to be. This is a classic?? kind of stuff.
So if you are not accustomed to reading too many 19th C authors, or classics in general, you will want to look at the plot outline on sparknotes. it will make you excited to read and or finish this book. (yes I’m lame, but hey, whatever it takes to finish). A book is not enjoyable if you don’t know what’s going on. So know what’s going on. TGFS.
Fourth, it was a good book. Unusual, and thoughtful, and appropriately creepy.
But if you’re not into setting out blocks of time in which to read, or you just hate books published before 1900, I suggest you look elsewhere.
So long, happy reading….