Classic-a-Month Reading Challenge | March and April Wrap Up

The year started strong with «Pride and Prejudice» by Jane Austen and then February came along with another case of reading slump. Most likely due to me trying to finish «The Book Thief» by Markus Zusak that I started in late August and just not enjoying it at all. It was a great story, but the writing or the Portuguese translation just didn’t get me into the world created by the author, but more about that below.

I was able to pick myself up in late March – April and catch up on my classic reads! And I am here to share with you what they were and what I am planning on reading next.

 

Let’s start with «The Book Thief» by Markus Zusak. As I mentioned before, it was an amazing story, set in Germany during the period of nazi influence and concentration camps. It’s a heartbreaking story of history, friendship, hate and love. Maybe if I had read it in a different language (Russian or English) I would be able to get into the story, to imagine it vividly, to feel more for and with the characters, but unfortunately that didn’t happen.

 

 

My next classic for the month of March was «To Kill a Mockingbird» by Harper Lee. That was a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT experience. The story was just as great, following Atticus Finch, a lawyer trying to save life of a black man whose arrest was only based on accusation, the words of a white woman. We see the view of the world through his children’s’ eyes, his neighbours and older generations, through innovative teachers and close-minded family members.

I loved Harper Lee’s writing style, I loved his choice of words, his descriptions of the events that felt so vivid, so real. I loved it so much that this month I am reading another one of his books (that smells amazing by the way) – «Go Set the Watchmen». Jean louise was one of my the most favourite characters from «To Kill a Mockingbird» and I cannot wait to see her as a grown woman and to hear her story during those difficult times.

This praise by Sunday Times summarized exactly how I feel about Harper Lee

Reacquaint yourself with that beguiling Harper Lee narrative style – warm, sardonic, amused… wryly funny, a sassy Southern voice, Mark Twain with a dash of Katharine Hepburn.

And finally, let’s talk about my classic read for the month of April. It was a busy month, I did tons of reading so I decided to take it light and pick a short story by Arthur Conan Doyle – «A Study in Scarlet» (Sherlock Holmes #1) and I didn’t like it at all.

Well, alright… the first part was traditional Sherlock Holmes story with mystery, puzzles and the most intelligent crime solver, but then the second part of this very short novel had nothing to do with the mystery I was hoping for. But I will definitely continue reading other Sherlock Holmes stories this year to see which one will become my favourite.

 

More updates on this challenge in June or July. Hope you are having a good reading year and are able to complete all of the challenges you set up for yourself.

With love,

Alex

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