Friday, March 18, 2011

I saw something nasty in the woodshed!-Cold Comfort Farm

My yearly attempt to better myself by reading classics. Last year I was disappointed by Journey to the Center of the Earth, The year before that was 1984 which was work, and I've been vaguely grumpy about the whole habit since Wuthering Heights in '08. So I can't say I was very enthusiastic going in to Cold Comfort Farm.



Earlier this year I read another book by Stella Gibbons called Nightingale Woods. I didn't know until I was already reading it that it was sister book to a classic. Frankly I thought it was kind of stupid. Not terrible or anything but I don't intend to read it again.



I went to the library a couple weeks ago with a list of 25 or 30 books and could only find 2 both on my self improvement list and this was one of them. So I read it. I'm not really sure why it's considered a classic. I don't think it was very educational or that the writing was all that impressive but I did like it. Though (here's something I rarely say) if you're interested I'd say see if you can find a good movie version. It's just a silly little slightly romantic story not a great piece of literature.



Next I'm going to tackle The Lord of the Flies (the other book I could find at the library). I'm not very excited despite the fact that I've wanted to read it for years. It just feels like homework and I really hated homework. Then I'll feel I've done my literary penance for 2011 and can return to my regularly scheduled smutty romances and gory horror with the occasional mystery or fantasy thrown in.

3 comments:

Amy Baldwin said...

Dani,
I used to do the SAME thing.. some of my books were

"East of Eden" hated it..way over all the desriptions of everything, just get to the story already!

"Wuthering Heights" I just didnt get this book. Both main characters were a drag I wouldnt want to spend ONE minute with either of them.

"Atlas SHrugged" this one is HUGE and slow and i have been reading it for about 7 years.. in the last 2 years I dont think I have picked it up at all!

Good Luck with Lord of the flies!!

Roses said...

I helped Elder Son read Fantastic Voyage last year. What a wordy piece of... literature.
It was like chewing a piece of rubber. You keep thinking it's gotta get easier soon, but it doesn't.

Dani said...

Amy-Oh I know. Isn't Wuthering Heights awful! Horid people being horid to each other, yay?

Roses-"Like chewing a piece of rubber" you soooo captured it. Also note to self leave Fantastic Voyage off my list.

Who decides these things are classics?