The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Goodreads Synopsis:    Journey to the spectacular land of Oz with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz! This classic tale from L. Frank Baum has enchanted readers for over a century. Now, in this stunning hundredth anniversary edition featuring the original illustrations by W.W. Denslow, new readers will learn the power of the phrase “There is no place like home.”

In this hardcover edition with high-quality reproductions of the original art, follow the adventures of young Dorothy Gale and her dog, Toto, as their Kansas house is swept away by a cyclone and they find themselves in a strange land called Oz.

Here she meets the Munchkins and joins the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion on an unforgettable journey to the Emerald City, where lives the all-powerful Wizard of Oz.

Original Thoughts:

-    Classic in ever sense of the word! What a great story.

-    I loved the familiar characters and the familiar scenes, but I also loved the extra things you don't see in the movie. All the little details that Baum puts in the book is so great, but easy to overlook. I enjoyed the little endnotes that helped the reader catch these. I loved the symbols used, like the colors. This book is such a great story that keeps any age reader loving it.

Re-Read Thoughts:

-    The first time I read this, I read the Barnes and Noble Classics version. This time I read the 100th anniversary edition. I liked the anniversary edition better.

-    This story is SO timeless, and the characters are some of the most endearing characters in all of literature.

-    I love this book!

-    The illustrations are amazing! I loved reading this illustrated version. However, sometimes the pictures and text were on top of each other and it was hard to read sometimes. 

-    I can't wait to read these with my daughter. I would have started now, but we have other books we are reading.

-    This story will never get old!

Persuasion

Goodreads Synopsis:    In her final novel, as in her earlier ones, Jane Austen uses a love story to explore and gently satirize social pretensions and emotional confusion.Persuasion follows the romance of Anne Elliot and naval officer Frederick Wentworth. They were happily engaged until Anne’s friend, Lady Russell, persuaded her that Frederick was “unworthy.” Now, eight years later, Frederick returns, a wealthy captain in the navy, while Anne’s family teeters on the edge of bankruptcy. They still love each other, but their past mistakes threaten to keep them apart. Austen may seem to paint on a small canvas, but her characters contain the full range of human passion and moral complexity, and the author’s generous spirit renders them all with understanding, compassion, and humor.

My Thoughts:

-    It took about 50 pages for the story to get good, but after that I was hooked.

-    There were a lot of characters, and it was hard to keep track of who was who. There were so many in-laws and in-laws of in-laws. Watching the movie helped a lot with figuring out the characters.

-    I love Anne! She is so plain and kind. I loved seeing a meek female protagonist. I could relate to her shyness.

-    I LOVED the letter in the end. Letters are so personal and intimate, and I just love that is how Captain Wentworth chose to express himself. 

-    I wish there was a prequel. I want to know exactly what happened in past. How did Anne and Wentworth meet? How exactly did Lady Russel break them up? It is so intriguing.

-    I love the idea of these two people rediscovering their love for one another. We need more second chance love stories.

-    I want to know what happens to Mr. Elliot and Kellynch. I also want to know what happens to Anne's father and Elizabeth. 

-    Great story! Why did it take me so long to read this!?

North and South

Goodreads Synopsis:    When her father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience, Margaret Hale is uprooted from her comfortable home in Hampshire to move with her family to the north of England. Initially repulsed by the ugliness of her new surroundings in the industrial town of Milton, Margaret becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of the local mill-workers and develops a passionate sense of social justice. This is intensified by her tempestuous relationship with the mill-owner and self-made man John Thornton, as their fierce opposition over his treatment of his employees masks a deeper attraction. In North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell skilfully fused individual feeling with social concern, and in Margaret Hale created one of the most original heroines of Victorian literature.


My Thoughts:

-    I enjoyed this, but I'd rather watch the BBC mini series instead.

-    I liked being in Mr. Thornton's head most of the time, but I also like the mystery about tall, dark, and brooding men. Being in his head took some of that away.

-    I was really angry and disappointed that the book didn't have, "Look back, look back at me." 

-    The change in perspectives was abrupt and quick. One paragraph was Margaret's perspective and the next paragraph is Thornton's. I wish the perspectives had been more separate or easier to figure out.

-    The ending is WAY better in the mini series. The train station scene is much more satisfying. The book ending was abrupt. It just ends. The moment between Thornton and Margaret is so short. 

-    I enjoyed all the characters, especially Mr. Thornton. I liked the Higginses a lot. 

-    While this is classified as a classic romance novel, it is so much more. There are a wide range of topics including death, parenting, worker/master situation, unions, learning to love a new environment, social classes, separation from a loved one/family member, etc. There is a lot going on in this book.

-    I'm glad I read this, but the BBC mini series is more fun. I get to watch Richard Armitage, the music is amazing, the ending is better, the scenes are beautiful, the looks are killer, the small moments are amazing, and it is just more satisfying to me. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Classics

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

Top Ten Books I Can't Believe I Haven't/Want To Read from X Genre

Today I've chosen classics! There are a lot I haven't read that I really want to.

 
 
 
 
 

Yes, I like the Barnes and Noble editions. I have quite the collection of them already.

Anne of Windy Poplars

Goodreads Says:    Anne Shirley has left Redmond College behind to begin a new job and a new chapter of her life away from Green Gables. Now she faces a new challenge: the Pringles. They're known as the royal family of Summerside - and they quickly let Anne know she is not the person they had wanted as principal of Summerside High School. But as she settles into the cozy tower room at Windy Poplars, Anne finds she has great allies in the widows Aunt Kate and Aunt Chatty - and in their irrepressible housekeeper, Rebecca Dew. As Anne learns Summerside's strangest secrets, winning the support of the prickly Pringles becomes only the first of her triumphs.





My Thoughts:

-    Anne looks younger on this cover than she did on the previous two covers. Why did they do that?

-    I don't know if everyone will appreciate the subtle beauty and charm that is Anne's world. The story isn't thrilling or exciting. It is about people and their lives. 

-    I felt like the book is made up of a bunch of different stories because the book is about all the different people Anne meets and influences during her three years in Summerside.

-    I missed Gilbert and Diana a lot. Anne writes Gilbert a lot of letters, and Diana is mentioned, but it just isn't the same.

-    The author skips the parts of Anne's letters that are "love letter" bits. I'm curious about what Anne would say in her love letters, but I'm also grateful they were omitted because I think they'd be boring and full of fluff.

-    Misunderstandings seem to be the theme of this book. 

-    Hazel is one crazy basket case! Good luck Terry!

-    Gerald and Geraldine are horrible awful little children that need some major smack downs!

-    I can't believe Gilbert and Anne were engaged for 3 years! And they spent the majority of the time far away from each other.

-    Elizabeth is probably my favorite story. I love her little personality, and I loved her happy ending.

-    I can't wait to continue Anne's journey in the next books! 

Previous Anne of Green Gables Book

(Click on the cover to see my thoughts)

  

Anne of the Island

Goodreads Says:    New adventures lie ahead as Anne Shirley packs  her bags, waves good-bye to childhood, and heads for  Redmond College. With old friend Prissy Grant  waiting in the bustling city of Kingsport and  frivolous new pal Philippa Gordon at her side, Anne tucks  her memories of rural Avonlea away and discovers  life on her own terms, filled with  surprises...including a marriage proposal from the worst fellow  imaginable, the sale of her very first story, and a  tragedy that teaches her a painful lesson. But  tears turn to laughter when Anne and her friends move  into an old cottage and an ornery black cat steals  her heart. Little does Anne know that handsome  Gilbert Blythe wants to win her heart, too. Suddenly  Anne must decide if she's ready for love...




My Thoughts:

-    The story picks up right after Anne of Avonlea ends. Anne is off to college!

-    I liked how real Anne's emotions were. I could relate to her. As her friends go off in different directions and get married, Anne longs for the joys of her childhood. She was uncertain of college and leaving home. She was home sick a lot. Anne is so real to me.

-    I love how Anne found a house to rent with her friends. That would have been a lot of fun in college. 

-    Phil was a fickle and silly character. I'm glad Anne found new friends, but this one was a bit annoying.

-    Davy cracks me up!

-    It drove me crazy that Anne wanted to keep Gilbert at arms length! What is wrong with her!? It takes her forever to realize that she loves Gilbert! Thank Goodness she finally does!

-    We need more books set in college!  

Previous Anne of Green Gables Book

(Click on the cover to see my thoughts)

 

Anne of Avonlea

Goodreads Synopsis:    At sixteen Anne is grown up...almost. Her gray eyes shine like evening stars, but her red hair is still as peppery as her temper. In the years since she arrived at Green Gables as a freckle-faced orphan, she has earned the love of the people of Avonlea and a reputation for getting into scrapes. But when Anne begins her job a the new schoolteacher, the real test of her character begins. Along with teaching the three Rs, she is learning how complicated life can be when she meddles in someone else's romance, finds two orphans at Green Gables, and wonders about the strange behaviour of the very handsome Gilbert Blythe. As Anne enters womanhood, her adventures touch the heart and the funny bone.




My Thoughts:

-    This book picks up right after Anne of Green Gables ends. I enjoyed continuing the story.

-    You'd think the people of Avonlea would get really fat with all the cakes and puddings they eat. Food is a big part of these books. I feel like Anne is always making a cake for something.

-    Davy is hilarious. His reasoning and shenanigans just crack me up. Of course, Anne got herself into some trouble as well, and that always puts a smile on my face.

-    While reading this, I noticed my surroundings a lot more. I stopped to look at how beautiful the weather was and how lovely the trees are. Books do funny things to me.

-    Oh Anne, when will you realize that Gilbert is the only one for you! How can you be so oblivious?

-    I loved the Echo Lodge people and those parts of the story. 

-    This was a lovely book! I just can't get enough of the people of Avonlea. 

Previous Anne of Green Gables Book

(Click on the cover to see my thoughts)

Anne of Green Gables

Goodreads Synopsis:    As soon as Anne Shirley arrived at the snug,  white farmhouse called Green Gables, she knew she  wanted to stay forever... but would the Cuthberts send her back to the orphanage? Anne knows she's not  what they expected -- a skinny girl with decidedly  red hair and a temper to match. If only she could  convince them to let her stay, she'd try very hard  not to keep rushing headlong into scrapes or blurt  out the very first thing she had to say. Anne was  not like anybody else, everyone at Green Gables  agreed; she was special -- a girl with an enormous  imagination. This orphan girl dreamed of the day  when she could call herself Anne of Green Gables.





My Thoughts:

-    I haven't read this for a long time. It was like revisiting an old friend.

-    Anne and her imagination are hilarious. This brought back so many memories of laughing with my family at Anne's shenanigans.

-    Matthew will always have a piece of my heart. He is so kind and understanding. 

-    Marilla, though stern, is also very kind. She has a rough exterior, but underneath she is a gentle woman. I love how she secretly laughed at things Anne did or said. 

-    Ah Gilbert. . . sigh.

-    Even after all these years, I still want to crawl into the book and live in Anne's world. Her life was simple, yet full. 

-    This story and these characters never leave you. They become a part of you. 

-    Definitely a story all young girls need to read. 

Les Miserables

From Goodreads:    Victor Hugo’s tale of injustice, heroism and love follows the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. But his attempts to become a respected member of the community are constantly put under threat: by his own conscience, when, owing to a case of mistaken identity, another man is arrested in his place; and by the relentless investigations of the dogged policeman Javert. It is not simply for himself that Valjean must stay free, however, for he has sworn to protect the baby daughter of Fantine, driven to prostitution by poverty. A compelling and compassionate view of the victims of early nineteenth-century French society, Les Misérables is a novel on an epic scale, moving inexorably from the eve of the battle of Waterloo to the July Revolution of 1830.

My Thoughts:

-    It took me 2 weeks, but I did it! I read Les Miserables!!! 896 pages!!! It was an amazing journey! 

-    There are no words to describe the depth and feeling this story holds. I will try to do my best, but there isn't enough time for me write ALL my thoughts for this book.

-    If this is the abridged version, I don't even want to see the original. Can you get an unabridged version of this book in English? 

-    The whole theme of redemption and soul searching is powerful and moving.

-    I thought this would be hard to read and hard to understand, but it wasn't. It was actually a really fun and great read! There were some slow parts mixed in with the exciting and interesting parts, but it wasn't too bad.

-    The story would have gone smoother without a back story of EVERY character. I enjoyed learning the history of a lot of characters, but there were some I just thought tedious. 

-    There was a lot of French politics, and I didn't understand or care about a lot of it.

-    The characters were wonderful! Each one was so well thought out and so complicated. I loved them all! All except Thenardier, I hate that awful awful man!

-    I feel so bad for Javert. He is one of my favorite characters because his personality is so complicated. He isn't a bad guy; he is just doing his job and what he feels is right. He wants to bring justice. He doesn't believe in forgiveness or redemption at all! It is so sad! His confusion at the end is so heart breaking. 

-    Jean Valjean is an amazing man! One can only hope to be a man/ human being to his equal. 

-    I kept singing/hearing the music from the the play in my mind while I read different scenes. 

-    I wish there had been more Eponine. She wasn't in the book very much. I wish we got to see some of the story from her perspective. 

-    The emotions and descriptions were very deep and thorough. I felt so much during this journey, and my heart just ached! I didn't mind how descriptive most things were, but I just didn't care for the politics and other things.

-    If you have the courage and time to read this novel, I highly recommend it!! It was amazing! I thoroughly enjoyed it! It is worth the time!

-    I feel like my thoughts are insufficient for this masterpiece. I really just can't put how I feel about this story into words.  It is a beautiful tale!  

-    I just want to go out into the world and do some good now! 

The Mansion

Back of the Book:   The Mansion has been ranked next to Dickens' A Christmas Carol as a "must-read" during the holiday season.  It tells the story of John Weightman, a rich man who sees heaven in a dream and is dismayed to see only a small shanty prepared for him.  Sympathy, self-sacrifice and compassion are the overlying themes of this entertaining, easy-to-read story.

My Thoughts:

-    I picked this up because President Monson reads it every single year around Christmas time.  He loves it and refers to it often.

-    Great lesson!!  Do we do things for recognition or because we love and want to serve others?  I want to be a charitable person and have true charity.

-    The story is short, but great!

-    It reminds me a bit of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.