Literary Lovin'

I woke up this morning, fixed a cup of coffee and logged into my various internet accounts:  Hotmail, Blogger, Facebook, 20sb.  A new photo album published on Facebook by a young girl from my church caught my attention, so I browsed through the pics, then took a look at her profile.  As I read the lists of favorite movies, books, music, etc., I was appalled.  When did Twilight become the absolute favorite book (series), and all other literary classics (ie: gold) become necessary evils of school reading lists?

(Editor's Note:  I do, in fact, own the Twilight Saga, and have read it numerous times.  That doesn't make it my favorite.)

It's disappointing that kids have no desire to read wonderful pieces of literary art anymore.  When I was a teen, I read classics over and over again, astounded at how an author described the characters in such a way that I developed an image of them in my head.  The stories unfolded like a movie in my mind, and I cherished them all.  Now you can only get a kid to read F. Scott Fitzgerald if their English grade is dependent upon it.

Shameful.

So, in my own form of protest, I've decided to list my ten favorite novels of all time in the hopes that young people will be inspired to go to the library or bookstore and read something other than Harry Potter or Twilight.

NOTE:  I'm not including The Bible in this list, because - in my opinion - everyone should own a Bible and read it often.  

Also, you won't find The Hobbit, 1984, Animal Farm or Of Mice and Men on this list, because although they're considered classics, I hated them.  Every stinkin' page. 

So, here we go....

10. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

The book that inspired the movie that started the original vampire craze. No lovey-dovey vampire/human relationships in this book.   

  

9. The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

A true story about the incurable Ebola virus.   Stephen King himself described it as "one of the most horrifying things I've ever read." The film "Outbreak" was loosely based on this book.

8. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Battles of wit between independent Elizabeth Bennet and the charmingly cocky Mr. Darcy.  A lovely literary classic, entertaining from start to finish.

7. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Multiple personality disorders, a secret society and extremist organization run amuck in this awesome book later turned into a film starring Brad Pitt and Ed Norton.

6. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

A story about sisters, feminism, individuality, hardships, love and family.

5. The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

A collection of short stories - all entertaining.  The movie "A Knight's Tale" is based on one of the stories and two other characters.

 

4. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis 

Investment banker by day.  Raping, murdering obssessive-compulsive 80s music buff by night.

Also inspired a movie starring Christian Bale.

3. A Density of Souls by Christopher Rice

The first novel by Anne Rice's son, a gripping and dark look into the lives of four childhood friends torn apart - and eventually brought back together - by alcohol, sex, homosexuality and tragedy. 

2. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Excellently written story of Mary Boleyn, lover of King Henry VII, and the competition with her sister Anne.  Not completely historically accurate, but still a wonderful read. (Also much better than the movie, as usual.) 

1. The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald

Bachelor Nick rents a home between two mansions, and after observing the aristocrats inside, becomes wrapped up in a world of unrequited love, mysteries and murder.  The Great Gatsby is considered by many to be a fictional examination of the "American Dream" (the 1920s version, that is).

One of the best books ever written, and my personal favorite. 

For need of sharing, I've also included a few "honorable mentions" for you guys:

That's all, folks.  Now go to your library, check a few of these out and enjoy!

Reading the Twilight Saga.....for the THIRD time!

I know what you're thinking. I've lost it. My concern is that you're right.

I love to read, always have. I remember reading dozens of books during my summer breaks from school. Of course, as a teen I read the Sweet Valley High books, Fear Street series, all of the garden-variety youth fiction. When I entered high school, my tastes matured, and I started reading classics. I loved The Great Gatsby (which is still one of my favorites), The Canterbury Tales, The Scarlet Letter, Pride and Prejudice, pretty much any and all literary gold. The older I got, I prided myself in that I preferred reading literary classics instead of whatever bestselling book everyone was discussing at the moment.

Then came Twilight. Oh, I put it off for a while. Over a year, actually. I groaned internally while my coworkers, friends and others went on and on about this "amazing" saga. I couldn't understand it. My coworkers and many of my friends are well-educated, witty, fairly brilliant people. Yet there they were, raving over this TEEN fiction? Made no sense at all.

When the movie came out, it was nearly impossible to escape the frenzy. The books began flying off of the shelves, posters everywhere, barbie dolls portraying the characters. It was Twilightpalooza. Ridiculous. Finally my younger cousin convinced me to watch the movie. I tried my hardest to be open-minded, but there was no use. The lead actress was awful. She can't act her way out of a paper bag. Edward was a little better. The rest of the cast was fairly decent. I found myself interested in the story, overlooking the dialogue that was obviously written with teenage audiences in mind. When the movie was over, I was suddenly intrigued. I know that novels are always better than movies. I realized that I wanted to read the saga. I convinced myself that I should read the series, if only to have something to read. I had nothing to read at the moment anyway, having recently finished everything in my small collection (some for the third and fourth times). My cousin gave me the first book, Twilight, and I started reading...

I couldn't put it down! I was captivated. It wasn't the topic of vampires that got me, nor the forbidden love issue. It was Bella and Edward's intensity for each other. The need to be near each other as much as possible. The aching desperation when they couldn't be together. I couldn't get enough of it. I must admit, though, the rest of the story was fascinating in its own right.

Before I knew it, I had read the entire saga. I was suddenly depressed that the story wasn't going to continue. I wanted more. More of Bella and Edward. I watched the movie again, just to get a fix. It's still hard to watch the movie, despite my love for the story. I can't get past that terrible actress...

I distracted myself for a few months by taking on some different novels and a new series. Eventually, though, I found myself wanting to get lost in the story again. I bought the collection and read it for a second time last week. After a few days, I was still daydreaming about the world of vampires, werewolves and romance. I realized that I don't want to let go of that world yet. I tried to make myself start reading something else, but I couldn't get my mind to shift from the Twilight world. So yesterday, I started reading it AGAIN. Have I lost it?