Yesterday I finished The Crimson Portrait by Jody Shields. It was much a much heavier novel than I'd anticipated, so I think I'll have to mull it over for a bit before writing about it. It was one of the books I chose for the What's in a Name Challenge. I'm really glad this finally gave me an excuse to read it. I've already settled on a new novel to start, The Convert by Elizabeth Robins. My main motivation is that it is a book that I acquired from interlibrary loan. While I tend to have a rather cavalier attitude about library books (in that I return too many unread--must break that habit!), I do try and read books that someone went to special effort to get for me. In any case, I wanted to read this novel as it was written during the Edwardian period, and it it about an upper class woman who becomes a suffragette. Actually I expect it to be about more than that, but I've only just started it!
I was quite surprised by the number of comments my big reads post generated. It's nice to see so many people interested in reading the classics. Many thanks to all who left comments if only to give suggestions or encouragement. As many people seem interested, how about starting with Victor Hugo's Les Miserables? I wouldn't be ready to jump in right away. I am working on Wilkie Collins's lengthy (but oh so very good!) Armadale, which I carried over from last year. I also wouldn't mind slipping in something short in between as a little break before starting another long read. So maybe March or April to start? I'm not sure this would warrant setting up another place to post or if it would be easier to just work out a loose reading schedule and we could all post on our own blogs about our progress? Let me know what you think. I have the mass market Signet Classics edition, which might be the only unabridged paperback edition (not sure that's correct). I think it weighs in with something like 1,488 pages.
I'd like to read one or two other big books (along with my already planned Anna Karenina by Tolstoy--can't forget about her!). But I'm not sure what to choose, as they all sound so good. I think I'd really like to give Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy another try. Beyond that I'm not sure. The Forsyte Saga? The Iliad? Perhaps it would be best to tackle Hugo first and see how that goes and work from there?
Over the weekend I picked up Jack London's The Call of the Wild from the library, which I mentioned recently. The copy that was set aside from me is a YA edition published by Aladdin Books. It is a short 150 pages (or thereabouts). I think it will be an easy book to read in just one or two sittings. I hadn't realized that it was such a short novel. I only hope that it is in no way abridged, since it is a YA edition. I may have to compare it to Project Gutenberg, but I imagine the entire text is there? I also had a book waiting for me. I had hoped to get it before the holidays, but there is only one copy in the whole library system, and the last patron decided to keep it for nearly a month longer than they were allowed. I was surprised to see it, as I had figured it was lost. My library pile keeps getting reshuffled. I was having a hard time choosing a book to read, but that decision seems to have been taken care of as Brian John's On Angel Mountain has a waiting list. I don't want to make the next person wait as long as I did. I guess that will be my next read! I'm looking forward to it, however, it's historical fiction set in 18th century Wales and is written in diary format. As usual, right up my alley.