The Classics

Since Raquel was in middle school, she is now ending her Jr. year in High school, she has been taking advanced English courses. In these classes she was obligated to read some pretty classic books. At some point or another she had to define, report, debate, summarize, translate and pretty much dissect each and everyone one of them. Some of them she dislike with a vengeance and others was pleasantly surprised and a couple she had actually read on her own before having to do so in class. Before the age of 14, I was never much of a reader...until I secretly read my mothers Danielle Steele book from her side table and ...WOW!..pretty racy stuff back in 1969 and in turn, started reading all of Danielle Steele books for a while. My taste in books pretty much runs the gamete...from bio's(my fav) to architecture, to vampires to circus life and on, but the classics...not too much...until now.

I thought I should read what Raquel was reading so at first I could help her with homework and such, but gradually I just enjoyed reading them for the mere pleasure as I don't help with homework anymore....to advanced for me. So little by little I read every single one and like Raquel, some I loved, one I've read every year for 15 years and one I hated....with a vengeance.

1. Frankenstein....loved it! Better than any movie...except Young Frankenstein....lol
2. Flowers for Algernon...loved it. Read it before..made me cry both times. Made into a movie by the name of Charly.
3. Lord of the Flies....loved it. Strange story but that's just me.
4. Of Mice and Men. Only saw the movie till now. The book is very good.
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer....First of all, I'm not sure why I never read these books, as Mark Twain is my favorite author on the planet. Absolutely loved these two.
6. The Great Gatsby...Hmmmm, interesting and I found it hard to get into it, but I managed and I'm glad I did.
7. Great Expectations....Loved everything about this story....characters, location, era and of course Charles Dickens.
8. Their Eyes Were Watching God...This is exactly the type of story I like to read. People's life journey including the celebration and trauma of life. Glad I read it.
9. The Pearl...This book mad Raquel angry...so naturally, I had to read it. We discussed this story line for days...John Steinbeck's version of Mexican folklore.
10. A Separate Peace....A very easy read....enjoyed it.
11. To Kill A Mockingbird....What can I say except....I've read this book every year for years sometimes more than once. It's my favorite book and movie of all time. Something about it strikes a cord in me and hits me straight in the heart.
12. Romeo and Juliet & Macbeth.... Lucky for me I like Shakespeare. We must of lived in another life together because the translation came easy for me...and Raquel.
13. The Last of the Mohicans....HATED this book. It was so hard for me to get through. For whatever reason, I had a hard time following and understanding. I had to re read every page. I will NEVER read this book again. Raquel disliked it too for the same reasons.
14. The Catcher In The Rye....Love this book, but after reading it, I was surprised that it was part of the schools criteria...pretty adult themed and explicit. Raquel never warned me and when I said something about it...it was no big deal according to her.
15. Animal Farm...One of the books I was forced to read when I was young and liked it then...liked it again this time around and Raquel and I had a very in dept discussion regarding it.
16. Native Son....Raquel just finished this book and she loved it. I will begin to read it very soon.
17. Night.....I actually had this book so we didn't have to buy it. Holocaust survivor story of his ordeal...very hard read in terms of graphic nature...but, we both loved it and Raquel actually visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC....she was very moved as was I.
18. 1984....Strange book but entertaining....I liked it, Raquel didn't
19. Ironweed......I loved this book. Again, the kind of story I enjoy. People's lives and how they effect people around them.
20. The Invisible Man...Again...my type of book. I'm always rootin' for the underdog.

And there you have it. I know there was more, but we can't think of them and too lazy to go find them. If you ever have a chance to read a classic now and then, I urge you to do so..you might find out what all the hoopla's about. Now...let's hope I'm ready for my senior year...and I'm not talking about my life after 50.....I'm just sayin'