The Third Book

Number 15 on the list: To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

"There are very few exceptional and miraculous novels that have the power to change their reader forever.  To The Lighthouse is one of them."

My life could always use a good changing.

The Great Gatsby Review

           

             The Great Gatsby is one amazing story.  It is full of liquor, parties, adultery, and death.  There was never a dull moment.  As much as I loved the whole tale, the last chapter is one that I will never forget.  There is such a love/hate relationship with Gatsby and the reader, but in the last chapter the love reaches its peak via compassion and sadness.  As for the rest of the characters, well, the reader really just grows to hate them.  Besides Nick (the narrator), the other characters are stuck up and selfish.  Lewis does an amazing job of establishing his characters.

            C.S Lewis also loves to use symbols throughout his work.  In The Great Gatsby, he uses clocks to a billboard.  To tell you all the truth, I would not have noticed these symbols had I of not read this in high school a few years ago.  Reading it a second time, the symbols were a lot more noticeable and added a lot more character to an already amazing story.  However, there were moments where the craft of the story didn’t seem to go smoothly.  It seemed at times that Lewis made a mistake and tried to correct it with a sentence.  It was like “oh yea, all that I just said happened a month ago and now this is happening.”  It distracted from the otherwise creative structure of the story.

            This story is very entertaining.  It is also only 180 pages and fairly easy to read, so there is no reason NOT to!  This is an all American 1920’s story that everyone should read.  I am sure your local book store has a million copies, so go!  Shoo! Go read this damn great story!

The Second Book

Number 2 on the list: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Written in a time where "gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession."

What else does a good story need? Exactly.

Lolita Review

A book about a man in love and having sexual relations with a 12 year old girl.  Strange for the 21^st century and it was even stranger for the 20^th century (1955 to be exact) when it was written.  Then add a metafiction spin on the whole thing and BAM!  With a metafiction novel, the reader is often addressed by a character or the author themself.  Throughout Lolita, the reader is addressed.  For example, the main character, Humbert Humbert, says “let me remind the reader that…” and then describes the statutory rape laws in England compared to Massachusetts.  Some people do not like this because it takes the reader out if the fictitious world that a novel creates.  However, for a story of such disturbing and creepy content, being pulled out of the story is a kind of relief. 

            The strange plot aside, the novel was extremely well written.  Even with long paragraphs and random short chapters, the whole novel flowed perfectly.  I found myself reading it out loud without hesitation.  Although Humbert Humbert, an obsessive, possessive pedophile, does many illegal and just plain disturbing things, I found myself still attached to him.  For me, having a good relationship with the characters of a book is of number one importance.  So being able to feel for such a questionable character was quite a feat for Vladimir Nabokov.

            Overall, I would recommend this book.  Even though the ending was unsuccessful, (like the endings to almost any book) this book was successful in every other aspect.  It is not your typical love story, but it is indeed a love story.  At parts I found myself wanting to walk away in disgust, but there is something about the language and style of the story that pulls you in.  Vladimir Nabokov certainly deserves to be on the 100 list.

(As I read the first 50 pages of Ulysses, I realized i should start somewhere more simple, so not to get discouraged.)

Beginning with number four on the list:  Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.

"...It is a meditation on love-love as outrage and hallucination, madness and transformation."

A love crazed maniac?  Sounds Cliché.  We'll see.

The 100

I like to read.  During college I was just too busy.  So this summer, I am challenging myself to read.  In my search to find what to begin with, I found the Modern Library's Choices of 100 novels everyone should read before they die.  Even though I am only 19 and do not plan on dying anytime soon, I figure it's never too early to start.  So, as I read through the list, beginning with number one, I will update on my progress.  After completing each book, I will also give a review.  Note that I am a simple college student.   Outspoken and straightforward, my reviews will be that of an average literate.

http://www.nytimes.com/library/books/072098best-novels-list.html

I encourage all of you to follow along with me!