Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

We picked Northanger Abbey for book club this month mainly because we couldn't think of anything else and it sounded very book clubby to read an Austen novel.  I expected to slog through heavy Austen language and be slightly entertained by a semi-predictable love story.  I did not expect to find that Jane had such a sense of humor!  I literally laughed out loud in certain parts and made Brian listen while I read the particular paragraph to him.  In Northanger Abbey, our heroine is the slightly naive Catherine, who has read one too many gothic novels for her own good.  She goes to Bathe for the season meeting new friends and potential suitors.  Complications and misconceptions ensue.  I highly recommend this one - it was entertaining and you can pat yourself on the back for reading a classic!  Win/win, people.

Read: August 2011

Ender's Game

Ignore the totally sci-fi cover and pick up this book. Our book club read this at Angela's insistence when she discovered no one else had read it. I was skeptical, but I'm always willing to try a book that comes highly recommended. And it was good, so now I am recommending it to you. Here's a quick summary from Amazon:

Intense is the word for Ender's Game. Aliens have attacked Earth twice and almost destroyed the human species. To make sure humans win the next encounter, the world government has taken to breeding military geniuses -- and then training them in the arts of war... The early training, not surprisingly, takes the form of 'games'... Ender Wiggin is a genius among geniuses; he wins all the games... He is smart enough to know that time is running out. But is he smart enough to save the planet?

Read: August 2010

A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)

In an effort to add more classics to my list, I got A Tale of Two Cities from the library on CD. There is a reason this is a classic! I was mesmerized by the story, which is set during the French Revolution in Paris and London. Themes of redemption and revolution, love and loyalty, tie you to the characters and the story. I admit to reading Spark Notes to supplement my understanding of the story at times, but I really loved this book. It is so well written. Definitely going to read more classics soon. Any suggestions?

Read (Listened): June 2010