The Mayor of Casterbridge | 
pickQuite a good, but sad story, about how a drunken action can have long-term consequences. The main character is also self-destructive and proud, but does have some good qualities. There are deceptions or instances of bad luck that compound the sadness. The language is a bit hard to read, being old-fashioned, with classical allusions, but my copy had good footnotes that helped. Worthwhile if you are up for it!
Starting a classic I have wanted to read ever since I saw The Claim, a Western movie, based on it.
And my haul was just three old Penguins (got to think of the weight of my suitcase!) 😋
pickThis book is a brilliant and somewhat intriguing story. I believe it is one of, if not the best work, produced by Thomas hardy. With multiple twists and multiple chances for a character redemption arc which penultimately fails, it most certainly is not a boring read. Instead, you end up empathizing and loathing the main character of Micheal Henchard all at the same time.
I'm so surprised how much I'm loving this! As world classics go Thomas Hardy keeps surprising me on how modern twists and turns the stories seem to take. Also I'm suprised how well he describes women. It is really nice to see an old world classic that has toughtfully created female characters.
pickI was familiar with the basic plot elements of The Mayor of Casterbridge prior to reading it, but I was quickly surprised by how soon it deviated from my expectations. I was expecting a redemption novel, a la Les Miserables, instead I realized that this was a different beast. Mayor of Casterbridge begins with Michael Henchard & his wife Susan arriving at a country fair with their infant Elizabeth-Jane. After an incident in a tent that truly👇
Three things:
1) Tonight's vp debate was a refreshing change from last week's disaster. I would honestly be fine with no more before the election. Not bc I'm worried about how my candidate will fare, but they will inevitably be as bad if not worse than last week.
2) Nobel Prize for Literature will be announced tomorrow morning! Based on nothing more than a hunch, I predict that either Javier Marias or Cormac Mccarthy will win.
3) Reading my 👇
I ordered these two books with the intention of making one of them my #firstreadof2020. Now the question is, which one do I choose?! 🥰🤔
I may or may not have read LW in its entirety when I was much younger but I can‘t be entirely sure. As far as Thomas Hardy, I‘ve only read Tess of the d‘Urbervilles.
❤️ Hardy‘s descriptions of fall, unfortunately we bypassed that yellow stage and the leaves all fell to the ground in a soggy mess. #reading1001 #1001travelingbookswap #groups
#1001travelinbookswap #groupa #1001books #reading1001 @hes7 I‘m loving it
One of my favorite purple-covered books for #PurpleRain #PrinceofJuly @vkois88 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Starting my third Hardy of the month!
Stopped by the Pink Elephant antique mall on our way home and picked up a couple goodies. 😁 (a man sells his wife at auction? What?! Hadn‘t heard of this one!)
Got a couple books in the mail today, finally. One to my sister-in-law (who wants to read one of my all-time favorite books! 🙌🏻) and the other for #1001BookSwap.
@tnociti I apologize in advance for all the tape (not pictured). 😬
pickRecommended from a reading course. This was a lovely book that took a satisfying amount of time to read.
And this was our last stop of the day: Max Gate which Thomas Hardy designed himself (he trained as an architect) and which his brother built for him using bricks made by the family brickyard. So definitely a house with Hardy all over it.
November #TBR
This month I‘m working on reading books I already own, because my to be read bookshelf is getting a little cramped!
While in #Anchorage I added a few books to my bedside #tbr list. I found what I was looking for: Call the Midwife and A Hero with a Thousand Faces at my favorite #titlewavebooks 🌊
Better sell all this finery and buy myself grammar books and dictionaries and a history of all the philosophies! #booksarebetter #tbrbingo #Hardy
I was a terrible student when it came to finishing required reading, but now that the pressure's off, I might need to give some classics #OneMoreTry. #JuneTunz
pickFinishing this book, I was left with a web of complicated emotions. First: it's my belief that mostly everyone in this book, with the exception of Elizabeth-Jane, is loathsome. Second: my dislike of the characters did not prevent me from feeling great sympathy for them. This is a profoundly sad book. There's lots to say about Hardy's dense psychological themes, but it's the emotion that left its impression on me; it's close to heartbreaking. 🤘🤘
