A Deep Dive into the Classics (If Not Now, When?)

I've always preferred the print versions of books to their electronic counterparts. In this age of Coronavirus, especially, it seems we are all overdoing it on the screen time. But with my move to England and my subsequent move back to California, a lot of my books have vanished or have been given away. I use the passive voice on purpose; it feels as if my books make their own decisions of where they end up. Books and natural hippie soaps are the two things I purchase indiscriminately.

So with my paperbacks dispersed, I did what any desperate, self-respecting reader would do in the 21st century: I dusted off my long-neglected Kindle. It was a birthday present from my mom when I had turned 35 (you know, back in the dark ages). I figure that if Shakespeare can pull off penning King Lear in quarantine, surely I can engage with an electronic copy of Little Women. I do want to use this time wisely even if the New York Times is advising the opposite. The quarantine, I publicly vow, will be spent in deep-dive reading all those promising classic novels. At least those which are American, Irish, and British.


Here is my color-coded list of classic novels. 

Red = Cannot stomach.
Orange = Enjoyed as an adolescent; grew out of them.
Yellow = Adored the first time around; will read again.
Green = Actively reading; soon to be devoured.

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I'm sorry, Ms. Shelley, but I just can't.

Frankenstein - The first half was decent but the second half was arduous and just not believable. I still think the macabre and the gothic need to have a pinch of believability in order to make them palatable.

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The following are novels that I once loved as an adolescent but am having trouble enjoying as an adult.

Brave New World

Catcher in the Rye

Lord of the Flies

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

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Some of my favorite books are below.

The Bell Jar - Beautiful and poetic the first time around.

The Bostonians - James' great satire. Not very PC.

The Call of the Wild - A classic for any dog-lover!!

Confederacy of Dunces - Hilarious first time around; not very PC.

Ethan Frome - I'm already seeing similarities with Wuthering Heights; ill-fated love and gothic feel.

Mrs. Dalloway - I took a class on this; the stream-of-consciousness prose sparkles in a poetic sort of way.

The Picture of Dorian Gray - Another gothic gem.

The Screwtape Letters - Ingenious premise; an epistolary novel between two devils.

Tale of Two Cities - one of my faves. Considered Dickens' most "manly" book; swift-moving and full of action.

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Below in green is my active bookshelf.

Wuthering Heights - Fantastic so far. The action and writing grabs you from the start.

The Plague - Beautifully written; had to return my library copy.

Dracula

Little Women

Count of Monte Cristo

Brideshead Revisited

Middlemarch

Vanity Fair

The Mill on the Floss

Les Miserables

Suite Francaise 

If the quarantine lasts and I've exhausted my books in green, there is just one thing left for me to do: tackle the Russians.