Sunday, July 12, 2009

The Sunday Salon: Starting Classics

What is the Sunday Salon? Imagine some university library's vast reading room. It's filled with people--students and faculty and strangers who've wandered in. They're seated at great oaken desks, books piled all around them, and they're all feverishly reading and jotting notes in their leather-bound journals as they go. Later they'll mill around the open dictionaries and compare their thoughts on the afternoon's literary intake....
Starting Classics: For some reason unknown to me, I have a problem starting classic or older reads. Right now I should be reading Sons and Lovers by DH Lawrence but I can't get pass the first two sentences. I always seem to have this problem when reading classics. I get the book but when I try to open it and read it, I get stuck. I know that once I start I will pick up speed and be able to finish. But starting is the problem. Does anyone else have this problem?

Blog Improvement: My resolution to improve my blog is going well. I have decided to try out Comment Luv, instead of using Blogger's comment system. So far so good. I love how it lets me reply to comments and layers them. It makes it so much easier. I have also announced my first ever giveaway and so far the response has been good. I would like to do them more often. But hopefully I can at least try for one a month. This weeks improvements have been minor. I have added a sidebar that list books reviewed by title. Right now I am working on reference posts for my Perpetual Challenges.

Future Improvements:
  • Host Mini Challenge (Work In Process)
  • Star Rating Explanation
  • Review Policy
  • Improve About and Contact Sidebar
  • Try Out LinkWithin
Giveaway Reminder: Don't forget that the giveaway of The Secret Holocaust Diaries by Nonna Bannister ends on July 18, 2009. Winners will be announced on July 19, 2009

3 comments:

  1. I know what you mean about reading classics or older books. I had to read a book for a challenge that was published the year I was born, which was in 1958. I read "A Death In The Family". It took me three days of stop and go to get it started. Once I got past the fourth chapter I finished in a matter of hours. I don't know if it is the style of writing or if it is a psychological matter. I still have to pick up from the library and read another 1958 book, "Anatomy of a Murder". When it finally comes in I have decided I will sit and read it until it is done.

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  2. I have the exact same problem with classics. I think it has something to so with the language. It took me ages to start Jane Eyre but eventually when I did, I ending up loving it :)

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  3. For me it depends on the classic. All Austen and Bronte, I read easily and completely love. I thought I would enjoy Elizabeth Glaskill's Wives and Daughters (I absolutely loved the mini-series), but could only read a few pages at a time and ended up bringing it back to the library only half read.

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