BEA and BBC Retrospective

BEA and BBC Retrospective

Published on June 1, 2011 | 26 Responses

I’m probably the last BEA attendee to post a retrospective, but here it is anyway!

My husband and I spent some days sightseeing in NYC once Book Expo America and the Book Blogger Convention were over. I did the standard touristy things, like the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We took a twilight boat tour, and otherwise tried not to spend money. We did lots of walking around and taking pictures (none of which I’ve looked at yet). It was tons of fun and just the sanity break that I needed.  I’m back to Chicagoland now.

This post is some of my impressions of my time attending the conventions. (more…)

Welcome to Rebecca Reads!

Published on May 21, 2011 | 1 Response

A great piece of literature does not try to coerce you to believe it or to agree with it. A great piece of literature simply is. (Madeleine L’Engle, A Circle of Quiet, page 201)

The strongest, most authentic motive for deep reading … is the search for a difficult pleasure. (Harold Bloom, How to Read and Why, page 29)

Photo by Raisin

Welcome to Rebecca Reads! I’m delighted to be attending Book Expo America and the Book Blogger Convention in New York City. If you haven’t met me or read my blog before, here’s a little bit about me.

About me: My name is Rebecca Reid. I am originally from Chicago, and I have lived or studied in Utah; Seattle; Bolivia; Jerusalem; and Melbourne, Australia. I’m back in the Chicago area these days. I’m a stay-at-home mom with a preschooler (affectionately called “Raisin” on this site). I like to read and reread fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books, mostly long-lasting classics but also some newly published works.

I also like to dabble in photography and family history research, and I find joy in a successfully cooked meal. My highest priorities are my family and my religion.

I’ve been blogging at Rebecca Reads since May 2008. I blog when I get a chance. Here is my main webpage for more about me.

About Rebecca Reads: Rebecca Reads is a collection of my thoughts about books and reading, and reviews of books I’ve read. I call them reviews, but afterthoughts on books I’ve read are more personal reflections and extensions to my own life rather than an unbiased journalistic reviews. I’ve recently begun accepting review copies, but I am particular about what I will accept. My main interest is in classic literature, and I hope to start a conversation about the classics. Authors, publishers, and publicists, see my review policy for more information.

I try to read things that teach me something or get me thinking, including fiction, nonfiction, and children’s literature. I’m excited to introduce my son to good literature!

About The Classics Circuit: I am the host of The Classics Circuit, a blog tour of classic authors. The purpose of the Circuit is to encourage the reading of classic works by celebrating them through book blogs. Much like a tour of a modern book, a tour “visits” different book blogs, where bloggers write their thoughts on the book or author on their assigned day. We’re currently focusing on classics written by authors who are now deceased. Tour participant bloggers do not receive any compensation for joining the tour, other than what I hope is a greater appreciation of classic literature.

About my favorites: Some books that I enjoy most include Beloved by Toni Morrison, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, East of Eden by John Steinbeck, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, and Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne. I’ve read each of those books multiple times and continue to enjoy them.

About you: I’d love to hear your thoughts about reading, books, and what you enjoy. Whether you are new here or have been visiting Rebecca Reads for years, please join the conversation.

If you’ve coming to Book Expo America and/or the Book Blogger Convention, please introduce yourself. I look forward to meeting you and talking about great books!

To contact me, please use the Contact Form, or find me at Twitter, LibraryThing, or Goodreads.

 

Rebecca Reid

Let’s Talk Classics!

 

Mr. Pickwick and Sam Weller

The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club by Charles Dickens

Published on May 20, 2011 | 9 Responses

After I finished reading The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens (first published serially in 1836-7), I began to read the introduction to my edition1. Almost immediately, it confirmed what I’d thought as I’d read it: that Mr. Pickwick is a Don Quixote and Bertie Wooster character. So I stopped reading the introduction; I’ll tell you what I think and then go back and read it.

Mr. Pickwick and Sam Weller

Last year, I read Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome (thoughts here) and thought it un-Victorian in its humor and ridiculousness. I see now that it is just one of many books in a comedic, romantic tradition, harkening back to Cervantes’ Don Quixote but also to the more recent Charles Dickens’ Victorian tale of adventure, The Pickwick Papers.

Although The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club is a long, sometimes laborious novel to read, it is series of vignettes about life among both the well-to-do and the poor in the early nineteenth century London. Before anything else, it is a character book. The characters are wonderfully drawn, and I found myself well engaged in their story by the end of the book. I wanted to know their fates. As for their adventures, I frequently laughed out loud at the jokes, ridiculous situations, and amusing happens. Dickens obviously loved these invented friends of his, and his joy at writing about them made the book a fun romp. (more…)

  1. The Everyman’s edition, introduction by Peter Washington ↩

Madame Bovary: Brief Thoughts on Reread

Published on May 19, 2011 | 10 Responses

When I first read it, I pitied Emma Bovary. How stuck she was in her world! What a victim of circumstance! True, she made wrong decisions. But she was trapped in a relationship that bored her.

On this read, I hated her. She made stupid decision after stupid decision. She did not have the ability to love, either her husband, her child, or her lovers. She thought she loved Rudolphe, but from my perspective she lusted, not loved. It was a selfish escape from her boredom. She was naïve and selfish beyond measure. Her husband was doting and kind, and she saw only the negative aspects of his personality. Her husband was, of course, imperfect: that was all she saw.

I wonder if this different perspective is related to my own situation a little. Tomorrow is my fifth wedding anniversary; I realize a little better now than I did two and a half years ago that marriage is always a give situation. You must give of yourself to find joy. A marriage is not each partner giving 50%: it is each person giving 100%, and loving unconditionally. I saw as I read Madame Bovary this time that she gave nothing back. She expected everything and as a result felt she got nothing. Her selfish stupidity meant I felt no pity for her.

Regardless of Emma Bovary’s stupidity, I still greatly enjoyed Gustave Flaubert’s wonderfully written book. Lydia Davis’ new translation was marvelous. Reading Madame Bovary reminded me how grateful I am for my loving husband and for our relationship.

And happy anniversary to Mr. Reid! (He doesn’t read my blog, but I can still say it here.)

Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London by Andrea Warren

Published on May 17, 2011 | 3 Responses

I had never before read a biography of Charles Dickens, but having read 7½ works by the author1, I’ve generated a good idea of the issues that are important to him.

Andrea Warren’s new biography for young readers wonderfully captures the man and his stories. Although Charles Dickens and the Street Child of London (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, to be published September 26, 2011) was a short book, I finished it was a greater appreciation and understanding for Charles Dickens, an eagerness to read the rest of Dickens’ novels, and above all else, a desire to do something myself, for Charles Dickens’ story of social change inspires others to do something to make a difference.

For anyone who thinks fiction unimportant, they should read the story of Charles Dickens’ life and writing career. (more…)

  1. A Christmas Carol, three other Christmas novellas, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, and half of The Pickwick Papers ↩