Books, books, and more books!
Book #3 of 2013 was White Fang, which if you have a Kindle or use the Kindle app you can download for free here.
Like Call of the Wild, I had read White Fang when I was younger, but I didn't remember anything about it. Or at least that's what I thought going into the book. I must have listened to an audio book version or saw a movie, because I remembered a man's voice narrating the words I was reading. Even some of the lines I heard exactly: pacing, tones, and emotions. "And, first, last, and most of all, he hated Beauty Smith." echoed in my head even before I read the line on the page. It was freaky.
But, the story itself. Like Call of the Wild, I can recommend it as an entertaining story. It was written as a mirror to Call: Call was about a dog returning to the wild (or Wild, as London would write), and White Fang was about a wolf leaving the Wild and coming to man.
Unlike Call, it didn't have page after page of "he's so perfect, every muscle was perfect, every hair in his pelt was perfect, his eyes were perfect, his breath was perfect...". White Fang was perfect in most ways, but at least this time London didn't go on and on about it for multiple pages in a row.
Unlike Flowers for Algernon, I'm not unhappy to have reread Call and White Fang. I won't be rereading either again anytime soon, but unlike Algernon, at least rereading them didn't ruin a good memory of the books.
Over on 50bookchallenge, someone posted a challenge her library is doing. I'm pondering taking part.
1. Read a novel by Charles Dickens, born on February 7, 1812.
2. Read a book where one of the main characters is an animal. (This could also be a biography of an animal or a memoir about life with a special pet.)
3. Read a history of a country you'd like to visit.
4. Try a new format: listen to an audiobook, read a graphic novel
5. Read an award-winner.
6. Read a debut novel.
7. Read (or re-read) Pride and Prejudice, first published in January 1813.
8. Read a book published in 1913.
9. Read a book about books.
10. Read a banned, censored or challenged book.
11. Read a memoir by someone you've never heard of.
12. Read something humorous.
13. Read a book about science.
14. Read a book about art.
I already got a copy of something that fits "Read a book published in 1913" (The Iron Trail: An Alaskan Romance -- you can read it free at that link).
A lot of the items on that list are things I read already (book where an animal is the main character, book that won an award).
For the "Read a banned, censored or challenged book." one, the list of those has some very interesting books. I've read many of them already!
While I don't want to risk spending my limited reading time on a book I won't enjoy, the idea of discovering something I do like in an area I wouldn't usually read is an attractive one. "Read a memoir by someone you've never heard of." Imagine how many interesting people there are out there who I never heard of!
So I think I'll add this challenge in for this year. It has enough vague ones (read something funny, read something about science, read a book about books) that it should be easy enough to complete if I want to go the easy route. I'm thinking I won't though; some of the harder ones would be a good way to extend myself.
Like Call of the Wild, I had read White Fang when I was younger, but I didn't remember anything about it. Or at least that's what I thought going into the book. I must have listened to an audio book version or saw a movie, because I remembered a man's voice narrating the words I was reading. Even some of the lines I heard exactly: pacing, tones, and emotions. "And, first, last, and most of all, he hated Beauty Smith." echoed in my head even before I read the line on the page. It was freaky.
But, the story itself. Like Call of the Wild, I can recommend it as an entertaining story. It was written as a mirror to Call: Call was about a dog returning to the wild (or Wild, as London would write), and White Fang was about a wolf leaving the Wild and coming to man.
Unlike Call, it didn't have page after page of "he's so perfect, every muscle was perfect, every hair in his pelt was perfect, his eyes were perfect, his breath was perfect...". White Fang was perfect in most ways, but at least this time London didn't go on and on about it for multiple pages in a row.
Unlike Flowers for Algernon, I'm not unhappy to have reread Call and White Fang. I won't be rereading either again anytime soon, but unlike Algernon, at least rereading them didn't ruin a good memory of the books.
Over on 50bookchallenge, someone posted a challenge her library is doing. I'm pondering taking part.
1. Read a novel by Charles Dickens, born on February 7, 1812.
2. Read a book where one of the main characters is an animal. (This could also be a biography of an animal or a memoir about life with a special pet.)
3. Read a history of a country you'd like to visit.
4. Try a new format: listen to an audiobook, read a graphic novel
5. Read an award-winner.
6. Read a debut novel.
7. Read (or re-read) Pride and Prejudice, first published in January 1813.
8. Read a book published in 1913.
9. Read a book about books.
10. Read a banned, censored or challenged book.
11. Read a memoir by someone you've never heard of.
12. Read something humorous.
13. Read a book about science.
14. Read a book about art.
I already got a copy of something that fits "Read a book published in 1913" (The Iron Trail: An Alaskan Romance -- you can read it free at that link).
A lot of the items on that list are things I read already (book where an animal is the main character, book that won an award).
For the "Read a banned, censored or challenged book." one, the list of those has some very interesting books. I've read many of them already!
While I don't want to risk spending my limited reading time on a book I won't enjoy, the idea of discovering something I do like in an area I wouldn't usually read is an attractive one. "Read a memoir by someone you've never heard of." Imagine how many interesting people there are out there who I never heard of!
So I think I'll add this challenge in for this year. It has enough vague ones (read something funny, read something about science, read a book about books) that it should be easy enough to complete if I want to go the easy route. I'm thinking I won't though; some of the harder ones would be a good way to extend myself.