My reading theme for March was “Children’s Classics”. I have to say I didn’t make much headway on this one. I had three books come in for me on the library hold list all at the same time, and since they’re popular titles I felt like I needed to read all of them when I had the chance. So, that explains The Night Circus, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and The Fault in Our Stars on the March list. I don’t regret reading any of them either. I particularly loved The Night Circus and the fabulous John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars.
As for the theme-related books, I did fit in a couple of true classics – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. As I was reading, I thought about their similarities – female protagonists on a journey through strange, magical lands who meet unusual characters along the way. I did prefer The Wizard of Oz though. Alice sort of gets on my nerves. I also read a “modern” classic – Ordinary Jack by Helen Cresswell. It was a pleasant and quite funny read, the first in a British series about the humorous, somewhat ridiculous Bagthorpe family.
I also still have a couple of books in progress from last month’s theme. I’m working – plodding – my way through At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald. I think it’s just the old-fashioned writing style I’m having trouble with on this one. I’ve had to briefly set it aside to finish up a book for my friend’s book club though, and I have to say I’m kind of dreading getting back to it. But I’m over halfway through it, so at this point I feel kind of committed to finishing. I’m also finishing up one other related title, which I’m really enjoying – The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Fredericks. I say that it’s a related title because it’s not necessarily a classic itself, but in each book in the series, the titular book club reads a classic work of children’s literature which ties back to their own story. In this first book in the series, the girls and their mothers are discussing Little Women, one of my personal favorites. And for those who know me – yes, I actually love the book, not just the movie with Christian Bale.
March was kind of a crazy month for me, which is why it was kind of slow reading-wise. I don’t really anticipate life and work slowing down much as I approach the ultra-busy preparation for Summer Reading and Summer Reading itself. I’m really going to try to pick up the pace with my reading though. We’ll see how it goes!
[...] over my head for a few months now. In the case of At the Back of the North Wind, as I’ve previously mentioned, I just had a bit of a struggle slogging my way through that one. In the case of Sisterhood [...]