So Sarah took a Jane Austen Heroine quiz a few weeks ago and the omniscient Internet declared her to be most like Elinor Dashwood. Neither of us had read the book nor did we have any clear recollection of the movie, so we decided to read it together. It proved to be a pleasant variant of our usual evening routine of ice cream and Idol/Lost/Tivo junk. This was our first attempt to read together. We ended up really enjoying the world of Jane Austen. After a few days I even decided to take one of those quizzes to see which of Jane's heroes I most resembled. I got Edward Ferrars. Sarah was disappointed, because we were at a point in the book where his character seemed deeply flawed; she hated him. We really enjoyed the final few chapters and found ourselves doing the Abby coo and fanning our faces with our hands. (If any of you have ever watched a Jane Austen movie with my sister Abby, you know what I'm talking about. I love you Abby!!!).
We had such an enjoyable time we decided to make a habit of reading together, but we're really short on ideas of quality fiction. I don't think Sarah would enjoy reading books about fractal geometry, chaos theory, or the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, and it's my turn to choose a book. So I'm asking you for suggestions on some good reads. If we don't get any ideas from you I might end up inflicting Sarah with Atlas Shrugged or the Fountainhead. That may just kill any hope of this becoming a pleasant diversion. Any and all suggestions welcome. Thanks.
Paul - everytime I read your family blog I'm more disappointed things didn't work out w/ the job. Angela & I read Pride & Predujice last summer together and watched all the movies over the fall (and I actually read Sense & Sensibility on the train last fall by myself. My suggestion would be to read "The Pickwick Papers" by Charles Dickens. Its long (800 pgs), but fun, light, and uplifting (about forgiveness and looking at the positive side of people). I watched the old movie first and that helped.
ReplyDeleteOK. Not a fiction book, but Sam's dad gave this to us for Christmas, and we both read it and loved it and then I gave it to Dad and he's loved it--I highly recommend it! Very, very good. Get "The Language of God," by Francis Collins. VERY, very good. It's by the guy who headed the Human Genome Project, and it's his point of view as a serious scientist who is also a devout Christian, on how science and religion can coexist without friction. I learned a ton!! And it built my testimony along the way. I'd definitely recommend it.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you guys read Sense and Sensibility... together! I hate that book. Love the story, love the movie, but I CANNOT get through the book. And I love Jane Austen! If your on a Jane Austen kick, I would suggest picking up Pride and Prejudice, or Emma. Those are my favorites.
ReplyDeleteMark and I really loved reading the Harry Potter books together. We would trade reading out loud, and it was a blast. The option to use accents is up to you. ;-)
ReplyDeletePaul, stick with your instincts and go with Atlas Shrugged. Make sure you hit the 90 page John Gault speech. It might be the best moral defense of capitalism ever. If that doesn't get your heart racing I don't know what will!
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, you should get back to your transient roots and pick up “On the Road” or the “Dharma Bums” by Jack Kerouac. There might be no better summer reading.
If you’re into physics, check out the “Fabric of the Cosmos” or “Elegant Universe” by Brian Greene.
If you want to keep rocking Jane A. then pick up “Persuasion.” It’s one of her lesser know works, but I like the story.
Also, if you're looking to spice things up, there's “The Invisible Heart” by Russ Roberts. It’s an economic romance!
And if none of these excellent suggestions work, you can’t fail with Peter Pan!
Marc and I recently read "Jane Eyre" together. We've read a few books of different genres aloud together and this was one of our favorites. "Jane Eyre" is of the same time period as Jane Austen's books (author Charlotte Bronte lived around the same time). Her style is academic and her content is deep, notably varied and very enjoyable. We talked about it a lot as we read-- it was great.
ReplyDeleteP.S.- I felt like I was getting smarter and more cultured by some of Bronte's vocabulary alone. :)