#34

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

While I can't say I found this book to be something I would recommend (mostly because it was just so darn predictable), the book does have some very nice qualities about it. Foremost, the locals that the story takes you to are amazing and detailed, so much so that at times it feels as though the project was originally a travelogue but turned into a history lesson with vampires. The history aspect was really interesting to read, though I'm not sure how much of it is factual, for all I know most of it is, though I'm more into Roman history it was still interesting. However, as much of the plot is predictable, and the ending is a let down, I could still see a vampire enthusiast or a history "nerd" enjoying this book.

#33

Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

I was just simply floored by this novel. I've always heard great things, but it really floored me. It has been criticized for being "sloppy" and not well thought out, but in reality it was well thought out, and every sentence was carefully crafted by Miller. The sentences are just beautiful, and when you read a book, fly through a the first third of it because of the pacing, but can go back and remember every detail... well the writer did a fabulous job. Before I read the book, I was always curious as to why it was banned in this country for so long, being labelled as "obscene". Well, after reading the first few pages it is easy to see why people would have been stuffy about it. People back then, and to this day in the states, are stuffy when it comes to sex, and a good portion of the book involves prostitutes and the word "cunt".

#31 & #32

#31 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

#32 Sketches of Young Couples by Charles Dickens

I was talking to a friend and we got on the subject of Charles Dickens, at which point I realized how little I have read of his work. I decided on these two because, well I'll be honest, they were short (I really want to get to Tropic of Cancer). I was mixed when it comes to Charles Dickens because the only two books of his that I read before this were A Tale of Two Cities (Good) and Hard Times (Bad). Well, I'm still mixed and I've come to the conclusion that I always will be mixed. He is so subtle (SARCASM). But I did find it interesting to read the intro essay to Sketches. There is a point of view, that I don't agree with, but nonetheless found interesting, that women should not be the ones to propose marriage. According to Dickens, this slowly brings about the decline of society(to keep it short). But in the work as a whole, his portrayal of gender roles and marriage were interesting.

And as far as A christmas Carol goes... well I just kept picturing Scrooge as Michael Caine.

#30 The Dubliners by James Joyce

This book by the great James Joyce is a collection of short stories dealing with characters who live in the city of, you guessed it, Dublin. There seems to be connections between some of the stories--some characters have the same names. Yet, after reading these short stories, I felt as though they lack in ways his novels do not. For instance, after reading some of the stories I felt as though there was more to be told; they felt incomplete. I'm not sure if other people have felt the same way about this collection or the individual stories. However, what is nice about this collection is that it is recognizably James Joyce. The stories exhibit his language, his themes, well everything that one would expect. But with that said, I would not recommend this to someone just starting off with Joyce, perhaps The Portrait of the Artist... is a more suitable place to start.

#29 I, Claudius

This took me longer than I would have liked to finish it, but that's not to say that it was bad. The book was quit amazing, and this was my first attempt at reading historical fiction. Many have called I, Claudius a masterpiece, and for many reasons this label is accurate. At quite a few points, I forgot that I was even reading historical fiction and had to remind myself that it was not the Emperor Claudius who wrote the book, but Robert Graves. Easily the most fascinating span of the book is during Caligula's reign, and the subsequent chapter of how Claudius became Emperor. Of course, his rise to the throne is not surprising, but that's not the point. Here, and as with all history, the lesson that should be taken away is to learn from the mistakes and not make those same ones.

I recommend the book to any who are intrigued by the Roman Empire and I will make it a point to read Claudius the god now.