Books on the list tend to fall into three categories:
1. Books of which nobody has heard. Likely, the majority of the books on the list actually fall into this category. Which means that often when people who know about the list project ask me what I'm reading and I tell them, they respond by saying that they've never heard of it (English majors skew this a bit).
2. Books everyone knows about but nobody has actually read. These are particularly fun, and are the most impressive to be able to say that you've read (Moby Dick, anyone?).
3. Books that most people have read and that it's a bit strange that I have not. My reading habits are capricious, and my high school reading did not exactly follow a traditional curriculum. This means that I have not read 1984 or Catcher in the Rye. Ah well. People are always shocked that I haven't read the particular book for ones in this category.
Which brings me to The Scarlet Letter, the lovely little tome that I read today. I was completely familiar with the story beforehand, of course, and I have read The House of the Seven Gables before. However, I've always wanted to avoid reading this one. Fortunately, it was short and now it is in the past. Yay!
I also recently finished Tipping the Velvet, which likely falls into the first category of books. That said, it's really worth a read. It's the funnest, most engaging one that I've read in awhile. I've been in a bit of a dry spell with enjoying my reads, so this was a welcome respite. It's sort of decadent and lush, really, in terms of the details and characters.
Seeing an Oscar Wilde and reading this one all on the same day definitely made for a rather intense Victorian England day. Fortunately, I rather enjoy Victorian England. Here's something a bit ironic, though: as I read it, I kept thinking how much it reminded me of Fingersmith, but it wasn't until after I had finished it that I clued into the fact that it was by the same author. Bright of me, I know.
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