What I am reading

This post is in response to Raji's question posed in response to my last post. Um, not sure that made sense.

Her question got me thinking about my motivations.

For background, what spurred my reentry into the reading world was reading the A Series of Unfortunate Events series with my son. Details, if you are interested, here.

I started with Moby Dick. A little ambitious, eh? I actually got the book on CD from the library and tried to listen to it. That was in January. I couldn't get through it in the 3 weeks allotted by the library. I checked it out again later and got a little further. But I have since concluded that listening is not the way to go with this one. I need to put my eyes on the page. Too many big words. Listening and driving = not enough attention paid to either activity. So this one's a work in progress. It is a challenge. You could say it is my Moby Dick. (Okay, I just read that sentence and agree that it is groan-inducingly lame, but I'm leaving it in.)

I think that is the motivation behind my reading a great deal of the books I am reading - the challenge. I am trying to catch up on a lot of the classics that I somehow missed in high school and college (I minored in English lit, yet I missed so much!) It's a lot about the challenge. But that's not enough. It's also about the enjoyment. It has to be.

Here are a few of the books I've finished recently and why I chose them.

• Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie. This one I planned to read on my own, but ended up sharing it with my daughter, which was magical. It is now a favorite that I will read again.
  
• Night, by Elie Wiesel - This was a difficult read, but worth it.
  
• The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath - I read this just because I had always heard of it, but never read it. I had no idea when I picked it up what it was about, nor did I know anything about the author. I liked it.
  
• Persuasion, by Jane Austen - Because it's Jane Austen.
  
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl - Read with my daughter.
  
• Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, by Roald Dahl - Also read with my daughter. Roald Dahl is a favorite in our house.
  
• The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy, by Jeanne Birdsall - I intended to read this to my kids, but started it on my own, just to see if it was age-appropriate and interesting. It was interesting, but ended up being just for me.
  
• Old Yeller, by Fred Gipson - I read this one because I thought it would be good to read with my son. Again, I ended up not sharing it. But I loved it! Absolutely loved it.
  
• Wuthering Heights, By Emily Bronte - Not at all what I expected; quite a strange tale.
  
• I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away, by Bill Bryson - I had read one or two of his other books in the past. The man is funny. Laugh out loud funny.

One of the first things I picked up this year was a book of short stories by J.D. Salinger. It was delicious. I'm currently in the middle of The Hobbit and it is awesome! I am having so much fun.

So, I don't know where you should start, but it really doesn't matter. Half of the books I listed above are children's books. (Another favorite: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate DiCamillo.) Chick lit sounds good; I wouldn't mind reading a good fluffy love story. I also always enjoy a good tale of suspense from Mary Higgins Clarke, just for fun. Predictable, but still fun. I'd like to find a good biography. Years ago I read a good one on Lincoln.

I could go on and on.

Ooh - I'm also in the middle of The Princess Bride, but had to return it to the library because someone else placed a hold on it. But now I have a hold on it, heh-heh. And thanks to Goodreads, I won't forget what page I was on.

Share with me your favorites so I can add them to my to-read list!