August 15, 2017

Book Review | Anne of Green Gables

Posted by Lauren in Book Reviews, Classic Corner

Hey there, Literature Lovers! I recently watched the new Anne with an E series on Netflix and it reawakened my love for Anne of Green Gables! I first read Anne the summer before sixth grade for summer reading and really enjoyed it. I ended up continuing the series up until Anne of the Island. I don’t know if I didn’t realize there were more books or if I just forgot to look for them at the bookstore, but I didn’t continue the rest of the series after book three. Now I am wanting to finish it out and read other L.M.Montgomery works as well.

I just finished rereading Anne of Green Gables and loved it. I actually rotated between the physical book (this gorgeous Puffin in Bloom with illustrations by Anna Bond) and the audiobook read by Rachel McAdams. Avonlea is such a dreamy place to think of. I was a big Little House fan when I was younger so while reading/listening I kept switching the scenery between the Avonlea from the AWAE series and the town from Little House.

If you are unfamiliar with this classic, we follow Anne Shirley, an orphan girl who is brought to Prince Edward Island to assist the elderly Cuthburt siblings, Matthew and Marilla. Her arrival turns out to have been a mistake, as they had wanted to adopt a boy to help Matthew with the farm work. They (especially Matthew) take a shine to Anne, who is very talkative and imaginative, and decide to adopt her. The rest of the story follows Anne as she goes to school for the first time, becomes bosom friends with a kindred spirit name Diana Berry, and all the misadventures her imagination and fiery temper get her into.

This is easily one of my favorite classic books and I am really looking forward to reading the rest of this series!

Have you read any of the Anne books or seen any of the adaptations? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

August 3, 2015

Classic Corner | Peter Pan

Posted by Lauren in Classic Corner

Peter Pan was always one of my absolute favorite Disney cartoons growing up. The idea of flying out your window to a land free of responsibilities was so wonderful and though I knew it wasn’t really real, I spent many a night checking my window in the hopes that the boy who never grew up would stop by and whisk me away to see mermaids and fairies.

To be honest, that’s probably the reason I’m so in love with London. Six-year-old Lauren’s logic was that Peter Pan only visited London so our family needed to move there straight away before I grew too old.

So with my 21st birthday being this month on the 23rd, I decided to revisit Peter and Wendy and Tinkerbell. I read the original story before when I was younger, and I’ve seen a live recording of the play on a VHS at my Grammy’s house (ah, VHS tapes. Remember those?) so I know that it can be a bit darker, but that doesn’t stop this from being a great story. I mean, it’s a classic.

Along with the original story, I picked up my copy of The Little White Bird that I got last Christmas from my aunt which includes Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, which further explain how Peter got to Neverland and formed the Lost Boys.

What’s your take on Peter Pan? Did you ever want to visit Neverland as well? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

(Also, the edition in the picture above is from Barnes and Noble and was only $10. Not a bad price for a pretty hardback.)

July 17, 2015

Classic Corner | Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Posted by Lauren in Classic Corner

Hey everyone! Sorry that this month’s classic came a little later, but I was busy with finishing up summer classes so unfortunately reading had to be set to the side.

However I did manage to get a three week break so I now have more time to knock out my TBR pile, and sitting at the top was this beauty.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote is very similar to the film (although obviously the book came first). The 80-page short story is told from the POV of a man who used to live in the apartment above Holly Golightly’s apartment, and of all the interactions the two had together. There were a few differences here and there in the story, like the ending, but it was every bit as magicial

Capote originally wrote this with Marilyn Monroe in mind, but it’s really hard to picture her as Holly. The way she speaks, the way she acts, everything about Holly is so Audrey. Of course that could be my opinion because I saw the movie first, but I stand by it.

The 50th anniversary edition is currently out and includes three short stories by Capote: House of Flowers, A Diamond Guitar, and A Christmas Memory, which is a memoir of Capote’s youth.

This was easily one of my top books of 2015, and I would highly recommend this to anyone, especially fans of the movie.

Happy reading!

May 5, 2015

Classic Corner | The Great Gatsby

Posted by Lauren in Classic Corner

Ain’t no party like a Gatsby party!

Hello everyone, I’m back with another classic and another re-read. This time it’s The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

I never had to read this in my high school English classes, although all the other teachers seemed to have their students read it. Not wanting to be left out (and also because I was a nerd who liked reading all the required books), I bought a cheap copy at Books-a-Million. I’ll admit, it was a bit slow. And Gatsby’s infatuation with Daisy, while sweet, was also a bit creepy. But this is still classified as one of my favorite classics.

The 1920s are such a fascinating time to learn about. I mean, it was the Roarin’ 20s, with flappers and lavish parties. Everything seemed somewhat happy and exciting in those days, and Fitzgerald seems to capture that magical element in his novels.

I was recently watching the movie with Leonardo DiCaprio, and suddenly had the urge to reread this. There is something about Gatsby that pulls you in. Maybe it’s the same fascination that all the party-goers had whenever they appeared at Gatsby’s mansion. I don’t know.

Anyway it goes, I love the story. If you haven’t read the book or seen an adaptation of the story, I highly recommend it.

Thanks for reading and I’ll talk to you soon! Bye!

April 13, 2015

Classic Corner | The Princess Bride

Posted by Lauren in Classic Corner

I had a little trouble deciding between which classic I wanted to read this month. I was bouncing between books, and while I realize I could have read more than one, I didn’t really have the time to sit down and focus on one book. I wanted something that I knew I could fly through quickly, but still enjoy. The answer was so obvious.

I think we can all agree that The Princess Bride is a classic in its own right so I’m not going to summarize the plot of this particular story. I’ve seen the movie at least a dozen times and found it absolutely hilarious. The book was no exception. If you are a fan of the movie and have not read the book, definitely get yourself a copy.

March 2, 2015

Classic Corner | The Wizard of Oz

Posted by Lauren in Classic Corner

I’ve been in a very Wizard of Oz mood as of recently. I think it might have a little to do with the fact that the new Dorothy Must Die novel is coming out later this month. So I’ve decided to head down the Yellow Brick Road with the one that started it all, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.

As you can see in the above photo, I have the completed works, which includes the fourteen original Oz books by L. Frank Baum, as well as one story by Ruth Plumly Thompson entitled The Royal Book of Oz.

Since my Spring Break will be this month, I really want to try and read through all of the Oz stories, not just the first one. I did read another one of the stories (I believe it was Ozma of Oz_ back in the sixth grade, but I don’t remember too much about it.

I also plan on re-watching the movie and the 2007 Sci-Fi mini series, Tin Man, which stars Zooey Deschanel and Alan Cumming, which I absolutely love.

And of course, I plan to read all the existing books the Dorothy Must Die series leading up to The Wicked Will Rise, including Dorothy Must Die and the three prequel novellas: No Place Like Oz, The Witch Must Burn and The Wizard Returns.

I’m ready to slip on my Ruby/Silver slippers and travel to the Emerald City!

February 4, 2015

Classic Corner | Pride and Prejudice

Posted by Lauren in Classic Corner

Ah, Pride and Prejudice. Who ever would have guessed this would be the classic pick of the month? Sorry not sorry. You have to have one of those classic love-hate-love stories when we are in the month of love.

Pretty much everyone in the world knows Jane Austen’s classic story. And if you don’t…I don’t know what to say.

Truthfully, I had never read the book until now. I didn’t even see a movie adaptation until last summer while on a road trip with my family.

I think what really sparked my interest was when I stumbled upon a little vlog series on YouTube called “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries,” which was a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice created by Hank Green and Bernie Su. I don’t really know how I found out about it because it was never requested on my homepage, nor was it mentioned on Tumblr, but somehow I knew about it, and was obsessed with it.

In August 2014 Bernie Su along with Kate Rorick released Lizzie’s secret diary that held all the things we never saw on screen, including a letter Darcy gives Lizzie explaining his relationship with George Wickham.

I am so excited to dive into this story! I don’t know why I kept putting it off because I did really want to read about Darcy and Elizabeth for a long time. Whatever the reason, I’m reading it now and that’s what’s important 🙂

January 6, 2015

Classic Corner | Little Women

Posted by Lauren in Classic Corner

Hey there Literature Lovers!

Since it’s been about a week since the new year began, everyone has started up with their resolutions. Now, I’ve never been big on the whole resolutions thing. Yes, it’s a new year and a new start, but you had 364 other days to start exercising and getting healthy in the previous year. Why does January the first have to mean something different?

That being said, this isn’t so much a resolution for the year as it is a goal for myself. I used to love reading classic books (well, some more than others) because they give you an idea of what the time period was like.

I have so many classics stacked in my TBR pile, and I really would like that number to dwindle down this year. While I’m doing that, I figured, “Hey, why not share it?” So I’ve decided to do a monthly mention of a classic novel. I may read more than one per month in order to get the number down, but this way it could be fun mentioning some of my favorites.

This month I wanted to turn the spotlight on Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

I had to read Little Women for summer reading back in middle school, and from what I remember I thought it was pretty good. I wasn’t completely obsessed with it, but I thought the characters were interesting and the story wasn’t too dull, but I haven’t picked it up since. However, I found this gorgeous edition back in December while out with my mom, and decided I wanted to reread it.

For those of you unaware of what Little Women is about, I’ll give you a brief premise. The story revolves around the four March Sisters: Amy, Beth, Meg, and Jo. The March family is next to destitute, which the girls are less than pleased about. Their father sends them a letter telling his daughters to not complain about the situation and bear their burdens in a cheerful manner. The sisters experience lots of little adventures, like attending fancy parties and meeting a handsome neighbor called Laurie, along with typical sisterly squabbles.

I’m looking forward to starting this again. I might watch the movie with Winona Ryder and Susan Sarandon before I start just to refresh my memory of the plot a bit more.

I’m curious to know what classics you like. Feel free to leave a comment below!

Love always,

Lauren

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