The Introverted Detective

 What do Wuthering Heights and Alice In Wonderland have in common? They are both considered classic books, even when they are so different in tone and genre. Let's look at what makes something a classic.  My observations on what makes something a classic are one, that popularity at the time of publishing doesn't seem to matter (for example, the Bronte sisters didn't do so well in their own time period) and two, that what does matter is whether a book stands the test of time. Other than that, I have no idea what makes a classic count as a classic. Let's dive into this together. A coworker asked me what a classic is and I'm genuinely curious.  What Is A Classic? Apparently, Reddit threads don't find this question easily answered. It looks like I'm not the only one asking what the classic book standard is.  One source proves one of my observations right. It is defined as a novel that stands the test of time and is beloved years after its release. It has to have...

 I picked up Wuthering Heights at a little library, then got the Kobo ebook because the act of turning pages started pulling them out (and I wasn't turning that hard). Let's talk about another Bronte sister classic. If you like ghost stories, drama, and toxic romance, this is a book you'll love. It's a gothic novel.  It starts with a man, a tenant, arriving at Wuthering Heights. He is barely welcomed. It's kind of sinister. Heathcliff is extremely reserved and cold. Our own main character has some issues. Mr. Lockwood is the only guest in a long time and they are in a remote place. The dogs don't even know how to handle a guest in the house, though Lockwood did make faces at them, so he may have deserved the retaliation. The guest isn't really wanted, you can clearly see. There are so few servants, and they are not friendly. His second visit has him putting his whole foot in his mouth, assuming a young woman to be Heathcliff's wife - when she is definite...

 I picked up a library challenge. That means my book has to come from the library in some form. My choice was The Night Swim by Megan Goldin. Please know this book comes with trigger warnings, all of which are related to heinous sexual crime. Let's get into it. Spoilers below! So, I need to tell you all the trigger warnings now, as this book is quite full of them. See  this link  to look at all of them. If you can't handle the discussion of rape and assault, or true crime, put the book back and move on. It's just the reality of a book about a true crime podcaster covering a rape trial, and a true crime podcaster discovering a buried case of gang rape and murder.  I was reading this for about three hours until I had to stop and take a break. We have a gang rape case included in this book. Jennie was gang raped and some of the town seems to think she was promiscuous. Meanwhile, our main podcast season covers a rape trial. This trial is being talked about all over town,...

 I decided to try Jane Eyre, a book that had my attention from the first chapter to the last. It is the story of an orphan girl and her rather eventful life. Let's get into it.  Courtesy of goconqr.com The Book Events We start with Jane Eyre talking about how she was treated like less than a servant, hiding with a book only to be interrupted by a physically abusive "Master" of the house (the son of the lady of the house). After such events, she is blamed for attacking him - no one asking what he did or what happened - and locked in a room. She passes out later in a fit of sobs. The apothecary then suggests she go to school, where she is treated better emotionally, but worse physically, like everyone else. Typhus hits the place and the headmaster is replaced, making it a healthier school overall. Jane then teaches for two years, sees her mentor teacher marry, and decides to seek a governess job. She finds one in a household that holds secrets, but embraces her warmly. From...

 I'm doing the Read It Or Unhaul It challenge again this year. If you don't know the rules, I'll explain it in one sentence; I read it and like it, or get rid of it. It's a way to keep the bookshelf free of unliked books. Without much adieu, let's go.  The rules of this challenge are simple. I picked three random books from "the unread" tab of my book inventory (not including the series I collect). I read them or DNF them. I decide what to do with them at the end of the challenge. I chose three, a good number to handle for one blog. I can do up to five if I DNF two in a row (a rule I added this past year). That's about it for rules. I'm going to go one book at a time.  If you take on this challenge, it is a good rule of thumb to read ten percent or four to five chapters before making a decision. Unless of course you hate it already, then you know what to do. I recommend this challenge to book dragons like me. We hoard books, but don't always re...

Lately, I've been learning what I like and don't like about genres. For example, historical fiction seems to be a little heavy for what I want. Today we ask ourselves what we want out of our reading for leisure, then go through all the basic (not sub) genres for tropes. It is totally okay if a genre just doesn't work for you. This may help you pick up the books you'll enjoy, rather than what you dislike.  Courtesy of theawesomedaily.com I had several historical fictions on my second chance pile. I'll tell you exactly why. I don't want to sit with the emotion they bring to the table, nor do I want to be distressed by what I read. I realize history is hard to face and when I want to face that history I'll research it myself. Otherwise, I'll pass on the mental distress of wartorn nations and facing the Nazis. I'll try it if a friend says "It's good", but when it is too heavy I find it hard to get through.  The story above is to make this e...

 I opened this book to read something other than a romance with sex in my office. Well, I failed in that regard, because this is the most sexual James Bond book, yet, starting with the perspective of a woman taken advantage of. We remain in her perspective the whole time. Let's dig in (knowing this book is for ages 18 and over).  Courtesy of Pinterest The plot of this is nothing like the movie. Note this and throw the plot you watched into the void. I was blindsided by the whole beginning because no other Bond (Fleming or otherwise) began like this one. Ian Fleming himself wasn't happy with the reader response, therefore the movie is what it is because he only authorized the title use. Apparently, the prologue explains that the story was given to Fleming because the woman had a relationship with Bond, but my library copy didn't have the prologue. It started with Part One and I missed out on that section.   It begins with the perspective of Vivienne alone in a closed ...