Classic Books 4 and 5

#4 The Lover by Marguerite Duras
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a fictionalized first person account of a pubescent female french girl who takes an older Chinese lover.  Marguerite Duras said that this was semi-autobiographical.

I enjoyed it, it wasn't my favorite.  This book was released in 1984, but the story takes place in the 1920s.



#5
Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have one word for this book.  URGH!
What torture.  Almost as bad as James Joyce's Ulysses.  I had high hopes for this book, I enjoyed Siddhartha, but this was not as interesting.  It was said to be a self analytical look at Hesse's life as a middle aged divorced man.  I also read (online) that each character is an aspect of Hesse.  This is an existential novel that was way above my head. I also listened to this in audio format.  Peter Weller (actor) was the narrator, and although I like him and enjoy his voice, he read this monotone which led to monotony and me falling asleep while he droned on.

Working through a big book

The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu


View all my reviews
I'm only on page 65 of this 1,182 page epic novel from the 11th century. But to be honest, I'm reading it slowly.  I have my regular books that I'm reading and making a dent in. But this is a book that can only be read in small doses.  I am giving myself 6 months to finish it.  

It is on my 'classic book' list.  I have no opinion so far.  It isn't a bad story, it actually has no story really. Not yet.  

My Classic Book Journey continues!!

#2

Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor

"Wise Blood: An idea that one has innate, worldly knowledge of what direction to take in life, and requires no spiritual or emotional guidance.

Hazel Motes is a simpleton from Tennessee who leaves home and travels by train to Taulkinham where he spreads his gospel of anti-religion and the church of No Jesus.   Motes meets several interesting characters along the way, all of them over the top.  But this is OK, because this exaggerated treatment of these characters makes for an interesting and compelling story.

Flannery O’Connor loves mixing religion with her beloved American South. And because it is Flannery, don’t expect rainbows and unicorns.

Two favorite quotes:

“Rat Colored Car”

“Eyes the color of clear fresh ice”

 5 / 5 Stars

#3

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Inspired by Conrad’s journey to the Congo in 1890.

I don’t know what to say. I didn’t enjoy this book.  I can’t say I cared that the main character Marlow was on a ship traveling to Africa for Ivory trading. 

This is the problem with some classics, they are not relatable. I’m not in for high adventure. Perhaps when this was written (before TV) it served its purpose, but today’s reader can’t connect to this.

I did enjoy some of the language, especially the quotes below.

“The germs of empires”

“Like a running blaze on a plain, like a flash of lightning in the clouds. We live in the flicker.”

“Free as air and nearly as thin.”

“We live as we dream, alone.”

“I should be loyal to the nightmare of my choice.”

3 / 5  Stars

To The Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf

#1

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Juliet Stevenson.  I also had the text, but I mostly listened.  I'm glad I did, Stevenson gave the words such a sense of poetry. Otherwise, I would have been terribly bored.  Not a fan of the story, but I did love the language.

There are three parts to this novel.  

The Window which deals with Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay and their 8 children as they spend time in their summer home in Scotland.  We are given a glimpse into their relationship and how very different these two people are, but never the less, love each other in their own way.

Time Passes is the shortest section.  These chapters encompasses a 10 year period where many things unpleasant happen.  I found this section o be the most interesting.

The final part is To the Lighthouse.  This deals with closure.

This wouldn't have been a book I would have picked up on my own. I honestly didn't know about it.  This is the good thing about having to read these books, I will read books that may open up a whole new world for me.  Would I'd rather read King or J.R.R. Martin? Yes of course, but I can take a year and open up my world.  I won't like everything I read, but at least I can say, "Hey I read that" and actually be able to discuss it.

Favorite phrase in book:  ...the floor of her mind

1000 books the sequal

I was thinking about the 1000 Books post I made on Friday and the books that were mentioned in that cloud. I went through the list again and realized that I have read all but a few of the 24 books I mentioned in the other post. The rest of them I read in the past six years. Now I thought that was interesting. Most of the books I did read from the list were due to suggestions from other websites or people. But what did I really think of them? Sometimes I read books because people go on and on and on about them, so I have to see what all the fuss is. Sometimes I'm disappointed.

I'll start with the few I read years ago.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
One of the bigger books I read up until that time. I was about 26. My first Russian author. I remember liking it, I thought it was a challenging read. What I remember most about it was a wise remark someone said. One of my bosses at the time (male) remarked to my other boss (female) - "Did you know that Liz was reading Anna Karenina?" My female boss "Yeah, so?" my male boss, "That is amazing, I can't believe someone like her is reading that." My female boss looked at him like he was insane. A person like me? WTF is that supposed to me...young, black, female? People are so stupid.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
I think every depressed person has read this book. Poor Sylvia...I know, it is just 'based' on real events.

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
I actually read this trilogy plus other Buck Books. She is one of my favorite authors. I love the way she writes.

The Lord of the Rings (Trilogy) by JRR Token
I read all three when the first movie came out. This was my precursor to my new reading life. I loved this series.

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy
This is was at the urgng of a friend, she told me it was rip-roaring funny. Well, it was good, sort of funny. I guess we all have different tastes.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
I read this during the whole craze. It was a pretty good book. Nothing to brag about.


The rest of the list, I read within the past six years.

Life of Pi by Yan Martel
Very nice story, nicely told, food for thought.

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
I enjoyed this one and the ending I did not see coming. I think getting trough some classics can be drudgery, but this one wasn't.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Nice fantasy, different from other stuff I've read.

The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
These were 2 pretty big books, with some hard language, but it didn't take me long to read. I was determined. I read them back to back as well. They were interesting. I have Anthem in my Kindle. I'll be reading that soon.

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
I saw the movie first, shortly before I read the book. It was interesting to see the differences. I really liked this book.

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
This was supposed to be a dark comedy, but I didn't get it. Perhaps it went over my head.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Yeah, another one I didn't care for.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
I liked the movie much better. This book was tiresome.

Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling
Really, do I have to say it? AWESOME!

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
I didn't think I'd enjoy this, but I did. I just like Dickens, I'll read anything he wrote.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
I actually only read 4 of the 7 books, but heck, we know they are all good.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
SQUEE! LOVE!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
I thought this to be a clever book. I like the fact that it was first person in the voice of an autistic man.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Yes I read this a few years ago for the first time. I know, I know. I love this book. Very meaningful to me.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
One day during the month of October I felt like reading it, so I did. I liked it. I'd put it in the top 20 of my favorite reads.

The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splended Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Read in order. Both of these books blew my mind.

1000 books (little ranty)

I was surfing around and came across an article that talked about Choosing 1000 novels to read before you die. And the first paragraph says:

So let's say one: reading one novel per month definitely sounds like a manageable project. If over the course of an entire year you read one novel a month, I'd guess that you could probably fit in one extra as well (perhaps during the summer holidays). Embark on this 13-novels-per-year schedule when you're eight (with, say, Asterix the Gaul or Black Beauty) and stick to it until you're 85 (finishing perhaps with Tolstoy's War and Peace or Thomas Bernhard's Extinction), you'd have read a thousand novels in a lifetime. Easy, isn't it?

Now I think some of us are probably way past the 1,000 books in our lifetime mark and we're not even 50 yet. I'm not one of them. I think I may be in the area of 500 so far. This includes novels I read as a teenager (yes I count Judy Blume). Most of my reading has happened within the last 6 years. I am reading between 50 - 80 books a year. Therefore I should reach the 1,000 books in 10 years if I read only 50 a year, which is not my goal, it is more like 75 a year.

But I suppose we are more prolific.

Now of course, I'm not talking about the chunky monkey's like "War and Peace" or "Crime and Punishment". That may take 1 month to read, but an average 300 or 400 page book would take me 10 days at the most, and this is when I'm slacking off or are feeling unmotivated.

But in looking at the cloud (based on the UKs most borrowed library books) -



I can honestly say I've read 26 of them, I did a quick count, and got 108 books listed (more or less). And 20 of them are on my book-shelf in my TBR pile. And there are a few that I do not own, but still want to read. And the most borrowed book, is also my favorite "To Kill a Mockingbird". I wonder how Ms. Lee feels about that? Although I suspect it is borrowed for High School reading, as it seems to be a requirment here in the states in either 8th or 9th grade.

I don't care what the purists say, I think e-readers are a great thing. I see more people reading on their e-readers than I had ever seen a person read a paper book.

Once I was on the subway reading one of the Ayn Rand books (Fountainhead or Atlas, I can't remember) but a young, professional white man was sitting next to me, his friend, another young, professional white man was sitting across from him. I pulled out my book and started reading. He remarked to his friend, "A Book? Man, I haven't read a book in years."

HUH?

He probably makes between $80K and $100K a year. I can only cringe.

What happens to our youth between High School and Graduate School? My son used to read (for pleasure) up until 8th grade. Once he entered HS, that went out the door. He had to read for school, and most of the stuff was something most teenagers are not interested in. Some of the better things he had to read were "To Kill a Mockingbird", "The Raven", "Game of Thrones", "The Road" and "A Christmas Carol". Before HS he was reading stuff like "Harry Potter", the Star Trek and the Star Wars series. Now that he is in college, he has to read required stuff. When he is home in the summer he doesn't even look at a book. I have a feeling his reading days are behind him. Not that I can say much. From the ages of 14 until 20, I barley read a cereal box. And then I slacked off again from ages 24 to 35 and when I did read it was non-fiction.

Anyway, I digress. I'm hoping to read my 1,000th book in my 50th year. That will be 2017. And I hope to at least have read the 20 or so TBRs that are on my shelf from the list above, that does include the chunky monkey's.

Have Yourself A Merry Little White Christmas with George Bailey

OK, here they are. I don't need to introduce the stars of the season.

Heidi (1937) B&W - Starring Shriley Temple.
88 min.
(from Netflix) When 8-year-old Heidi is orphaned, her mean Aunt Dete takes her to the mountains to live with her even meaner grandfather, Adolph. Heidi's eternal charm soon warms her grandfather's heart, and the two become great friends. But when Aunt Dete returns and steals Heidi, Adolph sets out on a quest to find the girl and bring her home in this sweet classic from Hollywood's golden age. Another one of those movies that aren't directley related to Christmas, but a much watch during the season. Don't bother with any version but this one.

Holiday Inn (1942) B&W Starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire
101 min.
(from Netflix) Tired of the bright lights of showbiz, Jim Hardy, retires to the countryside to become a farmer. He converts the farm into the Holiday Inn, open only on holidays, then competes against his pal for a singer-dancer's affection.

Going My Way (1944) B&W - Starring Bing Crosby
130 min.
(from Netflix) This classic musical drama that tells the tale of singing Father O'Malley, sent to take over the aging and cantankerous Father Fitzgibbon's parish.

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) Color - Starring Judy Garland
113 min.
(from Netflix) Director Vincente Minnelli's masterpiece of Americana about the trials and tribulations of the St. Louis-dwelling Smith clan is one of the greatest American film musicals ever lensed. Judy Garland stars as Esther Smith, who just can't ignore the "boy next door". Leon Ames is papa Smith, and young Margaret O'Brien is unforgettable as the rambunctious Tootie. Songs include "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "The Trolley Song."

It's a Wonderful Life (1946) B&W - Starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed.
132 min.
Like I even need to put a synopsis for you here. C'mon, if you've never seen this, crawl out from under your rock and go to your nearest Library or Video rental store and watch it already. ZuZu's Petals are waiting!!

The Bishops Wife (1947) B&W - Starring Cary Grant and Loretta Young
103 min.
(from Netflix) This Christmastime angelic intervention sparkles with good humor. Dudley the angel is sent to help a bishop and his wife survive their attempt to finance a new cathedral and the strain it's putting on their marriage. The Bishop's Wife includes complex undercurrents, especially when the bishop sees Dudley as a rival for his job and his wife.

The Bells of St. Mary's (1945) B&W - Starring Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman
126 min.
(from Netflix) Reprising his role as good-natured Father O'Malley, Bing Crosby stars in this delightful, Oscar-nominated film. The priest gets sent to help the financially struggling St. Mary's Academy, presided over by Sister Benedict. O'Malley finds his leadership style at odds with the nun's as the two bicker politely but work together to save the school and teach the children. Fine songs and appealing characters make this film a treat.Best if you watch "Going My Way" first.

White Christmas (1954) Color-Starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney
120 min.
(from Netflix) War buddies turned entertainers who fall for a pair of sisters. The boys follow the girls to a resort, which is owned by their former commanding officer, and he's in danger of losing the place. What better reason to stage a show than to keep the resort out of hock?

Not The Same "Old" Christmas Movies

Before I make a post about all the beloved Christmas movies from the Golden Age of Movies, I'd like to post these. Older movies that fly under the radar. If you didn't grow up in the 40s, or are not a classic film buff, you may not know that these movies are Christmas movies. All of these I've seen (except 1).


Beyond Christmas (1940) B&W - Starring Harry Carey.
84 min.
Alternate Title: Beyond Tomorrow
(from Netflix) When three lonely millionaires invite a cowboy and a schoolteacher for Christmas Eve dinner, their two guests fall in love. But when the three old men are killed and return as ghosts, they find their matchmaking efforts are not yet complete. Can the kindly spirits bring the lovers together for good?

The Shop Around the Corner (1940) B&W Starring Jimmy Stewart, Margaret Sullivan.
98 min.
(from Netflix) Klara and Alfred fall in love, even though they've met only as pen pals and don't know each other's names. Over Alfred's objections, Klara is hired in the shop where he works. As they continue their loving correspondence, they embark on a combative working relationship. What will happen when the truth comes to light?

This was remade into "You've Got Mail". However, the original has more of the Christmas feel.


Remember the Night (1940) B&W - Starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray.
94. min.
(from IMDB) Just before Christmas, Lee Leander is caught shoplifting. It is her third offense. She is prosecuted by John Sargent. He gets the trial postponed because it is hard to get a conviction at Christmastime. But he feels sorry for her and arranges for her bail, and ends up taking her home to his mother for Christmas. Surrounded by a loving family (in stark contrast to Lee's own family background) they fall in love. This creates a new problem: how do they handle the upcoming trial? (Hard to Find) - but Turner Classic Movies shows it now and then.
*As of this writing, I've not seen this one yet.

The Great Rupert (1950) Color - Starring Jimmy Durante
88 min.
A vaudeville team fallen on hard times finds salvation in a trained squirrel named Rupert in this film from special-effects pioneer George Pal, who used his Academy Award-winning animated puppetry technique to bring the title character to life here. When Mr. Amendola begins to find cash hidden in the walls of his family's tiny apartment, the police suspect he's a crook. Soon, however, they realize that the real ""thief"" is Rupert!

Another one of those "I never knew it had anything to do with Christmas" movies.

I'll Be Seeing You (1944) B&W - Starring Ginger Rogers Joseph Cotten, and Shirley Temple.
85 min.
(from Netflix) It's Christmas time, and convict Mary Marshall is on furlough from the state prison she calls home. Although she's not optimistic, she hopes the holiday will be truly magical -- and that it becomes when she meets Zachary Morgan on the train. She's worried, though, about what he'll think when he finds out the truth about her. But little does she know that Zachary is harboring secrets, too.

I had no idea what to expect here, but this was a very good movie. One that slips under most people's radar as there is no mention of Holiday or Christmas in the title.

Holiday Affair (1949) B&W - Starring Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh.
87 min.
(from Netflix) Connie Ennis, a young widowed mother who has an unfortunate first encounter with department store clerk Steve Mason, inadvertently causing him to get fired just before Christmas. Despite the mishap, Steve takes Connie on a date, much to the chagrin of her better-established suitor, Carl, but much to the delight of her young son, Timmy, who would much prefer Steve to Carl as a stepdad.

Adorable movie, I came across it looking for other Christmas movies as I got tired of the same old things.

The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) B&W - Starring Bob Hope.
91 min.
When the Lemon Drop Kid accidentally steers Moose Moran's girl away from a winning bet, he is forced to come up with $10,000 to repay the angry gangster. Fortunately it's Christmas, a time when people can be persuaded to part with money for the right cause. (Hard to Find)

The Trouble with Angels (1966) Color - Starring Rosilind Russell and Hayley Mills.
110 min.
(from Netflix) Two teenage girls who turn a staid convent upside down with their youthful glee and zany antics (for starters, invading the nuns' quarters and substituting soap for sugar in the kitchen). Although the pair winds up in loads of trouble, their charm wins everyone over, including the Mother Superior. But soon, storm clouds brew.

Not a Christmas themed movie, but some of it takes place during the Christmas season. Enough so I can include it here.

Scrooge Visits 34th Street and Connecticut

A Christmas Carol - Scrooge

How many versions are there? A lot, and I didn't even list them all. I've listed only those worthy of inclusion, which are most of them.

Scrooge (1935) B&W - Starring Seymour Hicks as Ebenezer Scrooge.
78 min.
(from Netflix) This striking adaptation of Charles Dickens's holiday classic is notable for its superb performances, a vigorous script, excellent pacing, persuasive settings, costumes that utterly capture 1843 London and impressive moving-camera photography with atmospheric lighting reminiscent of German expressionist cinema.

Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol (1938) B&W - Starring Reginald Owen as Ebenezer Scrooge.
69 min.
Not a bad version, butnot the best.

A Christmas Carol (1951) B&W or Tinted - (Alternate title: SCROOGE) Starring Alastair Simms as Ebenezer Scrooge.
86 min.
The best version of the lot. The best acted as well, this is the movie that always gets me in the Christmas mood.

Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962) Color-Animated.
53 min.
(Jim Baccus) is the voice of the visually impared but lovable Mr. Magoo. This storyis treated as a stage play, complete with closing curtains between acts. The music (yes this has music) is my favorite. I don't think there is a better animated adaptation of this classic story.

Scrooge - The Musical (1970) - Color - Starring Albert Finney as Ebenezer Scrooge.
113 min.
OK before you crawl into a ball anddie at the fact that they made this classic story into a made for TV musical….don't. It was GOOD. Albert Finney's acting probably saved thismovie, but it wasn't as annoying as you would think..."Thank You Very Much".

An American Christmas Carol (1979) Color - Starring Henry Winkler.
98 min.
(from IMDB) In Depression-era New England, a miserly businessman named Benedict Slade receives a long-overdue attitude adjustment one Christmas eve when he is visited by three ghostly figures who resemble three of the people whose possessions Slade had seized to collect on unpaid loans. Assuming the roles of the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future from Charles Dickens' classic story, the three apparitions force Slade to face the consequences of his skinflint ways, and he becomes a caring, generous, amiable man.

A Christmas Carol (1984) - Color - Starring George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge.
100 min.
Pretty good version, much more serious than the 1951 version, darker, but well acted.

A Christmas Carol (1999) - Color - Starring Patrick Stewart as Ebenezer Scrooge.
95 min.
This is my second favorite non musicalversion of the story. Patrick Stewart was a believable Scrooge although I miss the hair.

Miracle on 34th Street (1973) Color - Made for TV - Starring Jane Alexander.
100 min.
I've not seen this one, but it got a low rating on IMDB. (Hard to Find)

Miracle on 34th Street (1994) Color - Starring Richard Attenborough, Elizabeth Perkins.
114 minutes (too) long.
URGH! It ain't Natalie! They changed the names of the stores. Mr. Macy and Mr. Gimble are no more.

Everyone knows Miracle on 34th Street. If you are in the United States, you will probably see it today, as they always show the 1934 version on Thanksgiving. But there are other versions. I've only seen two of them, the other two are hard to find, but it would be a treat to be able to see them one day.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) - B&W or Tinted - Starring Natalie Wood.
96 min.
The original and still the best. Using all the original names of the stores (Macy's and Gimbles), fantastic acting, flawless story. A must see every year!

Miracle on 34th Street (1959) Color - Made for TV - Starring Ed Wynn.
60 min.
Never seen this one either, not very high rating on IMDB. (Hard to Find)

Christmas in Connecticut is probably one of those movies you want to watch, but never do. I suggest you do. Watch the 1945 version if you can first.

Christmas in Connecticut (1945) - B&W - Starring Barbara Stanwyck.
102 min.
(From Netflix) Elizabeth Lane, a magazine columnist who touts herself as a blissful wife, mother and expert homemaker living on an idyllic Connecticut farm. Trouble is, it's all a lie. When her pudgy publisher cooks up a scheme to boost circulation by having Elizabeth entertain a war veteran on Christmas Eve, will her charade unravel? This is a feel good movie, one that should become a Christmas staple.

Christmas in Connecticut (1992) Color - Starring Dyan Cannon, Kris Kristofferson, Tony Curtis and Richard Roundtree.
93 min.
You would think with a cast like this, it would be something special. It was just all right. See the Barbara Stanwyck version before you waste your time with this. At least you will see how it is supposed to be.

The Little Prince

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Most people know this story, if not have already read it. At the age of 42, I just read it, and this has been in my house for at least 9 years sitting on my son's bookshelf. I wanted to write a witty review on this book, but I am so taken by the book, I can't even find the correct words to do it justice. So many images were going through my head, and as I was reading it I was saying to myself "Wow, that's deep, Wow that's insightful". I didn't read the Analysis until after I came to my own conclusions.

Adults have no time to enjoy life, no one stops and smells the roses. We are vain, self-indulgent and egocentric.

The Little Prince an analysis

There is a short blurb at the end of the story, that really had me thinking a whole new way. I won't retype the whole thing, but I will type some of the lines. And I read through the lines.

It's here that the little prince appeared on Earth, then disappeared.

Wait a little, just under the star! Then if a child comes to you...you'll know who he is. If this should happen, be kind! Don't let me go on being so sad: Send word immediately that he's come back....

I could be reading way too much into it, but I have my own ideas about the blurb.

Catholic Fiction

In the past few years I've been stretching myself to read more Christian Fiction. I noticed there was a gap in my reading in that particular genre. I went out and blindly looked through the Christian Fiction section and my local Barnes & Noble. I had no idea what I was looking for. The only author I had any idea about was Janette Oke and that was only because I had seen her movie adaptations. I wanted to try someone else, so I looked and looked, but could not decide on anything. Then I found With Endless Sight #3 in the series by Allison Pittman. I was not familiar with series #s. This is not to say I've never read a series, but for some reason I didn't think reading this particular book out of order would matter. The book was able to stand alone, but I wanted to go back and read #1 and #2. I did that and I enjoyed it very much. It was a mix of Historical and Christian Fiction, but I have yet to find anyone aside from these two women that captured my attention in this duo genre. The other Christian reads that I enjoyed were Believe by Dan Oran, Christ out of Egypt by Anne Rice and The Shack by William Young. And let's not forget the books of Richard Paul Evans!!

It dawned on me that there might be a sub-genre of Catholic Fiction. There are sub-genre's in movies so why not books. So I went on a search to see if there were actually any books I read or would want to read or at least heard of and didn't know they were considered 'Catholic Fiction'. My assumption is that most of these reads would revolve around Popes and Saints, so here is what I found:

- Everything Jane Austen is considered 'Catholic Fiction' - How did I miss this?
- The Diary of a Country Priest: A Novel by Georges Bernanos - Well of course by the title, you know it is a Catholic thing.
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - I did not know that.
- Every book written by Fyodor Dostoevsky including Crime and Punishment.
- The works of Alexander Dumas
- Three of George Eliot's books: Middlemarch currently reading, Silas Marner (which I read) and Daniel Deronda.
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scotts Fitzgerald - I had no clue when I was reading it.
- Victor Hugo's Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame - although when I think about it, I can see where it would be considered 'Catholic'.
- John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany - which I couldn't get through, but the movie adaptation "Simon Birch" I loved, but am not sure if I recall a Catholic thread.
- Thomas Keneally's Schindler's List (huh??) - Can you see it flying over my head?
- Stephen King's The Stand - which I am about to read, and Yes I can see this, and The Dark Tower Series which I can also see it.
- George Orwell's books Animal Farm and 1984

I will stop here because the list can get rather long. If you are interested in looking at the Full List please feel free.

Thinking on these books and what I know of them, why are they considered 'Catholic Fiction'? Is it because it talks on Catholic values? Not that I'm aware. Is it because it has something Catholic in it (like the main character is Catholic or a Nun walks through the street while two characters are talking)? What makes these books fall under the sub-genre Catholic? Most of them aren't obvious like "The Excorsist" or "The Scarlet Letter", so what is it? Well I don't know. But then again, most of the movies that are labled as 'Catholic' aren't very Catholic to me.

Will I go out of my way to read a book that is labled 'Catholic Fiction'? Probably not, I'll read it because I want to. Will I go out of my way to read a book that is labled 'Christian Fiction'? Probably. I really enjoy Christian Fiction. It is uplifting and all Christian's can relate.

I still love being a Catholic, I just won't narrow my reading to that tiny scope.