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Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Armchair BEA: Introductions & Classics


So for the intro portion of today's Armchair BEA post, I've chosen the following questions from the list:

Have you previously participated in Armchair BEA? What brought you back for another year? If you have not previously participated, what drew you to the event?

Yes! I participated for the very first time last year (and you can read my intro post from last year's event as well if you're interested). Since I still, sadly, have not been able to go to actual BEA, I definitely wanted to participate in Armchair BEA again. I think it's a great way to connect and discover new-to-me blogs and bloggers.

Where in the world are you blogging from? Tell a random fact or something special about your current location. Feel free to share pictures.

I'm blogging from just outside Denver, Colorado, which is (according to this Huffington Post article) the 5th most literate US city of 2012. And we'd have to be thanks to our great bookstores!

What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2013? 

I am currently reading (because I'm pre-posting) Sarah Jio's The Last Camellia and Michael Logan's Apocalypse Cow. I know, it's a weird mix!

Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.

I majored in Criminal Justice with a double minor in English and Anthropology. But then I changed track a bit with a job as a bookseller and later attended the Denver Publishing Institute. 

Which is your favorite post that you have written that you want everyone to read?

I don't know that I necessarily have a favorite post but I certainly enjoyed showing off what a nerd I am for Game of Thrones here. I'm also loving the Top Ten Tuesday posts (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish) and would love if my post on authors I think deserve more recognition (here) turned some readers onto some of my favorite authors. I'm also quite fond of the interview posts I've been doing of late. This one with Paul Cornell is really fun and my husband put together a great video using my interview with Maureen Johnson and her recent Tattered Cover appearance here.

Classics:

The genre portion of today's post is classics. I have a love/hate relationship with classics. Generally a classic is something that has withstood the test of time. Why (or even if) these particular books have stayed relevant is anyone's guess in some cases.

I have not done well with a lot of the typical forced school reading. For someone who reads as much as I do my best guess is that a lot of the "classics" were introduced to me at the wrong age. I personally think I might actually enjoy Dickens these days. I don't really think I'd ever have much fondness for Hawthorne but who knows. Strangely, I was never required to read any Jane Austen, George Orwell, or anything else I might have considered fun in middle school and high school.

I had better luck with college courses, though, and a particular (and continued) love of gothic lit. I devoured Jane Eyre and read du Maurier's Rebecca on my own. As such, I definitely recommend the Brontes and du Maurier, particularly to readers who are looking for something deliciously atmospheric!

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love Jane Eyre and Rebecca! And when I did my Masters I even did two papers about the film versions!

Thanks for sharing.

http://mwgerard.com/armchair-bea-introduction-and-classics/

Anonymous said...

I've always wanted to read Rebecca and never had. Maybe that will have to change.

loreleimarsh said...

That is quite a jump from your major to your job, but that's what life's about! Hope you enjoy ABEA! Tattooed Books

a barmy bookworm said...

So with you on Jane Eyre and Rebecca. And would heartily encourage you to take up Dickens again. I did him in school and I don't think it's an exaggeration to say I hated him. Yet picked him up again recently, and finally understood what all the fuss was about! Go for it! :0)

ahz1 said...

I love the name of your blog. I'm a Game of Thrones fan too. Welcome to Armchair BEA.

AH@ Badass Book Reviews.

Meg @ A Bookish Affair said...

I read Rebecca for the first time last year and really, really liked it. Like you, I have a love/hate relationship (more like a love/scared relationship) with classics.

Unknown said...

Even though I'm from Oklahoma, The Tattered Cover Bookstore (downtown Denver) is one of my favorite places on earth. I can spend days there. I love Rebecca!

Kendal
Kinx's Book Nook
http://www.kinxsbooknook.com/armchair-bea-day-1-introductions-classics/

Anonymous said...

At first, yeah, your book choices were vastly different. But, then I saw your majors and understood. Criminal Justice and Anthropology can certainly help one another, but then English...you just covered both sides of your brain! LOVE IT!!!

Roof Beam Reader said...

You definitely make some really good points about the classics and when (in life) people might appreciate them. There are, of course, classics that young readers will appreciate (like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Peter Pan - which I loved as a kid and which I loved, again and for different reasons, as an adult).

I love all the authors you mention (except du Maurier, whom I haven't read, yet - I've had Rebecca on my challenge list for 3 years running but never get to it!) and, as for Hawthorne, I personally find his short stories much more compelling than his novels.

Jessica said...

Hiya! My sister lives in Denver-just moved in December to attend Metro.

I LOVE Gothic lit! Rebecca is one of my favorite books. I see you're a Game of Thrones fan-I actually know Martin and haven't spoken to him in a few years, but am meeting up with him in August and can't wait to catch up.

Have a great week participating in Armchair BEA. :)

Sharon Lathan said...

Rebecca is one of my favorite books too! I listed it today as one of the many Gothic-style romances I loved as a youth (and still do, of course).

Cici said...

Some of the most beautiful pictures I have seen have been posted from my friend in Denver's yard. I hope you find that you are doing what you love! Enjoy the week and ABEA!