Miscellaneous Thoughts on Books

To say that I love literature is a grave understatement.

However, this is the first summer in a very long time where I have been able to actually read for the sake of reading.

I finished my graduate degree in April. I had been a grad student since 2008, and most of my time had to be dedicated to reading assigned texts as opposed to texts read for pleasure.

Not that this was a problem, most of the time. I read some interesting things about the conflicts related to the European Union, and in that vein, I also got to read some interesting fiction written from the late 19th to the mid 20th century.

Yes, all interesting. All not really stuff that I enjoy reading.

My literary tastes are old-fashioned. I enjoy 19th century French and English literature the most, but I also enjoy authors such as Agatha Christie, and her brand of popular mystery fiction.

I blame PBS.

You see, when I was a child, my parents would watch things like Masterpiece Theatre, Hercule Poirot movies and specials, and whatever was shown during their fundrasing telethons. This used to frustrate me, since being a child, I much rather preferred watching...well, anything else. I would have even preferred the news to most of what was featured on PBS on Sunday evenings. I probably would have even preferred a whole TV station devoted to watching grass grow, honestly.

But one day, the PBS telethon showed a rather interesting concert. I didn't entirely understand what it was, or what it was about, at first. A few minutes in, I found out that it was the Les Miserables 10th anniversary concert. The music kept me interested; I'm a musical learner.

In my young age, I slowly grasped the plot. There was a man who got in trouble, but then he was set free. He met a very lovely, angelic-looking woman who had a sick child. The angel woman then got sick herself and was very sad, and the man promised to take care of the child when the woman went away. He finds the child, who is staying at a hotel of some kind, with a funny-looking man with a large nose. The funny-nosed man made the child do chores all day long. The hero saved the child from having to do chores all day long, and she began to grow up with the man who promised to keep her safe. When she gets older, she meets a man and they fall in love. And in the middle of all of this, there is some kind of big fight and a lot of men die, but the girl and her new boyfriend live happily ever after.

That's how I understood the plot, at age 10. I found out the play was actually based off a book. A couple years later, I read the unabridged version of the aforementioned book, and my taste in 19th century French literature was nurtured, as a literary sapling of sorts. It's still my favourite book. I was fortunate enough to have the brain power and creativity necessary to complete two whole research projects (undergraduate and graduate) on elements of that literary classic.

Long segue aside, I'd like to come back to the original point of this post.

I do get distracted easily.

...

What was I posting about again?

Our intrepid blogger glances at the title of the post.

OH yes.

Because I have a lot of free time nowadays, I have re-picked up the hobby of reading for pleasure. My fiancé bought me a Kobo as a graduation gift, and I have devoured it ravenously, like a homeless man devours a generous feast given to him by a wealthy benefactor. I named it Steve. It comes with 100 "classic books", which might seem boring to the average contemporary reader, but to me? Needless to say, I've enjoyed every "classic" title that I have read so far. Unfortunately, the Kobo doesn't really come with any classic French titles, but I don't hold that against the poor machine. Only the people who put the books on it in the first place.

I mean, come on Kobo developers. You couldn't put Emile Zola on there? No Hugo? Not even any Franco-Canadian authors?

Despite this lovely and amazing invention, I don't think it will replace printed books. I love the feel of crisp pages, the satisfaction of seeing a mound of pages representing your reading progress, and the feeling of completion when you close the covers the final time. Nothing will replace that. But this Kobo is pretty neat.

It's actually a dream of mine to convert a room in my future house into a magnificent library, like those described as being features in English manors in the 19th century. Steve doesn't hinder that dream at all; if anything, I'll keep buying books, but I will create a special shelf for Steve, the Kobo.

To conclude this miscellaneous, stream-of-consciousness-style post, I want to provide a list of my top 5 books of all time. I assure you, this is the hardest part of the post by far. Though keeping my concentration comes a close second.

Aeritone's Top 5 Books of All Time

5) Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

I actually only finished reading this a few days ago, thanks to Steve the Kobo. It still makes this list, simply because it's everything I have loved in books set in 19th century England. There is romance, intrigue, a huge manor, amazing descriptions of the English countryside, and the theme of overcoming adversity.

4) Les Fleurs du Mal, by Charles Baudelaire

I suppose this is cheating, since this is actually an anthology of poems. However, this was my introduction to French poetry, and Baudelaire's poems on spleen and love still move me today.

3) The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Yes, this is a children's book. However, it is studied by philosophy majors and 10-year old French students alike. The plot is simple, endearing, and whimsical.

2) Curtain, by Agatha Christie

Poirot's final mystery. It is a fitting conclusion for a wonderful popular character.

1) Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo

I feel that little explanation is needed here. It's seriously just an amazing book, probably one of the best of all time.