paula j Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 Ok, so Shakespeare's kinda hard to understand and may get a bit boring but I had a great time looking up all the words to see what they actually meant.;) Love Dickens, loved the Scarlet Letter, Like to read all Mark Twain's stuff, Poe is my all time favorite, haven't read Moby Dick but I'm sure I'd probably like it, was riveted by Uncle Tom's Cabin, BUT........... Please don't ever make me read another Harlequin Romance, Yuck, Yuck, Yuck!:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 Hi Melissa, I agree with you! I have never been a big science fiction/fantasy fan, but my kids love Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Narnia series, Ender's Game. I don't mind that they enjoy stuff I don't. I love, love, love Jane Austen and my dh does too but my 15 yo son thought her books were absolutely horrid. I think a wide exposure is important regardless of whether I liked the book or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 I could never get myself to enjoy Red Badge of Courage. I loved reading other fiction about war and other nonfiction about the Civil War, but that one book was just miserable for me and I have zero desire to reread it. I'll be in real trouble if my kids end up disliking Dickens or Austen, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 I'd never make my kids read a book that I really don't like. There are just so many great books to read, and my boys love to read. I have no problem with them not reading *every* classic book. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinsfamily Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 This thread is giving me a lot to think about... I'm sorry Spydad, but I didn't care for Moby Dick either, but Bartleby the Schrivner was torture!! At least it is short. Although I love Tale of Two Cities, I have trouble getting into others by Dickens. However, I love Dostoevsky but I recognize that his (and other Russian novels) are difficult so I might have to lay off of my kids a bit. I think that we'll just read a sampling of lit whether I like them or not and then my kids can decide what they want to read from there. I agree that we won't be able to cover everything, so we might as well focus most of our reading on lit that they actually like. Let's just hope they like Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters! Okay, so I'll have at least 3 boys...is Jane Austen such a stretch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmac Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 insist my kids read any books I dislike, but I also would never mention that I dislike any books (unless it was something inappropriate), I wouldn't want to give my kids preconceived notions and take the chance of them missing out on a book they might have otherwise enjoyed. KWIM? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plaid Dad Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 :iagree:I loved Moby Dick - I laughed out loud, absolutely out LOUD, at several points. I love Melville's description of Nantucket, for instance. One of the funniest books I've ever read. I do not understand why folks don't like it:confused:. I can't say I loved Moby-Dick, but I did find parts of it very funny. Overall I enjoyed it far more than I expected, given its reputation. Here's my blog post about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Lynx Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 I am having a FIT trying to get through Moby Dick right now, and y'all are telling me it doesn't get any better? I hate books where nothing happens!! Slog... slog... slog... I found both Moby Dick and Don Quixote to be utterly delightful - but :lol: I couldn't finish either one. Hmmm. I don't look forward to discussing any of Elie Wiesel's works with my kids, because they are so emotionally difficult for me. But I feel that it's extremely important that he be read. But I didn't hate those - they were just wrenching. I did hate Ellison's "The Invisible Man," but I don't plan on making them read it. Oh ... here's one. Perhaps The Grapes of Wrath. It probably ought to be read, but I hated that book in high school. I'll have to re-read it to see what I think now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Lynx Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 :iagree:I loved Moby Dick - I laughed out loud, absolutely out LOUD, at several points. I love Melville's description of Nantucket, for instance. One of the funniest books I've ever read. I do not understand why folks don't like it:confused:. Yep. Based on its reputation, I expected it to be horribly boring. It was delightful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnTeaching Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 I can't say I actually "hate" these books, but I have a really hard time with the ones that make me cry...usually because the dog died. "Ole Yeller" (of course) "Watership Down" "Where the Red Fern Grows" even ... "Charlotte's Web" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 I have a love/hate relationship (or should I say fascination) with Lord of the Flies. I made my oldest read it when she was about seventeen, so I would have someone to discuss it with. On the other hand, my 12 year old has been mad at me for the past year because I won't let her read it...yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 Oh, I thought of one, Heidi . I had to force myself to read it to my girls. It was (where's the sickeningly sweet smiley?) like someone scratching their nails on a chalkboard. Shudder! My youngest girls will have to read it to themselves. I am NOT doing it again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 I could never get myself to enjoy Red Badge of Courage. I loved reading other fiction about war and other nonfiction about the Civil War, but that one book was just miserable for me and I have zero desire to reread it. I'll be in real trouble if my kids end up disliking Dickens or Austen, though! I couldn't stand Red Badge either! That was actually the first book I thought of when I read the original post. I also disliked Jane Austen in High School but... I'm sure I'll end up assigning both when the kids are old enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljf Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson, we were supposed to read it in high school. I just could not do it, no matter how many times I tried. YUCK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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