Curio February 9, 2015 Share February 9, 2015 It was 69 here in the midwest on Saturday. What part of the midwest do you live in?? In my lovely pocket of the midwest, it was -8 degrees with a high of 19. Link to comment
Souris February 9, 2015 Share February 9, 2015 A friend in Boston shared a pic of his car. You can just barely make out the outlines in the snow. I feel for you all. Link to comment
Dani-Ellie February 9, 2015 Share February 9, 2015 I had to shovel the snow off my car this morning. The snowbank I had to climb over to get to my car was past my knees. I'm really hoping I have a parking space when I get home because the absolute last thing I want to do is shovel out just to go home. To make matters worse, I'm not even having a good day at work, so I'm sitting here all, "I should have just freakin' stayed home today." Local news said that my area in this special little pocket where two fronts are meeting, which is just dumping the snow on us. So the 6-10" that were forecast on Saturday is now 16-24". I'm just so done, haha. Link to comment
Mari February 9, 2015 Share February 9, 2015 (edited) We're at that special pocket of yuck where it's just warm enough to rain and just cold enough to freeze. I appreciate not having -20 right now--which is usual for us this time of year--but really, really hate the ice. At least at -20, it doesn't stick to anything. I'm almost afraid to go anywhere, simply because you can't really walk and keep your knees intact, and driving means dodging all the other cars. Edited February 9, 2015 by Mari 1 Link to comment
Shanna Marie February 9, 2015 Share February 9, 2015 It's currently 70 degrees on my patio. We've had a mild winter so far. Now watch us get hit with an ice storm next week. Link to comment
Writing Wrongs February 9, 2015 Share February 9, 2015 What part of the midwest do you live in?? In my lovely pocket of the midwest, it was -8 degrees with a high of 19. Missouri. Link to comment
OnceUponAJen February 10, 2015 Share February 10, 2015 It was in the 60's here today. Southern US! Link to comment
KAOS Agent February 10, 2015 Share February 10, 2015 I just spent nine hours driving across the Dakotas in freezing rain followed by extremely dense fog. On a positive note, the temp went from 10 degrees in Arctic Dakota to 31 in Tropical Dakota. Of course, the power went out in my hotel ten minutes after I checked in, so I'm less interested in the weather now and more wanting the lights back. 1 Link to comment
tennisgurl February 10, 2015 Share February 10, 2015 Kentucky changes temperature about every 20 seconds. It can go from the 50s to the 20s in about an hour. Makes getting dressed kind of tricky! Link to comment
Shanna Marie February 10, 2015 Share February 10, 2015 Kentucky changes temperature about every 20 seconds. It can go from the 50s to the 20s in about an hour. Makes getting dressed kind of tricky! Sounds like Texas. A couple of weekends ago I went on a hike. When we started, it was in the 30s. By the time we were done, it was in the 60s. It required a lot of layers so I didn't have to bring a coat I knew I'd be shedding quickly. The reverse also happens. I kind of enjoy sitting and watching the indoor readout for the outdoor thermometer as a front comes through. Visiting my parents for Christmas required bringing two different coats because the weather forecast called for drastic changes. I needed a light jacket for the day I headed over, but then it got cold and I needed my heavy coat for the trip home. Fortunately, I checked the forecast and was ready. 1 Link to comment
HoodlumSheep February 10, 2015 Share February 10, 2015 It amuses me about the Northeast and the snow panic. I'm from Michigan. This year my area has had quite the mild winter though; we have snow, but compared to last year... Last year the entire state was engulfed in the polar vortex, so yeah, I can't help but cackle about the weather in the Northeast (sorry, I can't help it). My family is going to go ice fishing today, but I'll probably skip out. I've caught a cold/sinus thing :( It's about 15 here and sunny! 1 Link to comment
Dani-Ellie February 10, 2015 Share February 10, 2015 (edited) It's not so much panic as weariness. It's just been relentless. And it's dangerous. The roads are down to one lane in some places because there's nowhere to put the snow because so much of it has come down in such a short time. I almost had an accident going to work this morning because a private plow backed out of a side street unexpectedly. I had to jam on my brakes (going 15 mph, mind you) and fishtailed. Luckily, no one was behind me. Boston has had the third snowiest February on record ... and it's only the 10th. We've broken the record for the most amount of snow in a 30-day period ... and we did it in 17 days. And we're looking at more on Thursday AND Sunday. It's just enough. Edited February 10, 2015 by Dani-Ellie Link to comment
YaddaYadda February 10, 2015 Share February 10, 2015 I almost had an accident going to work this morning because a private plow backed out of a side street unexpectedly. OMG! That happened to me years ago! I was coming back from school and turned on my street and there had been so much snow that it was down to one lane and this private plow was coming opposite direction, so I decided to move into someone's driveway and wait for him to pass. As he passed me, his plow took out my back bumper, the thing nearly came off. I got out of my car and asshole was continuing and I just ran after him and he finally stopped. Then he gave me FAKE insurance information. But my insurance company was able to track him. I had to jam on my brakes (going 15 mph, mind you) and fishtailed. Luckily, no one was behind me. Glad you're okay. And the joys of Winter. Hopefully March will be kinder to everyone. I'll never understand why the first settlers decided to stay in these ridiculous places. Oh, it's -40C with the wind, but we're doing okay! Spring will come and we'll be fine. I don't think they thought that far ahead. Link to comment
Dani-Ellie February 10, 2015 Share February 10, 2015 Ugh, what an asshat! I'm glad you were able to track him down. Jerk. Glad you're okay. Thanks. :) I'll never understand why the first settlers decided to stay in these ridiculous places. Haha, right?? Then again, I still live here, so. ;) Link to comment
Amerilla February 10, 2015 Share February 10, 2015 (edited) All this snow talk is making me homesick, sort of. I spent my early years in the Boston 'burbs, and we actually moved north to Vermont in March 1978, right after the now-former record-breaker snow fall. Now I live in Virginia, where it was warm enough to have the windows open on Sunday and freezing rain this morning. Edited February 10, 2015 by Amerilla Link to comment
ABitOFluff February 10, 2015 Share February 10, 2015 I feel for anyone having to deal with the snow. I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and HATED snow. No, I didn't want to build a friggin' snowman. And I hated having to dress in snowsuits and boots like Randy in A Christmas Story for months. Now that I live in the South, it's a slightly different story. We all hope for just one snowfall each year and then lose our minds when it comes. This winter has been mild, but last year we had a storm hit in the middle of the day. Everyone in town decided to leave work at the same time, and since no one knows how to drive in the snow, the traffic came to a complete standstill and hundreds of people abandoned their cars right on the road. Luckily my work was preemptively closed, so I got to watch it all from the comfort of my apartment. On the plus side, the snow never hangs around for more than a week. 2 Link to comment
Mari February 10, 2015 Share February 10, 2015 (edited) I feel for anyone having to deal with the snow. I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and HATED snow. No, I didn't want to build a friggin' snowman. And I hated having to dress in snowsuits and boots like Randy in A Christmas Story for months On the plus side, the snow never hangs around for more than a week. So you might have trouble finding activities to enjoy if you were stuck with Anna and Elsa, huh?I can't say that I'm whoooo! about the snow, but I abhor the ice. (And can't live in the South. The times I've visited, I've noticed the bugs are often huge. I'd rather have the cold.) As for why settlers stayed in some of these places? No feasible way back. Edited February 10, 2015 by Mari 2 Link to comment
ABitOFluff February 10, 2015 Share February 10, 2015 So you might have trouble finding activities to enjoy if you were stuck with Anna and Elsa, huh? Seriously! I tried ice skating for the first time in years and honestly wondered why the rink was so cold. (I always preferred roller skating). Skiing? No, thanks I'll be in the lodge drinking hot buttered rum. It makes me sad because Chicago is such a great city. I would love to move back someday if it wasn't for the winters. 3 Link to comment
HoodlumSheep February 10, 2015 Share February 10, 2015 I love the snow. I wouldn't trade it in for anything. Apparently we have a gale warning for Wednesday so that's exciting. The ice is supposed to accrue up to an inch an hour, but we'll see if that comes true. Typically things either go north or south of us, or the weather people are just plain wrong. 1 Link to comment
Shanna Marie February 10, 2015 Share February 10, 2015 We all hope for just one snowfall each year and then lose our minds when it comes. Yeah, that pretty much sums up the South in the winter. The response to the potential for snow is either "OMG, we're all going to die!!!!!!" or "SQUEEEEEE!" There's the run on the grocery stores, businesses and schools close, and kids try to make a snowman out of 1 inch of snow. One time I was visiting friends in Chicago and it started snowing heavily the afternoon I arrived. They laughed at me for standing at the window, utterly enchanted by the falling snow for hours. But in Texas, we seldom get true snow. We get ice, and there's really no such thing as being able to drive on ice unless you have special equipment. Last winter, we got the epic ice storm that dropped four inches of ice on us in one night -- a layer of freezing rain, followed by a lot of sleet, with another big layer of freezing rain on top of it. That paralyzed the region for nearly a week because it didn't go above freezing and it wasn't the kind of stuff you could just scrape off. They had big trucks stranded on the highway for days because they sank just enough into the ice to get stuck, and then it re-froze. It took heavy construction equipment hammering at the ice to break it up. I was very glad that I work at home and don't have to commute. On the other hand, I don't really get snow days (unless I give them to myself). 1 Link to comment
tennisgurl February 10, 2015 Share February 10, 2015 (edited) I actually like snow, and I don't really mind ice. When I was little, I lived in Idaho, full of cold and mountains, and I loved it there. Some of my friends live in Chicago, and I would love to hang out there for awhile. In Kentucky, the second there's a few snow flakes, everyone starts running around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off. Really, its the ice that gets you. Makes me want to head up North. But I also love the South, especially in the fall. Its tough. I guess the cold never bothered me anyway... I am so sorry Edited February 10, 2015 by tennisgurl Link to comment
HoodlumSheep February 10, 2015 Share February 10, 2015 (edited) But in Texas, we seldom get true snow. We get ice, and there's really no such thing as being able to drive on ice unless you have special equipment.My brother currently lives in Texas so he's told us about how highways get shutdown, which gives me a chuckle because it's hard to imagine highways being shut down for ice, but it's totally understandable. You don't have snow plows and salt to throw down on the roads. Basically when you drive on ice you just have to drive really slow, occasionally pump the breaks when it comes to certain areas, give yourself enough time to stop/turn/etc. , and hope the other drivers on the roads aren't maniacs. Edited February 10, 2015 by HoodlumSheep Link to comment
OnceUponAJen February 10, 2015 Share February 10, 2015 Now that I live in the South, it's a slightly different story. We all hope for just one snowfall each year and then lose our minds when it comes. This winter has been mild, but last year we had a storm hit in the middle of the day. Everyone in town decided to leave work at the same time, and since no one knows how to drive in the snow, the traffic came to a complete standstill and hundreds of people abandoned their cars right on the road. Luckily my work was preemptively closed, so I got to watch it all from the comfort of my apartment. On the plus side, the snow never hangs around for more than a week. I wonder if we're in the same city (or close) because the same thing happened here last year. Those stuck up at work played poker, and the dining room handed out drinks. Good for morale, but it was quite interesting to say the least. Link to comment
ABitOFluff February 10, 2015 Share February 10, 2015 I wonder if we're in the same city (or close) because the same thing happened here last year. Those stuck up at work played poker, and the dining room handed out drinks. Good for morale, but it was quite interesting to say the least. I'm in Raleigh. I think our office was closed for two and a half days. This was my street after the storm (Stay Puft Marshmallow Man not included). 1 Link to comment
OnceUponAJen February 11, 2015 Share February 11, 2015 (edited) That does look familiar, minus the StayPuft Marshmallow Man, but I'm a bit further south :) Edited February 11, 2015 by OnceUponAJen Link to comment
Souris February 11, 2015 Share February 11, 2015 I'm in Raleigh. I think our office was closed for two and a half days. This was my street after the storm (Stay Puft Marshmallow Man not included). I'm in NC, too. I remember that photo! Such an odd thing, with the car randomly on fire in the background and the lady casually walking away on her phone. 1 Link to comment
Shanna Marie February 11, 2015 Share February 11, 2015 In non-weather-related news, if I'm not being my usual chatty self around here for a while, it's not that I've given up hope in this series or have anything wrong going on. I'm trying to get my house ready to go on the market. I've been saying I want to do this for a while, I have the money to buy something nicer, and I'm getting cold calls from Realtors wanting to know if I'm interested in selling, so I really need to get my act together. This is the crazy busy week because I have a couple of rooms that need to be repainted, including the bathroom adjacent to my bedroom. Since I'm going to a convention this weekend, I came up with the clever plan to paint Friday morning, then spend the weekend at the convention hotel so I won't have to sleep with the paint fumes. That means I'm spending this week doing the prep work because I had a drywall repair to do in the laundry room from a plumbing repair, and there are a few spots where the original builders did lousy drywall work, so I'm mudding over their seams (I picked up some valuable skills from Habitat for Humanity). This should all be the worst of the DIY. Then I need a plumber for a few repairs, and otherwise I need to do a massive decluttering and cleaning effort because I've lived in this house for 17 years and things tend to pile up. And somewhere along the way I have to get some work done. Oh, and I have tons of choir stuff happening. Alas, discussing TV on the Internet was what had to go. Well, not entirely. But I'm rationing myself. Maybe I'll have the worst of it all done before the return date. Then, with any luck, I'll get to start dealing with moving, but I'm looking at houses within my same neighborhood, so it won't be an epic move, and I'm already boxing up stuff as I organize and declutter. 3 Link to comment
Curio February 11, 2015 Share February 11, 2015 In non-weather-related news, if I'm not being my usual chatty self around here for a while, it's not that I've given up hope in this series or have anything wrong going on. I'm trying to get my house ready to go on the market. I've been saying I want to do this for a while, I have the money to buy something nicer, and I'm getting cold calls from Realtors wanting to know if I'm interested in selling, so I really need to get my act together. You have exactly 19 days to get your act together! ;) I can definitely empathize with you about attempting to declutter a place, though. I don't even have a huge place and it can still take me an entire weekend to go through piles and piles of things I don't need and throw them away. A couple months ago, I did a challenge where I had to get rid of 5 items every day for an entire month, so by the end of the month, my place had 150 less useless items lying around. It amazes me that even after doing that, I still have a bunch of stuff I can get rid of. Maybe I should have upped it to 10 items every day... Link to comment
Shanna Marie February 11, 2015 Share February 11, 2015 One of my problems with this house is that it's the longest I've lived anywhere in my life. I'm an army brat, so we moved every few years when I was growing up, then I went to college four years after my dad retired and my family settled in one place, and then I went through various apartment moves every few years before I bought this house. So generally the way I'd unclutter and organize was to move. I've never had to develop the skillset or habits to do periodic purges while still living in the same place. My life has also changed rather dramatically in the time I've lived here, going from working full-time in an office job to telecommuting to going freelance and being self-employed. I have boxes of archives from old jobs that are irrelevant to my current work and that probably wouldn't even be of much use if I had to go find a real job again. I also have way too many books, and I need to purge my closets. It's nice that I haven't really changed sizes in my adult life, but that makes it harder to get rid of old clothes. I have to convince myself that just because I can still wear something, it doesn't mean I should. Link to comment
Alex February 11, 2015 Share February 11, 2015 I also have way too many books, and I need to purge my closets. It's nice that I haven't really changed sizes in my adult life, but that makes it harder to get rid of old clothes. I have to convince myself that just because I can still wear something, it doesn't mean I should. I totally hear you, Shanna Marie. When I moved in my current apartment (in 2009) I roughly counted I had 1.500 books and 150 DVDs. I got rid of some of the books, but, in the meanwhile, I bought tons of them (around 100 a year), so I should have around 2.000 books by now. And around 400 DVDs, or even more... I keep saying that I have to make a file with all of them, but the size of the task demotivates me! As for clothes, I've changed size many times in the last 15 years and I keep them hoping to lose weight... And also because they're fine ones. They don't do clothes like those anymore. Don't let me go into the shoes discussions... Last year I counted I had some 50 pairs of summer shoes (shoes, flats, heels, sandals, thongs, etc) and 25 winter shoes (flats, heels, boots, etc.). I'm a hoarder... Probably because I have the space that allows me to be one! Link to comment
sharky February 11, 2015 Share February 11, 2015 I had the same problem with books. So I just go through a bit at a time. What can I really let go of? What am I never going to read? Those are easy to pack up in a box. Call around to your local library. They usually have donated book sales so you can donate your books to them and help them raise money so more people can read! Of course, I say all of this in a house that we've been in for more than a year now. There are still about 10 random boxes in the basement that we haven't unpacked or don't have a place to unpack them. I tried getting a few DVDs out, but the kids just pull them off the shelves so those are in a box. Ugh. So yea, aside from the books I shouldn't really be giving decluttering advice. Link to comment
Shanna Marie February 11, 2015 Share February 11, 2015 I've already donated at least 100 books to the library for their book sale. I did a ruthless purge of the shelves and allowed myself to get rid of anything I didn't love enough to read again. Then there's the huge To Be Read pile. I get given a lot of books by publishers, often in convention or conference goody bags, so many of them are books I didn't choose for myself, so they're not a high priority. But I'm afraid to ditch them without reading them because what if I end up liking them? I've had cases where I found a book at the library, loved it, then realized I had an earlier book by that author in my To Be Read stack. Heck, that's how I have a first edition hardcover of A Game of Thrones that I didn't read until a couple of years ago. So I'm going on a library diet soon and making myself sample things from the TBR pile. If I don't like it after a few chapters, I can give it away in good conscience. The trickier part is my huge collection of autographed books. I have a lot of author friends. I like to support them by going to their booksignings. I don't necessarily love their books. I'm not even still in touch with some of these people, so the odds are slim that they'd ever know I got rid of their books. But it feels weird to give away autographed books, especially when they're personalized, and especially when I haven't read them. 1 Link to comment
Alex February 11, 2015 Share February 11, 2015 I keep on thinking that I should bring the books I want to give away whenever I go to England and donate them to charities, but I never do it (most of my books being in English and having no public here in France). For the simple reason that I'm a huge reader and I like to reread my books! No, I'm lying. The simple reason is that I'm absolutely incapable to let them go Perhaps I should start piling them while listening to the Frozen song... Shanna Marie, yes, that could be a problem. Depends on how much you really care for those books, though. Sharky, I shamefully admit that I still have at least 20 boxes waiting to be opened... And as I don't have a basement, they're everywhere except the living/dining room. Yes, I'm a messy hoarder. I'm ashamed. But the demotivation is stronger. Although it's on my to do list of this year, as it is the year I tidy up within myself (and the apartment, by consequence!). 1 Link to comment
sharky February 11, 2015 Share February 11, 2015 Alex -- Not having a basement is a big issue! I had all my books stuffed in boxes in a storage closet so that I could finally unpack them when we moved into a house with the space to unpack them. And yes, I did do a little of that, but half of them are business school books that my husband insists he's going to use as reference books but hasn't opened in years. Now those books are cluttering a corner in the basement instead of cluttering our bookshelf. So at least I have that going for me. Link to comment
Shanna Marie February 12, 2015 Share February 12, 2015 One reason I'm planning to buy a new house is because I need more bookcase space. My current house has a very open floor plan and a lot of windows, which makes the house feel all open and airy, but it also means there are few few places to squeeze in bookshelves. I have them three deep in some places. I'm going to have to box up a bunch of books and stash in a closet in order to show my house for sale. Link to comment
sharky February 12, 2015 Share February 12, 2015 You could always put them up here and see who wants to adopt them, but then that would require postage and books aren't cheap to send...those heavy bastards. It is hard to part with them though. My roommate in grad school was an English major and brought boxes of books with her so I spent a year riding the El in Chicago reading things I should've read years earlier like The Lord of the Flies. And then I lived in NYC for five years. There are times when I love driving myself places, but I do miss someone else "driving" me around so I could get some quality reading time in. There's a reason why there are so many readers in New York. So what are everyone's favorite "classics" to read? I love Pride and Prejudice but need to also pick up Dante's Inferno and Heart of Darkness again. And maybe throw MacBeth in there as well. Link to comment
daxx February 12, 2015 Share February 12, 2015 Favorite classic is The Hobbit. Frankenstein is a favorite also. Link to comment
Alex February 12, 2015 Share February 12, 2015 Wow sharky, Dante's Inferno? Kudos, absolutely non ironical kudos!!!!! I've studied it in school for one year (actually, one year each for Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso) and I remember it dearly :) An easiest question, no, eh ? I'd say The Lord of the Rings, North and South, Little Women (these three books throne on my bedside table). I haven't read The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco in ages, but it's still on the list of the books I'd like to have on a desert island. If I could have a series of books, I'd also bring the Harry Potter series (ok, not a classic, nor strictly speaking literature, but I love it!). I just went to see where my copy of Persuasion was and discovered some books I didn't remember I had... Yay, I have some other books to read!! LOL Link to comment
RadioGirl27 February 12, 2015 Share February 12, 2015 I have a thing for French literature. The Three Musketeers was my favourite book growing up, and Maupassant's Bel Ami and Stendhal's The Red and the Black are among my favourite books ever. But there are so many books I love: The Lord of the Rings, everything by Jane Austen, 100 Years of Solitude, The Name of the Rose, and I can go on. Link to comment
MedievalGirl February 12, 2015 Share February 12, 2015 Have you seen The Musketeers on BBC America? It has been my methadone during the hiatus. I'm such a sucker for sword fights! 2 Link to comment
YaddaYadda February 12, 2015 Share February 12, 2015 I'm such a sucker for sword fights! And I'm a sucker for Santiago Cabrera. 1 Link to comment
Souris February 12, 2015 Share February 12, 2015 Jesus wept, yes! The Musketeers is like crack for me. Hot guys swordfighting + costume porn = happy Souris. And I am alllllll about Santiago Cabrera. Holy hotness, Batman. He has shot to No. 2 on my laminated list after Colin. Link to comment
Shanna Marie February 13, 2015 Share February 13, 2015 How have I not noticed The Musketeers? I'm a sucker for a sword fight (I even took fencing in college -- almost everyone in the class was a fantasy geek). I sense an OnDemand marathon in my future. But first I have to finish painting. I got the laundry room done today. Tomorrow the kitchen and bathroom. And then I get to go away and collapse for a while. Link to comment
ABitOFluff February 13, 2015 Share February 13, 2015 How have I not noticed The Musketeers? I'm a sucker for a sword fight (I even took fencing in college -- almost everyone in the class was a fantasy geek). I love fencing and have seriously thought of taking it up again. It's been a couple of years. The gym here that has classes has one that teaches kids how to sword fight like pirates. It's so cute, and I'm slightly jealous that there was nothing like that when I was a kid. I also need to check out The Musketeers. Link to comment
RadioGirl27 February 13, 2015 Share February 13, 2015 Have you seen The Musketeers on BBC America? It has been my methadone during the hiatus. I'm such a sucker for sword fights! I'm Spanish, we don't have BBC :-( I tried to watch it last sumner, but I'm very picky with TV/film adaptation of this book. I hate all of them except the Gene Kelly one, because, well, Gene Kelly. But all the amazing pics of Santiago Cabrera in my tumblr dash are making me reconsider my decision and give it another try. Link to comment
Alex February 13, 2015 Share February 13, 2015 (edited) I'm Spanish, we don't have BBC :-( I tried to watch it last sumner, but I'm very picky with TV/film adaptation of this book. I hate all of them except the Gene Kelly one, because, well, Gene Kelly. But all the amazing pics of Santiago Cabrera in my tumblr dash are making me reconsider my decision and give it another try. Whenever I see "based on" or "adaptation" I replace with "interpretation of". I've been living better since I started to do this and the envy to flip tables is reduced to almost zero. Edited February 13, 2015 by Alex Link to comment
Shanna Marie February 14, 2015 Share February 14, 2015 Since the bathroom is now painted (hooray!) and I'm now in the hotel at a convention, where there are no home improvement projects for me to do, I can get caught up. On the topic of favorite classic book, I think mine might have to be Jane Eyre. But I don't really read it for the romance aspect of it. When I was a kid, I was fascinated with the part living in her aunt's home and the part at school. As an adult, I love the part where she runs away and ends up getting a job. Contrary to the popular perception of it, it's not a "I can save the dark and dangerous bad boy with my love" story at all. If anything, she saves him with her contempt. She has the gumption to walk out on him, and that gives him the wakeup call he needs. I guess that's one reason I like the relationship between Emma and Hook. Her refusal to trust him and her contempt for him seemed to have had a lot to do with his lightbulb moment in realizing how wrong his path had become. She didn't get interested in him until he changed. On my last reread, I was impressed by how clear the writing was -- almost journalistic, unlike a lot of other novels from that era. I also love Jane Austen, and I think my favorite might have to be Emma. Oddly enough, I pretty much despise the title character, but it's so fun to see her be so wrong about everything. I think Austen's satiric voice comes through most strongly in that book. And I like Dickens. One other all-time favorite (and I think I need to reread it) is The Prisoner of Zenda. I like swashbuckling. 1 Link to comment
Souris February 14, 2015 Share February 14, 2015 Jane Eyre is my favorite classic book, too. I devoured it like it was a modern page-turner. Some classmates and I were all reading it on a trip, and we were so into it, like "Are you to chapter 10 yet??? Let me know when you get there, I want to talk about it! Squee!" That pretty much never happened with a classic I had to read for a class. Link to comment
Shanna Marie February 14, 2015 Share February 14, 2015 I first discovered Jane Eyre when I was ten. We'd moved overseas and were staying in a hotel until we got base housing. My dad's unit had boxes of stuff people collected to help tide newcomers over, since for the first few weeks you were living with whatever you were able to bring with you on an airplane until the stuff you had shipped over arrived. In the box they gave us were a bunch of books, and one of them was a kids' edition of Jane Eyre. I think it was mostly just the parts when she was a kid at school, not even getting into the stuff when she went to work for Rochester. I was totally enraptured. I don't know how old I was (probably at least 12-13 when we'd moved back to the States) when I found that my mom had a copy of the full thing, and I was so excited to find that there was more to the story. It's one of the few childhood favorites that I ended up liking more as an adult. I'm not sure how or why, but I tore through The Lord of the Rings in sixth grade but could barely get through it when I read it again in college (for a class!). Ivanhoe was one of my favorite books in sixth and seventh grade. I tried re-reading it a few years ago and had to put it aside because I just couldn't wade through the faux-Medieval language. But I think Charlotte Bronte's writing could probably still be published today without sounding too archaic. Link to comment
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