52-book challenge: Poetry still counts (April edition)

I still have about 98392832 Ireland posts to catch up on, a few posts about JAMAICA, and I’m about to embark on a road trip to Toronto for TBEX with Seattle’s Travels, Sparkpunk, and Just Chuckin’ It. Life. It does not slow down.

Will you be at TBEX? Come say “hi”!

Selected Poems – Oscar Wilde

Quick summary

Contains a chronology of Wilde`s life and times as well as poems. A few of the poems have been taken from manuscript sources- many unpublished during his lifetime.

Three-line review

I figured if I were in Ireland, I should read some of the local talent. And so I went for Wilde, mostly based on his wildly funny and thoughtful quotes. I didn’t think this was the greatest selection of his work — and I’d still rather study poetry in a classroom setting — but I regret nothing, dammit.

***/*****

The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky

Quick summary

Charlie is a freshman.

And while he’s not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it.

Three-line review

I can’t believe I’m only just reading this book, but I adored it. I adore the simple writing and then narrative. I adore Charlie and his friends. Found myself in tears several times throughout the book, and thanked the heavens I’m no longer in high school. Make your children read this book.

****/*****

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows

Quick summary

January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb….

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

Three-line review

I felt some of this was outrageously cheesy and predictable, but the entire story has a dreamy quality you can’t help but lose yourself in. (Then again I have no sense of direction, so I get lost in everything.) The letter format didn’t work all that well for me, but I loved the characters.

****/*****

The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde

Quick summary

After having his portrait painted, Dorian Gray is captivated by his own beauty. Tempted by his world-weary friend, decadent friend Lord Henry Wotton, he wished to stay young forever and pledges his very soul to keep his good looks. As Dorian’s slide into crime and cruelty progresses, he stays magically youthful, while his beautiful portrait changes, revealing the hideous corruption of moral decay.

Three-line review

This book was hella intense, mildly creepy, and completely disturbing. But I was surprised by how much I loved it. Wilde’s only novel, and he did a damned good job of it. The kind of social commentary that would have been awesome to discuss in some English lit classes.

****/*****

  • May 18 2013

    I just read Perks of Being a Wallflower too. Loved it! Such a good quick read, I couldn’t put it down!

  • May 18 2013

    I just read Perks of Being a Wallflower too. Loved it! Such a good quick read, I couldn’t put it down!

  • May 18 2013

    I just read Perks of Being a Wallflower too. Loved it! Such a good quick read, I couldn’t put it down!

    • May 19 2013

      Right?! I read almost all of it on a bus from Galway to the Aran Islands. Couldn’t even talk in the scenery, I was so absorbed.

  • May 18 2013
    Caroline Eubanks

    PERKS! This was my “Catcher in the Rye” (or how most people feel about that book. I hated it…) when I was an emo high schooler. Haven’t seen the movie. I’ve barely made a dent in my 40 book challenge. See you soon!

  • May 18 2013
    Caroline Eubanks

    PERKS! This was my “Catcher in the Rye” (or how most people feel about that book. I hated it…) when I was an emo high schooler. Haven’t seen the movie. I’ve barely made a dent in my 40 book challenge. See you soon!

    • May 19 2013

      Aw, I loved Catcher in the Rye! But yeah, Perks was heartbreaking. Man. See you at TBEX!

Leave a Comment

CommentLuv badge

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

FREE CANDIE FOR ALL!
SUBSCRIBE TO RECEIVE POSTS DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX