What are you reading?

I’m a writer.  I believe that reading great books can inspire, encourage, and delight.

For example, I’m reading Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables…all 1463 pages of it!  I’m on page 941 and am hoping to finish the novel this summer.  (I’m not going to confess how long it’s taken me to get to page 941).

“…the poor child, in winter, not yet six years old…sweeping the street before daylight with an enormous broom in her little red hands and tears in her large eyes.” (Hugo, Les Miserables, page 157).

Yeah, it’s really long.  Hugo didn’t read all the “modern rules of writing.”  There are times I’m thinking “hurry-up, let’s get on with the story – I don’t really care about the alley, the king, or the history of the abbey.”  Guess what!  Those chapters that seem “semi-useless” weave into the story and present a better picture of the society, the history of a new character, or details to enhance the plot.

I’m not going to write a book review or report or recommendation at this time.  I’m just going to say: reading classic literature is an adventure.  I’ve been wandering the streets and alleys of Paris  in the pages of the Hugo’s novel and I didn’t have to buy a plane ticket or “time travel.”

So, what classic literature or historical fiction are you reading this summer?  What adventures are you experiencing through the pages of a great novel?

Happy Summer…Happy Reading!

Your Historian,

Miss Sarah