On Past And Future Reading Projects

I'm always trying to get more reading done and nothing motivates like a reading challenge, right?

At least, that's what I'm telling myself year after year when I sign up to yet another reading challenge that I fully intend to complete, but deep down know I wont.

Last year's project was The 12 Months Classics Challenge.
The mission: read 12 classics in a year. A quite simple and easy goal to accomplish.

So did I finish it?

Need you even ask? Of course I didn't!

Then was it a failure? Not at all!

Though I didn't get through all 12 books I read 6 of them - books I wouldn't have read if not for the challenge. And I discovered 2 new instant favourites, so last year was by no means wasted on the literary front.

Let me briefly tell you my thoughts on the books I read:

January- A classic you've always wanted to read
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 
I fell completely in love with this book right from the start. I'd wanted to read it for more than 10 years but the timing never seemed right (and because I knew I would love it, I needed to be in the right mood before starting it).
It was brilliantly written. And just the vocabulary used impressed me (I had to look so many words up in the dictionary). And off course Jane!! I loved Jane. She is such a wonderful character.
Mr Rochester on the other hand, I wasn't very impressed with. It wasn't until the end of the book I started liking him. But what an ending! And What a book.
In case you haven't guessed it, this was an instant new favourite.

                                                 

February- A classic you've always dreaded reading
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

I thought I would have to drag myself through this play with sheer will power, but I must say I liked it a great deal more than expected. Rationally the plot makes little sense and I generally dislike mushy romances and love at first sight, but the plot just sucked me in and all the speeches were so sweet that I just bought it all for a little while. And that ending was so tragic, even though I knew it was coming. So all in all, I actually liked it and wouldn't mind reading it again someday in the far future.

                                         

March- A classic you've been recommended
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

Everyone in the blogging world was gushing about this book so I decided to read it, and boy am I glad I did. Never have I felt so instantly drawn to a character as I did to Valancey and her sad life. And it's been a long time since I enjoyed a book more than this one. I may even like it better than the Anne-books, because it's just so thoroughly sweet and delightful and it makes you all happy and gooey inside. Another instant favourite!

                                    

April- A classic you've seen the movie/miniseries/TV show of
The Code Of The Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse
The one word to describe this book is hilarious! Wodehouse's books have the ability to make me shriek with laughter all the way through and this was no exception. If you' enjoyed the TV show, I can promise you taht you will enjoy the book even more!

                                        
May- An American classic
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stove
To tell you the truth, I never really got into this book. The characters were good the plot was good but the narrator was really obnoxious. And when I had to return the book to the library I realised that with only 70 pages left of the book I didn't really care what happened to everyone. So I technically never finished it, but I am still counting it as read.

                                     

June- A British classic
The Hound Of The Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
A truly classic Sherlock Holmes story that I had somehow never read or watched so it was with bated breath I read this book. I love Sherlock Holmes so naturally I loved this book as well, and can now say that I've read all 3 Sherlock Holmes novellas.


There! That's brief reviews on all the classics I read last year.

I actually promised myself to not start any new reading projects this year and instead focus on rereading my favourite books. That soon turned into dubbing this the year of non-fiction, but let's see which of the projects I stick with;)

And as fate will have it, I had no sooner given myself the above mentioned promise before I stumbled upon Heidi's Adventure of Reading Challenge 2017. And as I cannot resist a good challenge I just have to be a part of it. This year I will be wise and do like Heidi herself: start at the Explorer level that is 3-5 books, and then take it from there.

                                      

I do not yet know what I will be reading, but I will make a page dedicated to this project and add books as I think of them (in case anyone is interested in my progress)

Do you have any reading projects for 2017?

Without A Clue

It is no secret that the story of Sherlock Holmes has been the object of a myriad of adaptions, reimaginings, and parodies, and in the latter category Without A Clue is definitely one of the best.

           

If you aren't familiar with the movie, let me give you a brief summary:
This is your classical Sherlock Holmes, but with one major difference: Doctor Watson is actually the brains behind it all, and Holmes merely an actor paid to play the role. Watson, very tired of being completely overlooked, decides to fire Holmes and start on his own, but a case of some stolen printing plates that may have national consequences, needs Sherlock Holmes and no one else, so Watson reluctantly decides to take on one last case with Sherlock Holmes.

Does the concept sound hilarious? It is!
And as the roles of Holmes and Watson are taken on by Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley nothing stands in the way of a great movie.

            

I was actually introduced to this movie prior to seeing any "real" adaptions of Sherlock Holmes and it has always been a favourite of mine. 

What makes it truly great isn't just the superb acting but the many funny dialogues, which are very quotable.

           

Sherlock Holmes: What are you doing?
Doctor Watson: Thinking.
Sherlock Holmes: Right. I'm going to think too.
(long pause)
What shall we think about Watson?

Or there's the scene where Holmes is shown a drowned corpse to search for clues.
Sherlock Holmes (poking man with stick): It is my opinion...that he is dead.
Onlookers: Genius!

             

Sherlock Holmes: I'm reminded of the curious case of the Manchurian Mambo.
Dr Watson: I believe that is the Manchurian Mamba
Sherlock Holmes: Mambo, mamba. What's the difference.
Dr Watson: Well, very little, except that one is a deadly poisonous snake while the other is a rather festive Caribbean dance.
Sherlock Holmes (at conclusion of story): As the snake struck at me, I danced out of the way. If it hadn't been for my flawless footwork, I'd be standing here a dead man today.

Apart from these scenes there are plenty of delightful conversations between Holmes and Watson simply overflowing with sarcastic remarks.

          

As for content, there are 2 scenes where the villain kills someone with a knife, but no blood is shown. There is a scene where a man spies on a woman undressing, but she discovers him quickly, and lastly there are a few scenes with a man cross dressing as a woman.

So, as a conclusion: this is a light and extremely funny movie that I am sure you will enjoy if you like Sherlock Holmes.