Today marks the beginning of the Classic Reads Blog Hop, a five-day online event hosted by several fantastic talents from the indie publishing world: authors Molly Greene, Terri Giuliano Long, Christine Nolfi, and Rachel Thompson. The question they’re asking is simple in nature but complex upon consideration: what makes a book a classic? This is a wonderful point of discussion, and one that I think offers a great diversity of theories. You’ll be able to follow along as over eighty contributing authors and bloggers share their responses, access to which you can find organized in a link list at the bottom of this post or at the Classic Reads Blog Hop page where the authors are also offering a chance at some great prizes.
Mark Twain once described a classic as, “A book which people praise, but don’t read”. In his characteristically biting way he managed some very strong accuracy with that statement. We often call books classics before we’ve even read them ourselves, a habit that seems to have transformed the term “classic” from a badge of honor into a specification of genre. To some degree I think there’s a level of tradition to it that will never change, but it got me thinking about the scope of the word “classic” and how, in the library of my life, it reflects a wildly diverse group of books. I consider them my personal classics, the books which – while either bestselling or obscure; classics by the mainstream definition, or contemporary – had an influence on me strong enough to last for many years. It can be anything in a book that sparks such an influence, from the development of the characters to the artistry of the prose, or even the vividness of the settings. The memories of these books may have prompted me to read them again, or it might be enough to simply think of them and relive them all over again with just a thought. It’s a somewhat sprawling list – from Jane Austen’s Persuasion and J.D. Salinger’s Seymour to Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander – but here are a few that have joined the ranks of my personal classics in recent years:
Shelter by Frances Greenslade When I think about the sort of writing I’d like to be capable of, Shelter comes instantly to mind. Not only was I enchanted with Greenslade’s use of language, but I marveled at the way her writing served as a tool for creating one of the most visual and thought-provoking stories I’ve yet read. Shelter follows a young girl across the Canadian wilds in search of the mother who abandoned her; it’s by no means a fairy tale, and yet I could get lost in it for ages. The darkness, the stark melancholy of the book affected me as much as the writing, and it contributed, I’m sure, to the way Shelter shook me like a dousing of ice cold water.
Day of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love, and War by Annia Ciezadlo If someone had told me prior to reading Day of Honey that I would someday develop an unquenchable interest in travel – specifically Middle Eastern – nonfiction I’m sure I wouldn’t have believed them. Other than Eat, Pray, Love I hadn’t any experience with travel memoirs, and I really didn’t know anything about Baghdad and Beruit beyond finding them on a map (if I was lucky). But not only did Annia Ciezadlo’s remarkable book encourage an interest in Middle Eastern literature, it also sparked a curiosity for Middle Eastern culture on the whole – especially, needless to say, a fascination for the cuisine. It moved me to open my mind and explore the diversity of the world entire, something that really does make all the difference in living a full life.
The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie My first foray into the incomparable artistry of Salman Rushdie’s world, The Enchantress of Florence stopped me in my tracks with not only the singular uniqueness of the story, but in the grandeur and wit that Rushdie’s writing was capable of. His construction of a single sentence amazed me enough to read the line several times over, and I’ve often plucked the book off my shelf to find the particular passage again. The manic genius of Rushdie’s ability mixes with his personally-created combination of magical realism and historic fact to truly beguile the reader.
Othello by William Shakespeare In a word: Iago. I’ve dabbled in Shakespeare’s works and enjoyed all of it very much, but Iago may be the single most fascinating of his characters that I’ve yet read. I think part of the fascination I felt was not only in the character, but in my reaction to the character. How could I be more interested in one of literature’s greatest villains than in any other character in the play? What Shakespeare introduced me to with Othello was the concept of not simply liking and disliking characters – one doesn’t like Iago at all, really – but the idea that villains as well as heroes can be the subject of the reader’s interest. To some degree Iago even scares me a bit, but his menace and impenitence contribute to a larger-than-life presence that was jarring and intriguing all at once.
After Dark by Haruki Murakami The element that I found most absorbing in After Dark was the unconventionality of it. Before reading it I had no experience with magical realism so my chief remarks upon finishing were simply on what a strange and beautiful little book it was. It’s also wonderfully explorative, from an emotional and philosophical standpoint, which definitely made a mark on me. There was something to the way Murakami combined complexity and simplicity to create his own unique medium that really staggered me, and it’s left After Dark as one of the great reading experiences in my mind.
For me, personal classics are the books that go beyond the definition of ‘favorite’, the books that gave me a feeling slightly impossible to classify. They may have influenced my intellect or they may have been the most simply-minded stories with the goal merely to entertain and enchant. Regardless (or perhaps because of) the way their diversity makes them impossible to relate to one another, these books have become the definitive reads in my life.
I’d love to know: what would be some of your personal classics?
Thank you to Molly Greene, Terri Giuliano Long, Christine Nolfi, and Rachel Thompson for hosting the event. Check below for more information on the authors’ latest titles, as well as links to the other participating blogs. And be sure to enter for a chance to win some great prizes over here!
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 Mark of the Loonby Molly Greene Amazon | Goodreads What happens when a workaholic serial remodeler falls in love with an old stone cottage built by an ornithologist and his eccentric Irish wife? If you’re Madison Boone, you kick your budding romance with handsome Psych Professor Coleman Welles to the curb and lose yourself in a new project. Madison renovates distressed homes in addition to her busy real estate sales career. When she hears about a quaint house on a private tract of land overlooking Lake Sonoma, she climbs in the window for a private tour and falls in love with the place. Good fortune enables her to purchase the Blackburne’s property, but far more than a new home and lush gardens await discovery during this renovation. As Madison works on the remodel, she’s drawn into an old love story with dangerous consequences. She unearths buried secrets and discovers herself in the process. Good thing she has three wise, hilarious friends to advise her along the way! Mark of the Loon is the skillful combination of history, mystery, and romance in a novel that explores deep friendship, choices, and how individuals cope with loss.  Second Chance Grillby Christine Nolfi Amazon | Goodreads Dr. Mary Chance needs a sabbatical from medicine to grieve the loss of her closest friend. But when she inherits a struggling restaurant in Liberty, Ohio she isn’t prepared for Blossom Perini. Mary can’t resist falling for the precocious preteen—or the girl’s father. The bond they forge will transform all their lives and set in motion an outpouring of love that spreads across America. Welcome back to Liberty, where the women surrounding the town’s only restaurant are as charming as they are eccentric. Second Chance Grill is the prequel to Treasure Me, 2012 Next Generation Indie Awards Finalist, which The Midwest Book Review calls “A riveting read for those who enjoy adventure fiction, highly recommended.” |
 In Leah’s Wakeby Terri Giuliano Long Amazon | Goodreads A Story of Love, Loss, Connection, and Grace At the heart of the seemingly perfect Tyler family stands sixteen-year-old Leah. Her proud parents are happily married, successful professionals. Her adoring younger sister is wise and responsible beyond her years. And Leah herself is a talented athlete with a bright collegiate future. But living out her father’s lost dreams, and living up to her sister’s worshipful expectations, is no easy task for a teenager. And when temptation enters her life in the form of drugs, desire, and a dangerously exciting boy, Leah’s world turns on a dime from idyllic to chaotic to nearly tragic. As Leah’s conflicted emotions take their toll on those she loves—turning them against each other and pushing them to destructive extremes—In Leah’s Wake powerfully explores one of fiction’s most enduring themes: the struggle of teenagers coming of age, and coming to terms with the overwhelming feelings that rule them and the demanding world that challenges them. Terri Giuliano Long’s skillfully styled and insightfully informed debut novel captures the intensely personal tragedies, victories, and revelations each new generation faces during those tumultuous transitional years. Recipient of multiple awards and honors, In Leah’s Wake is a compelling and satisfying reading experience with important truths to share—by a new author with the voice of a natural storyteller and an unfailingly keen understanding of the human condition…at every age.  Broken Piecesby Rachel Thompson Amazon | Goodreads Welcome to bestselling author Rachel Thompson’s newest work! Vastly different in tone from her previous essay collections A Walk In The Snark and The Mancode: Exposed, BROKEN PIECES is a collection of pieces inspired by life: love, loss, abuse, trust, grief, and ultimately, love again. |
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Floats the Dark Shadow by Yves Fey
The Perils of Sherlock Holmes by Loren D. Estleman
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel by Anthony Horowitz
The Yard by Alex Grecian
The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy
Day of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love and War by Annia Ciezadlo
An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude
Paris in Love: A Memoir by Eloisa James
We Heard the Heavens Then: A Memoir of Iran by Aria Minu-Sepehr
I’m a blogger of eight years, a self-taught graphic designer and a voracious reader since my very first mastering of The Foot Book. I live in New England where I can be found up to my eyebrows in books, with Dean Martin on the stereo and a glass of wine in hand.
