What we're reading, the MTS edition

Doc's response to my post brings up an interesting point: what happens when the classics are so outdated by their language that they are no longer feasible as the teaching tools they are considered to be?

Case in point: Look at the list of the 100 greatest novels of all time. Ulysses and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Manby Joyce, Lolita by Nabokov, and others all have language that is considered by many to be top notch, however the kids who read it now days in school probably could barely understand the bare bones symbolism in Michael Connelly. How are they supposed to understand what Joyce means throughout the stories in Dubliners?

Is it time for some new "classics"? If so, what could be those classics?

Just food for thought... Might warrant it's own thread, or a deletion... Mama's pick

I agree. It's probably time to rethink some of those "classics" for school consumption, but don't lets dumb down. We have an obligation to maintain the highest quality in what we give our kids to read. Lolita was way over my head, btw. I think I read one chapter.

The other side of that coin: I'm reading David Baldacci and his prose is really poor, full of American slang idiom.

euclid said:

The other side of that coin: I'm reading David Baldacci and his prose is really poor, full of American slang idiom.

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Then don't read the classic Faulkner.

The fourth Charlotte McNally title, DRIVE TIME - by Hank Phillippi Ryan.

Fun stuff!

No Second Chance - the first-ever Harlan Coben I read.
First person POV, like every book I've read so far this year. Great twists so far.

Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver.

Another big let down, I'm afraid. This book is full of false cliffies. Was my first book by this author. Will be my last.

Now reading The Watchman by Robert Crais. Watch this space!

euclid said:

Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver.

Another big let down, I'm afraid. This book is full of false cliffies. Was my first book by this author. Will be my last.

Now reading The Watchman by Robert Crais. Watch this space!

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I've read all of Deaver's books... some are better than others; I agree that ROADSIDE CROSSES is a big let down.

But if this is your first book by this author, you really ought to read THE BONE COLLECTOR before you pass him by forever. It's a terrific book.

And, in my opinion, there are at least a dozen Deaver books that are truly good. (A dozen that are so-so, too, of course.)

But AT LEAST give that one a shot; I promise that it will be worth it.

Alright, already, just to please you, I will read The Bone Collector (if I live long enough).

First I want to read one book from each of a long list of MTS authors.

euclid said:

Alright, already, just to please you, I will read The Bone Collector (if I live long enough).

First I want to read one book from each of a long list of MTS authors.

Click to expand...

Right now I'm reading The Vanished Man by Deaver, and so far I really like it.

Just finished Ed McBain's "The Last Best Hope." More sex than I need in a mystery. Not really a mystery, more of a crime suspense.

Now reading PD James's "The Lighthouse." Lots of POV changes, but at least not in the same paragraph like McBain. This one is a whodunnit in the classic police procedural vein.

I've noticed that I haven't actually been reading a lot of mysteries lately...

I just picked up "Stuff" by Randy Frost and Gail Steketee. If you ever want to create a character that's a compulsive hoarder, read this. They describe the famous Collyer brothers from an objective distance, but then they get into case studies of people they actually interviewed over the course of years.

The Watchman : A nice tight thriller. Pike makes me laugh he's so taciturn, so single-minded. I like the way he follows his own moral code that oftentimes runs contrary to the law. I'd be happy to read everything else by Robert Crais, but must press on. Who's next? Michael Dibdin, I think, or Andy McNab, or Ian McBain, maybe.

Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child. Reacher is a great character, but if I had a gun to my head, I'd take Pike. Not in a fight, maybe... that would be a draw.

The Girl Who Played with Fire. Felt compelled because these books have been such a sensation. I enjoyed Dragon Tattoo, and I'm enjoying the second, but I'm looking forward to Scott Turow's Innocent.

Still reading The Dome by Stephan King - I like it- just no time to read it lately!

Just finished reading Maisie Dobbs, by Jacqueline Winspear. Nice cozy historical mystery. I'm not big on history, so I like it when the history is in context and doesn't hit you in the face. This was a good one.

Did I kill this thread? Now reading The Moor by Laurie King

jude, enjoy Shutter Island.

I'm taking a break from fiction to read The Last Stand by Nathaniel Philbrick. He is one of my all-time favorite writers. His book In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex is one of the best works of narrative non-fiction I've ever read. One reviewer said the book gets in your bones and that is quite true. I've re-read it at least six times and could pick it up now and still enjoy every single word. He has others as well on the United States Exploring Expedition as well as the Mayflower. This book is the story of Custer, Sitting Bull and the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Heh. Couldn't stop the mental editing last night so I went old school, MG mystery. I dug out an older copy of The Hidden Window Mystery. I LOVED those Nancy Drew mysteries when I was a kid!