classics | Casey E. Hamilton

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Guess what? It’s a regularly prescribed blog day and I am actually posting a blog. It’s a small miracle.

The vacations are over, and so is the school year. All our students graduated last weekend in a blaze of glory. Which means I should officially share this list so I can start on the summer one, don’t you think? I do.

And just so you know, I’m usually pretty good about putting things on Goodreads before they get to here. If you want recs early and not in one giant dump like this, that’s the place to go.

So without further ado, here it is. All the books I’ve read since the spring semester started:

Winning the Wallflower by Eloisa James: I should just say that I ALWAYS enjoy a James novel. This one was quite solid, with an interesting premise. Would recommend if you like that sort of thing.
No-Where But Here by Kate McGarry: I didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t my favorite either, mostly because it sent some of my feminist “no!” alarms off, although gently. I cared to finish it, but I’m not sure I’ll pick up the next. Or maybe I will. I’m wishy-washy about it, and I did like the main character.
Steering The Craft by Ursula K. LeGuin: Oh, so wonderful. It made me value the art of writing practice all over again, though it reads more like a work book than it does like advice.
A Knot In The Grain by Robin McKinley: McKinley is another I always love. At first I wasn’t so hooked but the stories kept getting progressively better, and the title story is something I’m obsessed with, except that I want it to be a novel and not a short.
Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn: Thought it would have more to do with the Bridgertons that just having a heroine with the same last name, so I was a bit disappointed. But it was a solid story for all that and I’d recommend it.
Pride and Prejudice and Cheese Grits by Mary Jane Hathaway: Um… no. I don’t know why I even finished this book. I didn’t enjoy it and I found the conclusion (and most of the novel, to be honest) to be unlikely and unsatisfying.
Girls and Sex by Peggy Orenstein: I don’t really know what to say about this book except that it’s fascinating and poignant, and important for anyone who has been a girl (I had so many “me too!” moments) or anyone raising a girl.
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman: A re-read. I still loved it, though it didn’t seem quite the captivating masterpiece it did on my first read. I guess I just wished I cared a little more for Richard and Door at the end.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling: I forgot how good this book is. And it’s honestly the prettiest thing I’ve ever read. It was so fun to come across all the amazing illustrations while going through. I basically didn’t come out of my room for a day and a half. I can’t wait to collect them all.
Chalice by Robin McKinley: I’ve read this book at least 4 times now, and it always leaves me wanting to keep bees in a thatched hut with the man I love. One of my favorites, and officially a comfort book by now.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: I’m glad to find I can read it again, and that I love it as much as I ever did, which is to say obsessively.
Fool For Love by Eloisa James: As James novels go, this one was on the silly side. I still enjoyed it, though.
Poems by Rudyard Kipling: You know, I don’t always love his poetry. But when I do, I REALLY love it, and it was a joy to go through and pull out gems of couplets.
If You’re So Smart Why Aren’t You Happy by Raj Raghunathan: I learned a lot from this, partially about the importance of practice in writing, and partly about making room for happiness without pursuing it head on. I’m glad I read it, and will be putting some of the suggestions into practice.
Shakespere’s Wife by Germaine Greer: Such a dichotomy of a book. The writing is super dry and academic, but it’s about FASCINATING things. I’m impatient when reading it and feel like I’m not enjoying myself, but I’m always telling Brian about the neat things I learned with enthusiasm. I think it’s ultimately worth it.
Duchess By Night by Eloisa James: Nice and satisfying, with a hilarious daughter to top it all off. No outright silly like in some of James’ novels. Would recommend.
Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman: A strange collection of things, some of which I had read before. I went from “So good, I’ll never be this good, I love this story” to “No. No, no. No” about them. My favorite was the Study in Emerald. I’m not gonna pick a least favorite. All in all, I would recommend it to Gaiman fans, though I enjoy his novels more.
Once Upon A Tower by Eloisa James: I liked this one QUITE a bit. May be my favorite since the Essex Sisters.
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo: The book was really repetitive, and I didn’t care at all about the pages and pages of testimonials that she included, which may be a translation problem? But I did ultimately feel that her ideas were helpful and will put some of them into practice.
Midnight Pleasures by Eloisa James: I generally liked it, but felt like the plot wasn’t tight. I mean, they end up with this mysterious French kid for no real reason and the scepter thing resolves WAY too easily. It was also sad. I enjoyed it, but think James has better work out there.
Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott: Strangely, this book speaks differently to me now that I’m a little farther along the path to become a writer. I find that I’m more willing to listen to her advice without saying “yes, but an agent…” and to embrace the actual writing as the thing to fall in love with. Still balm for my crazy soul.
This Duchess of Mine by Eloisa James: Devolved a bit into farce, but I always enjoy a James novel. I’m slowly working through her backlist until I’ve read them ALL.
A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James: I mean, Villers is my FAVORITE James heroine. I Loved this one, especially his son Tobias. It was nice to see him get his own novel finally.
Three Weeks with Lady X by Eloisa James: This was one of the first James books I read, and I realized after a while that it’s partially from the perspective of Villers’ son. Which meant that I had to re-read it, of course. It was good the first time, but even better in context.
A Wild Pursuit by Eloisa James: Another farciful one, with too many people at a house party. I would say it’s good romance, I just think other things by James are better.
Your Wicked Ways by Eloisa James: While I felt like I wish the heroine had a little more backbone, I LOVED all the music that’s in it. Ultimately, this is one of my favorites of hers.
Enchanting Pleasures by Eloisa James: I think James is at her best when her heroines are smart, and Gabby is very smart. Quill is also super-easy to fall in love with as a character, though I feel as if I wish they had a tighter plot to play in.
Why Diets Make us Fat by Sandra Aamodt: Interesting, if sometimes full of dry scientific studies. It makes me fear dieting, and also gives me hope that I can be healthy and a bit chubby. Wonderful book full of important info.
Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray: I don’t know what to say about this one because it seems in a lot of ways like the original Diviners book – zippy, jazzy, a bit heartbreaking, scary. But for some reason I just didn’t care much about the characters like I did in book 1.
Excuses Begone by Wayne Dyer: I tend to take advice from millionaires to ignore money when making decisions with a grain of salt, but I do think a lot of his points were valid. Worth a read, and very motivational.
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: Holy crap this book is good – Tumblr you were totally right, even if you did ruin one of the big secrets for me ahead of time. My new obsession. Bonus points? All books are out – no waiting.
The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater: I usually find sequels to be not as good as the originals, but I’m finding that this one is even better. If that’s possible. Can’t wait to read the rest of them and will be burning through them the next few days.

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The last time I tried reading Little Women I couldn’t do it. I found that I had memorized so much of it that it no longer operated like a book in my mind. When I read, the scenes play as if they’re a movie. Memorization = no movie = bad reading experience.

But I loved that book so much in high school. I couldn’t even exactly say why, but just that it seemed so perfect. I wanted the little shabby house, four sisters to romp with, and a neighbor like Laurie to pet and tease and wheedle. I wanted a mother as supernaturally wise as Marmee is to just make most of the decisions for me.

Back then I identified mostly with Amy. She’ll do anything to be liked, has a heck of a temper while still being hilarious (especially in her misuse of the English language), and gets into the funniest scrapes. Like the time she tried to cast her foot in plaster and it hardened too soon. So she just had a bucket stuck on her foot until Jo could stop laughing long enough to cut her out again. There’s also the clothespin she uses to re-shape her nose (I never liked mine, either), and the weird dress up box she gets into at Aunt March’s. They hand over the sugar bowl to her whenever she gets cross. She cries over her math homework. I mean, Amy’s truly my patronus. Or was.

I decided to read Little Women again for a couple of reasons. The first was that people were saying a lot of things online about it, and I wanted to read it with a more careful and critical eye. The second was because I thought it would do for the 2016 reading challenge. The book doesn’t remind me of Christmas as much as it probably should (yeah, it starts at Christmas, but 90% of the book is another season). But it does remind me heavily of another season in my life. Besides, it’s probably been ten years since I’ve tried it.

I am here to report that it’s better than you remembered it. No, really. That’s a possible thing.

Or at least it was better than I remembered it. And I think this is why: It talks frankly about poverty, shows it in a cheery if sometimes inconvenient light, and doesn’t give false hope.

I couldn’t have put it into words before now, but I’m awfully mad at American society under general principals. It 100% isn’t true at all anymore that if you work hard enough you will be able to achieve the American Dream (if it ever was), and yet you are told a thousand times over that it’s the truth. I’m of a generation who is tens of thousands of dollars in debt, has come of age during the WORST financial crisis seen in 80 years, often works multiple jobs to make ends meet, and yet is still called lazy because they are treading water in financial insecurity. I’ve worked those multiple jobs myself. Hell, I’m currently working one job with what would be considered a middle class salary and I’m driving a jalopy and worrying about the grocery bill.

And I’ll be honest: my job is not what I thought it would be when I was 15. I don’t hate it, certainly, but it’s not one of those “never work a day in your life” jobs. It’s fine, I get a lot of satisfaction out of doing it well, and all the bills eventually get paid. But I feel like I at least deserve financial security if I am working that hard.

And then I crack open a page on the March girls. And there is catharsis.

I found myself much more a Meg this time around. She works as a governess for a couple of spoiled children and doesn’t like it, but it pays the bills. She has to continually watch the older son blow fortunes on vices, money that they throw away but that would make a sea-change worth of help to her poor family. She hangs out with Sallie Gardner and Annie Moffat who also have heaps more means that she does, and she must continually deny herself the trinkets and things they purchase without thinking. (See: my entire Chapman experience). She’s always fussing with her wardrobe to make it nice, has terrible yet hilarious domestic trails after she gets married (oh, the sticky, jam covered kitchen), and has a rough transition to living with John Brooke and making the marriage work. But in the end there is heaps of love and she is rewarded with a too-tiny yet cozy home they rule together, which Laurie dubs the Dovecote.

There is no “deserve” in this book. There are only choices and trials for all the girls. The reward for their work is a better character and a good relationship with the people they love. With some harmless, romping fun in between to break up the monotony, of course. There is no promise that hard work = security in anything but secure relationships. There is no expectation that any of the girls will find their “calling” and work at something they enjoy, or that work will ever be a pleasant thing. There is only pride in pitching in to help and in a job well done.

I realized that I’d do better to take some of those ideas and start trying to live them. So there I am again, in the same place I was 20 years ago: trying to use this book as a roadmap for life.

I guess some things never change.

Now excuse me while I go read Meg’s marriage scene again.

Posts Tagged With: classics

Spring 2016 Reading List

Book Review: Little Women

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