Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

FINALLY finished it.

This was not up my alley at all. I've surprised myself when I read Jane Austen - surprised as in I really enjoyed her works. The book club I'm in was reading Little Women and I thought it would be along the same lines. Nope. I did not enjoy this at all.

I started reading it, the actual physical book, but switched to Craftlit to get the audio and Heather's commentary. I feel like I did this because I wasn't interested in the story as I read it. I listened to the audio for a while and it wasn't bad, but I was still bored of the story.

The characters were not interesting to me. It was too sweet and too "Marry a rich man!" & "We're poor but we have a servant!" for me.

Jo wasn't a terrible character but I was annoyed by her as well (25 and a spinster!).

I tried. I really did.

Struggling Through The Books

I'm in a lull with reading and I'm not sure why. I think I just need a break to read some frivolous book because the ones I have been struggling to get through are just tedious....

I'm still working through Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, last month's book club book, simply because I feel like I am too far into it (Beth just died - spoiler) and it's now a mission to get it done. But OH, is it boring and so not anything like I would have ever read. I care nothing for those girls and just want to see that last page. Really, the only thing keeping me going is the fact I have the cool Little Women, with the cover by Julie Doucet.

The other book started off as an audiobook from the library, Eating on the Wild Side, that was informative enough that I bought a Kindle copy to keep (and finish reading) as reference. Now I'm stalled. Bedtime reading just isn't right when you are reading about fruits and vegetables.

These two books have stopped me cold :( But I feel like I need to get them done and off my plate before I can really keep going. I'm so close to finishing both that it will be one heck of a victory to be done.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I'm happy I got this one done for the book club night next week (I'm still plodding through Little Women even though that was last month's book).

I have such mixed feelings about this book. It was beautiful writing. I love wading through the sentences and seeing where they would end. But there are zero likable characters in this book. None. I hated all of them.

Our narrator is Nick Carraway, who has moved East in hopes of pursuing a job in bonds. He finds himself on West Egg next to the titled Jay Gatsby. Gatsby comes across as very shallow and secretive, much skilled at hiding his past, with a great deal of money to burn. And burn it does. He throws lavish (gaudy) parties every weekend and anyone who wants to be invited just shows up. Not much fun to live next door to until Nick himself is actually invited to the party.

Nick comes to find out that Gatsby is in love with Daisy Buchanan, his cousin, who is married to an oaf, Tom. Daisy is a pretty horrific character in of herself but she almost appeared likable next to her husband. Jordan Baker, a famed golfer, is the last of the main characters. Take a guess... unlikable.

We end up winding our way through this "romance" as Gatsby declares his love (and tries to win Daisy with a show of money - of which she has no need), Tom's mistress getting killed (ironically by Daisy), Tom realizing Gatsby wants Daisy and suddenly trying to be a good husband and Daisy just being a horrible woman, leading on every man who professes love.

The sadness of the book really lies in the ending. Gatsby is killed and no one shows for his funeral except for Nick and Gatsby's father (and a strange man we don't know anything about). Of all the supposed friends from all the lavish parties, no one really cared for the man Gatsby. In the end, that was the part of the book that did move me.

It seems people hate or love this book, but I think I'm on the fence.

NPR's Fresh Air has a segment on this book
http://www.npr.org/2014/09/08/346346588/how-gatsby-went-from-a-moldering-flop-to-a-great-american-novel