I have always wanted to read The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and it is one of the books on my Classics Club challenge. However, it is rather a substantial book so I have decided to tackle the book in mini chunks rather than trying to plough through it.
There are 117 chapters in the book so I have decided to read a chapter a day. So in theory the book will take 117 days to read. I had started this challenge but as I am reading Aeneid by Virgil I have decided to finish this first then restart The Count of Monte Cristo. I have found that really long classics can sometimes make me go into a reading slump so I have decided that small chunks are best.
I am really excited to read The Count of Monte Cristo because Alexandre Dumas is one of my favourite authors and I really want to read more of his books this year which will also tick off more of my Classics Club list.
I will be honest though. If I start to really get into the book and have a good reading day I will most likely read more than just the one chapter. I just won’t have the self control to stop myself.
Do you have any methods for tackling really long books?
I hope you all have some fab plans for the weekend. I am rather gloomy now the Christmas decorations have come down as I always find the house so bare and dull once the pretty decorations are taken down.
My chosen poem today is from a new poet for me. Sara Coleridge (1802-1852) was a translator, novelist and poet. Coleridge hailed from a very literary family, her father was the early Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Her uncle was the Poet Laureate Robert Southey and her neighbour was William Wordsworth. Coleridge was surrounded by talented poets.
The Garden Year
January brings the snow,
Makes our feet and fingers glow.
February brings the rain,
Thaws the frozen lake again.
March brings breezes, loud and shrill,
To stir the dancing daffodil.
April brings the primrose sweet,
Scatters daises at our feet.
May brings flocks of pretty lambs
Skipping by their fleecy dams.
June brings tulips, lilies, roses,
Fills the children's hands with posies.
Hot July brings cooling showers,
Apricots, and gillyflowers.
August brings the sheaves of corn,
Then the harvest home is borne.
Warm September brings the fruit;
Sportsmen then begin to shoot.
Fresh October brings the pheasant;
Then to gather nuts is pleasant.
Dull November brings the blast;
Then the leaves are whirling fast.
Chill December brings the sleet,
Blazing fire, and Christmas treat.
Sara Coleridge
When Kay Harker meets a mysterious Punch and Judy man on his way home for Christmas, he little realizes that he is about to be plunged into adventure. The old man entrusts Kay with a strange puzzle box – the Box of Delights – before suddenly disappearing. Kay soon discovers two things: the box can transport him through time and space, and there is a plot to steal it. He must battle heroically against terrifying forces of evil in order to win the day…
Review
When I met my husband I was introduced to the BBC adaptation of The Box of Delights because it is their Christmas tradition to watch the series every Christmas. Since then I have really wanted to read the book and this Christmas I bought a copy and got reading.
I will be honest I have read more children’s books as an adult than as a child and this has got to be one of my favourites. I loved this book so much and even though I read it after Christmas it kept me in the Christmas spirit.
The slang in this book is absolutely adorable and I know it is appropriate for the time it was written but phrases like ‘scrobbled’ and ‘the purple pim’ just made me smile. The characters in this book are also fantastic and even Maria who I can’t stand in the TV adaptation is bearable in the book.
This book is so beautifully written and every scene and character is so well described that I could easily visualise everything. Abner Brown is a particular favourite of mine, he was such a fantastic baddie. Herne the Hunter and the Lady of the Oak Tree were also wonderful characters and of course Cole Hawlings.
The one thing I did find concerning was the lack of interest the police had in reports of kidnapping and missing people. Also certain characters went missing and their nearest and dearest did not seem that concerned.
This book is full of magic and wonder and it really had me enthralled and it had so many wonderful scenes in it that aren’t in the TV adaptation. My particular favourite is lunch with the field mouse in the tree. I loved Masefield’s writing and I have ordered the prequel to The Box of Delights, The Midnight Folk to read next because I am not quite ready to see the end of Kay just yet. I loved this book and it was a great first read of 2023. I give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons.
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About the author
John Masefield (1878-1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate from 1930 until 1967.
The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you will read next?
Hello!
Welcome to my first WWW Wednesday of 2023. I have had a lovely day today doing lots of crafting and it has been so relaxing. All my crafting projects (well the ones that work) are going on to my Etsy site.
What I am Currently Reading
I started reading a chapter a day of these two books from New Year’s Day and I have really been enjoying both books. I will probably start to read more of The Count of Monte Cristo once I have finished Aeneid.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
I absolutely loved The Box of Delights and I have ordered The Midnight Folk to read next.
What I Think I will Read Next
I have so many books that I want to read at the moment I am finding it difficult to choose as I just want to read them all at the same time. I might have to start a TBR jar and pick a book at random.
Please drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.
I have just realised that I never did my wrap up for December 2022! I did my yearly review but not my last month. December is usually my best month reading wise but sadly this December did not go so well but I am still pleased with the reading that I did get done considering how much I was working and fighting off illness.
Last year I was quite relaxed with my bookish goals and to be honest because of this I ignored them. This year I have decided to get back to my usual challenges.
In 2021 I attempted to read my height in books and sadly I failed. For 2023 I have decided to try the challenge again and I really hope this time I will complete it.
I had no idea what to set for this years Goodreads Challenge so I let my fellow Bookstagrammers decide for me and they chose 80 books. 80 books! I have never read anymore than 74 books in a year but I am hopeful I will manage this challenge. It might mean I read some smaller books this year.
I also want to read more classics this year as I miss my Ancient Greek and Rome literature. I am thinking I might read a lot of Greek plays but I will see what I come up with.
Blogging is now hopefully all back to normal because over the festive period everything has gone out of the window. This was sadly mainly due to illness and being too tired to blog but I am thankfully now on the mend.
I missed a weekly brief so this is technically a two week brief.
I never finished Aeneid by Virgil so I have decided that I will read a book a day starting from today to finish the book. I’m not sure why I didn’t finish it because I absolutely love the book. I have also been reading The Box of Delights by John Masefield and I am hooked. I love his writing and although the slang is rather dated it just adds to the fun of the book.
I didn’t read as many books in 2022 as I usually do but I did read bigger books than usual. I also managed to complete my Goodreads Challenge.
Here are the books I read in 2022.
I’m so glad I read more classics this year and I made progress with the book series I have been trying to finish. I’m still trying to come up with my reading goals for 2023 but I have decided I want to try and read my height in books again as I failed when I tried it in 2021.
I hope you are all looking forward to New Year and have some fun plans for New Year’s Eve. We will probably have a quiet New Year’s Eve at home but we have a nice bottle of champagne to help us celebrate.
My chosen poem today is by one of my favourites Eleanor Farjeon.
Poetry
What is Poetry? Who knows?
Not a rose, but the scent of a rose;
Not a sky, but the light in the sky;
Not the fly, but the gleam of the fly;
Not the sea, but the sound of the sea;
Not myself, but what makes me
See, hear, and feel something that prose
Cannot: and what it is, who knows?
Eleanor Farjeon
Lady Book Dragon 