Book Number One

So, book one to read is Middlemarch by George Eliot.  I first set out to find out a bit about the man who wrote the book.  Tidbit one, he is not a he....he was a she.  Mary Anne Evans, Nov 22 1819 - Dec 22 1880, wrote under a male pen name to lend credence to her writing.

Mary Anne Evans

Since she was not considered beautiful, and demonstrated a lively intelligence at an early age, her father saw to it that she got a full education, something usually reserved for males at this time.

She was quite the outspoken person and wrote in the Westminster Review about the frivolity of female author's novels in the day.  She formed a relationship with George Lewes, a married man living in an open relationship.  This was not uncommon during the period, but was usually kept under wraps.  Later on in life she again broke convention and married a man 20 years her junior.

Well, off to read!

Tim

100 Books to Read

A while back I had decided to read a few classics.  I really enjoyed the experience.  Not only were they entertaining, they were books that were important to read.  I had fun, and felt uplifted.  Lulu had suggested that I look up a list of 100 books that you must read.  I found a bunch of these types of lists and after dismissing the ones containing Harry Potter (great books but I wanted classics) I settled on a list published by The Daily Telegraph.

The Telegraph has been writing stories since 1855.  I felt they would have a good idea of what a classic is.  Here is a link to their list:  Books to Read

Tim