Classics Book Club: Around the World in 80 Days

This months classic is Around the World in 80 Daysby Jules Verne. I remember reading an Illustrated Classic Edition of this story when I was young. This was my first time reading the full story.

I really enjoyed this story. The idea of just traveling for almost three months is very appealing. Today, traveling is just a means of getting where we are going. We can go anywhere in the world in a very short amount of time. My husband and I would love to someday take a train trip across the country. I think that would be a great way to see the country.

I found that I enjoyed the character of Passepartout the most. He was the one who had most of the adventures. He saw the sights. He experienced the local cultures and food. He enters a forbidden pagoda in India. He helped rescue Aouda. He helps rescue the train from the Indians and then gets captured by them. He was full of energy and curiosity.

I think this book would be very good for boys to read. I am always on the lookout for something interesting for my 10 year old son. He likes to read but it needs to have some adventure in it or he loses interest. I think that he would like this story.

If you would like to read more discussions of Around the World in 80 Days, check out 5 Minutes for Books.

Classics Bookclub: A Christmas Carol

This is my first time to participate in 5 Minutes for Books Classics Bookclub. This months selection was A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

This was my first time to read this classic story. I have seen many movie and tv versions of it from the very serious to the very whimsical (Scooby-Doo). None of them do the story justice. I found that even though I knew the basics of the story, there was much that I didn't know.

I enjoyed the humor that was sprinkled throughout. I enjoyed Scrooge's nephew Fred. What a jovial fellow! I wish that I would always have that welcoming attitude when dealing with difficult people. I also enjoyed the character of Fezziwig. Fezziwig's party was a good example of how to keep your employees happy. Scrooge should have learned more from Fezziwig about how to treat employees.

I felt that the Cratchit family seemed more like caricatures than real people in the present scenes. I felt like their joy in the small goose was too forced. Like they were pretending to be happy but inside were miserable. And that is how we would expect someone in their situation to be. In the future scene, they seemed more real. The sadness and grieving at Tiny Tim's death seemed more real to me.

Finally Scrooge himself. I thought his transformation from selfish miser to generous, happy gentleman was well written. He changes a little bit with each scene and by the end embraces the changes he needs to make. I love the scene on the morning after Christmas when Cratchit is late. I can just picture him waiting in his office trying not to giggle with anticipation of what he is going to do for his employee.

Overall, I am glad that I read this book. I will certainly read it again and again.