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"Every day I turn
the leaf to read them"
Gaudy Night—Dorothy L. Sayers
The Daughter of Time—Josephine Tey
Charlotte's Web—E.B. White
Emma—Jane Austen
To Kill a Mockingbird—Harper Lee
The Faerie Queene—Edmund Spenser
Tom Jones—Henry Fielding
Far From the Madding Crowd—Thomas Hardy
Great Expectations—Charles Dickens
Highlighted links below lead to  .
Gaudy Night
Nope. Not a bell-bottom in sight. No love beads or
lava-lamps. But before you start thinking that there's NOTHING gaudy in this book,
read a few pages. The depth of Sayers's eloquence and wit is just as shocking as an
orange plaid Nehru jacket. Will she or won't she? Does she or. .. er... don't
she? (Sayers must be spinning in her grave.) The waffling woman in question is
Harriet Vane—Oxford graduate and love object of the charming, cheeky Lord Peter
Wimsey. There is no schmaltz in this romance, but there is a passion that not even a
disco ball could hide. The mystery is both shocking and sedate within the
tradition-bound academic world. I could go on but, heck, the seventies are over, so
what's with all these references anyway? Gaudy Night is not the
best-beloved Sayers novel, by any, I think, but me.
The Daughter of Time
When I first read a synopsis of this novel, I was rather startled. The mystery of
the princes in the tower, nephews of Richard III of England, has never truly been solved,
but it didn't seem fodder enough for an entire novel—at any rate, not a novel that
does not fictionalize the scene. While Tey may not have, in the end, come up with
the historically accurate answer to the question of what became of the heirs to the throne
of England she, through her Inspector Grant, at least makes a logical stab at the mess.
This book is a good reminder that the victors, in this case the Tudors, write the
history books. Richard never had a chance.
Charlotte's Web
I don't like spiders. In fact, I'm terrified of them. But this isn't a book
about a pig and a spider; it's about the power of words, and of love. It is about
sacrifice, about friendship, and about the joy of combining the two. I dare anyone
to find a lovelier book.
Emma
Emma is the most fallible of Austen's heroines, and the most human. She lacks
Elizabeth's quick wit, and Elinor's steadfast nature. She is, frankly, a meddlesome
fool. But in novels, unlike real life, intentions do count. She who would
infuriate in person, delights on the page. I cannot help but wish her well, despite
her foolishness. It is not so much that she deserves happiness, but that some
essential part of her character would not survive sadness. Each time I read an
Austen novel it becomes my new favorite, for a time. But I always return to Emma
in the end.
To Kill a Mockingbird
It is in my nature to distrust the popular. I am always somewhat disturbed when some
favorite of mine is revealed to be a favorite of others, as well. I am even more
distressed at the thought of one of my favorites becoming "in" with education
system. But such is the case with TKaM. It is a strong representation
of how much I liked this book from the start that I can still claim to like it now.
This is the novel I wish I could write. I can't.
The Faerie Queene
Spenser is always overshadowed by his famous contemporary, but modern ignorance should not
detract from his brilliance. His imagery shimmers with profound beauty and sensuous
detail.
Tom Jones
When first I saw the film of Tom Jones, I was unfamiliar with the novel. I watched
the film in delight then was overcome by curiosity. Yes, the book is as bawdy and
hilarious as the film. Yes, it is even better.
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