Comfort reading

If you harken back to my Dickensian love fest a la A Tale of Two Cities then you'll recall that Charles Dickens is one of my all-time favorite authors. Therefore, it should come as no surprise to you that whenever I come across any of his works that I don't own (we don't speak of the two copies of David Copperfield which I covet) I pick it up. That's how The Mudfog Papers came into my life and I couldn't be happier about it. It's a satirical little novel that was original written in serial format (as most of the works by Dickens were). It's all about the goings on in the town of Mudfog. Especially of interest were the meetings of 'The Mudfog Society for the Advancement of Everything' where a reporter was sent to take notes for public consumption. It is HYSTERICAL. Between the caricatures of the learned men in the so-called 'Society' and the minute-by-minute letters from the reporter it's Dickens's tongue-in-cheek commentary at its best. (He was lampooning the British Association for the Advancement of Science by the way.) I read a few pages a night of this delightful little tome only so I could prolong the experience. This is 'comfort reading' at its very, very best. 10/10 highly recommend this and (everything he's written) to everyone.


**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

My love affair with Dickens

I thought it was time that I come clean about my adoration of Charles Dickens. It all started with Nicholas Nickleby and it definitely snowballed from there. However, that wasn't my first foray into all things Dickensian. Like many people, it was compulsory to read Great Expectations while in school but I don't think that's the way to lead someone down the path of Dickens admirer. At least it wasn't for me. I know that Dickens is an acquired taste and for many of you reading this your interest in any of his novels is minimal at best. But I hope you'll hear me out as I gush about my favorite Dickens novel, A Tale of Two Cities. Yes, it's his most famous work. That is for a very good reason. It's absolutely phenomenal. The story is told before and during the French Revolution and focuses on a key group of characters who one instantly feels are real. Your heart aches for Dr. Manette, you stand a little straighter with Darnay, and you are filled with hope for the future by Carton. A story of loss, love, and liberty; A Tale of Two Cities can't be beat.

I call this my 'Classic English Shelf'. Obviously I'm very imaginative.

**If you're interested in a book by the man himself, you can click here. This will re-direct you to AbeBooks. This is one of my favorite websites for purchasing used books. Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following this link. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **