“Classic” A book which people praise and don’t read.
— Mark Twain
I wouldn’t say I have a love / hate thing with the classics (it’s really not that dramatic), but we could probably call it an aversion / affection thing.
I confess that I can’t recall the last time I read a classic without some provocation: book club, book bingo, genre study.
Something in me says, “That book… That book is gonna be work.”
And sometimes it is.
But almost always, it’s worth it.
Still, when I saw this completely luscious display of the Word Cloud Classics at Book Expo, I had the usual mixed response: total book lust (they’re such beautiful books!) blended with “Please don’t make me read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow!”
And then I feel like a very bad person.
People, here’s the harsh truth of the matter: I’m a lazy reader.
But I’m also all about the self-improvement.
So when one of the book club ladies suggests we read a classic, I stop myself from doing the knee-jerk groan, and I say, “I’ve also wanted to read that.”
Meaning: I wish it were over, but soon it will be, and then I’ll be enriched by the experience and everyone’ll be happy.
But first: a little bit of inward cringing, because… That book is gonna be work.
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