I have three books going at the moment. I am listening to The Help whenever I’m in the car, and sometimes I have to sit in the car a little longer so I can finish a particularly good part. I am absolutely loving this book, and I can’t wait to discuss it with my faculty’s book club.
I’m also re-reading Pride and Prejudice. This annotated version is helping me understand nuances I’m not sure I picked up the first time I read it years ago. The only problem I have with the annotations is that they give away much of the plot. I would like to use this edition with students, but some of the annotations should be read as they are reading, and some will give away the plot a great deal, which I think some students may find frustrating.
Finally, I am still working through Crime and Punishment on DailyLit. I am just not enjoying it at all. I found the murder of Alyona Ivanovna and her sister Lizaveta chilling and compelling to read, but for a few scenes since that time, the book never grabbed me. I am close enough to the end to stick it out, but I’m not inclined to read any more Dostoyevsky. I don’t know whether I should feel stupid that I’m not getting something that so many people in the past have clearly enjoyed and esteemed, or just accepting that it’s OK to feel the way I feel about this book.
Don't feel stupid! It's just not your taste. I didn't like Crime and Punishment either, but after much angst, I decided it was my right to like what I like without feeling guilty.
Now, see, Austen I get. She's one of my favorites, which you can probably tell by the size of her name in the tag cloud in the sidebar. My mother couldn't stand Wuthering Heights or Moby Dick, which I enjoyed (Wuthering Heights is a personal favorite). I think you're right about the classics, but my gut always wonders what I'm missing. I know there are folks who feel about Dostoyevsky the same way I feel about Emily Brontë, and of course your profession about Austen makes your feelings clear, but because I love those books, I always feel they're missing something, which is why I wonder if I am missing something. Still, there are so many books in the world. I wish I'd given Crime and Punishment up sooner. Now I feel that I have to finish it since the end is in sight.
re: Dostoyevsky, I feel that way about Austen – sometimes, you just don't like it, regardless of how "classic" it may be.