One of my goals this year is to complete the reading passport by the deadline they have to be entered for their prize draw – 31 March 2017.  I may have studied literature in the past and read 1-2 books a week, but I have been struggling to step up the pace (probably because I don’t have the hours free time I did back then and there’s no looming essay deadline!)

The Great Gatsby (1920s)

after gaping at the size of Gone with the Wind (and the age of the version from my work library) I promptly defaulted to the second book I picked up – The Great Gatsby.  I read this one before New Year.  I found this book easy to read and perhaps do not feel as ambivalent towards it as I didn’t have to study it at school.  It’s quite a short book and quick to read.  I like the classic narrative style in it with its allusions to events in the future and the narrator’s own heightened view of himself.  As it’s written in the first person, I am naturally drawn to the debates of reliability in the first person narrative, and am suspicious of any declarations he makes about himself, and to an extent, others.

To Kill a Mockingbird (1960s)

I’ve just completed this book and am dazed!  There’s so much covered in just over 300 pages.  I struggled slightly for the first 50 pages, but after this I felt compelled to carry on reading.  It’s written so well from the child viewpoint of Scout (Jean-Louise), daughter of a lawyer is called to defend Tom Robinson in court.  It covers many issues, including what equality means and how a child’s logic can highlight contradictory values held.

Next up – The Life of Pi (2000s)

I’m jumping around the generations in this challenge!  the Life of Pi is the next book in my list.  However, with February approaching fast, it looks like I am going to have to read much faster than I am currently!