The Lit. Net Rate-A-Day Thread

[misterlit]

Most of you are wondering what this "Rate-A-Day" thread is all about so let me tell you. This thread is for rating CLASSIC books. But how and why?

How: Each day each user may pick one classic book and rate it on a 1 to 10 scale (10 best, 1 worst) and give a quick 50 words or less review of it. Its a review thread at heart but the level of variety is key here and you don't even have to write a review, you can just give a number instead.

Why: Its fun and it helps users decide what are the best classics.

Anyway lets see if it catches on!:thumbs_up

Remember that you can only post one classic a day but you can post any amount in total keeping with one new one each day.

[misterlit]

I'll start then!

-Treasure Island: 8

A book that I liked but it did not match the hype that I and heard about it in the end. The way it was written bothered me a bit too but the level of adventure here is unmatched! A solid book in the end.

[Dark Muse]

I will start with one I read fairly recently

Catch-22: 8

I love the wit and humor of this book. It was ridiculous as well as gritty. I usually am not one much for war related stories, but what Hellar did with this book was quite ingenious. Instead of telling the story of the war itself it told the story of the lives of the men. It bordered on the ridiculous while still speaking of truth, and being a very heartfelt story.

[book_jones]

Hmm, it sounds like you should've given Catch-22 more than a 4. Maybe you just have really high standards.

The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder: 10

I know that I can't shut up about this book, but I really moved me. I'd say it was the best book I've ever read about death. I love the way the story is framed, and I love Wilder's style. I never even knew he was a novelist. It seems that he's mostly remembered for his plays. However, this is probably his masterpiece.

[misterlit]

Oh forgot to mention that posts of the same book in a given day is just fine, as long as its from two different people.

[Dark Muse]

Hmm, it sounds like you should've given Catch-22 more than a 4. Maybe you just have really high standards

Ooops, I forgot it was a 1-10 scale, I was thinking 1-5. Thank you for pointing that out.

[Joreads]

Anna Karenina I read this book for book club and to my surprise I loved ,it for me it is an 8/10. I had heard a lot about the book and I have to say it lived up to what I had heard.

[book_jones]

Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty - 9

This is probably my favorite southern stream of consciousness novel. I think that Welty is a highly underrated author. She was an author of great depth who had the ability to be lighthearted and breezy or dark and moody. She could be very straightforward or oddly abstract. This book is a blending of all her styles. As I usually say about the books I rate on here, this one deserves a lot more attention than it gets.

[Dark Muse]

Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen: 8

I really enjoyed this book, though it does not seem to be as well known as many others. One of the things I rather liked about it, is that though it was written in the 20th century it incorporates aspects of the old Gothic Novel of the 19th century, and it does so in a sort of satirical way. The book is a criticism of the upper class trying to hold onto a past and way of life that is dying. It is also full of rich and wonderful symbolism.

[book_jones]

Well I'll have to read that one. It's on my book list!

[Dark Muse]

Here is another one that does not seem to get much attention, and yet I found it to be an enjoyable and worthy read

Lady Audley's Secret by Elizabeth Braddon: 7

Well I do not wish to give too much away with this book becasue it is a bit of a mystery, but I find it had a touch of humur to it, and was an entertaining book to read. It is not really heavy serious reading, but it is still good. And well it is the story about a young woman who comes recently to mary an older man and suspicion which begins to circle around her.

[book_jones]

Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathaniel West - 7

Nathaniel West wrote about the 30s almost perfectly. His books are so linked with that decade that it's hard to think of him writing at other times even had he survived them. This is really a novella as it's far too short to be a novel. It only takes an hour or two to read it. I recommend it.

[book_jones]

An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser - 7

This book had some amazing moments, but it dragged on way too long. It really could've been written just a effectively with many pages cut out of it. Still a powerful read though. Sometime I'm certainly glad I've read.

[wilbur lim]

I am a berserk reader!I wouldn't categorically leave any book behind,all books must be read before I die!I am literally rigid,and that is my demeanour.

My book is-Don Quixote.I shall rate it as 9.It is by far the most eminent book in Spanish literature and one of the best adventure stories in the world.It might be cliche and not fecund,but it is the fundamental and the priority one in each life.The language merit is sublime,quite stimulating.

[Whifflingpin]

Mysteries of Winterthurn - Joyce Carol Oates - 9
"gothic (post-modern)" - I picked it up by chance when I'd never heard of JCO, and a better introduction to her works it would be hard to find.

[book_jones]

The Day of the Locust by Nathaniel West - 9

Thought I'd do the other West book that I've read. This was his last book, and I was really taken by it. The characters are so exaggerated and the situations are so odd that it almost seemed like a cartoon. Despite it's somewhat depressing nature it was a lot of fun to read. It's only 180 pages, so you don't have to invest too much time into it.