Gatsby

I've had a lot of fun in the past couple of years rereading the classics that were on my required reading lists in high school. As it turns out, as much as I enjoyed them before and as much as they influenced me to keep the literary analysis going by majoring in English in college, I've enjoyed them even more by rereading them 10 to 15 years later. Jane Eyre, The Scarlett Letter, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Little Women and several others all fall into this category, and so does F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic masterpiece: The Great Gatsby.

I read this novel for the first time as a junior in high school and for the second about two summers ago while at the beach. I loved it so much more the second time, and I'm now so, so hoping that rumors of a movie version turn out to be true (I can see Leonardo DiCaprio as Nick Carraway; what about you?). Three more Gatsby-related things have recently popped up on my radar: 1) The house said to inspire Fitzgerald during the writing of the novel was recently torn down (read about it); 2) I recently listened to Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise on my iPod while training for the latest half marathon (the book that first brought Fitzgerald notoriety as a writer); and 3) I listened to The Summer We Read Gatsby by Danielle Ganek recently in the car.

I'm always sad when historic buildings have to be torn down, and this one is no different. It just seems a shame that a place with a grand past but some wear and tear can't be restored by someone. It's especially sad when a house has such literary significance.

The Summer We Read Gatsby was a fun read, and I was glad to have already read and enjoyed the original novel, though this new one was just a fun story, such that could be enjoyed as a summer beach read due to its length, quirky and funny characters, mystery and setting.

Speaking of summer reading, I just can't wait to get my hands on a few things I've been dying to read. To me, a vacation anywhere is the perfect way to enjoy a story. I'll be reading lots and lots this summer and of course, reporting it here.