Julie Goucher ~ Anglers Rest

I was reminded of the Classic Reads Blog Hop from Vikki who blogs at the The View Outside and decided to play along.

This hop is being hosted by Molly Greene, Terri G Long, Christine Nolfi and Rachel Thompson

The point of the hop is that each writer shares what they consider to be a great read which will allow readers to perhaps experience new books and share their views of the books they have read.

To someone who is a real book lover and reads quite a lot this should be an easy post to write. Well, it has been a tricky one and I had to result to walking up the stairs from where I was sitting writing this to the study and pull out those books that for me made a classic read.

What is MY classic read?

This is a book that I read over and over again. The keepers. In the case of one of those book titles it is as much that copy of the book as the story itself. A classic read is one where you finish reading and feel as though you have just lost a good friend.

A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute is the book for me that is not only a classic read, but also this copy has to be the one read. The moment I see that book, I can recall the story and where I purchased this very copy and all the good memories of that book come to mind.

A Room with a View by E. M. Forster is another such book and I am rather attached to my copy of it. This one obtained from a Waterstones in Guildford in May 1987. I had been to see the film, which stared Helene Bonham Carter, Dame Maggie Smith & Dame Judi Dench and was filmed in my bit of Surrey.

I am going to add another book which I think has just made my classic’s list. A book that I saw, obtained, read and reviewed within the last 6 weeks.

The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe.
This was a really beautiful read. It is essentially the story of life, death, friendship, love and books. You can read my review HERE and I am I think likely to re read within a few months.

The last two author’s that make my classic reads are Jennifer Chiaverini whose books about the Elm Creek Quilters are devoured incredibly quickly and Helene Hanff, who is most known for her book 84 Charring Cross Road.

What are your classic reads?

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I spotted this book in the window of a bookshop in one of the shopping centres in Geelong Victoria when I was in Australia last October and knew that as soon as I could I would purchase the book.

When I got home I was delighted to see that the Bookies Too book group had elected to read this book during the later half of December so I quickly ordered it and then sat down to read.

I suspected that I would love it and I was right! – Cancer is always a hard subject to read about, especially as many families including my own have been touched by it. Over the years when I worked in hospitals I would do ward rounds and hear that awful “rattle” and see the patients and their families. Truly shocking.

For me this book was about Will’s relationship with his mother. and his final relationship with her. The conversations they had and the ones they did not have, the books they shared and simply being together, mother and son for a final time. Yes, the medical details are perhaps hard for some to bear because in the US I understand that there are funding issues and therefore some have a “financial stress free time” and others don’t. Here in the UK all medication and treatment is free unless you choose to pay for private medical treatment, in which case it is expensive.

I think that this book is about how Will coped with his mother’s passing, and perhaps for Will writing this book was a form of counselling and coming to terms. It also enabled Will to write about his mother, a mother he was immensely proud of.

Despite being such a sad book, alas there is no happy ending, it was a really lovely book. It is the story of reading, books and relationships.

There is also a web page and there is a Facebook page to accompany the book complete with a full list of the books and authors that Will and his mother discussed.

The End of Your Life Book Club Book and Author Listhttp://www.scribd.com/embeds/112965609/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll