I typically gravitate towards classic fiction in the winter months, and this year is no exception...
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. The description of Wilde's only novel makes it sound like a cross between the myth of Narcissus and
Faust. A young man has his portrait painted by a friend, falls in love with the image of his own beauty, and bargains his soul for eternal youth. Sounds dark and moody...in short, a perfect winter read!
A Room With a View by E.M. Forster. I just finished this one, and I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected. I don't know why I'm surprised, though...I wasn't particularly enamored of
Howard's End, either. Forster's prose too often reads as though it was translated from another language. I do, however, like the message that something does not have to be delicate to be beautiful.
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. Though it is long and by many accounts depressing, I am determined to give this book a go. I read
Return of the Native in high school, which I hated (but then again I also hated
Pride and Prejudice when I was forced to read it in high school). I freely admit that I primarily bought this book because it was recently re-published as part of a lovely series of
clothbound Penguin classics...I feel no shame for judging books by their covers.
...and I still haven't read
The Custom of the Country, which was on my
fall reading list. So many books, so little time!
And the 2010 Pantone color of the year is...turquoise! An excerpt from the press release: "Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing." I could definitely go for some of that this year. As for the color itself, I think I prefer last year's mimosa. Mmm...mimosas AND soothing tropical waters? Now that would be a winning combination.
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