Classics Challenge: "A Tale of Two Cities"

Oh, boy.
I'm really embarrassed. Last update I mentioned how A Tale of Two Cities was picking up and I was on page 150 or so.
Well, it's almost the end of April and I'm currently...
On page 163.

I just can't stand Dickens' writing. Trust me when I say that I tried. I even had my youngest sister read aloud. She giggled at the wording every few sentences. It was that bad.
Not to mention A Tale of Two Cities jumps around with different POVs. Which always made understanding what was actually happening that much harder.
In the end, I'm closing the book on this one (ha ha, punny!). Maybe I bit off more than I could chew with this whopper of a book. Maybe it would've been different if Dickens wasn't so satirical and complicated with his writing.
Maybe, maybe, maybe...
This isn't much of a review, but if you have lots of time and enjoy thinking while you read, then this book is for you. Otherwise, you may want to choose another classic.

Classics Challenge: Mid-Month Update

Wait, it's mid April already? Wow. Where did the time go?
Luckily I am making progress with this month's Classics Challenge: A Tale of Two Cities. Sort of. Okay, I'll admit it took me a long time to get into Dickens' novel. There were moments where I had no idea what was going on, if my Facebook post is any indication.

If any of you are reading along, I'd say Chapter 5 is where things start to make sense (though there are still a few passages that boggle me). While Dickens does have a penchant for unnecessary descriptions and paragraphs that I'm 98% sure are pure satire, the story is interesting. I already have a sort-of crush on Charles Darnay, a falsely accused young Englishman.
As far as the ending, I have no idea what to expect. I've never seen a movie based off of the book. All I know is that the French Revolution is going to be involved somehow--which is always a very scary "war" for me to read about. As a kid, I read Sovay and was terrified. 

Hopefully that won't happen with A Tale of Two Cities.
That said, I'm only on page 150 out of 400+, so I've got some work ahead of me. But I'm looking forward to it.
...I think.

Classics Challenge: Charles Dickens

"The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again." ~ Charles Dickens
Next up on our Classics Challenge is the equally famous as his predecessors, Charles Dickens. If you like a guy with crazy hair and a penchant for writing confusing (read satirical) stories, Mr. Dickens is your man!

I'll just let you sink in this hairstyle for a moment...

Ahem. Moving on.

Charles Dickens was a hard-working, creative, and determined man. At the age of twelve, Dickens' father was thrown into debtor's prison. His family moved to be close to his father and in order to pay for board and help support his family, Dickens was forced to quit school. He found employment at Warren's Blacking Warehouse. Dickens worked ten hour days for six shillings, pasting labels onto pots of boot blacking. His experience here would forever color his future literary pursuits (i.e. Oliver Twist).

Dickens' early writings involved short stories and political journalism. His first full-length novel was The Pickwick Papers, though at the time it was published in an episodic format. It was between Episode 1 and Episode 2 that Dickens married Catherine Thomson Hogarth. The couple went on to have ten children.

Many works are credited to Dickens' hand. Some of his famous works are A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, and Little Dorrit.

Dickens separated from his wife, Catherine, after beginning an affair with 18-year-old actress Ellen Ternan (he was 45 at the time). The Dickens children were given to Catherine's sister Georgia, save for the one Catherine took with her.

On June 8, 1870, Dickens died of a stroke. Against his wishes for a simple funeral he was buried in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey.

Writerly Things to Learn from Charles Dickens

1. Use your life to inspire you. Dickens' life heavily influenced his works. His time employed at the boot blacking factory is alluded to in Oliver Twist. People in his life are echoed in his works as characters. For example, Elizabeth Roylance, the woman with whom the Dickens family boarded with, is immortalized in print as Mrs. Pipchin in Dombey and Son.

2. Interacting with your audience is vital. After separating from his wife, Dickens embarked on reading tour after reading tour. His first reading tour involved 129 appearances in 49 towns throughout England, Ireland, and Scotland.