We’re kicking off the new year with an amazing blog hop event on the wonderful topic of what makes a book a classic read! It’s a pleasure to be involved with a hop like this, organized by talented authors Terri Giuliano Long, Rachel Thompson, Molly Greene and Christine Nolfi. You can read more about each of their books below.
What comes to mind when you think of “Classic Reads“? I admit, the first thing that popped into my head was Little Women. I still remember the smell of those well-loved pages in the book my mother handed down to me. And it was a book I picked up often during the summers I spent with my grandparents.
Other ‘classics’ came to mind as well, like The Chronicles of Narnia and, since we just did the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy for New Year’s Eve, Tolkien’s sweeping, world-building genius.
But not all of what I consider classics are fantasy – or even written in an earlier age. J.K. Rowling wrote books that were tagged ‘instant classics’, because of their appeal to such a wide audience and the overarching message hidden within the hearts and journeys of her beloved characters.
The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino is a classic in my opinion – again because of the message that speaks to readers willing to hear it.
To me a classic has that elusive element (defined differently for each individual reader) that reaches beyond the words on the page and into the spirit. Creating questions, or offering up answers in a way we hadn’t previously considered. A classic read, in my opinion, reaches an emotional depth that increases our self awareness.
So what makes a book a classic for you? Leave a comment here for a chance to win a kindle edition – your choice of one of my books AND your choice of one of the four books featured below.
Be sure to enter the “Spread The Word” Giveaway using this rafflecopter form:
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And, as promised, here is more from the organizing authors:
Welcome to bestselling author Rachel Thompson’s newest work! Vastly different in tone from her previous essay collections A Walk In The Snark and The Mancode: Exposed, BROKEN PIECES is a collection of pieces inspired by life: love, loss, abuse, trust, grief, and ultimately, love again.
What happens when a workaholic serial remodeler falls in love with an old stone cottage built by an ornithologist and his eccentric Irish wife? If you’re Madison Boone, you kick your budding romance with handsome Psych Professor Coleman Welles to the curb and lose yourself in a new project. Madison renovates distressed homes in addition to her busy real estate sales career.
When she hears about a quaint house on a private tract of land overlooking Lake Sonoma, she climbs in the window for a private tour and falls in love with the place. Good fortune enables her to purchase the Blackburne’s property, but far more than a new home and lush gardens await discovery during this renovation.As Madison works on the remodel, she’s drawn into an old love story with dangerous consequences.
She unearths buried secrets and discovers herself in the process. Good thing she has three wise, hilarious friends to advise her along the way! Mark of the Loon is the skillful combination of history, mystery, and romance in a novel that explores deep friendship, choices, and how individuals cope with loss.
Dr. Mary Chance needs a sabbatical from medicine to grieve the loss of her closest friend. But when she inherits a struggling restaurant in Liberty, Ohio she isn’t prepared for Blossom Perini. Mary can’t resist falling for the precocious preteen—or the girl’s father. The bond they forge will transform all their lives and set in motion an outpouring of love that spreads across America. Welcome back to Liberty, where the women surrounding the town’s only restaurant are as charming as they are eccentric.
Second Chance Grill is the prequel to Treasure Me, 2012 Next Generation Indie Awards Finalist, which The Midwest Book Review calls “A riveting read for those who enjoy adventure fiction, highly recommended.”
A Story of Love, Loss, Connection, and Grace
At the heart of the seemingly perfect Tyler family stands sixteen-year-old Leah. Her proud parents are happily married, successful professionals. Her adoring younger sister is wise and responsible beyond her years. And Leah herself is a talented athlete with a bright collegiate future. But living out her father’s lost dreams, and living up to her sister’s worshipful expectations, is no easy task for a teenager. And when temptation enters her life in the form of drugs, desire, and a dangerously exciting boy, Leah’s world turns on a dime from idyllic to chaotic to nearly tragic.
As Leah’s conflicted emotions take their toll on those she loves—turning them against each other and pushing them to destructive extremes—In Leah’s Wake powerfully explores one of fiction’s most enduring themes: the struggle of teenagers coming of age, and coming to terms with the overwhelming feelings that rule them and the demanding world that challenges them. Terri Giuliano Long’s skillfully styled and insightfully informed debut novel captures the intensely personal tragedies, victories, and revelations each new generation faces during those tumultuous transitional years.
Recipient of multiple awards and honors, In Leah’s Wake is a compelling and satisfying reading experience with important truths to share—by a new author with the voice of a natural storyteller and an unfailingly keen understanding of the human condition…at every age.
Live the adventure!
Don’t miss any of the stops on the Classic Reads hop:
Little Women is proving to be a popular choice! I love your comment about ‘Instant Classics’ – that’s a great point that definitely opposes the idea that classics must be decades or even centuries old. Thank you so much for taking part in the hop!
My best,
Terri
Thanks fro stopping by Terri, and even more for sponsoring such a great event. 🙂
Great post, Regan.
I especially agree about Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. I love how they were good friends in life. They must have exchanged wonderful ideas and stories.
David, I’ve often thought the same thing about Tolkien and Lewis. Can you imagine those brainstorming sessions?
I suppose for me, the criterion I deem most important for a classic would be that it can be re-read multiple times and the reader will still take away something new from the book after each reading.
Excellent point, Jeri! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Nice post. I think it’s a classic if it’s one that a lot of people would read and more than once and has an interesting subject.
I also love Lewis’s Narnia series. As you say, it’s the appeal to many that make it a classic. Your reference to the smell of the page is familiar to me. I love being comforted by a book, epecially on rainy days.
it should be a book that is still being talked about and read long after its release two of my favorite classics are pride and prejudice and the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy
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