29. Vern, Jules. Journey to the Centre of the Earth. 291 pages. 3.24.09. *

Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth was nothing like I expected. I have never read any Verne before, but I thought I was familiar with some of the basic ideas of the novel. However, this "popular" knowledge was largely erroneous, and the book turned out to be more academically interesting than entertaining in a common sense.

I expected Journey to the Centre of the Earth to be a more traditional adventure story, similar in tone and style to Treasure Island. Instead, the novel reads more like a 19th-century scientific travel narrative, focusing on internal struggles and academic achievements over physical catastrophes and encounters. The details I expected - those concerned with prehistoric life existing in the center of the earth - are only briefly described towards the end of the novel. In the space of a couple chapters Verne discusses these phenomena, before returning to the description of the journey at hand. As the title itself suggests, I found that the novel is actually concerned with the journey, as opposed to what may be discovered at its end.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I decided to read this novel to my son as his latest bedtime story. Many of the locations, names, and scientific terms threw me for a loop, and I found myself mumbling more than once. Luckily, my son is only one and didn't know the difference.

28. Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan. The Hound of the Baskervilles. 243 pages. 3.22.09.

The Hound of the Baskervilles was my first expedition into the world of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes, and I greatly enjoyed the experience. As I have no means of comparison, I am not sure whether the style of the novel is consistent or singular in terms of Sherlock Holmes novels and stories, but I was delighted by the narration provided by Dr. Watson. As a narrator, he was faithful and consistent, and Doyle skillfully manipulates the character to both gain the reader's confidence and sense of security, while keeping many important facts close to his chest. Holmes, on the other hand, was detestable. From his very first introduction I felt repulsed by the character. For that reason, I am glad that the narrator was Watson and not the infamous detective himself. In the end, he played a relatively minor role, and the novel itself is very enjoyable.

27. Cast, P.C. and Kristin Cast. Hunted. 323 pages. 3.16.09.

I have very low standards when it comes to judging popular fiction - especially popular fiction intended for teenagers. I have always viewed the genre as a rather simple form of entertainment and try to judge it as such. Likewise, when I read young adult fiction I always keep in mind that I am actually seven to ten years beyond the intended audience. That being said, the most recent novel in the "House of Night" series is atrocious. The quality of the writing - which was not great to begin with - seemed to deteriorate as the series proceeded, and the latest installment supports this observation. Mrs. and Miss Cast seem to have very little faith in their readers, and as such write far below the typical expectations of the genre. Despite her reported intelligence (and other positive qualities), Zoey Redbird is written like a thirteen-year-old as opposed to the seventeen-year-old she is supposed to be. The text itself moves awkwardly between standard fiction and the amateur scrawling of an overly romantic and naive preteen, and the first twenty pages or so of the novel are completely useless. The language itself, which is intended to create a sense of familiarity for young readers, is already dated and out of touch, and it won't be long before it will completely fail to connect readers to the characters. While the conclusion is more satisfying than previous novels, Hunted does little more than illustrate the weaknesses obvious in previous novels, and will do little to recommend any further additions.

26. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. 189 pages. 3.12.09.

Last night I turned to an old favorite, and another "school" classic - F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. This short but poignant novel paints a beautiful but macabre portrait of a period dripping in character, scandal, and self-involvement. Entirely unforgiving, Fitzgerald is faithful to his ideas and opinions, and shows no fear in humanizing his subjects. This is a novel that I am sure I will return to again and again.

24. Harrison, Kim. White Witch, Black Curse. 504 pages. 3.2.09.

Not as entertaining as her previous novels.

25. Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. 284 pages. 3.10.09.

As part of my reading list this year I have decided to return to some of the classics I read in grade school, and To Kill a Mockingbird was at the top of my list. At this point I'm not quite sure how I feel about the novel - I neither liked it, nor disliked it. The choice of narrator was brilliant on Lee's part, and I greatly appreciated seeing such poignant events through the eyes of children. Lee's writing style itself gives much to be admired, and is a wonderful example of a marriage between creativity and craftsmanship. However, the novel has left me with a feeling of melancholy that is keeping me from joyous praise.

My husband (who has never read the novel) insists that if we ever have a daughter he wants to name her Harper Lee. While the novel itself gave me no reason to reject the idea (as I originally thought it would), I still don't think I can agree. I recognize Lee's rightful place as a literary great, but didn't appreciate the novel enough to spend my life with her namesake.