Finished Emma...right on time

If I keep taking four months to read one book, this is going to take a really, really, really...really long time. I figured out that if I read one book per week, it would take almost two years. Well, I am going at a WAY slower pace than that. I even talked to my mom about it and she said, "It's a lifetime goal." I don't really want it to be a lifetime goal, so I am going to try a lot harder to get these books read in a timely manner.

I keep getting distracted by other, easier books. I've kind of gotten into the habit of reading the entire Twilight series before one of the movies comes out, so I read all four of those books (for the 5th or 6th time) before tackling Emma. So, I guess I can't be too hard on myself - I mean, I read five books in four months. Actually, I read one of the Percy Jackson books, too, so six books in four months. That doesn't sound nearly as bad. We'll stick with that.

So anyway, about Emma - it was tough. I read about 300 pages and was kind of dying. I went back and read the introduction that was included in my copy, and it said that Emma is often criticized for its lack of action. I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking that! I actually really enjoyed it in the end, but it was very hard to get through until the last 60 pages or so. Jane Austen's books are used by scholars and historians a lot of times because her descriptions of everyday life in the 19th century are very detailed. Well, that is true - tediously so. I only started liking the book when Emma turned into more of a human character after her spat with one of the other characters. Her regret and remorse for speaking without thinking was something that I have felt many times. I could finally understand and commiserate with her.

I am going to stick with Austen for now, but I do have to warn you - I bought the rest of the Percy Jackson series and will probably read those before I read another classic.