Reading The 1000 Books to Read Before I Die

  “So, it came to pass that as he trudged from the place of blood and wrath his soul changed.”— Stephen Crane   The Red Badge of Courage A Review by James Romano Hello 1000 Bookies!!  This week our magic portal takes us to the time of the American Civil War.  For me, the Civil War is all around me, I just have to look out my front door and my back door as I live on the hallowed ground where many gave their lives.  Our next stop of the 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die is The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane.  This story of the Civil War is most intriguing because Crane did not fight in the war and was born after the war ended yet captured the essence of a youth fighting in the war.  Unlike other war stories such as The Killer Angels , you really never know what battle our hero is fighting.  Although a year later, Stephen Crane published a short story sequel where readers find out that battle was the Battle of Chancellorsville.  T...

  “The Beauty of being a bookseller is that you don’t have to be a literary critic; all you have to do to books is enjoy them” Roger Mifflin, The Haunted Bookshop  The Haunted Bookshop A Review by James Romano Hello 1000 Bookies!!  Today we return to the world of Christopher Morley with his sequel to The Parnassus on Wheels — The Haunted Bookshop .  Both of Morley’s books, featuring the adventures of Roger and Helen Mifflin, have landed on the 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die .  This engaging novel is set in late 1918 Brooklyn, the story picks up in the quirky marriage of Roger and Helen.  When we last saw the couple, Helen had bought Roger’s mini bookstore on wheels to stop her brother from buying it and drove from town to town selling books. Roger helped her and they fell in love and married. Roger and Helen retire the traveling bookstore and open a shop in Brooklyn, New York named Parnassus at Home.  The Haunted Bookshop is a fun, slapstick mys...

  “I loved Nancy Drew.  Looking Back, I think she was a great role model—a strong, independent young woman…” Marti Schmidt Martin Nancy Drew and The Secret of the Old Clock A Review by Jim Romano Hey 1000 Bookies!!  Today we are heading to the American Midwest to a fictional town named River Heights, to meet Nancy Drew, the famous detective.  The latest book I completed on the 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die is The Secret of the Old Clock , which has the distinction of being the very first Nancy Drew mystery.  The story was originally written in 1930 but was re-written in 1959 (to soften Nancy and to change some racial stereotypes ).  The “author” is  credited as Carolyn Keene, however there is no Carolyn Keene.  According to James Mustich, “'Carolyn Keene’ is the pseudonym for a group of ghostwriters who, over several decades, have composed and revised the Nancy Drew Tales”. There were many authors over the years however the most prolific w...

  “I hoped that Mary Anne, Claudia, Stacey, and I - the Baby-Sitters Club - would stay together for a long time.” Kristy,  The Baby-Sitters Club A Review by Ashley Romano & James Romano Hello 1000 Bookies!!  This week our reading portal takes us to the 1980s for a young adult book series that would eventually lead to the publishing of 213 separate novels-- The Baby-Sitters Club .  I am joined today in developing this blog post by my youngest daughter, Ashley Sarah.  We read the first Baby-Sitters Club story, Kristy’s Big Idea .  The story was first published in 1986 by Ann M. Martin.  Martin has published hundreds of young adult novels over her career.  The Baby-Sitters Club novels dealt with interesting issues at the time that affected many of the young girls (and boys) who read them including the issues of divorce & blended families; children with special needs; and regular teenage angst issues such as boys, school and moving homes....

“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet things of life which are the real ones after all” Laura Ingalls Wilder, 1917 Little House in the Big Woods: A Review By Erica Romano & James Romano Greetings 1000 Bookies!!  Today the portal of our book travels leads us to the Wisconsin of the 1870s for our next stop on the 1000 Books to Read Before You Die .  We visit the world of Laura Ingalls Wilder through her first novel, Little House in the Big Woods .  The Little House on the Prairie saga has always held a special place in my life.  The TV classic was a staple in my home growing up.  My mother watched the show religiously both when it was in first-run and then in syndication.  The afternoons (after General Hospital) were devoted to Little House Reruns. The story of the Ingalls family and all of their trials and tribulations were very important in the house I grew up.  During the pandemic, as we approach month six of social distancing and quaranti...

  “It will be our aim to amuse, by producing a rapid succession of characters and incidents, and describing them as cheerfully and pleasantly as in us lies” Charles Dickens on the announcement of his latest novel Nicholas Nickleby  The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby A Review of the Classic by Jim Romano Hey 1000 Bookies!!  Today we open our portal and arrive in the late 1830s in London, England to review the Dickens classic, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby .  However, for the fun of it, the official name of the story is The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Containing a Faithful Account of the Fortunes, Misfortunes, Uprisings, Downfallings and Complete Career of the Nickleby Family .  That title is quite the mouthful, I think you can tell that Dickens was being paid by the word.  A reader can always count on Dickens to use an extra 25 words when two words suffice—it is part of his charm.  I personally believe that Charle...