Pakistani Readers discussion

Discuss your favourite classics.

Wsm wrote: "Discuss your favourite classics."

Anne of Green Gables series by L. M. Montgomery.

Love, love, love Anne! 

Her positivity, her optimism, her integrity, her loyalty, her courage, her compassion. 

And her selflessness. 

To make personal sacrifices and stay strong for your loved ones are only few of the things I learned from Anne and Gilbert (more about him later :-) 

Not that Anne is perfect; definitely not. Lol.

She's a real, breathing person, with both flaws and virtues. She goes through the ups and downs of life, dreams and works hard, adjusts but doesn't give up, faces challenges, experiences losses, makes mistakes (some of them hilarious ;-) and learns from them.


"Marilla, isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?"

"I'll warrant you'll make plenty in it," said Marilla. "I never saw your beat for making mistakes, Anne."

"Yes, and well I know it," admitted Anne mournfully. "But have you ever noticed one encouraging thing about me, Marilla? I never make the same mistake twice."

"I don't know as that's much benefit when you're always making new ones."

"Oh, don't you see, Marilla? There must be a limit to the mistakes one person can make, and when I get to the end of them, then I'll be through with them. That's a very comforting thought."


The books in the series are entertaining and well-written. I cry, I laugh, and I swoon everytime I read them.

Speaking of swooning, Gilbert (whom I mentioned earlier) is another character I love :-) From the moment he teases Anne about her hair and she cracks her slate over his head, I knew he was the one for her. Lol. The whole enemies to friends to lovers development is awesomely done.

The romance is only one facet of the story, though. 

The books beautifully capture Anne's journey from a little girl to a grown woman, and how her experiences and the people around her affect her and are affected by her. She learns and grows over the series, and you learn and grow right along with her.

Highly recommended :-)

Sounds interesting.

Wsm wrote: "Sounds interesting."

Thank you. Hope you enjoy the books if you get a chance to read them :-)

Wsm wrote: "Discuss your favourite classics."

P.G. Wodehouse—a popular comic author of the 20th century. 

I can always count upon his books to make me laugh. His characters are hilarious. His writing is funny and clever. He used simple, everyday words, but the way he strung them together so that they produced a certain impact—awesome!

SOME EXCERPTS:

'Don't leave me, Bertie. I'm lost.'
'What do you mean, lost?'
'I came out for a walk and suddenly discovered after a mile or two that I didn't know where on earth I was. I've been wandering round in circles for hours.'
'Why didn't you ask the way?'
'I can't speak a word of French.'
'Well, why didn't you call a taxi?'
'I suddenly discovered that I've left all my money in my hotel.'
'You could have taken a cab and paid it when you got to the hotel.'
'Yes, but I suddenly discovered, dash it, that I'd forgotten it's name.'
We drifted to one of the eleven cafes which jostled each other along the street and I ordered restoratives.
'What on earth are you doing in Paris?'
'Bertie, old man,' said Biffy solemnly, 'I came here to try and forget.'
'Well, you've certainly succeeded.'

(Carry On, Jeeves)

"It was a confusion of ideas between him and one of the lions he was hunting in Kenya that had caused A. B. Spottsworth to make the obituary column. He thought the lion was dead, and the lion thought it wasn't."

(Ring for Jeeves)

"My scheme is far more subtle. Let me outline it for you."
"No, thanks."
"I say to myself—"
"But not to me."
"Do listen for a second."
"I won't."
"Right ho, then. I am dumb."
"And have been from a child."

(Right Ho, Jeeves)

PS: I love the way he wrote out the last few lines so that the same 'dumb' implied one meaning in one line and another meaning in the next line. Really clever writing :-)

Yes,I always enjoyed Wodehouse,particularly the adventures of Jeeves and Bertie Wooster.I read almost all his books.Glad you like him too.

Wsm wrote: "Glad you like him too."

Same here :-)

Some of my favourite classics include :
The Woman in White
All Quite on the Western Front
Animal Farm
Nineteen Eighty Four

Wsm wrote: "Some of my favourite classics include :
The Woman in White . . ."

Hey, I've read The Woman in White. It was written by Wilkie Collins, right? I'm afraid I don't remember much about the story but this same author wrote another book, a detective story, titled: The Moonstone. I really enjoyed that one :-)

Wsm wrote: "Discuss your favourite classics."

Here are some of my favourite authors of golden-age mystery and historical romance:

—Agatha Christie (Mystery)
—Dorothy L. Sayers (Mystery)
—Ngaio Marsh (Mystery)
—Georgette Heyer (Mystery & Romance)
—Jane Austen (Romance)

I'm not sure whether their books would be considered as "classics", but I thought they might be worth mentioning :-)

Yes,Wilkie Collins wrote The Woman in White,a dark,atmospheric tale.Despite its sheer length,over 500 pages,I enjoyed it immensely.
I also enjoy Agatha Christie,and have read most of her books.Have you read And Then There were None,it's her masterpiece,the perfect murder mystery.Among the others you mentioned,I read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen,but found it slow going.

Wsm wrote: "Discuss your favourite classics."

A few more classics I enjoyed:

—Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.

—Little Women, Good Wives, Little Men and Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott.

Yes,Jane Eyre is familiar,though I read it a long time ago,and don't remember the details.As is,Wuthering Heights.

Some more I liked :
Gulliver's Travels
Arabian Nights
A Farewell to Arms
Alice in Wonderland
Through the Looking Glass
King Solomon's Mines

@Wsm

Most of the classics I read was during my teens, so I also don't remember much details. Lol.

Anne of Green Gables series by L. M. Montgomery is a particular favourite, though. I remember the books as I've read them several times. Same with most of the books by P. G. Wodehouse, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Georgette Heyer, and Jane Austen :-) 

Yes,I also read them a long time ago,but after several years,it gives me renewed pleasure to read my favourites again.Christie I still enjoy.

Wsm wrote: "Yes,I also read them a long time ago,but after several years,it gives me renewed pleasure to read my favourites again.Christie I still enjoy."

Yes, I totally understand the joy of rereading old favourites :-)

PS: I'm more into contemporary fiction these days, though. Cozy Mysteries and Sweet Romances :-) 

Read Farenheit 451 recently,did not find it particularly impressive.

Also,didn't particularly like :
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Old Man and the Sea
The Mill on the Floss
The Sound and the Fury

Wsm wrote: "Also,didn't particularly like :
To Kill a Mockingbird . . ."

I've read To Kill a Mockingbird. Again, the details escape me. But I do remember I liked it. Lol.

It didn't interest me at all.Recently,a sequel came out.I gave it a miss as well.

Reading Brave New World currently.Another one which didn't meet my expectations.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott.

Though not quite as old as the books mentioned above its pretty damn good.Plus points for being sci fi cause i havent read many sc fi novels from the 20th century that still stand as " science fiction" today.
Lots of twists and turns,Ratings are high and I as a 14 year old understood it.

I have seen the movie of Ender's Game,pretty good.

The movie can’t really compare to the book,I mean yeah they’re both good but everything in the book is happening so quickly and sometimes its so complex i had to to sit for a minutr just to imagine what the hell was going on.

Other than that,Asa Butterfield just isnt the short -younger than all the other kids- I’d been brought to imagine by the book.

Ok,I haven't read the book.

Oliver Twist is another of my favourite classics,very intense and poignant.

Wsm wrote: "Discuss your favourite classics."

Remembered three more authors I enjoyed:

1) Arthur Hailey

I'm not sure whether his books can be classified as classics but they deserve a mention. They're basically thrillers, set against the backdrops of various industries. What's special about them is the meticulous research the author put into creating their settings. 

2) Victoria Holt 

3) Daphne du Maurier

Yes,Arthur Hailey is among my favorites,read all his books.He was among the bestselling authors in the world at one point.His books are basically thrillers,set against the backdrop of various industries.Include Hotel,Airport,Wheels and the Moneychangers.

Wsm wrote: "Yes,Arthur Hailey is among my favorites,read all his books.He was among the bestselling authors in the world at one point.His books are basically thrillers..."

Yes, I also read almost all his books, some more than once. It was around the same time I read Alistair MacLean and Helen MacInnes. They wrote spy thrillers.

Several of Alistaire MacLean's thrillers were adapted as movies.My favourites are Guns of Navarone,Where Eagles Dare and South by Java Head.All are in the backdrop of World War II.

To get back to classics,Chinhua Achebe's Africa trilogy,begins with Things Fall Apart.Excellent depiction of life in a tribal society,some savage traditions,and a ruthless man,who will do anything to survive in an unforgiving environment.

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Planning to read :

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

And re read :

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Also :

She: A History of Adventure by H. Rider Haggard

Around The World In Eighty Days By Jules Verne

Yes,an interesting one.I liked the movie more than the book,however.