June's Book Competition - Classic by a Female Author
This month, I wanted to stretch myself and go with a classic book written by a woman. I remember the books I had to read in school and it seemed like most were written by men. I don’t tend to love classic books (Dickens: ew, Hemingway: ew, Steinbeck: ew), but since I’m not a teenager anymore, I thought this is the perfect time to try a classic again.
The Ground Rules
To help keep things mostly apples-to-apples, I selected a theme each month. Then, Leslie and Noah each submit a book to me for reading. Neither knows what the other shared with me. Then, over the course of a month, I read the books and choose a winner for the best book that month.
June 2022: Classic by a Female Author
Leslie submitted To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. She’s challenging herself this year to read one classic per month. Here's what she said about why she chose it:
Ironically, I’ll be re reading this with you in June as my classic is the month. I read this in high school but honestly do not remember much of the plot. I do remember that it moved me and I told everyone I loved the book. Hopefully it will be a good surprise for us both.
Next, Noah submitted The Warrior’s Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold. He submitted the first book of this series in the March Book Competition for the “Romance” genre. I was excited to read the next book of this saga. Noah was excited to select this book and wasn’t initially sure if it qualified as a classic. Since the publishing date pre-dates my birth, I’ll call it a classic.
Side note: does this mean I’m a classic too?
To Kill a Mockingbird is an American classic that most of us read in high school. It’s a coming-of-age story that takes place in 1933 Alabama. I remember that I did read it in high school, but I couldn’t remember what it was about. Once I started reading, I remembered more of the plot. I also remembered that I hated it in high school.
I don’t hate the book now, but I slogged through it. I think this book became important because it discusses racism, prejudice, and privilege. However, in 2022, this book falls flat. Our literary world has changed so much since Harper Lee published this book. What once was a profound statement on racism in America simply doesn’t stand up to other, more contemporary fiction novels with similar themes. 2/5 Stars
The Warrior’s Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold was even more unexpected than To Kill a Mockingbird. In this novel, we follow the story of Miles, the child of Cordelia and Aral from Shards of Honour. Miles, struggling to live up to his father’s legacy, must learn to deal with some physical limitations and, in the process, ends up in a very “Han Solo” situation: broke and the owner of a rickety freighter. But, like all good heroes, Miles must obtain important cargo and deliver it to a dangerous locale to get out of his predicament.
The Warrior’s Apprentice is a fun read and goes quickly. Interestingly, I feel this book shares similar themes around prejudice, loss-of-innocence, and good vs. evil, much like To Kill a Mockingbird. I wish more curriculums made updates to teach books like this, rather than stay with the same novels for 50 years. 4/5 Stars
Two Will Enter, One Will Win
Comparing these books and deciding on a winner between my two friends still isn't easy. Each book this month was very different from the other. This month’s winner: The Warrior’s Apprentice. Noah takes the win!
Here’s a recap of point totals:
January: Noah
February: Tie
March: Leslie
April: Leslie
May: Leslie
June: Noah
Noah is now at three points, while Leslie stays at four points. July’s book is “Non-Fiction, BIPOC author” and I can’t wait to see what the selections are.