Looking Backwards by Edward Bellamy

This book is more a political statement than a story.  It tells of Julian West, who is put into a hypnotic sleep and due to a series of circumstances doesn't wake for 113 years until the year 2000.  He is still in Boston, but it is now a socialist utopian society.  A large part of the book consists of Julian West asking his guide, a local doctor, questions about the society and how it runs and the doctor answers these questions.  It's almost like a really long, fictional lecture about Bellamy's views.  There are some interesting parts, as Bellamy makes some fairly accurate predictions about consumerism and technology, but he is much more concerned with societal changes.  I suppose I am just too steeped in American capitalism and its ideas because this utopian society seemed unrealistic and impossible to me!  It isn't a book I would choose to read.

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

I first read this book as a teenager and didn't really love it.  I read it again since it was on the list and still didn't love it.  It's an interesting subject and story but isn't very well written and is very preachy.  It is a quick read for how long it is, so that's nice.  I would say it isn't really worth the time unless you're interested in the subject for some reason:  the historical time period, slavery, abolition, etc.

Germinal by Emil Zola

This book surprised me.  I don't know what I was expecting, but certainly not such an involved story of mining in the 1860's.  It seemed extremely realistic and made me wonder if it really was.  It made me curious as to how accurate the depiction of the mining process was.  It definitely seemed real, and the writing is good enough to get a person very involved in the story and the lives of his characters as they suffer so much the miners choose to strike.  Étienne Lantier arrives in a mining town and finds a job in the mines.  He gets involved with the people in the city, particularly those on his mining team, including a young woman he falls in love with.  There is a dangerous anarchist involved in the strike.  He blows the mine when some of the miners go back to work and traps them in the mine.  The story has a sad end, too, made more sad by the fact that the reader is very involved with the characters by the end of the book.

The story has many social implications.  It also deals a little with genetic predispositions in our current behavior and choices.  It is a rather long book and takes some time to read, but it is worth the time.

Erewhon by Samuel Butler

I didn't particularly like this book and even found it very boring at times.  The main character visits the country of  Erewhon, which is supposed to be "nowhere" backwards.  At first it seems like a utopian society, but it is quickly clear that it has some serious problems.  I don't enjoy utopian-type books or satires about society in general, so this wasn't a favorite of mine.  Occasionally it reminded me of Swift's Gulliver's Travels.  It read fairly quickly, so that was a plus, but I would still say it isn't worth the time.

Love Over Scotland & The World According to Bertie by Alexander McCall Smith

I finished Love Over Scotland and didn't want the story to end, so I immediately started The World According to Bertie.  These are books three and four in the 44 Scotland Street series.  It was fun to read about the characters we have come to know and love and see how they are doing.  Bertie continues to be my favorite story line.  He is a 6-year-old with a demanding mother who pushes him too hard and won't let him be a little boy.  It was also fun to read about Domenica's experiences with the pirates she left to study at the end of the second book.  In The World According to Bertie, I liked the character of Pat less.  I'm hoping I will like her again as she makes better choices in the next books.  I'm also looking forward to things improving for Bertie.

Alexander McCall Smith's books are always enjoyable.  He writes a clever story.  These two books are entertaining and are also quick easy reads.  They're definitely worth the time.

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

I checked this book out from the library because it is on the British Big Read list of 200 best books.  I didn't know anything about it, so I read the front flap and the comments on the back cover before starting to read.  These areas included the comments:  "stirringly erotic" and "the most erotic."  I don't believe in reading books that fit those categories, so I decided not to read this book.  I wanted to include a review, though, since it is on the list and maybe somebody else also believes in not reading books of that type.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

This is a different book for Charles Dickens.  There are similarities to Dickens' other books, like the lack of personality of the female character.  But the style is different and it breaks the mold more than any of Dickens' other books.  It is also shorter, which makes it an easier read than the usual tale by Dickens.

This book largely tells the story of the dissolute Sydney Carton during the French revolution.  His story also involves Charles Darnay, a French aristocrat, and Lucie Mannette whose father is a doctor involved in the revolution.  The combination of characters causes some interesting conflicts and culminates in a dangerous situation for Darnay and a sacrifice by Carton.

I love this book, not as a great example of Dickens (which it really isn't), but a great book in its own right.  I have read it many times because I enjoy it so much.  It is also a much easier read than the usual Dickens' book and goes pretty quickly.  It is definitely worth the time.