Fallton Havenstonne

With books that can be read in a couple days or a week, it’s worthwhile to see the progress one makes as the book mark slowly reaches the last pages. But for longer books that take weeks or months to read, progress can seem barely noticeable, as if we just started when we actually read for hours.

But what keeps me going is not how many pages are left, or when the chapter will end, but simply the habit of reading. I know that if I read consistently, that no matter how long it takes, I will eventually reach the end. It could be just a few pages a day, or it could be a certain number of minutes, but as long as I stay consistent, the road towards the end will get shorter and shorter, until finally, I’ve reached the end.

After a book is read, I’ll give myself a break–about a day or two. I often find myself unable to leave that literary space–that world I was immersed in, unable to put aside everything that I’ve experienced. Reading is as much an experience as a visiting a new place or watching a movie. It’s full of moments and scenes that stay with you, and when you can empathize with the characters, it’s like meeting people who are sharing their experiences and thoughts candidly.

Each book is different for me, in which some books linger longer than others, but they all remain in the back of my mind. Often times I learn something from them, see things from a new point of view. It’s kind of like hearing someone share their story about a trip or a topsy-turvy day they had, and finding out things that haven’t been talked about or discussed before.

But books can also impress quotes upon your mind, passages that stay with you because they describe something so clearly and unequivocally in which you had a hard time putting into words. It is those parts in the book that stir up new modes of thinking, new modes of analysis, and make you appreciate what you’ve read and learned.

There are some books where the first pages draw me in instantly, and others where it takes time before I am immersed in a story. I’ve always wondered about this: the best approach of how to begin a story. Is it the dialogue? The descriptions? Or is it a witty remark or clever a saying that piques my interest quicker than others?

In my case, I often find that it’s about clarity more than anything else. If it takes me a while to figure out what’s going on, or to distinguish who is saying what, I feel more disconnected from the story than if I know what’s going on and who is saying what. Lengthy descriptions can hinder my interest as well, or if the sentences read awkwardly or don’t have a natural flow.

I don’t think there is one right way to begin the first pages of a story, as before I begin a book, the subject matter or gist has to interest me first. And if the subject matter and gist do pique my interest, then it’s up to the author’s writing to keep me invested reading from cover to cover, but that usually starts with the first pages.

Whenever I read books with illustrations in them, they can provide an invitation to the story that can enhance the reading experience. The illustrations can vary, as when they are small, such as when they introduce a new chapter (above the text), or they can be on a separate page–interspersed throughout the novel. Sometimes they can leave you wondering if what you imagined matches the visuals that were described, though this can depend on the artist’s interpretation.

Comic books (or graphic novels) tell the story through visuals and the text rather supplements them, as there can be pages without texts. But with novels, in which there are tens of thousands of words, the visuals tend to complement the story, like providing cues for the descriptions, as when films have music that provides cues in certain scenes.

Not that stories must have illustrations, but they’re like extras, as when non-fiction books have artifact-like photographs of historical places or people. Whether the book illustrations are detailed like paintings, or as simple as small sketches, they can enhance the experience, or leave you wondering if what you imagined matched what was described.

Wuthering Heights, written by Emily Bronte, published in 1847, is an engrossing novel about revenge and passion, which explores how these can not only cause great turmoil, but tarnish the very soul of the person who cannot let go of the past. The story begins with a man named Mr. Lockwood, who visits Wuthering Heights, and meets the residences there. As he dines with the family, he is taken aback by how solemn everyone is. Later, he returns to where he stayed, and learns their family history, as recounted by a servant named Ellen Dean, who had been with the family for decades and seen all that had transpired hitherto.

We learn that Mr. Earnshaw had adopted a boy, who he named Heathcliff, and the father has two children of his own: Hindley and Catherine. Nearby, there is an estate called the Grange (Thrushcross Grange), where therein lives two siblings: Isabella and Edgar. After Mr. Earnshaw passes away, Hindley becomes the heir of the estate, and therein sets a rivalry between him and Heathcliff, in which the latter tends to the manual labor of the estate while Hindley lives as the head of the estate. Catherine later marries Edgar Linton (who lives at the Grange), and when Heathcliff returns to Wuthering Heights after being away . . . let’s just say ruin comes upon them all.

The first half of the book gives us an introduction to the lives of these characters and their personalities and goals. As Ellen Dean recounts what happened, she often tells the events in segments, since Mr. Lockwood becomes all the more fascinated as he hears more. The second half of the book picks up with Hindley’s son, Hareton Earnshaw, Isabella’s son, Linton, and Catherine’s daughter, Catherine. With Heathcliff now in charge of Wuthering Heights, he schemes to ruin them all and take control of the Grange–all in pursuit of revenge due to the past and he he felt wronged.

I won’t go into details of the third act, as it’s unavoidable to tell what happens without revealing spoilers, but suffice it to say that there are a lot of twists and turns, especially at the end, where we learn the fate of the characters and how things worked themselves out. There are a number of gripping scenes throughout the novel that held my attention, and the characters are really well done, taking on a life of their own. It’s a novel that explores the longings of the human heart, and how it can either lead to redemption or one’s downfall.

One thing I really enjoy about reading the classics is that you really get a sense of what life was like in a different era, and the things that they were concerned with at the time. Let’s not forget the immense array of vocabulary you come across such as “hitherto” or “presentiment,” words which we don’t see often today, which can sound erudite, as well as the way they use words in painterly, expressive ways.

I’ve reviewed several classics already, including The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Brothers Karamazov, which feel like they are set in different worlds. With all the digital technology at our disposal, I can only imagine how the events would’ve in those stories would’ve changed if the characters could correspond via email or cellphones, and not through letters, notes, or by word of mouth. But these limitations forced the characters to either wonder or reflect what someone else was thinking, and what course of action they should take next.

But aside from the technological aspect, it’s the themes that feel universal in classic works. Themes about the human condition, including happiness, the soul, good and evil, and the consequences of certain modes of thinking. Not only do the authors give us insights into the minds and attitudes of the characters, but their longings, and how their past affected them. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, it showed what happens when someone rejects their moral conscience; in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, it showed what it feels like to be an outcast in society; and in The Brothers Karamazov, it showed different beliefs and value systems, and their implications on the characters’ lives.

Although I do enjoy reading modern literature, especially science fiction books, there is something about the books written one hundred plus years ago that wow differently. They’re not only a time capsule of the attitudes and beliefs of the people of that time, but they carry messages that still resonate with us today: all the challenges and obstacles, tragedies and misfortunes, lest I forget joys and triumphs, of being alive.

I’ve made it a habit to read multiple books at once, and have found a rule to keep myself from not losing interest in one book or another. As a rule, I will read one book for a few minutes a day, while in the other book, I will read at great length (the main book), which I plan to finish sooner than the other. In the past, I would read one book at a time, but there were books that did not hold my interest, and as a result, I would read less and less until I slowly quit reading altogether.

Because I had lost interest in that book, I lost the habit of reading (consistently, that is), and when I picked up reading again, it would take me awhile to build up my concentrative stamina again. Not only that, but there were times when other things would come up, impacting the time I had to read. But by setting aside one book to read for just a few minutes a day (i.e. 5 – 10 minutes), while having another book to read at leisure (i.e. 30 minutes or longer), it has helped me to develop a good habit of reading each day, regardless of the day’s events.

Of course, the more you read, the easier it will be to immerse yourself into the story–quicker, that is. There have been times where other things were on my mind and it would take a few pages before I could fully concentrate on the book. But with practice, this delay of immersion started to reduce–to the point where I was already wondering what would happen next (in the story) before I read.

Warriors 4: Rising Storm (The Prophecies Begin), by Erin Hunter, published in 2004, is a fun and thrilling adventure into the world of cats who survive in the wild. Book one followed the journey of a house cat named Rusty, who meets cats in the wild, organized into clans. Now his name is Fireheart, and he has taken on the role of deputy of ThunderClan, ever since Tigerclaw has been ousted (as told in book 3).

In Rising Storm, the first act of the book takes us through the lives of the cats in ThunderClan ever since Tigerclaw’s betrayal was uncovered. Bluestar, the head of ThunderClan, is morose and sullen after her trusted deputy was found to be untrustworthy. Cloudpaw, Fireheart’s nephew, has become his apprentice, though he is discovered venturing back into twolegs (humans) territory, which is against the rules. Yellowfang, the head medicine cat, is training Cinderpelt (Fireheart’s last apprentice before she injured her leg on Thunderpath–the road where cars and trucks are driven). And then there is Darkstripe, who is ever so suspicious of Fireheart ever since he has taken Tigerclaw’s place as deputy.

And with Tigerclaw on the prowl with other rogue cats, Fireheart must stay vigilant at all times, with the other cats on alert. He also wants to check on Graystripe–his best friend who is now living with RiverClan–but the risk of venturing there will leave the clan at risk. And when a pair of ShadowClan cats arrive to their territory sick, helped by none other than Cinderpelt (the apprentice medicine cat), Fireheart must weigh the consequences of helping them or betraying his clan.

Without revealing what happens in the last act, a catastrophic event changes everything for ThunderClan, including the fate of some characters. Warriors 4: Rising Storm is a gripping story that takes the series in a new direction. As the characters evolve, Fireheart must learn to be a leader, while balancing the safety of the other cats with the warrior codes.

Pax, written by Sara Pennypacker, published in 2016, is a heartwarming story about a boy who is searching for his pet fox amidst the outbreak of war. The story begins with Peter riding in the car with his father when the latter pulls over to the side of the road. With a green army toy in his hand, Peter throws it into the woods, and his pet fox, Pax, chases after it. But unbeknownst to Pax, the car drives off, leaving him stranded in the woods.

Since Pax had been raised by Peter ever since he was a pup, he doesn’t know how to survive in the wild on his own. Soon after, Peter’s father joins the army, leaving Peter to stay with his grandfather some 300 miles away from where Pax was released. But Peter begins to worry, and he sets off on his own to find Pax at the place where he had last seen him. During his hike, he injures his foot, and unable to travel much farther, he is helped by a woman named Vola, who lives on a farm.

A veteran of the army, Vola survives off grid and without electricity–teaching Peter lessons about perseverance and how to survive with the resources he has. Meanwhile, Pax meets a pair of sibling foxes: Bristle and Runt, who are both cautious of humans after losing their parents to them. Pax struggles to catch food, but with the siblings’ help, he manages to survive in the wilderness. An older wolf named Gray decides to join Pax to find Peter, and so they set off on a journey across the wilderness into army territory.

What’s fascinating about the book is how these two storylines parallel each other until they coincide toward the end. In Peter’s case, he learns to walk on crutches as his foot heals, while Pax is met with obstacles when he finds a camp of soldiers laying wires in the ground in the forest, which poses a threat to anyone or anything that crosses it.

The juxtaposition of the two storylines becomes more tense as the distance between them closes. In both cases, Peter and Pax begin to grow in ways that are unique: Pax becomes more adapted to living in the wild, and Peter becomes wiser about the realities of life. Toward the end, Peter and Pax are no longer the same, and as they’ve impacted and helped those around them, the novel leaves us with this question: are they better off on their separate paths?