Let me start by saying Happy New Year to one and all. I hope that whatever you celebrate was filled with family and fun. With that being said, allow me to get to my topic of the day. As an English teacher and a book lover I should enjoy all classic literature and the authors that made it so, right? Well, I have to admit that I am not quite on board with that train of thought. I have read a great deal of books that I have not truly enjoyed and have read authors that I have not enjoyed for one reason or another.

A great example of this is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. I have read this book more times than I can count at this point in my career. I read it in school as a senior. It was on almost all of the reading lists for my college courses and I teach it every year to my seniors. What is the problem with this book, you might ask? My problem with it is that I hate all of the characters. Not one, other than poor George Wilson who is used as a murder weapon, are good people with good moral compasses. I always tell my students that even though it isn’t my favorite, there is always something to learn.

Another author that I am not very keen on is Ernest Hemmingway. It isn’t that he is a bad author, I am just not all that interested in his subject matter. My father, being the dad that tries to be thoughtful with gifts, purchased me a set of Hemmingway books this Christmas. He was so excited because he had read a few of them and liked them. I am appreciative because I know that he put thought into the gift; he always does. This gift gave me pause to consider reading more books from authors that I may not normally choose .

Every year people make New Year’s resolutions. I am not one to do that, but I am willing to entertain reading more. I can give authors that I have not enjoyed in the past another try. I am very specific about the type of books I like as far as newer authors go. I like John Grisham and Dan Brown, but classic authors are free game. I will sit down and make old Ernest my new friend. Well, I will give it the old college try.

Perhaps this post has inspired some of you to challenge yourself to break free from your comfort zone and read something unexpected. I have been thinking about this since Christmas. Over the years there haven’t been too many books that I have really disliked. At this time I can only think of two besides Gatsby. Wuthering Heights and Treasure Island may get another opportunity to change my mind. So, I wish you all a very successful 2026. Pick up an old unfavorite and give it another try. You never know, you may just find a new favorite author/book.

Until next time,

Cat