T itibaren Karasevka, Kurskaya oblast', Rusya itibaren Karasevka, Kurskaya oblast', Rusya

Read back in school, but visited it again for one of my masters classes, to evaluate the writing/research.

This is an amazing book. It is believed the be the world's first work of fiction. It's long and somewhat arduous to read but well worth the effort if you have the time. I read this while I lived in Japan and spent many hours reading on the train and in the ubiquitous coffee houses there. It was a great experience, likely enhanced by being in Japan since many people would talk to me about it. The original novel is comparable to Shakespeare in that the text is archaic (although much moreso with Genji than any of Shakespeare's works) as well as poetic and therefore often takes discussion and analysis to comprehend. It is also required reading for young Japanese in several levels of education. This version is written in plain, modern English so it reads like a novel.

One of my favorite books. A must-read for everyone.

This was another book that came highly recommended, but that just didn't grab me. There was a lot of promise in the premise - missionary family goes to Africa - but I feel like I got a lot of frustration about the crazy religious dad, and the daughters annoyed me more than anything. I think it's a good book - just not for me.