Literary Blog Hop: March 17-20

Welcome to the Literary Blog Hop hosted by The Blue Bookcase!

This blog hop is open to blogs that primarily feature book reviews of literary fiction, classic literature, and general literary discussion.

How do I know if my blog qualifies as "literary"? Literature has many definitions, but for our purposes your blog qualifies as "literary" if it focuses primarily on texts with aesthetic merit. In other words, texts that show quality not only in narrative but also in the effect of their language and structure. YA literature may fit into this category, but if your blog focuses primarily on non-literary YA, fantasy, romance, paranormal romance, or chick lit, you may prefer to join the blog hop at Crazy-for-books that is open to book blogs of all kinds.

Instructions for entering the Literary Blog Hop:

1. Grab the code for the Button.


<a href="http://www.thebluebookcase.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/IngridLola/LiteraryBlogHop-1.jpg" alt="Literary Blog Hop" width="150" height="150"></a>

2. Answer the following prompt on your blog.

(Suggestions for future prompts? Email to them us at thebluebookcase@gmail.com)

Debbie Nance from ReaderBuzz asks:

What one literary work must you read before you die?

Our answer this week comes from Christina:

The wording of this prompt can be interpreted two ways. And, being the chatty little blogger that I am, I'm going to answer both interpretations!

1.) The literary work that I recommend you (yes, you) must read before you die:
Well, I usually try to tailor my recommendations to the recommendee a little. But, if pressed, I think I'll go with Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides. I know not everyone likes this book, but I loved it intensely. I never wanted it to end, and I think it has something for everyone.

2.) The literary work that I must read before I die:
With this question, the first things I think of are the big works, like War and Peace, Infinite Jest, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. And I do really want to read all of those. But to be honest, the book I feel the strongest draw toward right now is The Complete Stories of Flannery O'Connor. If I were to die tonight (knock on wood), one of my last thoughts might be, "Oh, MAN! I never got to read all of Flannery O'Connor's stories!" And the really sad thing would be that I've had the book sitting on my shelf for, like, three years.

I'm looking forward to seeing how you all interpret and answer this question! Hop away!

3. Add your link to the Linky List below.

Happy Hopping!

*PLEASE NOTE: if you do not answer the question and link back to The Blue Bookcase in a post on your blog, you will be removed from the Linky list.