Wow. This book is nothing like the movie, at least the one I watched with Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeremy Irons. The end was so tragic and the actual prisoner in the iron mask was such a small part of the story. Seems to me it was the complete opposite in the movie. Huh. Go figure.

I'm glad I finally read this.

This is a classic that I never read and I always meant to, and it's short so it didn't take long at all. It was just okay for me. My favorite parts of the book were the beginning and the end, not so much the parts when the time traveler is actually in the future. But, it is amazing to think that Wells came up with the idea of a time machine and how so many movies, books, etc. went on to use and further expand on the idea. Wells was truly a visionary.

An adventurous tale of a hot-headed young man who finds true friends, faces violent enemies, falls for a few women, and escapes from danger many times, all while trying to realize his dream of becoming a musketeer like his father.

I found this to be an enjoyable read though a bit slow at times and while I was anxious to see how the action turned out, it was somewhat bogged down by the old language and lengthy descriptions. 

I read this with the serial reader app. I love how accessible it makes classic books. You get a small portion of the book each day, and before you know it... you're done. I even find myself reading ahead from time to time to see what happens next.

I never read this one before and I never even saw the musical. I listened to the music and loved it, but that was all.

This was a good story and I enjoyed reading it. The Opera Ghost is always a mystery, but the other characters are interesting - though not enough to really get attached to. I was on the edge of my seat at the end, waiting to see who would survive.

 

For the most wild, yet most homely narrative which I am about to pen, I neither expect nor solicit belief.

- First sentence

 

The first time I read an Edgar Allan Poe story, I was a teenager. I haven't read all of his works, but I did read The Telltale Heart, Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Cask of Amontillado, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Raven, and probably others that I don't remember. I enjoyed Poe's stories, but I haven't read anything by him in a while.

I chose to read The Black Cat for the Black Cat Square in Halloween Bingo.

I did not enjoy this story. Yes, Poe was a masterful storyteller and he was original and creepy. But, this one did not scare me at all. I hated reading about how the narrator treated the cat who adored him. I wanted him to suffer for what he did. I wasn't surprised by the ending, perhaps because I did read this story in my teenage years. 

There is one thing that did surprise me (although I guess it shouldn't have, given the man's character and that this is a Poe story)... 

(sorry about the spoiler. I couldn't get it to work properly and my preview wasn't working. I finally just took it out. Hope I didn't spoil the book for anyone...)

Bottom line, this story disturbed me (and maybe that is part of what horror stories are supposed to do). I prefer my horror stories to not involve animal abuse.

Avoid if you are sensitive to animal cruelty.