Shelf Control 22/05/2020
Welcome to today’s Shelf Control post! I think we’ve already ascertained that I have no s(h)elf control, but let’s keep up with the pretence, shall we? Shelf Control is a meme run by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies. It’s a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up!
For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out Lisa’s introductory post.
Shelf Control gives me the chance to look in more depth at the books I have added to my TBR. I talk about why I want to keep the featured book and it also acts as a second sweep to my Down the TBR Hole posts for anything that I may have changed my mind about. It’s been quite a while since I last looked at some of these books! I don’t necessarily own them all (yet), but I will have a reasonable number of them.
In today’s post I am featuring another classic novel that I think I would have actually enjoyed at school. Well, it’s hard to say. I only got to read a few classics in my school years and at the time; I didn’t like any of them. Analysing books to death just isn’t fun. I like to read them, not pick them apart!
Shall we check out today’s featured book?
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Ken Kesey
Goodreads – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Tyrannical Nurse Ratched rules her ward in an Oregon State mental hospital with a strict and unbending routine, unopposed by her patients, who remain cowed by mind-numbing medication and the threat of electric shock therapy. But her regime is disrupted by the arrival of McMurphy – the swaggering, fun-loving trickster with a devilish grin who resolves to oppose her rules on behalf of his fellow inmates. His struggle is seen through the eyes of Chief Bromden, a seemingly mute half-Indian patient who understands McMurphy’s heroic attempt to do battle with the powers that keep them imprisoned. Ken Kesey’s extraordinary first novel is an exuberant, ribald and devastatingly honest portrayal of the boundaries between sanity and madness.
My Thoughts…
I am trying to pick up more classic books. Since leaving school and re-reading a few of the classics I was *unfortunate* enough to have to study (not a fault of the book, but the education system’s idea of enriching teenagers minds), I want to pick up more of these books.
I hated pulling these books apart in school, mostly because it was so ridiculously tedious. I’m pretty sure half of the rubbish analysis is a load of **** anyway. I digress. My point is, I revisited these books and enjoyed just reading them. No analysing them to death, no over-thinking them. I didn’t get to read many classics, (which may in hindsight be for the best), so I want to make up for that now by reading some of the books studied by other classes.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest also interests me as it dabbles in psychology, and in particular, insanity. I loved my psychology class in school, so this aspect of the book will be right up my street. I can’t help but wonder if our protagonist has been declared insane as he seems to be one that challenges the system. Perhaps he’s made some powerful enemies? I literally have no idea – I have heard very little of the book. That’s why I want to read it! If that is the case then it will definitely be right up my street!
Have you read this classic? Let me know in the comments!