Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

This is a novel about an axe murderer.  It can be considered as a psychological novel, though not in the sense that a modern secular humanist would use that term.  Dostoevsky's psychology is deeply rooted in Orthodox Christianity.  Raskolnikov's sickness is fundamentally a spiritual sickness, and the alienation he experiences as the result of his crime is not only from the human race as a societal body, but from the Body of Christ and the life of the world in its most Christian sense.  Raskolnikov is a young student who swallows some bad ideology, of the nihilistic type that elevates the individual and damns everyone else.  The very name 'Raskolnikov' comes from a Russian word meaning schism or division:  he is a divided soul.  This division and alienation are a sort of private hell for Raskolnikov, and Dostoevsky explores the need for wholeness, restoration, and redemption masterfully, without ever once overtly "preaching" at his readers.

The characters in this book are vivid and unforgettable.  There is Sonya, who is essential to Raskolnikov's journey of the soul.  Her occupation is low and repellent, yet it is she who embodies compassion, faith, and love.  There is Porfiry Petrovich, who on the surface seems like a sort of Russian Poirot investigating Raskolnikov's case, but proves to be more than that.  He knows - he waits, he sympathizes, he wants rehabilitation - not just punishment.  There is a terrible, vile villain called Svidrigailov, whose presence in the novel shows us what true alienation from God and man looks like.  He is a sort of foil for Raskolnikov, for whom there is still hope.  Raskolnikov's best friend Razumihkin is his voice of reason and sanity, and the love plot between Razumihkin and Raskolnikov's sister Dunia adds another interesting layer to the story.

Crime and Punishment is one of the truly great works of literature.  It is both rich in symbolism and gritty in its realism.  It forces us to confront our own prejudices and capacity for compassion.  By turns psychologically gripping and suspenseful, terrifying, profoundly sad, and hopeful, this work demands much of the reader, and gives much in return.  

Victorian Reading Challenge 2025

The Victorian Reading Challenge returns, dear Reader!  After careful deliberation, duly considering the investment of time and fatigue of the wrists occasioned by these ponderous volumes, I have concluded that the profit to the intellect and imaginative faculties far outweighs any perceived disadvantages. (As the Victorians might put it.)  The 2024 Victorian Reading Challenge  was one of the highlights of my year in reading, and I have decided to repeat the challenge for as many years as I can.

This year I have changed up a few of the categories, while the decade categories remain the same to ensure broad reading across the Victorian era. 

Here are this year's categories, along with my choices:

The Woman Question - The Odd Women by George Gissing

Book with a place as the title - Deerbrook by Harriet Martineau

Book published in serial format - East Lynne by Ellen Wood

Book published 1837-1840s - Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell

Book published in the 1850s - David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Children's Book - The Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley

Book Published in the 1870s - A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy

Book published in the 1860s - The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot

Wilkie Collins - Armadale

Mystery, Suspense, Sensation - Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

Book published 1890s-1901 - Trilby by George du Maurier

Book published in the 1880s - The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy

The Woman Question replaces Female Author, as I will always read several female authors anyway.  In Victorian times, "the woman question" referred to debates surrounding women's roles and rights.  Book with a place as the title replaces Book with a name as the title.  Wilkie Collins is replacing Anthony Trollope in the specific author category.  I've kept Children's Book as a category this year, to prompt myself to read the weirdness that is The Water Babies, though we will probably lose that category next year.  And yes, I am already planning next year's challenge!  I might host it as a more formal challenge next year.  Feel free to join me this year at any time, if you like!

My book choices for this year are heavy on sensation novels and women's issues, with a couple of Thomas Hardys thrown in for good measure.  And, of course, David Copperfield, because it's high time I read it.

Tea and Ink Society 2025 Classics Reading Challenge

I enjoyed last year's Tea and Ink Society reading challenge so much, I've decided to participate again.  I love the unexpected categories Elsie devises - not only are they fun, but they draw me into reading things I might not otherwise have picked up at a particular time.  Like last year, the idea behind this challenge is to read one classic book (pre-1970) for each month in the year.  Here are this year's categories:

January: A classic you discover in a used bookstore

February: A Russian novel or short story collection

March: A classic about immigrants or pioneers

April: A classic set on your own turf

May: A book you were supposed to read in school

June: Nonfiction nature writing

July: A science fiction novel or short story collection

August: A classic by an author you’ve only read once

September: A classic World War I or World War II novel

October: A Jane Austen novel

November: A poetry collection by one of the Romantic poets

December: A Medieval or Renaissance classic

And here is what I have so far:

January:  A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt

February:  The Shooting Party by Anton Chekhov

March:  O Pioneers! by Willa Cather

April:  The Shepherd of the Hills by Harold Bell Wright

May:  Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

June:  Summer by Dallas Lore Sharp

July:  The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham

August:  Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope

September:  The End of the Affair by Graham Greene

October:  Persuasion by Jane Austen

November:  Lyric Poems by John Keats

December:  

A classic you discover in a used bookstore is such a delightful category.  Ideally I would go browse the shelves this month and select something that catches my eye, but I am far away from used bookstores at present.  Instead I've chosen A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt, which I picked up on a memorable day in my very favorite used bookstore.  I received an unexpected discount that day for expressing my appreciation of the New Wave music on the radio and generally having a good time.

For February, we're turning to Russian literature, which will have some people quaking in their fur-lined boots, and others rubbing their mittened hands together with glee.  Though I have a few suitable titles already on my Classics Club list, I went rogue and chose The Shooting Party by Anton Chekhov.  Chekhov is best known for his plays, but this, his only novel, is... a murder mystery!

I went for the obvious choice for March.  A book about pioneers - let me see, how about O Pioneers! by Willa Cather?  My first Willa Cather novel ever.

A regional classic was a real challenge.  I'm away from home right now, but will be back home by the time April rolls around.  I chose The Shepherd of the Hills, an Ozark classic written in 1907 by Harold Bell Wright, well known here and probably never heard of outside this region.  Basically I didn't want to read True Grit right now.

May brings us A book you were supposed to read in school.  In my fourth grade classroom, there was a shelf of books we were encouraged to read if we had free time.  Among these was a copy of Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling which I started but never finished.  Now's my chance. 

For nonfiction nature writing in June, I've chosen a volume from a seasonal series I'm reading by Dallas Lore Sharp (1870-1929).  I will have completed the Winter and Spring volumes by the time June is here.  The series was written between 1909 - 1913, so it's an interesting example of early American nature writing.

In July the Triffids menace the world!  Here is a post-apocalyptic tale of giant plants with poisonous stingers who turn on their human masters.  Are they alien?  Were they bioengineered by the Russians?  We shall see.  I've been wanting more John Wyndham ever since I read The Midwich Cuckoos, which I will always rave about.

It's Trollope for August as I continue to make my way through his Chronicles of Barsetshire.  I've only read The Warden so far, and Barchester Towers is next in the series.

A classic WWI or WWII novel was the most daunting category.  I decided on The End of the Affair, my first Graham Greene.  Though I was tempted by Elsie's suggestion of Green for Danger, a murder mystery by Christianna Brand.  Maybe I'll do both?

2025 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen.  Many celebrations and read-alongs are taking place, so it is only fitting that she gets a category this year.  I'll be re-reading Persuasion, for the first time in a long time.  I adore Jane Austen, so this is a treat.

Romantic poets for November was a surprise, and another treat.  I shall walk amongst the withered sedge along the lake where no birds sing with Keats.

I love the idea of a medieval or Renaissance classic for December.  Perfect for the contemplative mood of Advent or the festive mood of Christmas.  Candlelight, evergreens, and medieval literature - what could be better?  I'm leaving this category open, though I do have Piers Ploughman on my Classics Club list.

Tea and Ink Society 2025 Classics Reading Challenge - official page