Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme that was started by @Lauren’s Page Turners but is now currently being hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog. This meme is quite easy to follow – just randomly pick a book from your to-be-read list and give the reasons why you want to read it. It is that simple.

This week’s book:

Claudine’s House by Colette

Blurb from Goodreads

Claudine’s House, the first of Colette’s best-selling Claudine novels, is a tender and heartfelt portrayal of childhood and memory. On its first publication, its popularity was such that the Claudine series gave rise to a musical stage play and an entire range of related merchandise. In an idyllic setting of countryside and woods, Colette spent her childhood surrounded by a warm and loving family. Years later, her memories and experiences inspired her to create a series of snapshots of the innocence of provincial life. At once poignant and vividly alive, her recollections portray a magical world, filled with the beauty and the warmth of human relationships—and, above all, the lasting impressions made by her wonderful mother. French novelist Colette is most famous for her portraits of childhood in the Claudine books and for Gigi.

Why I Want To Read It

Oh wow, it is Monday again! How time flies. I still wish it was the weekend; I know, Mondays are our least favorite day of the week. If only weekends were longer. Nevertheless, even though everyone is still feeling sluggish, I hope that you all had a great start to the work week. Perk up because we still have to chalk up four more working days, at least those of us who are in the corporate world. After opening the year with a very busy stretch from November to January, the past few weeks have been relatively tame, and uneventful. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. I hope everyone can. I hope that everyone is also able to complete all the tasks that they have started. There is still a lot that needs to be done but still I am grateful that I can tick off one item.

Now that we are two months down into 2024, I hope everyone is having a great year. I hope that it has been overflowing with blessings and positive news. I hope that this will be the mantra for the entire year. Everyone deserves happiness. More importantly, I hope everyone is doing well, in body, mind, and spirit. As has been customary over the past few years, I will be kicking off the blogging week with a fresh Goodreads Monday update. In the first two months of the year, I have featured new books, i.e. books to be released this year which I am looking forward to. I will be changing things up for March. Since March is Women’s History Month and March 8 is International Women’s Day, I have resolved to feature works of female writers; I am also in the midst of a reading journey featuring works of female writers.

This week, I am featuring Colette’s Claudine’s House. Oh. Colette. Born Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, I kept on encountering the French writer. However, I admit that I kept on passing over her and her work. I am not sure why. Maybe because is rooted in my tendency to ignore names and titles that are preceded by fanfare. I also felt like her works were not works of fiction; of course, I am wrong on this account. Eventually, I relented. There was something about her and her works that has reeled me in; perhaps the intrigue. I just learned that she has quite a long list of works, of which her Claudine novels are among her bestselling and most renowned. She is also known for her novella Gigi, a book that I keep encountering.

According to the Goodreads blurb, the first of her Claudine Novels is Claudine’s House. It was originally published in 1922 in French as La Maison de Claudine. Now I am confused because both Britannica and Wikipedia are saying that the Claudine novels are comprised of four of her earliest works, of which La Maison de Claudine is not among them. I ought to study her oeuvre and biography more I guess. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to the book. It was listed as one of the 1,001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (the only one among her works). As I am perusing her list of works, I can’t help but notice some parallels with her fellow French writer Annie Ernaux. Ernaux’s works are autobiographical and feminist in nature. Some of Colette’s works are also autobiographical and feminist. Oh well. I have to explore both of their bodies of work.

How about you fellow reader? How was your Monday? What books have you added to your reading list? Do drop it in the comment box. For now, happy Monday and, as always, happy reading!