The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Frank Baum

The movie was apparently shockingly true-to-form, although I will note that Dorothy's slippers were silver in the book and not ruby. (Silver likely less dramatic with the color conversion). A fun if light read.

Bambi - Marjorie Benton Cooke

Came recommended for my Kindle. Not bad actually - very feminist and inspiring, if a bit thin. A young girl takes control of her destiny, using her spunk and innate talents (and belief in herself) to fulfill all of her dreams.

The Story of Dr. Doolittle - Hugh Lofting

This randomly came up on my recommended reading list from Amazon. Apparently Swiss Family Robinson was not a good indicator of my interests. Anyway, short and sweet, with little meat, this book is probably OK for kids. Not much else of redeeming value.

Lolita- Vladamir Nabakov

I never had any desire to read this novel because of the subject matter (pedophilia isn't my thing and I avoid Lifetime because I don't think women should be portrayed as constant victims), but my friend guilted me into it as a classic that I hadn't touched. Surprisingly, I really liked it and can see why it's become a cornerstone of American literature. Despite knowing the finale at the beginning, the story flows well and the language is beautiful. The profane writing is minimal (although perhaps more disturbing than something more explicit) and you honestly feel that even though you can't related to the narrator, the pathetic rationalizations and attempts at self-honesty may actually represent the thinking of such predators. The depiction of Dolores herself is quite good, separate from Humbert's skewed vision of her, and you get the constant feeling that there's a lot more to her than Humbert realizes. Charlotte's tragedy breaks the heart. One thing I found interesting was the the murder (and Claire) are just vehicles for the story, barely touched upon or fleshed out, despite being the supposed climax of everything. Again, this is consistent with the perspective of the narrator. Definitely worth the read.