Aimee writes:

For the third quarter, my independent reading book is Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy. Thomas Hardy was born on June 2, 1840 and died on January 11, 1928. He thought of himself as a poet, and wrote novels to help him financially. The term “cliffhanger” came from one of his novels, A Pair of Blue Eyes. His poems were first published in the 1850s. After he published his first novels, his critics accused him of being too pessimistic about humanity’s place.
Hardy was born at Higher Bockhampton, Dorset. His father was a master mason and builder. His appreciation for music came from his father. Hardy did not start attending school until he was eight years old, after one year he transferred to a school in placeDorchester. At 16, he assisted his father with architectural drawings; architect James Hicks noticed Hardy’s skill. He later moved to CityplaceLondon to work with architect Arthur Blomfield; he also started writing but was rejected by many people. In 1870, he met Emma Glifford, who encouraged his writing, they later got married. Emma died in 1912, and during that time Hardy wrote some of his best poetry. He remarried in 1914 to his secretary, Florence Dugdale.
Desperate Remedies was his first published book in 1871. The following year, he published Under the Greenwood Tree which made Thomas Hardy popular; this novel included real places, such as the school he had first attended. His following novels were, A Pair of Blue Eyes, Far From the Madding Crowd, The Mayor of Casterbridge, The Woodlanders, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, and Jude the Obscure. After his novel Jude the Obscure caused many problems, he turned back to writing poetry, producing Wessex Poems.