Next Meeting

New book... The Beekeeper's Apprentice, by Laurie King.

Are we all still on for next Saturday, January 9? I've been so busy I haven't had any time to blog, so we haven't kept on on the next meeting. Let me know if 1/9/10 at 5:00 at Sue's house works. If it doesn't work, we can reschedule. I've read about 75 pages and I'm loving this book so far! Great choice!

David Copperfield

A few weeks ago I felt that the time had come for me to revisit "Great Expectations". So off to the library I went. Unfortunately someone else must have also felt it was their time. So after a brief moment of consideration (noisy little ones in a library don't allow for much of that) I grabbed the next best thing, "David Copperfield". At my first opportunity, I began reading the prologue. Unfortunately, the author of that felt it important to inform the reader of all the similarities between the author's life and his work. The result was that the book was slowly being ruined for me. What was put before the book would have been much better suited for after the book. So I stopped that and turned to the story itself. I did have some concern that this would be another dark and gloomy Victorian novel, but I am so glad to have found it otherwise. It certainly had some terrible moments in the early chapters, but by the end I felt they were vindicated. Those were character shaping moments and they were close reflections to at least the emotional trials of Dickens's early life.
Now I really want to reread"Great Expectations" and see if it is as gloomy as I remember it. I am older now and have a different view of things and also I will read it by choice as compared to being forced by a High School English Teacher.

First Book Club Meeting!

Hope this works for everyone...Saturday at 5:00 at Mom's. I'm going to make the classic French delicacy beef bourgignon (beef stew). Anybody want to volunteer for French bread, salad, or a nice little French dessert? Somebody could also bring some delectable French chocolates if they want. :)

Fingers crossed that I can get this read...the only way it's going to happen is if I neglect a monstrous stack of papers that need to be graded. My students don't really care about their grades, right?

I've been rereading The Three Musketeers in anticipation of our get-together and have been reminded on every page why I enjoyed it so the first time through.


Dumas has a genius for capturing an environment and portraying characters that are fascinating and enthralling despite their rather horrific activities (dueling, slashing, killing, conniving, and total disregard for moral behavior in pursuing women). I love them all now just as I did when I first read the novel.


I was really amused reading the happenings with the character Bonacieux, D'Artagnan's landlord and husband to the Queen's aide who is at the heart of all adventures that are coming. Poor Bonacieux is really an innocent by-stander who ends up being arrested for a Queen's indiscretion and who's wife is then pursued by the man (D'Artagnan) he seeks for help. While Bonacieux is presented (and treated) as if he is a witless fool, his come-backs and rejoinders while being interrigated are hilarious. He manages, while confessing to everything brought up and pleading for his life, to, nevertheless, fling one zinger after another at his accuser and interrogator. He even flings a few after the Cardinal, around whom even the King steps lightly. This is Dumas at his best.

I can't wait for the next chapter...

Word Game

Here is a link to some guy's list of the "100 Most Beautiful Words in English." http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/100_most_beautiful_words.html What do you think are beautiful words? I like these words:

memory
ballerina
ethereal
watermelon
rouge
holy
undulating
halcyon (LOVE this word!)
cerulean
lilt
panacea
loquacious

Question of the Week

How do you decide what book to read?

Thanks to Mom, I have always loved reading. As a kid, I liked to read stories about girls in far away places and times (Little House on the Prairie, Anne of Green Gables, Little Women) and fantasize about living in a far away place and time myself (okay, so nothing has changed much there).

I can really think of two defining episodes in my reading life. First was in eighth grade when I read Wuthering Heights and then Jane Eyre from Mom's "fancy" hardcover collection. I chose these on my own because I liked the fancy, grown-up looks of the books. From reading these I learned two things: I had crossed over into the grown-up realm with my reading and could read any long novel I wanted to, and I loved gothic page-turners. I really LOVED reading both of these books, and learned how exciting it can be to read something you love reading.

My second defining moment I would say was reading Tess of the d'Urbervilles for my senior English class. This really was the book that made me a Victorian literature lover. I loved Thomas Hardy's writing style and became a Hardy devotee. I loved his long, descriptive sentences, the countryside he created, the dark and brooding characters (I guess a link back to my gothic obsession). But it also was the root of my love of the psychological analysis of Victorian literature. I went on to read all of the major Hardy novels, and then discovered George Eliot and mowed through her works. If I got a PhD, I would be seriously tempted to do my dissertation on Victorian novels.

So two things that determine what I read next are a love of the gothic-type thriller and a love of the Victorian-type psychological analysis. However, I'm also obsessed with lists, so I'm constantly choosing books from lists, trying to "check" things off as I go. I have a couple of reading lists from Arlington High School that I still choose books from, a list from Chapman, and a list of the "1,001 books to read before you die" that I got from Shelley's book blog. I also wanted to start reading the Pulitzer winners, but haven't done that yet as most of them look boring to me. That's one way I decide not to read a book...if it looks boring. :)

Hurrah! I figured it out! Yeah Me!

Okay, after the discussion on Sunday about "7 pounds" and the allusion to "The Merchant of Venice" I decided to read it. ("The Merchant of Venice" not "7 pounds"). Thanks to the library of Mom, I was able to quickly pick up a Shakespeare anthology. I must say, I am out of practice when it comes to reading the bard's work. On the first attempt, I think I fell asleep in about five minutes without understanding anything. Though that's probably more a reflection of my own sleep habits than the quality of the work in question. I am now a good way through it, though I must devour it in small bites. The contract involving the pound of flesh is signed very early in the work. I've not yet seen the resolution of the contract, though I can see where it is headed. (After all, isn't this a tragedy? Or am I wrong on that?)
Here's my question for the lit majors. In Act 3, Scene 1, the Shylock the Jew, who is also the creditor, wails a lament. Here's a small sampling:
I am a Jew. Hath not a
Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs di-
mensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with
the same food, hurt with the same weapons,
and of course it goes on. Reading this I was reminded of something I read quite some time ago. It seems it was written by a black woman and I think it was called "Ain't I a Woman?". I could be wrong on some of that, it is a hazy memory. I seem to remember similarities in the questions asked by the lamenter. But what is the connection or story behind this?

First Post, with an explanation

I'm glad Cindy started this and I look forward to reading what everyone has to say. Often times in writing we express parts of ourselves that don't come out in daily chit-chat.

I wanted to start with explaining my choice of a favorite character. I am hoping that as each of you add to the favorites lists you too will share the why's behind your additions.

You all know I am a devoted Tolkien fan, and Samwise Gamgee is one of his creations. While I love old Bilbo and young Frodo, and of course can rarely not think of Legolas, my heart warms for Samwise. First, he was not the central character. He wasn't the hero, the one with the mission, he was the support staff. I prefer that role myself. Behind the scenes is always more productive than center stage, and who needs applause anyways?

Second, sidekicks have more of the qualities I admire than heros generally do. They are devoted, supportive, nurturing, care-giving, funny, less serious, always there, and teachable. One of my favorite side-kicks, or best friends, is Horatio, in Hamlet. I have always thought that his character has been much under-appreciated. He was devoted to Hamlet, despites Hamlet's many faults and poor choices, and gave him sound advice throughout the play. Though Hamlet brought his own destruction on himself, Horatio was there till the end, understanding the motives driving Hamlet, even though he disagreed. His grief at Hamlet's death is extremely moving to me and his declared dedication to tell Hamlet's story evidence of his devotion. I am more moved by that type of heroism that the flashier Hamlet type.

Third, Samwise was a shortish round fellow who loved to eat and to garden. He also loved a little pony named Bill. Need I say more?

Ha ha ha.... I'm the first....

Just getting started here, but our first book is The Three Musketeers. We'll meet at Mom's to discuss the book and dine on French cuisine on November 21. Time to be decided later.