aggieamy Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Looks like all my had-to-do work items are done for the day. I think I might brew a cuppa tea, find a cozy corner, and spend a little time at Flufferton Abbey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoseInABook Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 I tested out my theory that I can focus better on a paper book and it is very much true. I finished Asylum and Sanctum in 2 days. After, I went back for The Golem and The Jinni. I got a chapter done before my mind started wandering. Hmm. I like the instant factor of the Kindle and the cheaper books but I might have to look for more paper books in 2015. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 I tested out my theory that I can focus better on a paper book and it is very much true. I finished Asylum and Sanctum in 2 days. After, I went back for The Golem and The Jinni. I got a chapter done before my mind started wandering. Hmm. I like the instant factor of the Kindle and the cheaper books but I might have to look for more paper books in 2015. I read an article about a year ago that had the theory that people retain less info from what they've read in ebook form/electronically vs. on paper. I think there was some research/study to support the theory, but I don't remember the extent of the study or how accurate it was. I, too, find that my mind wanders when reading an ebook. (Reading the forums or short articles online is different -- those are fine for me in electronic format.) For longer reading, though, paper copies seem to hold my attention better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 I am thinking about rereading some Vonnegut next year. ...one of the many things I think I read before I was really ready to fully appreciate it. I think maybe I read Vonnegut before I was ready to fully appreciate it :001_tt2: :lol: One of the few first lines I actually know (that isn't Shakespeare or Austen): "Xmas won't be Xmas without presents..." ...but I drew a complete blank on the Jane Eyre.... This inspired me to seek out some first line quizzes to reassure myself that I do know *some* first lines... the results were mixed. (here's one) I wonder what it is that makes certain lines so memorable and others just sound vaguely familiar? I know Shakespeare and Austen and Alcott first lines from having reread them an absurd number of time, but other books, ones I might have read only once and long ago, have first lines that still reverberate and others, often books I might have liked more, have first lines I can't connect with their books with the same unerring resonance. I was big into memorizing first lines when I was in high school. Well, first lines of books I loved. Though Gone with the Wind is the only one that has stuck with me over time. I now can quote Pride & Prejudice's first line, as well. I took your quiz! I only got a 57%. Funny enough, I wouldn't have known the Vonnegut quote if Stacia hadn't made me read it. ;) I missed David Copperfield's first line. I hear Melanie Hamilton's voice reading it in Gone with the Wind and was thinking that the first line was "I am born." But that is the first chapter, I believe. Whoops. ...but I haven't been inspired to try Lord of the Flies or Catcher in the Rye again... they are shelved together in my mind under a mental shelf-tag I won't share as I know each has its fans... I have a few books that are mentally shelved to never try again. However, I have wondered if I need to revisit a couple. I have a feeling that most would still rather stay shelved. I read an article about a year ago that had the theory that people retain less info from what they've read in ebook form/electronically vs. on paper. I think there was some research/study to support the theory, but I don't remember the extent of the study or how accurate it was. I, too, find that my mind wanders when reading an ebook. (Reading the forums or short articles online is different -- those are fine for me in electronic format.) For longer reading, though, paper copies seem to hold my attention better. Dh must have read that same article! He wanted to make sure Aly was reading a mix of paper books and not exclusively reading on her Kindle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 We are officially now on Christmas Break! :party: That is all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 :lol: We are now on break too, Angel (after dd finished her last midterm exam this morning). Feels great! Now I'm just gonna need a vacation from the vacation, kwim? :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 :lol: We are now on break too, Angel (after dd finished her last midterm exam this morning). Feels great! Now I'm just gonna need a vacation from the vacation, kwim? :tongue_smilie: :hurray: Yes! Sometimes I need an extra week AFTER Christmas and New Year's to really pull it back together! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 I finished two books this morning! #55 and #56!! The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams was on the list of books I had wanted to read. I'm not 100% sure what my expectations were, but they were not met in any way, shape, or form. I'm left scratching my head and wondering what I've missed. Is there an underlying meaning to this book? Is it supposed to be a satire? I'm not so great with sarcasm and satire, much to dh's amusement. And where the heck is the end of the book? Does it truly just leave off like that with no resolution? Do I need to read the next book, or does it, too, just leave you in a limbo. Maybe the entire series (didn't realize it was a series) will bring some closure! What the heck is up with Zaphod's brain? I like science fiction so that has nothing to do with it. Maybe I just don't like mid to late 20th century authors. I don't know! I think this gets a 2 star. Aly and I also finished our read aloud The Rumplestiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde today. It is a compilation of six short stories based around the Rumplestiltskin fairy tale. Six totally different fractured fairy tales! It was a fun little book. The author was very creative in her re-tellings and most were humorous. There was Rumplestiltskin as a troll, as a young elf, as a domovoi, as someone made up by the miller and his daughter, as a woman, and finally as a guard in disguise. Aly is writing her own fracture fairy tale of Rumplestiltskin now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Angel, my ds loves this book and has read the subsequent one and one after that which he says aren't as good. In ds's words... I think the point of the book isn't the storyline itself but the humor in it. Trust me when I say the subsequent books are worse and you do not need to read them. They don't resolve much of the plot and only give you new things to scratch your head at. Zaphod's brain is a mystery that doesn't get answered. Mostly I like the book for its funny lines like "apart from being killed, we're on to something" followed by "when can we get off it?" The book isn't supposed to make sense. So there you have it, 'Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy' succinctly and confidently explained to you by my tween :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Angel, I first read Hitchhiker's Guide a couple of years ago. It was slightly entertaining but, like you, I was scratching my head re: all the fuss about this book. I much prefer Terry Pratchett's humor. Perhaps for the time when it was written, it was different & funny, but I've been spoiled by Terry Pratchett so Adams' humor is not as funny to me. Btw, I'm looking for more book suggestions for ds... Not sure my ds would like Hitchhiker's Guide, but I did just request Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently book for ds to try. (I may try it too.) In the past week, he read The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (he loved the dark humor until very near the end when something [?] happened that he didn't like). Also, he just finished Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, which he quite enjoyed. I have The Eyre Affair & a Kinky Friedman (he writes funny murder mysteries) book on tap for him to try. And, as always, he completely adores Terry Pratchett's books, the Harry Potter series, & the Flavia de Luce series. Based on all that, does anyone have suggestions of books he might enjoy? I actually asked the Wodehouse question because I was thinking he might like one/some of those books.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 My family all loves Hitchiker. How organized is your life? Ours, at times, resembles Hitchhiker and we find ourselves saying some pretty absurd things at those times (like don't panic lol), so the book... I don't know?... maybe gives us a guide to how to handle all the unexpected things that happen to us? If you want a message, I would say it was something along the lines of life-isn't-what-you-think-it-is-so-don't-even-try-to-figure-it-out-and-just-go-along-for-the-ride-and-move-on-quicky-after-the-near-misses-and-don't-dwell-on-things? Or something along those lines. I hesitate to speak for the rest of my family, but I sent it along with youngest to comfort him when he was about 13 and decided to walk to DC. I knew he'd be feeling at sea and homesick, very like the main character in Hitchiker, and things could have been so much worse - the Vorgons could have just destroyed earth. He loved it. : ) I found So Long and Thanks for All the Fish (think that was the one? might not have that right) comforting when I had an excedingly angry teenager. Forget about reading the rest if you didn't like the first one. They don't "improve". Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Stacia, how old is he? Would he like one of my favourites - The Dark Lord of Derkholm? Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Stacia - Or Three Men in a Boat? My boys adored (and still adore) that one. Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Stacia, Dd thinks your ds might like Jasper Fforde's Nursery Crimes better than the Erye Affair. Her only reason is she thinks her brother might not like the Eyre Affair but would like Nursery Crimes because he wouldn't like the Jane Eyre humour. Ds did just finish the Dirk Gentley books and liked them. He is a huge Hitchhiker's fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 I tested out my theory that I can focus better on a paper book and it is very much true. This is me exactly. I also give up on ebooks far more easily. I read an article about a year ago that had the theory that people retain less info from what they've read in ebook form/electronically vs. on paper. I think there was some research/study to support the theory, but I don't remember the extent of the study or how accurate it was. I, too, find that my mind wanders when reading an ebook. (Reading the forums or short articles online is different -- those are fine for me in electronic format.) For longer reading, though, paper copies seem to hold my attention better. Very interesting. Was this it? Now I'm just gonna need a vacation from the vacation, kwim? Always. That's my rule for every vacation. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 19, 2014 Author Share Posted December 19, 2014 Here is a preview of next year's themes - anything to add or need explanation? Only have one readalong so far in the way of SWB's HoTMW. What authors or books would you all like to see be done as a readalong? January Junkets - rambling jaunts and walks, translated and transformed Flufferton February - All things flufferton March Mystification - mysteries puzzling and perplexing April Alliteration - odes iambic and epical Machiavellian May - cunning, conniving and calculating Judicious June - Prudent, perceptive and perspicacious Jubilant July - Charming and enchanting Analogical August - All things relative Stifled September - Banned books Month Ominous October - Spooktacular reads Non Fiction November - Diaries, Dissertations and Dramas Delightful December - Walking in a winter wonderland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 I object! Junket January should be about desserts! :confused1: :confused1: :confused1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 20, 2014 Author Share Posted December 20, 2014 I object! Junket January should be about desserts! :confused1: :confused1: :confused1: I think that would be junky January. :laugh: Actually just looked at the definitions again and it means both: a sweet, custardlike food of flavored milk curdled with rennet or an excursion. Maybe I should change that to January Journey since I meant it to be about travel and translated books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 Ok, so the point of Journeying January is because none of us can go anywhere which makes us want to? Most of your hemisphere is under snow and most of mine is on fire! :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 I object! Junket January should be about desserts! :confused1: :confused1: :confused1: Junket :ack2: -- the dessert when there was nothing else in the house. With its thin watery top layer, pale color and slightly solid, slightly liquid consistency...blech! I do like the title for January though and didn't make the connection until Rosie pointed it out ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 Maybe I should change that to January Journey Sure, so some of us will have Steve Perry singing in our heads for a month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 20, 2014 Author Share Posted December 20, 2014 Yep! Any way you want itThat's the way you need itAny way you want itShe said, Any way you want itThat's the way you need itAny way you want it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 I recall that Eliana is a fan of the books of Andrea K Höst. I see that her single titles are all available on Kindle for 99 cents each (well, one is free). See the Amazon page here. I believe the sale is short term and may only be until the end of the year. Eliana, which of Höst's books might you recommend to my adult daughter who enjoys Sherwood Smith, Hilari Bell, Trudi Canavan, Kevin Hearne's Hounded series, Tamora Pierce, Lindsay Buroker's The Emperor's Edge, and Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor? Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 20, 2014 Author Share Posted December 20, 2014 I'm back in reread mode. Started reading Nalini's Singh's latest in her Guild Hunter series #7 Archangel's Legion. Found myself completely lost, not remembering some things that had happened in the previous books. Scratching my head, checked my ebook stacks and discovered (are you ready?) I had completely skipped # 5 and 6. *facepalm* Love the characters, love the storyline so.... As we all know I'm a series gal - Since I don't feel like starting anything new, going to read the first book again, then if still in the mood, dive into the remaining books. Thought our tea drinkers would enjoy this: How to make the perfect cup of tea by george orwell Is facebook being slow or screwy for anyone else? Has been driving me nuts the past couple days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 Yesterday I finished If the Tabloids Are True What Are You? by Matthea Harvey. The last chunk of the book is a poetry/embroidery series called "Telettrofono" that was originally a "sound walk." Instead of reading it in the book I listened to it here, which I'm particularly glad of since there were sound effects. It's historical fiction/fantasy about Antonio Meucci - inventor of the first telephone - and his wife Esterre Mochi, who was a costume designer and in this poetry series is a mermaid. Warning: the printed text and images aren't presented in the same order as the sound recording. If you listen and want to read along you have to scroll around and/or use the "find" box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 What authors or books would you all like to see be done as a readalong? Well, does anyone want to do another Murakami read-along, or are you all totally over it? Since we read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle this year and 1Q84 last year, I was thinking I would start January with Kafka on the Shore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 I recall that Eliana is a fan of the books of Andrea K Höst. I see that her single titles are all available on Kindle for 99 cents each (well, one is free). See the Amazon page here. I believe the sale is short term and may only be until the end of the year. Eliana, which of Höst's books might you recommend to my adult daughter who enjoys Sherwood Smith, Hilari Bell, Trudi Canavan, Kevin Hearne's Hounded series, Tamora Pierce, Lindsay Buroker's The Emperor's Edge, and Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor? Regards, Kareni As a result of your link to The Goblin Emperor (which I thought ds might like but am unsure) I found myself perusing a book called The Steerswoman which looks good. Not my normal genre but this one has caught my interest. Thank you and thanks, as well, for your fantasy thread. Some of those suggestions went onto my tbr list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 Well, does anyone want to do another Murakami read-along, or are you all totally over it? Since we read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle this year and 1Q84 last year, I was thinking I would start January with Kafka on the Shore. I actually have it sitting in my stack. Would love to join you! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 As a result of your link to The Goblin Emperor (which I thought ds might like but am unsure) I found myself perusing a book called The Steerswoman which looks good. Not my normal genre but this one has caught my interest. Thank you and thanks, as well, for your fantasy thread. Some of those suggestions went onto my tbr list. And thank you! The Steerswoman sounds intriguing indeed. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 I actually have it sitting in my stack. Would love to join you! :) :hurray: Yes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 Hello everyone. Sending warm wishes for joy and peace to all! My minimal reading is expected to lessen even more in the days ahead since The Boy is Home!! He and I made caramels today (well, I make them and he is my official wrapper.) Caramels are a major production that we do annually. Once upon a time I did them on my own, but really they are much more fun to make with assistance. A flurry of activities in the days ahead but I expect to keep up with this thread--not necessarily with my books. Air kisses to all. Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 Jane, how wonderful that The Boy is now in the actual proximity of your actual heart! While you are up to your elbows in the smooth and silk of caramel we are in the piquancy of peppermint bark land. The kitchen is filled with the fragrance of chocolate and peppermint, dogs are milling, dh and ds are playing cards, Pandora on the computer... As for reading I've got both 'I am Livia' and 'Homer's Daughter' going while I decide which one I want to read for my last 5/5. And I'm toggling back and forth between the written and audio version of Jane Eyre, which is as wonderful as I remember it to be. And I've got a teetering stack of tbr books that have accumulated thanks to this thread. With my 5/5 soon done I feel quite giddy with anticipation at the freedom of picking up whatever I want to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 Jane - I'm jealous. My "boy" is still just a blue slug on the livingroom rug, asleep in front of the fire in his sleepingbag, and likely to stay there for a few days. He persuaded me to give him one of his Christmas presents early, a book the size of an unbridged Webster. Although the paper towels (I did warn him we'd used all the newspaper relighting the woodstove because we're in and out so much these days) and flour all over the sink make me think he tried to make a papermache cast of his leg in the middle of the night. Unsuccessfuly, judging by the mess. Caramels together sound much nicer. Hugs, Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Jane - I'm jealous. My "boy" is still just a blue slug on the livingroom rug, asleep in front of the fire in his sleepingbag, and likely to stay there for a few days. He persuaded me to give him one of his Christmas presents early, a book the size of an unbridged Webster. Although the paper towels (I did warn him we'd used all the newspaper relighting the woodstove because we're in and out so much these days) and flour all over the sink make me think he tried to make a papermache cast of his leg in the middle of the night. Unsuccessfuly, judging by the mess. Caramels together sound much nicer. Hugs, Nan In The Boy's student days, he returned after finals in a state of exhaustion. Now that he is a worker bee, he returned with more energy--and a lot of sediment covered Carhartts. Apparently the motel that he called home for the last two weeks of his assignment did not have laundry facilities. Small price to pay for having him back. Another homeschooling note: the Boy told me that what he learned about soil analysis preparing for Envirothon competitions (use of the soil texture triangle and the Munsell color system) he puts to use daily in his archaeology work. It is interesting how odd tidbits of knowledge gleaned from here and there are applied in later life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Jane, I just noticed your new siggy :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoseInABook Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 I think part of my Kindle issue is that I don't have the physical sensation of the paper under my fingertips nor the smell of ink which grounds me. Despite that, I still managed to talk myself into buying the rest of the Hollows series by Kim Harrison with the early birthday money my mom sent home with me today. *laugh* You can't fight it when it's often 50% cheaper than a paperback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Hello everyone. Sending warm wishes for joy and peace to all! My minimal reading is expected to lessen even more in the days ahead since The Boy is Home!! He and I made caramels today (well, I make them and he is my official wrapper.) Caramels are a major production that we do annually. Once upon a time I did them on my own, but really they are much more fun to make with assistance. A flurry of activities in the days ahead but I expect to keep up with this thread--not necessarily with my books. Air kisses to all. Jane And right back at you likewise! Great Girl came home late last night and her sisters are over the moon. We got a tree at last, we made gingerbread dough, we lit the fourth candle on the wreath and sang O Clavis Davidica, all my children together. Peace and joy indeed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 I recently reread it (having had only vague memories of it from before) and passionately hated it. (My older son, otoh, read it and enjoyed it, so it could be just me) Here's what I wrote about it earlier in the year: Last, and definitely least, a SFF book (whether it is sci-fi or fantasy is part of a discussion about the series that caused me to pick this up & to persevere with it... don't be similarly lured... ) The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirsten: I think I vented all my snark on my husband (who seems to enjoy hearing me rip books to shreds), so you are all spared it (this time)... I don't hate this because it is sloppily written, nor yet because its plot is so illogical and unjustifiable I wanted to throw things at the book, I hate the depiction of evil actions as logical and necessary when the text offers no support or justification for such a portrayal.. I hate having main characters that I am told are caring responsible people who can shrug off the illogical murder of an innocent bystander, or the (even more illogical) destruction of an entire dwelling place and most of its inhabitants (after we've been introduced to many of these inhabitants as individuals)... and this not in a book that is trying to be surface or non-stop action-y... but in what is supposed to be a thoughtful book. It has rave reviews, perhaps I am missing something wonderful... but I am not willing to reenter it to explore that possibility... Well, then! ;) Do these studies distinguish between e-ink devices and tablets? ...because I have perceived a significant difference. When I read on a regular Kindle, it is, for me, nearly indistinguishable from reading a hard-copy... but on a tablet, I get antsier and have more trouble concentrating. This. I have a PW and a Fire. The PW is definitely my preferred reading mode. The lack of back-lit screen and the muted page color and font are a big draw. I seem to be one of the few here who prefer reading on a kindle to paper. I eschewed them for years, made disparaging remarks about them and generally avoided them. But once I got a kindle my reading picked up dramatically. And right back at you likewise! Great Girl came home late last night and her sisters are over the moon. We got a tree at last, we made gingerbread dough, we lit the fourth candle on the wreath and sang O Clavis Davidica, all my children together. Peace and joy indeed! VC, so glad to hear of this happy little scene in your home in light of your recent challenges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Jane - Congrats on having your son home. We'll be here to catch up with you after the holidays! And right back at you likewise! Great Girl came home late last night and her sisters are over the moon. We got a tree at last, we made gingerbread dough, we lit the fourth candle on the wreath and sang O Clavis Davidica, all my children together. Peace and joy indeed! I'm picturing happy homecomings to rival anything Rockwell could paint! So glad all your kids are home for Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 I am so glad everyone's big kids are returning. Enjoy! :) As you all know I love my kindles. On my reader I notice little difference in the quality of my read except for positives......light weight chunksters, my binding isn't falling apart, and probably most important proper sized print! On my fire I tend to purposely read things I want to move quickly through. Fluffy, fun things or the latest in a series I wish I could make myself stop reading. Quick read to see what happens. The latest Alex Cross/ James Patterson was returned before I even could accomplish that--horrifying first few pages, could not stand it. No more Alex Cross for me! The fire is perfect for those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Oh, what a treat! ...I am now imagining making such a discovery for one of my favorite authors. ....aaah. Enjoy! I was 14 when I read it and was completely not ready to appreciate anything about it - Austen and Alcott were my happy place and related more to my experience of the world. ...I am wondering, very tentatively - and since other revisits of non-favorites have gone so well - if there might be something in it that I could, perhaps, someday appreciate or get value from. It helps if your favorite authors are prolific. ;) I read Catcher in the Rye at 14 or so--and loved it. In my twenties I reread it, viewed it as a period piece for my own life, but then went on to read Salinger's other workers: Franny and Zooey; Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour; and Nine Stories, all of which are interesting but not necessarily adolescent reading. In some respects, I put Salinger in the Hemingway camp of authors profoundly influenced by war. Consider this: Salinger worked not only in intelligence, he was on the ground when a camp was liberated. As a man who was haunted, I think it is a mistake to dismiss him on the basis of a novel that is an adolescent favorite--or not. If I were to reread anything by Salinger at this point, I think it would be Franny and Zooey or maybe the story A Perfect Day for Bananafish. An article that might be of interest to Eliana can be found here. And right back at you likewise! Great Girl came home late last night and her sisters are over the moon. We got a tree at last, we made gingerbread dough, we lit the fourth candle on the wreath and sang O Clavis Davidica, all my children together. Peace and joy indeed! Tree up at last here too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 What a morning! Dolphins galore and not just their dorsal fins swimming by! Truly a special day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 What a morning! Dolphins galore and not just their dorsal fins swimming by! Truly a special day. Jane, what a glorious picture. Feels like we're right there with you! And yes, truly a special day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share Posted December 21, 2014 Link to week 52 - please continue conversation in new thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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