Donna828...It's still January! (#2)

I'm home fresh from the Denver meetup yesterday, January 14. From left to right: Jenn (nittnut), Me!, Joanne (coppers), and Anne (AMQS). This is the third time we've met -- and we're not sick of each other yet. ;-) If you want to read more about the meetup and see a few more pictures, here's the link.

I was hoping to have one thread per month, but it isn't quite working out that way. I guess I'll use January in the title of this continuation so I can keep my months somewhat separated. I love having visitors especially now that it is so easy to start a new thread. Come in, settle down, and talk with me about what you're reading.

BOOKS read...



PAGES turned...

Books Read in January, 2012:

One By One in the Darkness - Deirdre Madden. 3.9 stars.
Three sisters in Northern Ireland are affected by the Troubles in both political and personal ways.

A Gathering of Old Men - Ernest J. Gaines. 3.6*
A white man lies dead in a sugar cane field, but which of the 18 black men saying they killed him will be charged with the murder?

The Marriage Plot - Jeffrey Eugenides. 3.8*
Madeleine has a chance for love with two fellow graduates of Brown; however, her thesis about the end of the marriage plot in books circa 1900 proves true in real life.

Cannery Row - John Steinbeck. 4.1*
Do NOT hire the boys of The Palace Flophouse to plan your next party!

The Children's Blizzard - David Laskin. 3.6*
Mother Nature is cruel to her children in this real-life account of the 1888 blizzard that killed hundreds of children on their way home from school on the great plains.

Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood. 4.4*
Is it a mystery, a survival story, a love triangle, or a cautionary tale of a species doomed by hope? Yes!

Rules of Civility - Amor Towles. 3.8*
The Great Gatsby is reincarnated in the voice of Kate Kontent, a rising star in journalism who works hard at her job and at social climbing.

Surprised by Joy - C. S. Lewis. 4.1*
I was surprised by the length of time and the amount of intellectual reasoning Jack utilized before he gave in to the call of Christianity.

In the Bleak Midwinter - Julia Spencer-Fleming. 3.5*
The beginning of a mystery series featuring a female "recovering adrenaline addict" turned priest and a small-town police chief who solves crimes following both the facts and his heart.

Hi Donna- Love the photo! Glad you guys had another nice meet-up! Hey 2 threads in a month. Pretty impressive.

Hi Mark, I'll get caught up with your thread later today or tomorrow. You're my No. 1 visitor! So... what thread number are you on? It's a good thing I'm not trying to keep up with you there or in your reading. I'm happy to just follow along and bask in your glow. ;-)

And I'm happy to trail along behind picking up the pieces that you two leave in your wake haha.

Lovely picture Donna.

Thanks, Bonnie, it's funny, I feel like I'm always trailing in your wake! You've been a busy lady while I was off galivanting. I didn't have much LT time, but I did see a good review you posted on Cleopatra. That one is already on my list if I can just find the time to read it. I probably ought to read The Memoirs of Cleopatra first, though, as I've owned it for quite awhile now.

Oh Donna....if you own the Memoirs of Cleopatra do try that one first. I loved it when I read it years ago, and used a free credit to buy the audio book of it (all 30 some hours!) which I'm planning to listen to sometime later this year. I found Cleopatra: A Life to be just as engaging, and in many ways, I was grateful that I had read George's book before tacking Schiff. Either way, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Do NOT hire the boys of The Palace Flophouse to plan your next party! So true, so true. :-D

ETA: Ivan Doig (just looked at your other thread) --- I love his work. I still like Dancing at the Rascal Fair best, I think.

Oh, Donna, I completely gave up on your old thread. Too many posts; too little time. Maybe I'll do better here, but you may have to take the earnestness for the deed. *sigh*
Lovely stuff you've been reading! I just finished D. Madden's Molly Fox's Birthday, so I'm not surprised at your 3.9 stars.

Hi Donna! Lovely pictures, glad you ladies had fun!

Hi, Donna. Great picture, looks like you all were having a good time! Love this continuation feature.

Good to hear you're home safe and sound -- and that you had such a great meet-up! I want to hear all about it! ;-)

Donna just dropping by to say congrats on the shiny new thread!

Hi Donna! Great picture of the meet-up, and I love the one-line summary of Cannery Row. I just started reading it last night, and I'm loving it!

I "borrowed" the idea of an MLK quote from Darryl's thread.

Greetings to Tina, Ellen, Peggy, Chelle, Roni, Nancy, Paul, and Amy. I'll be visiting your threads sometime today.

Virtual hugs to my threadless friend Nancy who has been in Florida much too long now. I'm afraid if you stay much longer, you won't come home!

I love the photo of your Denver meet-up, Donna! Looks like you had a great time.

followed and starred!
lovely picture of your Denver meet up :) glad you had another great time!
The Marriage Plot has never called to me and it still doesn't :/ but I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

Great photo of the get-together, Donna! Looks like a fun time. And I like the MLK quote.

Its so cool seeing the meetup pics, what a great time you look like you had.

Love the quote, and the water-lilies - and the photos of the meet up!

Hi! Just catching up, Donna. -- I got way behind!

On your old thread, you were talking about using post-its on books . . . I read a book that dealt with book conservators, and it indicated that those seemingly innocuous little flags leave a thin, transparent film of adhesive behind (especially if they're left on for very long) that causes problems down the road in preserving the books. Mind you, I'm not expert, that's just what I read. It was in a novel, but the author seemed to have really done her homework on the book restoration process and related topics. It was the book conservator's pet peeve, so to speak, spending valuable time repairing damage from post-it notes that had been in library books when she could be restoring rare volumes instead. Who would have thought?

I've personally witness damage to my books from long-term post-it use.

Cushla, we had a wonderful afternoon together in Denver.

Hi Kara, I ended up liking The Marriage Plot more than I thought I would. There's so many good books out there. I know you'll be reading some that I won't read, but it's fun to keep up with each other on the threads.

Thanks, Joe. MLK is very quotable!

Hi Megan, I'm glad you liked the meetup pictures.

Genny, I must admit I chose that particular quote because the water lilies reminded me that summer will be here in a few months.

Terri, I'm so glad you told me that about the Post-it notes. I'll continue to use them for short-term use. I'd say 95% of them are on a page for less than a couple of days. However, I was leaving one or two in my books for posterity reasons! I hoped that my kids would read the passages that moved me when they inherit my treasured books. I'll remove the post-its and write a little note in the margin for them to find. ;-)

"The fear came first, but the cold followed so hard on its heels that it was impossible to tell the difference." (181)

Book No. 5: The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin. 3.6 stars.

January 12, 1888. 235 fatalities on the plains of the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Iowa, most of them children trying to get home from school when the freakish blizzard struck. The conditions were just right for this "perfect storm" of high winds, bitter cold, and snow to come roaring down the open plains with unparalleled suddenness and harshness.

The pioneers were used to the triple threats of fire, grasshoppers, and extreme weather, but even their mettle couldn't overcome the severity of this storm. The cruel irony was the unseasonable relative balminess that led farm workers and children to leave home that morning without their typical burdens of cold weather gear, although (imo) the lack of a winter coat and hat would not have saved many lives and indeed might have prolonged the agony of exposure. These gripping narratives were difficult to read; the only saving grace was in learning that "people freezing to death sometimes find they are unaccountably happy and relaxed." (192)

Laskin provides detailed anecdotes of the suffering of both the victims and survivors from journals, oral family histories, and newspaper accounts. He also gives extremely detailed meteorological data. I found some of this very interesting, but most of the scientific information was TMI for me. I was more interested in the stories of survival than the history of the weather service and the effects of high pressure areas meeting cold fronts.

I suspect that this book meets the conditions of being labeled "narrative nonfiction" because I was on the edge of my seat during much of the reading, and I will long remember the children whose stories were featured and wonder about all the unknown children who died so horribly in this tragedy.

There seem to be a lot of books floating around now about the pioneer days (late 1800's) and storms. I'm reading Forgetting Ireland by Bridget Connelly about the Irish immigrants fleeing the potato famine who were shipped to Minnesota in the fall and struggled to survive the winter of 1880. And of course Giants in the Earth by Edvart Rolvaag which is a book of Norse mythology relating to enduring the weather of the west.

Great review of The Children's Blizzard, Donna. The quote is intriguing....

Great quote and review of the The Children's Blizzard , Donna! You've been doing some great reading! I hope you enjoy Oryx and Crake - you are so much more adventurous than me!;)

Oh yes Donna, your review reminded me why I will never forget this book or, especially, the families affected by the blizzard. And it is definitely narrative non-fiction.

Great review of The Children's Blizzard, Donna. Appreciate another good tip for a narrative NF read.

Wonderful review of The Children's Blizzard, Donna. I probably appreciated the scientific/weather explanations and history more than you seem to have. (I seem to recall that book having one of the best basic descriptions of how weather works that my thoroughly non-scientific brain had ever been able to wrap itself around!) But the real strength was those heartbreaking, haunting stories of those caught out in the storm. Unforgettable.

Donna, read Children of the Blizzard many years ago. has always been one of my favorites.

Have fun at class tomorrow, Donna. Glad you liked The Children's Blizzard. I enjoyed reading your review and some day I'll get to the book.

>12 Nancy618: Nancy - Hitch a ride with Donna next time, we'd love to see some new faces! :)

Thanks for the virtual hugs, Donna! {{Right back atcha}} And don't worry -- I'll be home! Florida is a great place to visit (and definitely warmer than Missouri!), but you know what a homebody I am! ;-) Thank goodness for my laptop, so that even when we're traveling, I can still keep up with all my LT friends! And maybe one of these days, I might even start my own thread instead of always lurking on yours!

Very nice review of The Children's Blizzard, Donna. I love the MLK quote as well.

Donna- Good review of The Children's Blizzard. I have this one on the shelf and hope to squeeze it in for my NNF Challenge.

Another tip of the hat for your review, Donna. I read The Children's Blizzard last year after seeing LindaPanzo's review of it. It certainly did keep me on the edge of my seat as well!

#1 Looking very pretty ya''ll!

Great review of The Children's blizzard. Just reading the review made me feel very cold all of a sudden.

Love that photo, too!

I've got The Children's Blizzard on my TBR Soon list, so I'm glad to hear it's good.

Hi Donna! Great review of The Children's Blizzard.

I read The Children's Blizzard a couple of years ago. It was well-done.

So many lovely visitors. Thank you for the response to The Children's Blizzard. Most everyone has read it. If you haven't, I urge you to do so posthaste! Hello to Mike, Ellen, Deb, Bonnie, Nancy, Terri, Cindy, Joanne, other Nancy, Darryl, Mark, Judy, Porua, Dee, Morphy, Jenn, and Lori. Again, if I haven't visited your thread recently, I'll be sure to do so rather than list a bunch of similar responses here. I do appreciate each one of you!

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My first class in REL397: Religious Studies Topics C. S. Lewis was today. There are 26 students in the class. Once again, I am the only one auditing. We're going to be doing "tons of reading" according to Dr. Baynes. I think I already knew that! What I didn't know is that she assigned Surprised by Joy for discussion on Thursday and next Tuesday. Yes, the entire book. It's only 238 pp. long so it should be no problem to read it today and tomorrow. It will be fresh in my mind when we talk about it Thursday.

The syllabus and "extras" are all online. I have to go in early on Thursday and set up my account. She (the Prof) did give us a handout with this quote that I loved:

"If you have only read a great book once, you have not read it at all. Those who read great works...will read the same work ten, twenty, or thirty times during the course of their life." Also this: "We must never assume that we know exactly what is hapening when anyone else reads a book."

From Experiment in Criticism by C. S. Lewis.

I really like the second quote! I've never heard it quite said like that but it encapsulates exactly what I think is true.

ETA maybe it was you who inspired me to buy The Screwtape Letters the other day....CS Lewis was in my consciousness

#41 Donna828 > Wow, am I guilty of NOT re-reading books. There are just too many great books that need to be read for me to feel good about re-reading one. Different strokes. I wonder how many great books C.S. Lewis didn't read because he was reading the same thing over again? Just thinkin' out loud. Wish I could take the course.

The course sounds great Donna. I don't think I was paying attention because I didn't think it was starting this soon. I've only read one book by CS Lewis (A Grief Observed) but I'm looking forward to getting more recommendations and I love both those quotes!

Mike- "Wow, am I guilty of NOT re-reading books." I am right with you, sir! Just trying to keep up is a full-time job. Although I do keep most of my "special" books and will eventually re-read them all...that's the plan anyway.

Add me to the list of people that rarely re read a book... and rarely watch a movie twice. Tsk tsk to me! The Screwtape Letters is a book I read many years ago, and I bet I'd get a lot out of it with a re read! Sounds like a great class! Good for you, Donna!

I do occasionally reread books, but like most of us I need most of my free time to read all the new ones.

I gave up on C.S. Lewis some years ago after reading the first 2,5 books of the Narnis series. I can't say why, it wasn't the religious aspect, maybe I had expected them to be more 'all of a piece' and then they felt like stand-alone books, and the timeline confused me.
I'll follow your class reports and maybe I'll find a new access to his works.

>41 Donna828:: Just have to say, that C.S. Lewis course sounds fantastic. I wish I could take it! I'll live vicariously through you though, I suppose... :)

Donna I'm also not much of a re-reader. Lord of the Rings, Of Mice and Men a couple of Dickens, Greene's and Somerset-Maughams but not much else. Who-dun-its would be a wash out wouldn't they cause you'd know already!

Very thought-provoking quotes, Donna! Regarding rereading, I do reread some. But it really depends on the book, and I find it interesting that Lewis specifies "great books." I would be willing to bet that we all have books we finish thinking we'll never have the need to read them again, and others that stick with us and are complex enough that we want to reread them, even if we never follow through on that.

And I especially love "We must never assume that we know exactly what is hapening when anyone else reads a book." It's similar to what I keep in mind when I'm recommending books at the library: Everyone has such personalized reading taste that whether a person's reading is close or dissimilar to mine, I can never guarantee how they will connect (or not) with a book.

Hi Megan, I'll let you know when we read The Screwtape Letters. We are on a tight and fast reading schedule in my class. Glad you liked that quote.

Mike, if I weren't just a "fly on the wall" in my class, I'd be tempted to share your comment about the books Lewis missed. Too funny... and perhaps too true. Personally, I can't imagine reading something 20 or 30 times!

Hi Pat, I'll probably be sharing more quotes before the next four months is over. Just tell me when to stop. ;-)

Mark, you do an admirable job of keeping up with books! I'm "of the age" where I want a few walks down memory lane occasionally. Last year I reread: The Color Purple, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, The Old Man and the Sea, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Ethan Frome, and The Age of Innocence. Most of them were for a class or my book group. I wasn't disappointed in any of them!

Hi Deb, I've also been known to watch a movie several times. Which reminds me, I need to watch "Anatomy of A Murder" - one of my Christmas presents.

Nathalie, I'm looking forward to reading The Narnian Chronicles. We're only going to spend one class period on each of those seven books. I know they're fast reading, but I had hoped for a little more discussion opportunity.

Faith, I hope I don't disappoint those taking the C. S. Lewis class vicariously through me. There's a fine line between sharing what I learn and TMI!!

>49 PaulCranswick:: I spent too much time on my last message, Paul. I don't even own many "whodunits" because once I read them I won't go back there. They are fun to read but usually not too deep. I'm embarrassed to admit that I haven't read The Lord of the Rings series. I loved The Hobbit and am looking forward to the movie.

>50 bell7:: Hi Mary, thank you for that thoughtful post. I have gotten something new each time I reread a book. I usually wait several years pass so that I am in a different stage of life. I hated The Old Man and the Sea as a teenager and appreciated it much more as a 60-something.
I didn't like to recommend books when I worked in a bookstore 15 years ago for those very reasons. I only know what I like - and sometimes I can't articulate why I like it!

Interesting comments re re-reads (or not). Time is always the problem, isn't it? How to re-read when I can't hope to live long enough to read all that needs to be read. That said, I have re-read several classics (Austen, for six), and I've got some all-time favourites I'd love to re-read as well. Most of my classics re-reads are books I experienced in university, but never had time to savour ... hurry up read the book, write the paper, and off to the next deadline. I enjoy whodunits, but I use them as escape reads - not something I'd ever considering re-reading.

Hi, Donna. I think I re-read more before I joined LT. Seems like every day now someone on LT is telling me about a book I haven't read that I now can't resist! The exception so far is Jane Austen, who fits your "something new every time I reread" idea for me. I still re-read her on a pretty regular basis.

I worked in bookstores many years ago, too, and I've thought I wish I could do it again now, after all I've learned on LT. I feel like I have a better sense of readers' differences and what they might like based on what they have liked.

Back to #22 and the post-its. Have you tried those little pointed metal tabs? You clip them on like a paper cli, and they point to the relevant section. Those might be better for posterity although I don't know. They do leave a little indent on the page.

As to rereading. I have a few favorites, but mostly I am a one-time person.

I love the picture up top and am so jealous you have met THREE times!! : )

#50 bell7 > Regarding your comment on Lewis's "...never assume...": I don't write lengthy reviews because I don't want to give away any more information than I can avoid. I do, however, try to comment on topics that may either be especially interesting to me, those to which I tend to respond very favorably, or those that don't "float my boat." My last book, for example, was an excellent (5-star) book on genealogical investigation, but spent too much time on personal description of family members, verbal legend/fact, and other such things. I gave it 3½ stars, but can see why some would give it a higher rating. My comments say as much, I hope.

And, yes, when I look over my list of unread "classics," I realize how little I have read and why I don't want to re-read much. Perhaps that is related to how we individually absorb written information, and our individual propensity for detailed analysis and understanding -- or lack thereof.

Hi Donna!
Your class is gonna be great!
Now, when you audit a class, that means you can't say anything at all? Yikes! That would kill me. Maybe I should do that and practice my listening skills which are not very sharp...

Re-reading - I'm starting to do a bit more of that and finding it very interesting to compare my recollections of years ago with how I am impacted by the same book now.
How my view of the world has evolved, life experiences, end-of-life vs beginning-of-life perspectives, time to really read and understand now - all seem to add to a deeper enjoyment of what I consider "great" books.
And great is not synonomous with classic. Some classics I enjoyed years ago really annoy me now.

Hi Donna. I love the quote and it's timely for me. I have tended not to be a re-reader because I read rather slowly and there are so many books I want to read and, as we all know too well, time is precious. But, partly due to the impact of LT on my reading and my thinking-about-my-reading, I'm finding myself thinking ol' C.S. might be right. Having just read Cannery Row for the first time, I can definitely say that it will only be fully experienced if I read it at least once more.

Your class sounds wonderful. I'm thinking about auditing a lit class at my university, perhaps in the spring. It all makes me want to go back and be an English major, after all. :-)

>57 -Cee-:: Oh no, Cee, I've always felt free to engage in class discussion, although I do try to keep it at a minimum because the others had paid for the class and part of their grade is determined by class participation. I wait until I feel I'm going to burst if I don't add my two cents to the conversation.

>58 EBT1002:: I'm another one who wishes I'd majored in English. Maybe we can get Honorary Dr. of LT degrees!

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Okay, guys, I'm going to get very quiet here. I just found out that our friend JanetinLondon died unexpectedly on January 4. Jim has thoughtfully created a thread here where we can share our pain in losing one of our own.

Thanks for sharing that link Donna, I'll visit and leave a message.

That is such sad news about Janet. I still had her 2011 thread starred so saw the news as soon as I logged in this morning. Such a great loss.

Donna, just lurking.

Hi Donna. I love to re-read books, although not every book deserves to be re-read. I consciously try to balance my insatiable desire to read something new with revisiting something I read years ago (by balance I guess I mean something along the lines of 5 or 10%)

AndWe must never assume that we know exactly what is happening when anyone else reads a book.--so true, and if you are a re-reader, I think it's also true that your younger self and older self can have completely different experiences with the same book, almost as if you were different people.

>59 Donna828: Very sad news.

#41 Hi Donna. Good luck with your C.S. Lewis course and the reading schedule. I also really liked the second quote you posted.

#59 Really sad here too.

Hi Donna! I enjoyed your review of The Children's Blizzard. Sad story.

I am a great re-reader. I think that's because as a kid I read my books over and over. Just developed into a habit. I do re-read much less as years go by, because they are so many books out there that I want to read.

Sandy K

I used to re-read a lot more than I do now. Probably somewhat because I've spread out my reading a bit into new genres and so have less re-reading time and somewhat because I haven't found many new favorites to add to the re-read pile. After six or so readings, even the most favorite books get a little dull. I've read McCaffrey, Lackey, Carey, Eddings, Bishop and Hamilton (all fantasy) into pieces.

Donna, I nearly fainted when I saw I was 60 messages behind in just three days! Yikes!

Sounds like you're very excited about your class, and your enthusiasm has me thinking maybe I should consider auditing a class too. I never went to university, so find that prospect intimidating, but I'm not too worried—I could probably keep up. I'm not sure I'd want to read at such a fast pace though...

Very sad about Janet. Thanks for posting the link.

Re: Re-reading. Perhaps my perspective is a bit different since I spent so little time reading anything other than class assignments in my formal educational years, and the rest of the time reading technical journals and literature. Recreational reading is something relatively new to me upon retirement, so I don't have the background of having read many re-readable classics. There are simply so many great books on the shelves to be read that I cannot imagine spending time not exploring them. For example, last year I read Huckleberry Finn and The Count of Monte Christo for the first time and enjoyed them. I've read some Steinbeck back in college along with Dostoyevsky and the usual college English classics like Lord of the Flies, Catch 22 and others. I don't remember a lot about them, but I won't likely re-read them with The Three Musketeers, Jane Austen and such still unread. Just my view ...

I didn't know Janet. I'm terribly sorry we've lost a "member."

Hey there Donna! I'm so delighted to hear that you may join us in our group read of The Detour whenever it is that it comes out - supposedly April 24 ,2012.

Oh so sorry to read about JanetinLondon. I'll go check the post. .

Donna- I don't think I re-read anything last year! Maybe if some Supreme Being gave us an extra month a year, we could keep it solely for re-reading. I promise I would stick to it.
I admire the fact you managed to re-read several.

I'm gratified to see so many visitors here... and even a new one. Welcome Sandy K! It's also good to see Chelle, Pat, Gail, Anne, Heather, Morphy, Ilana, Mike, Deb, and Mark with some interesting reasons pro and con for rereading.

I've had trouble concentrating today so I'm still plugging along in Surprised by Joy for class tomorrow. I can't help comparing it to the other coming-of-age story with spiritual leanings, House of Prayer No. 2 that I'm also reading. One is a very fast-paced and easy read while the other is quite deep. I'll leave it up to my discerning readers to figure out which is which.

Uh oh. I have to be discerning to hang out on this thread?
My memory is that you've commented quite favorably about House of Prayer No. 2.

>52 Donna828: I actually enjoy the challenge of trying to match book and reader (most of the time!), but I think it's a lot easier to hand someone five books to check out, and say, "Let me know what you like, and what you don't, and we'll try again next time if these aren't quite what you're looking for." Sometimes people don't, sure, but at least there's no $$ involved. :)

>56 mldavis2: I hadn't made the connection with how I approach reviews, but that's a really good point, Mike. I try in my reviews to explain why I'm giving the rating I am, but to have enough information that someone who doesn't look for the same things I do in a book to be able to figure out if they would like it or not. It's a goal, in any case....

I have to admit that I'm not much of a rereader. But last year I did read an old favorite just to see if it still resonated with me and it certainly did (Stones for Ibarra in case you're wondering). So I'm planning to do more re-reading this year, maybe one or two, because honestly, there are so many books to try that there's not a whole lot of time for re-reading.

For me re-reading means comfort. I like to re-read my favourites from time to time just so I can go back to something familiar. It calms me down and makes me forget my anxieties. Of course, I also re-read when I totally forget the plot of a particular book. :-)

I think I plan to reread more than I actually reread. I like to listen to audio versions as a way to reread without cutting into time I'd use to read something new.

I love the C. S. Lewis quotes, Donna. I might steal one for my profile page: "We must never assume that we know exactly what is happening when anyone else reads a book." A good thing to keep in mind.

Ellen - I think the LT readers are all discerning people by making the choice to include reading among the many life choices we have.

Mary (and Mike) - Writing reviews is a tricky business . I try to balance a taste of the plot with a quote or two as an example of writing style, and then give my personal reaction to the book. I plan to keep commenting on my thread about the books I read, but write fewer formal reviews.

Bonnie - Ah, yes, that ongoing problem of so many books, so little time. I hear you!

Porua - I have very similar reasons for rereading: comfort and poor memory. You nailed it!

Joanne, I like your idea of using audio books for rereading purposes. I listened to part of The Age of Innocence last year and enjoyed it. I have Bossypants to keep me company on my short commute to campus - per your recommendation. Thank you!

I hardly ever re-read; there are just too many books out there I have yet to read for the first time. The one exception I'm making, and it's something I decided to do only last year, is to re-read a Jane Austen novel each year. And that's about comfort for sure, and also about getting something new from it each time.

I do some rereading as the spirit moves me. Sometimes I'll reread a series to refresh my memory - and I always find new things when I do. Eventually I 'wear out' the series and give the books away. Then there are the classics that I reread for the sheer pleasure of it. But you're right, so many books, so little time.

There was a TV special drama about C.S. Lewis, based, I believe, on Surprised By Joy, starring Joss Ackland and Claire Bloom, that was wonderful. It was later made into a stage play, and then a movie with Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger (I can't quite imagine her in the role after seeing Bloom).

I find that I used to do a lot more re-reading before I joined LT. If I got in a book funk I would return to my favorites like the Harry Potter books or some Stephen King, to lift me out of my funk
Now I find there are just too many new books to try that I had not heard of before LT. My book funks tend to be lifted by cozy mysteries or other light reading recommended by LT'ers.

I'm currently in a book funk, I've put down two books in the last two weeks and I'm struggling to finish my current book. I think I'll be going back to some light reading until my head is back in the reading game.

Thanks for the welcome! I am a long-time lurker on all your threads. Thought it was time I made a contribution.

I quite enjoyed Debra Winger's performance in Shadowlands. I don't have much of an affinity for her, so that's saying something. I would love to see Claire Bloom in the role. A very good friend of mine played Joy in a local theatre production of the play. It is a lovely play, one that I wish more theatres would produce.

Sandy K

Interesting re-read conversation. For me, it's a similar dilemma to that of holidays. Do I go somewhere new each time, explore a new country or city, or do I go back to somewhere I've loved before? Until I was about 40 I never went to the same place twice on holiday (apart from in childhood when we returned frequently to my mother's native Isle of Wight for a few years as we owned a holiday flat there). But in recent years, I've taken to going back to some places, in some cases several times. There is a different kind of pleasure in discovering a new place compared with re-discovering something already loved. In the latter case, there are different experiences to be had even in a familiar place: in holiday terms, this might be because you are there at a different time of year, or with different people, or in a different mood from previously, and so find that you notice different things or appreciate certain things more.

As for books, like many people have already said, I find I re-read less now than I did when I was younger. Certainly in childhood and adolescence I re-read constantly - I didn't have access to many books beyond those in my own modest library, so as soon as I'd forgotten enough of the detail in a book I'd read it again - most of them were read at least annually for many years. Leaving home, gaining access to good libraries and enough of an income to start building up my own library meant that the options for reading suddenly increased exponentially, so at that point the re-reads decreased substantially. But the fact that there are so many new things to read does not stop me in principle from re-reading old favourites. If there was the slightest chance that by keeping at it I could read all the good books in the world, then perhaps I would forgo the pleasure of re-reads in order to reach that goal. But as that is totally unattainable even in a hundred life-times, I don't see why I should deny myself the particular experience of re-reading (and most likely discovering new things, or appreciating different things). I do find it very tempting, with all the recommendations and inspiration gained on these threads, always to run after new books - but I've got a 're-reads' category this year to remind me not to neglect old friends!

#79 I think you're referring to the film/play Shadowlands, which was about C S Lewis' relationship with and marriage to Joy Davidman. Oddly, the Joy in Surprised by Joy refers not to Joy Davidman, whom he had not yet met when the book was written, but to the elusive emotion/state of mind which Lewis pursued in his early life. Two very different parts of Lewis' life - both very interesting, and it seems a lovely co-incidence that Joy was named as she was.

I'm definitely a rereader of books I love. It was about a third of my books a couple of years ago, but last year only slightly under 20%, undoubtedly due to all the new books recommended here on LT.

>82 gennyt: Ah, thanks for correcting my assumption. Curious that her name was Joy, then.

I am so eager to hear about your class! I started working through Life and Writings of C. S. Lewis by Louis Markos in October. I am going soooooo slowly--my goal is a book a month and I took December off. January's book for me will be Mere Christianity followed by The Abolition of Man with a lecture called 'Ethics and the Tao'.

(Edited a couple times trying to get the course touchstone to work)

I liked The Children's Blizzard too, Donna. Glad to see you enjoyed it, Donna.

Laura, that's a pretty cool idea to reread Jane Austen. I think one book a year is about right. I overdosed by reading too many of her books in a row a few years ago. Too much of a good thing!

Judy, you are a real reader to wear out your books! I did see Shadowlands years ago. I'd love to see it again now that I actually know a little something about C. S. Lewis.

Chelle, you are entitled to be in a book funk with everything that is going on in your life right now. Maybe after you sell your house reading will become pleasurable once again.

Sandy, I thought I sensed you lurking in the background. Thanks for posting here. I'll be over to visit you sometime this weekend. I'm woefully behind on threads once again.

Genny, I sure liked that analogy you made between vacations and rereading. I must admit that I'm not very daring when it comes to exploring new places. With my husband's hectic schedule and all the travel he does for work, we tend to visit our children and call it good!

It's funny that the link between Surprised by Joy and Lewis's wife Joy was brought up by you and Judy. We talked about that in class today. Not only was there the irony between the two names but Lewis ended up being in the same situation as his father was. After Joy died, he was left with two stepsons to raise. Let's hope he did a better job than his father did after Lewis's mother died when he was 9. How tragic that he was sent to the boarding school from hell one month after his mother died.

Roni, you must wear out your books much like Judy does!

Janet, I may be looking to you for advice and inspiration about my C. S. Lewis class. It sounds like you are really doing an in-depth study of him and his works. I find him fascinating so far. I had no idea he was such a prolific writer. There are several books that are not on the syllabus that I would like to read after the class is over: definitely Miracles and Letters to Malcolm and maybe his Reflections on the Psalms.

By the way, our prof told us today that Lewis's friends had another name for Surprised by Joy. They called it Suppressed by Jack because of all the goodies he left out! I suspect that his situation with the mother of his friend who died in WWI might be part of it.

Thanks, Stasia, I seem to be among the last of the LTers who have read The Children's Blizzard. Such a harrowing ordeal. I can't imagine sending my children off to school and never seeing them again.

Hey Donna--No, the Great Courses audio is not in any great depth, I'm afraid. It's 6 hours on CD covering about 20 of Lewis's books so I guess it would be fair to call it a survey. With soooooo many great books on towering MT TBR, I decided one of Lewis's theology books a month would be manageable for me. I may speed up when I get to The Space Trilogy (which I've never read) and Narnia.

I'm going to be looking at you for insights!

Just swinging by to say "hi!"

Let me know when The Screwtape Letters is coming up on your schedule. I have to find my copy--I think it's in the attic somewhere.

Just saying hi as I try to get caught up on my favorite threads :)

Hi Donna,

I loved the quotes you posted. I do re-read, but mostly favorites. We sometimes will re-read a book aloud we particularly loved (I think I told you I've read my kids the Narnia series three times). Sometimes I think we should keep trying new books, but there's something magical about revisiting a cherished book. Also, since the kids are growing, I feel like they're new people every time we re-read. I probably am as well. Thanks for your comments!

Hey there, Janet, Ellen, Roni, Katie, and Anne. It's the weekend. Yay! I hope everyone has something fun to do and something good to read. I plan to take part in the readathon. I'll be reading non-C.S. Lewis books! I need to get started on Oryx and Crake for the 12 in 12 Reading Challenge group read. I have a few other books to fill in the gaps when I need a break from Dystopia.

Roni, our class will be discussing The Screwtape Letters on March 27 and 29 and April 3. Glad you'll be reading along with me.

Anne, we will be reading and discussing one Narnia book per class beginning next Thursday. Are you familiar with Planet Narnia by Michael Ward? That is our text that will accompany The Narnia Chronicles. I'll be thinking of you and the girls as I read this series for the first time!

Suppressed by Jack--that cracked me up!

Wait--there's a readathon going on this weekend?

Enjoy the Narnia books! I got a boxed set of them one Christmas back in the olden times. I still have it.

Sandy K

"If you have only read a great book once, you have not read it at all. Those who read great works...will read the same work ten, twenty, or thirty times during the course of their life." Also this: "We must never assume that we know exactly what is hapening when anyone else reads a book."

I will keep this around to repeat to people who give me a hard time for all the books I re-read. :)
I am a chronic re-reader, and when you read upwards of 150 books a year, it's no big deal. Books I probably read once a year: Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, Georgette Heyer, Little Women, Jane Eyre and To Kill a Mockingbird. Books/authors I re-read, maybe not every year, but often: The Hobbit, Mere Christianity, Pearl Buck, Chronicles of Narnia, The Count of Monte Christo, anne of Green Gables, A Tale of Two Cities. Well. You get the picture.

I am trying to find my copy of Surprised by Joy so I can refresh my memory. I'd love to hear about your class discussion.

Hi Donna: I'll be following along, once again, with your class.

As for re-reading, I read a lot of mysteries and I almost never re-read those. Besides that, there are far too many books to read and not enough time to read them all, even once. Very infrequently, I will re-read something but not often at all.

Donna - very interesting discussion on re-reading....how long ago is soon enough to re-read? I don't often partake as there are so many others I want to get to but don't but sometimes after several mis-hits it is nice to go back to an old favourite and have the surety that you'll enjoy it. Wouldn't read any book within 5 years of having read it before.

Donna, I'm about to start Oryx and Crake too; it's my last book for Orange January.

I picked up a copy of The Year of the Flood which is sort-of a sequel to Oryx and Crake. I hope I can remember enough of the latter to better enjoy the former. I also have a copy of Cat's Eye that has been on the shelf for years that I have on my 'to-read' list.

I think the re-read issue is entirely personal. Some like the comfort of knowing the structure and then going back and filling in details. I'll admit to having done a bit of that with all of the Sherlock Holmes tales by Doyle which I really enjoy. But for me, it's the lure of the unknown - all those 4-5 star books out there that people rave about or discuss endlessly. What am I missing? One of the real problems I have in writing reviews is that I don't have the literary background to be able to know if a newer book is a rip-off from a classic, or if it really plows new ground. I know there are classic themes, but I don't feel qualified to anything other than say I either liked it or not. That lack of background, then, contributes to my obsession with reading things I haven't read before. Ultimately, it's all about having fun and doing what you like to do.

Ack! 99 posts in just 5 days? no fair, Donna ... I'm plum wiped out from catching up on your thread. But I do so love the photo! ;-)

I'm a re-reader ....mostly classics and some non-fiction. The only mystery series I've re-read multiple times though, have been J.D. Robb's In Death series ... even though I know who the killers are. I think it's just because I've grown to love her main characters, that re-reading is like visiting a relative who lives far away.

I reread, too.

When I was in grade school and high school, I'd often reread a favorite book to tatters. I used to reread the LOTR at least once a year. My rereading seems to have become less as I get older, and now, with so many great books on my physical TBR pile and my virtual wishlist, I'm rereading less and less (except of course for those that I start, read 50 pages or so and think --whoa, I've read this; the sad part is sometimes I can't remember exactly what happened--it just keeps feeling very familiar!)

Wow, this topic of rereading has legs!

Linda, good point that there isn't enough time to read all the books we want to even once.

Paul, I try to wait at least a decade before a reread unless it's for a class or book group.

Laura, I'm surprised at how much I like Oryx and Crake so far. I'm less than 100 pages into it.

Mike, I think I will go on to read The Year of the Flood. You are absolutely right in saying "it's all about having fun and doing what you like to do."

Caro, thanks for the visit. I haven't read any books by J.D. Robb, but I remember that she was the author who helped Stasia get through her rough time last year. It seems ironic that a series involving killers could be comforting. ;-)

I've put off my venture into the cold with the dog long enough. Brrrr, mornings like this make me wish I were in Florida with my friend Nancy.

LOL ... absolutely, Donna. Her series is my go-to whenever I find myself in a funk.

Ooops, missed you, Janet. I've had those deja vu moments in reading as well. Sometimes a bad memory isn't all bad if you can repeat a pleasurable time. ;-)

I need to find a go-to series, Caro.

Planet Narnia looks really interesting, Donna. Can't wait to hear your reaction to it.

Popping in late, but I rarely re-read. Like Linda, there's hardly enough time to read things once! The Tender Land was a re-read for me though, and I did pick up quite a bit more the second time. But again, I was several years older than the first time. I think that has a lot to do with it.

Going WAY back up, I loved The Children's Blizzard when I read it several years ago. Well, not the incident itself, but the writing, and the background information he furnished, as well as the information on weathercasting. A great book.

Serendipity strikes! (Alliteration is awesome.) This morning's Austenprose blog contains a review of On Rereading by Patricia Meyer Spacks. Lots of relevant quotes for this discussion. I think I'm going to have to find that book. You can find the review at:

http://austenprose.com/2012/01/21/on-rereading-by-patricia-meyer-spacks-a-review...

Caro, I'm glad I'm not the only one who reread the J.D. Robb books. Eventually, I'd had enough and shipped my collection to date to Stasia's daughter. But I routinely reread mystery stories, especially series stories, in which hints I've missed in an early book come to be important in a later one. A series with a growing character can be a real treat to revisit.

#104 I had a deja vu moment in reading yesterday. Had picked up Black and Blue and though I'd use it for my final Orange Jan read. Several pages in realized I had read it before several years ago; obviously it didn't leave a lasting impression. Anyway, someone on another thread (the Orange main, I think) commented that it was a decent read but suspiciously "chick lit" for an Orange. That's how I remember it too.

Oh, Donna, I've fallen hopelessly behind again. I'm afraid I've skipped over the last couple of dozen posts, but now I'm current again and I'll try harder not to neglect you in future. I'm looking forward to following your progress in the C S Lewis class.

Donna, I can't wait to hear your comments / review on Oryx and Crake. I'm not keen on Margaret Atwood, but I know that plenty of people are - so I'll be checking on your thoughts! :)

Morning Donna- Hope all is well and thanks for the reminder for me to get to more Atwood. I have several waiting impatiently in the stacks. Enjoy your Sunday!

I'm also looking forward to your remarks on Oryx and Crake. I read it a couple of summers ago and really enjoyed it which surprised me because it's not a genre I explore often. In fact most of my dystopian adventures have been Atwoodian!

>105 jnwelch:: I hope I don't like Planet Narnia too much, Joe, as I'll want to buy it instead of reading the library copy.

>106 tloeffler:: Hi Terri, I couldn't help but notice that you and Keith will be going to Denver for the Book of Mormon stage tour in August. Hmmm... maybe Jenn will schedule our meetup around your trip. I'll be revisiting The Tender Land at some point because my husband bought me a copy for my birthday.

>107 ronincats:: That was a serendipitious surprise, Roni. I too love alliteration - even when it is redundant! I like the idea of a silent exchange with the author and the people who have read the book before and after. Thanks for posting the link.

>108 ffortsa:: Yup, I'm going to have to take a look at those J.D. Robb books someday.

>109 lit_chick:: I agree with you on the lightness of Black and Blue, Nancy, despite the heavy topic. One of Anna Quindlen's books that made a lasting impression on me, however, was One True Thing.

>110 sjmccreary:: Don't worry about being behind here, Sandy, because I'm behind on your thread(s), too. I don't see how anyone is keeping up.

Hey there, Deb, Mark, and Nancy (again). I've finally put together a few thoughts on Oryx and Crake. I'm with you, Nancy, in that I liked it better than I thought I would. Atwood is slowly becoming one of my favorite authors.

Donna, I've never read Planet Narnia. I look forward to your thoughts!

Well, maybe, Donna. I can't even get into the website!

"Snowman must serve as a reminder to these people, and not a pleasant one: he's what they may have been once. I'm your past... I'm your ancestor, come from the land of the dead. Now I'm lost, I can't get back, I'm stranded here, I'm all alone. Let me in!" (106)

Book No. 6: Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. 4.4 stars.

There is no reason that I as a professed realist should have liked this book about a futuristic world of hybrid animals and genetically engineered "people" with their historic names and soulless bodies of perfection like "animated statues." Snowman is the unforgettable center of this new order. He alone retains the memory of the "vanished life" of words, music, good food, and laughter. Astonishingly, the only books left are in his head. There are Biblical undertones of a world created out of chaos with Crake as God and Oryx as a sort of Eve, but only Snowman knows how untruthful this myth is...

That's all you're going to get out of me! It's a real page-turner. One does have to suspend belief to a certain extent, although Atwood's science fiction has the element of possibility to it which makes it all the more chilling.

Anne, I'm waiting for my copy to come in through an ILL. It's in transit. I was able to download a sample on my iPad but haven't read any of it yet. It looks like Ward ties each one of the chronicles to a planet in our solar system.

Terri, let me know what performance you might be attending. If it's good timing for me, I might try to get some tickets for DH and me... or better yet, my DIL and me! I know very little about it but it comes highly recommended by a friend. ;-)

>117 Donna828:: Thanks for the spoiler-free review, Donna. You read that very quickly!! I should be starting it sometime today ...

That's a very tempting review of Oryx and Crake Donna. I have a copy a friend gave me but have never read it. I'm going to give it a try soon.

Another author who is so popular and of whose books I have read nothing so far. It's the second Atwood review I see today, and it sounds indeed very tempting. I'll look out for her books in my library, but not before March, February is fully (over-)booked.

Donna, I'd say that if you don't have tickets already, you won't be able to get any, at least in Denver. It took me two hours, and I finally was able to get tickets on a week night, and not together. Sheesh.

Oh Donna, so glad you liked it! I recently did a re(listen)read and was blown away by her imaginative details. I'm almost finished with my re(listen)read of The Year of the Flood and I'm enjoying it much more this time having O&C so fresh in my mind. But, alas, we have to wait for the divine Ms. Atwood to finish up the third in the "Mad Adam" trilogy. hurry up, I say!

Well I never thought this would be a book for me but then I shouldn't have liked The Night Circus either. Hmmm, maybe for Orange July Donna.

>114 Donna828: Hah! I know what you mean, Donna. Most recently I got Unbroken from the library and liked it a lot, so I'm going to have to buy a copy. At least I'm going to wait for the paperback.

I agree with Pat - you make Oryx and Crake sound very tempting!

#118: I loved Oryx and Crake, which was the first Atwood book that I ever read. I am glad to see you liked it so much, Donna.

I will be keeping an eye on your class progress too. I am a huge C.S. Lewis fan, so I have a feeling I really need to get my hands on a copy of Planet Narnia.

>122 AMQS: Anne, after 2 hours, I ended up with tickets to the matinee on August 29. They're together, but on "high stools" with no arms and low backs. Which will be great for Keith, whose legs don't fit in small theater seats (he was a mess at the Eugene O'Neill which has little-bitty spaces for legs). No details yet on when & how we'll get there, but we'll be there that week if you want to meet up. You too, Donna. I bought an extra ticket in case my niece wants to bring someone, but if not, it might be available.

At one point, I had 4 great tickets on a Saturday night, but I accidentally pressed the wrong button and lost them. I was sick. Keith isn't too happy with me either.

Well, Donna, I may have to look into Oryx and Crake again. Like you, I think I tend to prefer more realistic novels (although I guess most really good novels take us outside our own reality, at least), but your review has me intrigued. I don't know if I like Atwood so much as admire her writing. I know others did not care for The Handmaid's Tale but when it was first published, I thought it was a masterpiece.

Your class sounds really fun. I downloaded "The Art of Reading" from The Great Courses and after listening to the first short lecture, I think I'm going to enjoy it. Some of it won't be new, but I do think I'll learn something from it. Still, I'd really love to take a class with an instructor and other students with whom I could interact and from whom I could learn. For now, I'm enjoying hearing about yours!

Hi Donna, Well, I think I could almost copy and paste the post above mine regarding Margaret Atwood.

I have tried several times to read Oryx and Crake and have yet to get successfully past 40 or 50 pages. I wonder if I still have my copy? Probably. I loved The Handmaid's Tale along with several other of Atwood's books.

I know I need to try it again sometime.

As Anne mentioned, The Book of Mormon is a hot ticket around here...none for us. :( But maybe we have a new addition to our meetup!

I'm glad you enjoyed Oryx and Crake - I did too, and have still to get round to reading The Year of the Flood to follow it up.

And I must get back to reading Planet Narnia - I had a copy from the library last year and was enjoying reading his very interesting and thoroughly argued theory - but then the book had to go back. But later I was given a copy as a present, so I have no excuse not to finish it except that once my reading flow has been interrupted it can take me a while to pick up a book again.

Hi Donna. Glad you enjoyed Oryx and Crake, I remember loving that one (and The Year of the Flood even more!)

I'm about 60 pages into O&C now, Donna and liking it so far!
A couple weeks ago I picked up The Year of the Flood in a B&N online sale. I was so excited to see it for $2.99 that I never noticed it was a large print edition. Oh, well!

Enjoyed your comments on Oryx and Crake, Donna. Loved it, and (as noted by someone else), The Handmaid's Tale, too.

Hi Donna!
I have fallen way behind - but am now caught up. Don't know how long that will last...

Now I am reminded to get to Atwood's books - I have a couple -but I still need to pick up Oryx and Crake. Also, most of what you are reading by CS Lewis in your class will be re-reads for me. I look forward to it though as it's been awhile. :)

Laura - I read Oryx and Crake quickly because of my participation in the week end readathon. It was my job!

Pat- I hope you like it!

Nathalie - I hear you on that overbooked feeling.

Anne - Yikes! My hubby and I would have to sit together to ensure that he didn't sneak out in the middle. He still has nightmares about Cats!

Jenny - It looks like I'll be reading The Year of the Flood sometime in the next few months. A trilogy? That's awesome news to me.

Bonnie - What's happening to us? Next thing you know we'll be seeking out and enjoying graphic novels!

Joe - I loved Unbroken, too. I'll let you know about Planet Narnia. I may be "Narnianed" out after reading the whole series in a short period.

Stasia - I like Margaret Atwood as a writer because of her versatility. Speculative fiction is low on my list, but it is moving higher if she is the author!

Terri - Good for you! I might be interested in that ticket if it turns out to be an extra one! A Wednesday matinee sounds good to me. Less dress-up. ;-)

Ellen - that's great about The Art of Reading Great Course. I'm sure you'll share your nuggets of wisdom with us.

Joanne - I liked Oryx and Crake slightly better than The Handmaid's Tale. It had more of a mystery element to it in my opinion. Apparently Terri might have a "hot ticket" for The Book of Mormon. It's hard for me to fathom an August event becoming sold out so quickly.

Genny - I had never even heard of Planet Narnia before this class. None of the used bookstores in my area have a copy so I'll have to go online to find one if I decide to buy it.

Chelle - Let's see, I gave Oryx & Crake 4.5 stars so maybe The Year of the Flood will be a 5-star book for me. Unbelievable. Something strange is happening in my reading world.

Laura - You could always save The Year of the Flood for your old age when the eyes start to go!

Nancy - You may recall that I reread The Handmaid's Tale for my book group last year... and liked it much better the second time around.

Cee - I didn't realize there were so many C. S. Lewis fans around here. Feel free to chime in here with your opinions. I loved Surprised by Joy. I'm going to review some passages I marked and take the online quiz (it sounds like it's more of a worksheet) to get ready for Tuesday's class. We didn't get to much discussion last week because of all the computer stuff we went over. I'm going to love having access to The Oxford English Dictionary this semester.

Donna, I think you may have managed to convince me to try Oryx and Crake again. I tried reading it not very long after it came out and was completely turned off after just the first chapter, even though I like some of Atwood's novels a whole lot.

>127 tloeffler: Terri, I spent about 2 hours as well, and ended up with three tickets to Thursday night, August 30. I did not find three seats together, but nearby! That was a frustrating experience, and from what I've read today on Facebook, the Denver Center website is notoriously bad at handling high volume. Should be a fun show. Trey Parker is a friend of mine from jr high and high school, so I was determined to go! Oh, I hope we can get together when you're here!

>128 EBT1002: Donne, re less dress up: just about anything goes in Denver:)

A wonderful non-spoiler review of Oryx and Crake. I must confess with great shame that I really disliked The Handmaids Tale. Maybe someday I will give Margaret Atwood a second look - but that's no guarantee. ;) runs off to hide in shame.........

I loved your review of Oryx and Crake, Donna. Enough of a teaser without giving anything away. But alas, apart from this and The Handmaid's Tale, I haven't enjoyed anything else from her thus far.

I'm jealous of your access to the OED online. :) We have a copy in our reference section that I've been telling people for years I'll take if we ever delete it, never mind that I don't have a place to put 12 humongous volumes (under the bed?).

>136 Donna828:: You could always save The Year of the Flood for your old age when the eyes start to go!
Well, I turn 50 in 4 weeks so that day may not be far away!

I thought The Handmaid's Tale was terrific, so your putting Oryx and Crake slightly above it is a strong recommendation for me, Donna. Onto the tbr it goes.

>137 Smiler69:: Ilana, I don't think Oryx and Crake is a book that will appeal to everyone. I'm kind of surprised that I liked it. I must be getting easy in my old(er) age!

Anne - I wouldn't wear formal attire in Denver, but I was thinking of something nicer than my usual jeans.

Deb - have you tried Atwood's non-dystopian novels? I really liked Cat's Eye, a book about how the hurts of childhood can be longlasting. It was my first Atwood. Maybe I'll reread it someday to see if it holds up.

Caro - I'm going to give The Year of the Flood a go later in the year. It seems like you enjoy her futuristic books more than the others. I think she's good at just about anything!

Mary - I think the OED is a great resource. I hope I don't get bogged down in tracing word etymologies, etc. and forget about reading "Jacksie's" books. ;-)

Laura - I'm 63 and the eyes are still going strong!

Joe - if you liked The Handmaid's Tale, I predict that you will also like Oryx and Crake. Who needs an LT Oracle when we have our fellow readers?

Readathons are a wonderful thing. I enjoyed the week end 'thon so much that I continued it through today, and I finished another book:


"On the morning of July 1st, I had a low-paying job at a waning publisher and a dwindling circle of semi-acquaintances. On Friday, July eighth, I had one foot in the door of Conde Nast and the other in the door of the Knickerbocker Club--the professional and social circles that would define the next thirty years of my life. That's how quickly New York City comes about--like a weather vane--or the head of a cobra. Time tells which." (161)

Book No. 7: Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. 3.8 stars.

In a nutshell, this book is a love story. Romantic love is the least of it, however. It's more about the love of wealth and power in New York City in the late 1930s. It's about the love of literature including Dickens, Agatha Christie, and Henry David Thoreau. But mainly, it's about the love and forgiveness of friends.

It took me awhile to warm up to this book, but it was worth the effort. This is a debut novel and not a perfect book yet it's good enough to make me want to read the next book by Towles. Pour yourself a martini, put on a Jazz CD, and treat yourself to this working girl's story in the shadow of wealth and glamour. Whatever you do, don't skip over the young George Washington's Rules of Civility in the appendix. They make good reading and are an integral part of the plot.

>136 Donna828:, 142 Laura and Donna, I read my first large print book a couple of years ago when I was able to get a copy of The Help from the library when the regular copy had a long, long waiting list. I opened it and was a little put off by the print that I just wasn't old enough to be in need of but in no time I was swept away by the narrative and never noticed the size of the print again.

Since then, although I haven't read any large print books, I was able to pick up a large print copy of Columbine at the Borders' closing sale.

I've wondered about Rules of Civility Donna but I'm afraid if I pour myself a martini while reading the result could be...well...incomprehensible;-)

I'm glad you liked Rules of Civility Donna. I saw it at B&N when I was shopping for Christmas presents and ended up giving it to my MiL who says she's been enjoying it.

passing through to say Hi Donna!

Oryx and Crake is already on my list :) but your review made me bump it up some!

Hi Donna- I've been hearing good reports on Rules of Civility. So I am glad a revered LTer, such as yourself, has given it a thumbs up. Well done. I don't do martinis but I'm sure a fine ale will suffice.

Hee, I don't do martinis either, but I might do Rules of Civility. Sounds like NY society, fast forwarded from the time Wharton was writing about in Age of Innocence.

I've been eyeing Rules of Civility for some time. I think your review has pushed me over the edge!

I enjoy a good martini made with Bombay Sapphire gin, straight up, with a twist (I hate olives).

Sandy K

#145: I already have Rules of Civility in the BlackHole, but your review makes me want to get to the book sooner rather than later. Thanks for the review, Donna!

144: I stand corrected. True confession time: I am 64! I may forget my age, but I can still see pretty well. Thanks to my thread buddy for keeping me honest.

Bonnie, we'll do anything to get our hands on the book we want ASAP! Smart thinking.

Pat, you'll have to borrow that book from your MIL. Hmm... I sense an ulterior motive in your Christmas shopping. ;-)

Hi Kara! Send some warm weather this way, pretty please.

Mark, I would gag on a martini. Any drink will be fine.

Nancy, there was a reference early in the book about EW that I questioned. The author mentioned something about her lack of a love life. Doesn't he know she had a hot lover in her "mature" years?

Sandy, there was discussion in Rules about olives vs. onions in martinis. You seem to know a bit about it. ;-)

You are most welcome, Stasia. Why aren't you studying? For that matter, why aren't I studying?

Hi, Donna! Just read rapidly through your thread; maybe I commented before on re-reading; last year I probably re-read 8 or so books, several from long, long ago. Just finished the above mentioned book On Rereading; I thought it excellent, if slgihtly stuffy.

A sweet friend (and she knows who she is) sent me Oryx and Crake. I think the only Atwood book I've read is The Robber Bride, which I loved; so weird. I'll start O. and C. pretty soon, I think.

I've got Surprised by Joy and Mere Christianity around here as well...

Martini (or vodka) + jazz + a good book = heaven.

I added Rules to my wishlist, Donna. Thanks.

It's interesting that many people think of Atwood primarily as an author of distopian-type books, I guess perhaps because The Handmaid's Tale was such a big success. And her most recent books have been in that genre too with Orxy & C and Year of the Flood. I've not read the last-mentioned yet, but I have read just about everything else of hers, including all her non-distopian ones, and because I read those first, I still think of her primarily as an author of novels with a contemporary setting mainly exploring women's lives and underpinned with a thought-provoking feminist philosophy. I find her a 'cool' rather than 'warm' author, if that makes sense - there's a kind of detachment about her, and a precise way with language, which makes me say that I admire her books rather than love them, mostly, but certainly always want to read more of hers.

Donna, as always, there is lively conversation here! I've never read Atwood and I hate to admit that your review makes me reluctant to start - at least with Oryx and Crake. Dystopian is a genre that I don't feel drawn to at present. Although, an excellent book is always a treat, regardless.

Agree with you Sandy ~ hate dystopian fiction when the idea gets in the way of the writer actually bothering to write cogently. To be fair I haven't (and won't) read Oryx and Crake based on A Handmaid's Tale which was frankly codswallop. By the way I normally don't sit on the fence as much as this! btw hi Donna and sorry for getting all serious via your wonderfully entertaining forum!

It's raining here this morning. Poor Lucky wants to go for his walk regardless, but I'm settled in with my coffee and LT for a bit longer.

>154 Matke:: Hi Gail, it looks like we are reading the same books... or at least the same books are staring at us waiting to be read!

Darryl, I think that combination would put me to sleep, but book naps are pretty wonderful things imo.

Hi Becky, you're welcome. I hope you enjoy Rules of Civility. I know you will like the appendix with GW's original list of rules.

Genny, I love your view on "cool" and "warm" authors. I suspect those cool writers are my 4-star books that I really liked but don't quite make it into the warm fuzzy area of heartwarming books which garner more stars. Thanks for giving me a new way to think about my ratings which are sometimes quite puzzling to me.

Sandy, I agree that the dystopian world is not for everyone. But then not everyone enjoys reading about serial killers either! LOL. The thing about Atwood is that she also writes historical fiction very well. You might like Alias Grace, the fictionalized version of a teenage maid who may or may not have killed her employer in the 1800s.

Paul, I learned a new word from you. Codswallop!!! I love it and might borrow it from you.

I'm also not a fan of dystopian lit. Like Paul, I read The Handmaid's Tale and decided that I was not an Atwood fan. I didn't hate the book, but it just didn't resonate with me.

Genny's description of Atwood as a "cool" author is brilliant. I concur!

Hope Lucky got his walk! Not raining here in Ohio, but gray, chilly and gloomy. Do you get much snow in Missouri? My husband's first teaching job was in a tiny town called Redbud, Illinois. It was about a 90 minute drive over to the Mississippi river and into St. Louis. I remember visiting him there in January and it was snowy, but I don't know if that's the norm.

Time for a cup of tea!

Sandy K

>155 kidzdoc: haha, for me it is: coffee + silence (ie absence of distraction) + good book = heaven

>160 Donna828: I'm a big fan of the word codswallop, too, Donna. Paul is a treasure trove of colorful and useful words and phrases.

Donna, I just worked my way through two threads. As King Louie in the Jungle Book movie says, "I wanna be like youuuuu!" the meet up in Denver and a class on C.S. Lewis, the jealousy pains are killin' me. Thank you for sharing so much of what you glean from class, an act of generosity that I truly appreciate.

Donna: You've started off the year with some great reading. I am an Atwood fan and love it all. I loved Moral Disorder, which was a collection of autobiographical (I think) stories.

Rules of Civility sounds interesting. I'm adding it to my list.

Hi Donna!
Have yet to read an Atwood - I have 2 of them and I keep fluctuating between them. Should I start with Alias Grace or The Handmaid's Tale? Or yet another?
Dunno... but I have others to get to first... not quite ready for codswallop! LOL

#160 not everyone enjoys reading about serial killers either! LOL! Point taken! Off to check out Alias Grace in more detail.

"Life at a vile boarding school is in this way good preparation for the Christian life, that it teaches one to live by hope." (36)

Book No. 8: Surprised By Joy by C. S. Lewis. 4.2 stars.

I didn't set out to write a book when I did this review. I wanted to give as much of the essence of Jack Lewis as I could in three paragraphs. I enjoyed learning about his early life, especially the imagination that allowed him to create the world of Narnia that I am so eager to read. It's amazing to me how such an intellectual mind can create stories that have been beloved by so many children. My inner child is in a state of tingling about filling the gap in my childhood reading!

Oh yeah, here is my review of Jack's autobiography. I feel like I know him well enough to call him by the nickname he chose for himself at an early age!

This introduction to the life of C. S. (Jack) Lewis goes into great detail about the imaginary worlds he and his brother created as young children in Belfast and his boarding school experiences. He was not in a particularly religious family but he had unlimited access to the many books his father collected. He valued his solitude and "hours of golden reading." He immersed himself in the world of the Norse gods and developed a dual inner-outer life, although he repeatedly reminds the reader that he never mistook imagination for reality.

The turning point in his young life came when his mother died of cancer. He was only 9 years old at the time and his world was further turned upside down when he was sent to boarding school in England only one month after her death. This was the boarding school from hell. It was here that he began to seriously read the Bible and spent hours in prayer, perhaps to get relief from the brutal headmaster who was later declared insane. Prayers were answered and he changed school two years later. It was at Malvern prep school that he dabbled in the occult and dropped his Christian ideals "with the greatest relief" but still struggled with contradictory feelings. While he believed God did not exist, he was angry at Him for not existing and for creating the world in the first place!

The purpose of writing this book was to relate his conversion experience. The many influences on Jack's life make for interesting reading, though the time spent in WWI and his early teaching career at Oxford are glossed over. Mostly, this is a book about the friends and "glories of literature" that slowly led him from the early path of his "stabs" of joy that he called an "unsatisfied desire which is more desirable than any other satisfaction" to the point of decision where "the great Angler played His fish and I never dreamed that the hook was in my tongue." It was in 1929 that Jack Lewis finally "gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England."

>161 sandykaypax:: Hi SandyK... it was on my second reading of The Handmaid's Tale that I appreciated it more. It probably paved the way for me to really like Oryx and Crake.

Lucky got his walk in the mist. We haven't been getting much snow the past few years, but we will occasionally get dumped on. It was a good day for tea. No sun at all in my bleak world.

Megan, I like your equation better than the martini one Darryl proposed. Unfortunately, I had too many distractions today to be in book heaven.

Joe, I can't wait to use this one on my husband after one of his political tirades! It's a good thing he was traveling and missed the State of the Union address last night. But no, I don't want to go there. No politics on this thread!

Regina! So glad you paid me a visit. I'm happy to share about my class. It's the most interesting thing in my life right now. I'm going to be glad to get all the introductory stuff out of the way so we can focus more on our reading. So far I've learned the ins and outs of using the OED online and have had a fairly thorough biographical presentation of Lewis's life. We begin talking about the world of Narnia tomorrow.

Beth, I'm glad to have an Atwood fan here. There seem to be more who have never read her or who have read one book and didn't like it. She's so much more than one book! Hmm, I'll have to take a look at Moral Disorder. The only book I own and haven't read is Surfacing, but the book I really want to read next is The Year of the Flood.

Cee, apparently The Handmaid's Tale is "codswallop" so perhaps you'd better give Alias Grace your attention first.

Sandy, I hope you know I made that remark in jest. I've been known to read and enjoy a serial killer book. Dark Places comes to mind. I can't remember if there was a serial killer or just a series of unsolved murders that The Kill Club was trying to solve. That reminds me, I need to locate a copy of our next Missouri Readers book.

ETA:
>169 tututhefirst: - Tina? Are you there?

>169 tututhefirst:...brain fart....not sure what happened. I think I was going to make some comment but can't for the life of me think what it was - especially since I really don't like Margaret Atwood. Oh well.....going to go tucky tuck....my one totally free day tomorrow after a spastic week so far.

Back later when I'm coherent.

Having looked at your pic, I'm surprised at your age. You look terrific, Donna (NOT that that matters!).
Surprised by Joy sounds like one to add to the list.......
I agree with Darryl. :-)

Hello Donna - thank you so much for your support and lovely messages during the last month and more of my personal travails. You are a very special woman and very dear to my heart - strange how that can happen without having ever met!

To some book comments - not a real fan of The Handmaids Tale - started strong but kind of lost me. However, I have read many Atwood books that I did enjoy greatly. There is a wonderful movie about C S Lewis and his American love - can't remember the title (annoyingly!!) but I am sure there are other LTers who can provide! I am. as always, going to follow and comment on your thread with interest!

Hi Donna!

Ewe, I had a bitter taste in my mouth after reading The Handmaid's Tale and I would surely had given up Atwood forever if not for the fact that I had The Blind Assassin on my shelf. Greatly enjoyed that one and now I seem to have accumulated many more Atwoods which I have yet to read, but at least look forward to giving them a try.

Hmm ... interesting comments on Atwood! The Blind Assassin was the first of hers that I read, and I wasn't that into it (I didn't enjoy the sci-fi chapters). I liked Alias Grace a lot, and found The Handmaid's Tale thought-provoking, not at all codswallop. I'm now reading Oryx and Crake and surprised that I like it. I don't love it, but I like it.

#170 Of course I know that you were teasing - I laughed right out loud when I read your comment! I've been interested in reading Atwood for a while, and even have a couple of her books on the wishlist. The dystopian label is what puts me off, so I think I'll be most successful by picking up an excellent example of the genre and reading it without knowing what I've got. A tall order! I think starting with one of Atwood's historical novels might be a good idea - if she can win my trust then I may be more open to one of her other books.

I've been out of town for the last week but saw that the next MO Readers book is available for pick-up at the library when I get home. Someone said it is pretty long, so I'm anxious to get started on it soon. Do you remember when the discussion is to begin?

Happy Thursday, Everyone! I've been reading The Narnia Code for my class and learned how the days of the week got their names. Medieval Christians believed that each of the "seven planets" was governed by its own god who in turn ruled over the different days of the week. By Jove (another name for Jupiter), Thursday's planet is Jupiter. The Norse version of Jupiter is Thor, giving us the name of Thursday.

Tina, you are welcome at anytime -- you have lots of company in not liking Atwood's books.

Ellen, thanks for making my day! My "baby face" is quickly succumbing to the ravages of time, but I thank you for the compliment.

Prue, welcome back! I think Shadowlands is the movie you're thinking of. There have been two versions made with the same title, both based on the play. My professor mentioned another movie, "The Magic Never Ends," which I hadn't heard of. Unfortunately, they all have misinformation about C. S. Lewis. I saw the most recent release of Shadowlands years ago and quite enjoyed it.

Lynda, I'm glad you gave Atwood another chance. Her books cover a wide variety of tastes and topics. She's kind of a something-for-everyone author.

Laura, I ended up skipping the sci-fi parts in The Blind Assassin or I never would have finished it! I'm happy to hear that you are liking Oryx and Crake. It got more and more under my skin as I learned more about the background of what happened.

Sandy, I think our group read of Ghost in the Little House begins in mid-February. I just reserved my copy. Maybe we should take a field trip to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Mansfield. I can't believe I've never been there.

Delighted you are enjoying your class, Donna. By Jove, that's an interesting post on the days of the week!

Great review of Surprised By Joy. I am enjoying my re-read. I am looking forward to hearing what you think of The Narnia Code. I've never read it.

I'm so grateful you are so willing to share your learning (and your reading, and photos of your grandchildren, and so many other things)! I really enjoyed your comments on Surprised by Joy. Thank you!

I probably mentioned this before, Donna, but I loved The Handmaid's Tale, as did my wife. To me, it's going to be viewed as a classic as time passes. I'm surprised (but still joyful) that more than a few LTers didn't take to it.

Oryx and Crake is now on my radar, so thank you for that.

On the subject of re-reading (although I see it's been several days ago), a member of a RL group recommended Second Reading by Pulitzer winner book critic, Jonathan Yardley, which lists 60 notable and neglected book to revisit.

Great review of Surprised by Joy! I found Lewis' childhood interest in Norse mythology an interesting tidbit. I knew about the Christian allegory in the Narnia books, but I can see how an interest in mythology plays out in the world of Narnia as well.

Sandy K

I love hearing about C.S. Lewis and his influences. As a big fan of the Narnia books, I am looking forward to your reaction to them.

Hi Donna- Good review of Lewis's autobio! I have never read Lewis. Maybe one of these days. Once again, it always surprises me how many people dislike The Handmaid's Tale. It was my first Atwood and I loved it. I hope to get to a couple more of her books this year.

I don't really want to think about how little I know about C. S. Lewis and the fact that I've never read anything he's written Donna so....start educating me;-) That review is a good start.

#185 it always surprises me how many people dislike The Handmaid's Tale. Me, too! Actually, I didn't realize until LT how much it was disliked!

Thoroughly enjoying your thoughts on CS Lewis, Donna : ).

I loved Lewis's creation of Boxen! I love the idea that Beatrix Potter's Squirrel Nutkin was the inspiration for his anthropomorphized animals. It's so cool that his childhood world-building led to Narnia.

And also:
I heard a voice that cried/
Balder the Beautiful/
Is dead, is dead

That one sends chills up my spine. I can't remember how old he was when he came across that, but it's so amazing that a chance encounter as a young person can change a person's life course forever.

Catching up as best I can...

I never thought of Atwood as a dystopian writer but rather a feminist writer who happened to write some dystopian fiction.

Love hearing about your class, Donna! One of these days I'll read some Lewis.

>166 -Cee-: Cee - I'm not so sure you'd like The Handmaid's Tale.... It is one of my all time favorites but it can be a painful read.

>178 lit_chick:, 187: Hi Nancy, I thought it was pretty cool, too. Friday's planet is Venus; the Norse equivalent is Freya or Frigg, hence, Friday. I have reserved a children's book of Norse mythology at the library as I know so little about it.

Jenn, we're reading The Narnia Code slowly. I'll read the chapter on Jupiter along with The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe for Tuesday's discussion. I also plan to read the more in-depth chapter on Jupiter in Planet Narnia. PN was written for scholars, while TNC was written more for the general public, especially a Christian audience. The prof apologized for that but said it was the most 'user friendly' book on the subject. I have no problem with it, but I can understand her concern.

Anne, I enjoy sharing with you and others here. And I enjoy going to your thread to see what you are currently sharing!

Joe (also Mark and Nancy) - to each his own, right? I do understand both views of The Handmaid's Tale because I've had mixed feelings about it, although I wouldn't say I hated it the first time I read it. I was more perplexed by it than anything.

Brenda, Second Reading looks wonderful. I don't usually read the Washington Post reviews so they would all be new to me. I'm adding it to my Amazon cart as the library doesn't have it. One can never have too many books about books! Thank you for letting me know about it.

Sandy, I'm learning so much in my class. This is the third class I've audited and my favorite so far.

Judy, I'm getting my old teddy bear off the shelf to share the experience! I figure he can help me call out to my inner child. ;-)

Mark, I may have given up on Atwood if THT was my first attempt. I read Cat's Eye about 15 years ago and loved it.

Bonnie, you will probably be sick of C. S. Lewis by the time I write about him for three more months! For you and others learning along with me, here are some more tidbits from today's class...

Jack was a complex kind of guy. He had lots of friends and enjoyed debating with them, but he considered himself an introvert. He was a popular lecturer at Oxford. To avoid discussion and answering questions, he would leave the room as he gave the last few words of his lecture!

He also had a "horror" of the postman arriving, but he personally answered every letter. He called himself a dinosaur because of his belief in the goodness of old things. He valued mythology as the way to "truth."

He and J.R.R. Tolkein were great friends. Tolkein absolutely despised The Narnia Chronicles because of their (seemingly) lack of organization and consistency.

That's all I've got for today. Class dismissed!

Oooh, more visitors while I was posting that lengthy message.

188: Hi Janet, that's exactly why I'm going to read the children's version of Norse mythology. I'm beginning to think that I didn't have a very good imagination even as a child. Maybe there's hope for me in my second childhood!

189: Joanna you said it perfectly:
I never thought of Atwood as a dystopian writer but rather a feminist writer who happened to write some dystopian fiction.
That's exactly what I've been trying to put into words... and failing miserably. Thank you!

Donna, I'm really enjoying your comments on your C.S. Lewis class, especially the origins of the names of the days of the week. I'm glad it's 3 months long!

Trying to catch up... Lots of interesting stuff over here!

I have been a good student and read your Lewis Lesson, interesting stuff. A+ Donna!

Hi Donna, firstly the discussion about the re reads was very interesting. I always find myself re reading The Lotus Eater, its a short story by W. Somerset Maugham. this story has somehow touched and influenced me in life. And if we listen to music albums again and again why does the same principle apply to books as well?

The few earlier post has made me extremely curious about Margaret Atwood. Some additions to the TBR list.

oh dear... way to far behind... sorry !

Happy Saturday, Donna! I had missed your post about requesting the children's book of Norse mythology. That sounds like a brilliant idea! I'll be interested to know how you like it. Back in grade school in the 60's I remember being taught Greek and Roman mythology several times--but never anything beyond that.

DD took a college class on various world mythologies (DD's a bigtime fantasy reader who dabbles in fantasy writing). I need to go invade her bookshelf--any books she's left behind should be fair game for MT TBR, right?

192: Pat, I hope you feel the same way about my class when I'm still babbling on in April!

Katie, I'm perpetually trying to keep up around here. Good luck with that.

Megan, thanks for the A+!

Gautam, it's good to have those comfort reads. I fear I have too many of them.

Kath, good to see you here. I need to check on the progress of the new nephew. He's a cutie!

Janet, any books left behind by my children are considered mine! I do freely share, however, and many of the childhood treasures are now in my grandchildren's libraries.

------------------------------------------------------------------

I took the day off from my thread yesterday. I got some domestic chores done that I have been putting off - and lots of reading accomplished. I knocked off another 50 pages in Infinite Jest which is about all I can handle in one day, and I read enough of In the Bleak Midwinter to know I'll be finishing it up today or tomorrow before I get back to Narnia.

This morning's poem from The Writer's Almanac gives you a better how I spent much of yesterday:

Winter Is the Best Time
By David Budbill

Winter is the best time to find out who you are,
Quiet, contemplation time, away from the rushing world,
Cold time, dark time, holed-up pulled-in time
And space to see that inner landscape,
That place hidden and within.

"Winter Is the Best Time" by David Budbill, from While We've Still Got Feet. © Copper Canyon Press, 2005.

Sorry, the spacing got changed when I copied it, but the sense of peace and quiet is still there.

I hope everyone finds some time for quiet contemplation this weekend.

A day off for quiet contemplation sounds perfect! Thanks for the poem.

>198 Donna828:: In the Bleak Midwinter? I didn't realize you hadn't discovered Clare and Russ yet. I hope you're enjoying it, Donna.

Donna, I loved the poem. Thanks for posting it.

nice poem, just the wrong season for me at the moment. Ill keep it til winter:)

Donna, we're set to start discussing The Ghost in the Little House on February 13, but we can push it back if we need to. I'm about halfway through it, and I like it so far, although Rose reminds me a lot of Emily Hahn.

Wouldn't it be fun to meet in person to discuss it at the museum in Mansfield? Just a thought...

I've enjoyed everything I've read by C.S. Lewis, and Surprised by Joy is on my shelf, but there are just SO many books sitting on my short stack, and I'm determined to finish them (or at least shorten the stack) before I go back to my random shelf picks. I think The Screwtape Letters is one of my favorite books of all time, but I must have loaned my copy out to someone, because I can't find it anywhere. It would be worth buying again.

Hi Donna: What a great conversation about Atwood. I loved Joanne's description -- I have never thought of her principally as a dystopian writer, either. I have Alias Grace calling my name. I haven't read that one yet. I loved The Year of the Flood.

I have to do a better job of keeping up with your thread.

Hi Donna - catching up...
"Winter is the Best Time" - for sure! David got that right!
Not zeroing in on blue print tonight - got my blue-filtering glasses on my tired eyes. ;-)

Love the poem (thank you for sharing it!) , and I am in fact just having a much needed quiet contemplation weekend.
Have a wonderful Sunday!

Hi Donna, just catching up and enjoying all of the chit chat about A Handmaid's Tale and Margaret Atwood. I think she is a writer that one either loves or really dislikes - no half - way opinions. It's really interesting!

Great review of Surprised by Joy. I'm so glad that you are enjoying your class.

#203 Thanks for the reminder, Terri. I've got the book on hand but haven't started it yet. Wasn't Emily Hahn the book we read last February?

Oh, wow, Sandy, you're right! I wonder if Mr. Keith is leading us down the garden path, claiming to pick from the hat? I'm sure he's not; I watch him very carefully, and he won't even read the papers. Just shakes his head and hands them to me.

Donna, spotted your review of In the Bleak Midwinter on my home page. Excellent! Thanks, and thumbed1

"In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter long ago.
...First verse of "In the Bleak Midwinter" - lyrics by Chrintina Rossetti

Book No. 9: In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming. 3.5 stars

It is strange to me that I received a book first released in 2004 from the LT Early Reviewers program. But I'm glad I did. This is a book I've heard of here and have been wanting to read for some time. The cold month of January was a perfect fit for a story where snow and ice appear on almost every page.

I had to write a review for this one which can be found here.

I liked the winter poem.

Sandy K

Crud, hit the refresh thingy and lost my message. Here's the short version:

>199 lit_chick: and 210: Nancy, you are quicker than I am. Thanks for the thumb!

Laura, I'll be catching up with Clare and Russ and their exploits. Fun stuff!

Pat and Megan, glad you liked the poem.

Terri, it would be fun to take our Missouri Readers on a field trip. I'd better get the book read first, though. TSL is the Lewis book I am most eagerly anticipating. Stay tuned for comments beginning the end of March.

Beth, we have something in common. I need to keep up better with your thread as well. Lol.

Cee, that poem was written with you in mind.

Nathalie, I'll have my nose in a book the rest of the day contemplating the wonders of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Deb, I kind of like those polarizing authors who make for good discussions on LT.

Sandy, I'll be reading The Ghost in the Little House along with you. Great title, isn't it?

Terri, Keith is doing commendable work. I'm glad he isn't charging us!

Hi Sandy K, almost missed you. I'm afraid of that refresh button now! At least I wasn't typing this on the iPad which still challenges my typing skills. Glad you liked the poem.

I loved In The Bleak Midwinter when I first read it a year or so, you've reminded me that I should get going on the second book in this series. I have a bad habit of starting series and then failing to get back to them!

Donna - each time I take a day off from LT I have a heck of a job catching up again!

I loved the poem. I will hope very much that it will apply when my winter days are not filled with housebound children...

Adding In the Bleak Midwinter to the TBR pile. :)

Sounds like a very fitting read for the season. And it's only 3 USD on Kindle! I think I'll get it.

Donna - I only very quickly skimmed your review but I am happy to see that you liked In the Bleak Midwinter. I've had my eye on it for a while after both Bonnie and Cee recommended it. I was able to get it for a couple of dollars on my nook. Now I just need time to get to it.

By the way, I think the reason it was only recently offered as an ER book is because it is being released as a trade paperback.

Dropping by to say hi! Your thread is busy as a beehive as usual! :-)

Way, way, way behind Donna but I'm glad you enjoyed your futuristic Atwood, Oryx and Crake. Also enjoyed the Margaret Atwood description and Genny's very apt description of her as a 'cool' author. Skimming quickly over Paul describing Handmaid's Tale as codswallop (*shakes head sadly*). I've mainly read her science fiction but I read Alias Grace for Orange January this month and also loved it. Still many more Atwoods for me to discover and hopefully love.

Heather surely one of our rare disagreements! Have said elsewhere that I enjoyed Alias Grace - I just don't get dystopian fiction where the idea prevails over the tale.

Catching up finally..whew! I was drawn by your review of Rules of Civility and had to add that to my obese wish list, Donna.

"...snow and ice appear on almost every page..."
Oh yeah! So, maybe I should save this for a summer read... hmmm... IF I can wait that long :)

Yep another thumb from me Donna. You're much better at reviewing mysteries than I am. I try not to give away too much and end up saying little of any value. This series just gets better and better. I think I'm ready for #5.

Congratulations on having the #1 hot review this evening, Donna!

I just read In the Bleak Midwinter too, Donna. (though feeling very behind the times) Excellent review!

How are things in Narnia?

# 1 Hot Review! Congrats!

Fifty behind. Not even pretending to catch up. Just saying hi. I hope I get some time this weekend to check in with folks more deliberately.

#1 Hot Review. How cool is that!

>214 DeltaQueen50:: Judy, I don't do many series, but I am falling way behind in the few that I have started. Right now, we're even in the Clare and Russ mysteries!

Paul, I know what you mean. Even with splurking (my version of speed-lurking), I can't keep up the way I want to!

Jenn, I'd love to have children back in the house - at least part of the time. ;-)

Nathalie, In the Bleak Midwinter is a very atmospheric book for this time of year, although sometimes I think I should be reading the winter books in the summer to cool me off.

Joanne, it's been on my radar too after reading such persuasive reviews and comments about it. I was happy to get my ER copy and promote the new release.

Porua, we may be buzzzzzzing around here, but you won't get stung!

Heather and Paul... now, kids, no fussing at each other here. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, no matter how misguided it might be. Lol. Heather, I'm looking forward to reading more by Atwood, too.

Caro, enjoy Rules of Civility when you get to it. My WL is getting pretty chunky as well.

Cee, enjoy the snow and ice whenever you get around to it. Thanks for that thumb!

Bonnie, *pant pant*... that is Judy and me trying to get caught up to you in the series. You are waaay out in front.

Anne, Narnia is just as wonderful and magical as I imagined it would be. I'll be doing some class updates on my new thread. It's almost February!

Sandy, Porua, and Ellen. Thanks for the heads up about the hot review. I missed seeing it in first place. Fame is so fleeting. Lol. I appreciate the thumbs up, people, especially since this is an ER book. Now that I'm up to date again I can look at the new offerings when they come out.