Hey there!  Hope you had a good weekend and now it’s time to check in to see what we are all up to!  It’s Monday!  What are you reading? is hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.  Head over there and check it out!

I am still on a slow reading trend.

Last week I finished-

The Two Towers

Loved it!

This week I am reading-

The Return of the King

I need a good amount of time to put aside and sit and read this.  There is SO much action that 10 minute courts kill me for this book.

and

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

by Anne Fadiman

This is the new pick for the book club I belong to at the kids’ school and Mr. Weiss, the Spanish teacher is going to be our host and chose this.

Lia Lee was born in 1981 to a family of recent Hmong immigrants, and soon developed symptoms of epilepsy. By 1988 she was living at home but was brain dead after a tragic cycle of misunderstanding, over-medication, and culture clash: “What the doctors viewed as clinical efficiency the Hmong viewed as frosty arrogance.” The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a tragedy of Shakespearean dimensions, written with the deepest of human feeling. Sherwin Nuland said of the account, “There are no villains in Fadiman’s tale, just as there are no heroes. People are presented as she saw them, in their humility and their frailty–and their nobility.”

In keeping with my decision to reread some of my favorites, I have just finished The Fellowship of the Ring, the first in The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien.

As the movies (like Harry Potter) have been seen by so many the have not read the books, many of my thoughts have to do with things that did NOT make it into the films. As much as I enjoyed the movies, I loved the books.  They were SO much better.

 The Maps are beautiful.

The journey to Rivendell is much longer and dangerous in the book.

The hobbits journey first to Buckland, stopping my Maggots farm and getting some help from him.

They then make their way into the Old Forest, where Ton Bombadil saves their lives.  Twice.

I wish Tom had made it into the movie.  He is a great character.

Glorfindel, an Elf Prince, is sent by Elrond to help Aragorn bring the Hobbits to Rivendell.

We hear the Legends.

We are introduced to Eldar days, with the story of Elbereth, and Luthien and Beren.  These Elf songs foretell and amazing story that Tolkien tells in The Silmarillion.

I want to live in Rivendell.

The one part of Jackson’s movies that I really thought was amazing was the depiction of Rivendell.  It is even more beautiful than I imagined.

When Gandalf falls to the Balrog I cry.  Everytime.

The first time I read this book, I remember yelling at my husband for letting me read such an awful thing.  How could he kill of Gandalf in the middle of the first damn book?!?!

I never liked BoromirEven though it might not seem it, LOTR has some pretty kick ass women.  Galadriel is the first we get introduces to.

I love her, even though she makes me sad.

I never liked Boromir.

It annoyed me that they cast Sean Bean as Bormir because I love him, but really don’t like the character.  Though I did love watching The Martian with him in it when they name the secret mission Project Elrond-

“Elrond,” Bruce said. “The Council of Elrond. From Lord of the Rings. It’s the meeting where they decide to destroy the One Ring.” said by Bean’s character.

See- everyone loves this book!

I am already well into The Two Towers- which I really believe suffers from middle child syndrome- at least in my mind!

Any thoughts on The Fellowship of the Ring?

Hey there!  Hope you had a good weekend and now it’s time to check in to see what we are all up to!  It’s Monday!  What are you reading? is hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.  Head over there and check it out!

It’s actually a SNOW DAY for us- over 30″ here and it doesn’t look like it will be going anywhere soon.

I haven’t been the best reader this week- I am still reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

I have gotten about 1/3 of the way through The Two Towers, but I am hoping for some good reading over the next few days!

I really do love all three of these books, but it seems like The Two Towers suffers from middle child syndrome.  I love the parts with the rest of the Fellowship, but the parts with Sam and Frodo are a drag- except when they meet up with Faramir!

What are you reading?

Gone With the Wind

by Margaret Mitchell

1936

On of the best parts of touring colleges with your child is the chance to go into all the great bookstores that are always around these schools.  On one such trip, I picked up a new (sed) copy of Gone With the Wind to replace mine old one- a 1970s paperback with a cover from the movie- you know which one I am talking about.  This new copy is larger, hence larger print, which these old eyes need.  So when I started looking around for something to read right before Christmas, I chose this!  As almost everyone has read the book, or seen the movie, or just knows the story, I am not going to summarize or review.  I hardly feel like my opinion matter a bit for this classic.  Instead, I just want to offer some thoughts that come to me now in my 40s- a good ten years after the last time I read it.

Scarlett is an absolute bitch.

She is.  But then again, she is 16 at the start of the book.  Maybe not actually a bitch, but a spoiled, cosseted teenager.   She is used to getting her own way, pouts when she doesn’t, and refuses to give in.  When Ashley refuses her at the start of the book, she flirts with another man and accepts his marriage proposal that same night,  just to get back at Ashley.  Mature.

She doesn’t let death or war stop her fun.

After Charles dies, she moves to Atlanta, because there is nothing going on at Tara- no balls, no beaux, no fun.  She moves in with Aunt Pittypat and Miss Melly, even though she “hates” her, so that she can see new people and do things in the bustling city.  She hates wearing mourning.

Rhett knows Scarlett deep down, the way you could only wish someone could really know you when you’re young.

When he sees her working the stand at the dance, he knows she is dying to get out there.  He bids for her, even though the whole town is shocked.  And she goes along with it.  Then he brings her beautiful hats and fabric, tempting her to discard her mourning clothes.

Miss Melly is the only genuinely good character in this book.

She loves Scarlett and only ever sees the good in her- even when there isn’t any there to see.

In typical fashion, she wants what she can’t have.  And doesn’t know what she has until she loses it.

Ashley, her good name, friends, Tara, Melly, and then Rhett.

Rhett and Scarlett are perfect for each other.

Why doesn’t it work out?????

I actually read the sequel called Scarlett by Alexander Ripley (good book- badddd movie)  and I like the ending there.

and my favorite- She is a survivor.

Her husband dies and she is a widow and mother at 17, so she moves to Atlanta.

The Yankees advance and Atlanta falls to them, all while Melly is in labor, so she stays with her and then escapes to Tara.

Tara is in ruins and Yankees are all over, so she puts everyone to work, and protect what little they have.  She shoots a man who comes to steal from them, and Melly helps her bury him.

She is going to lose Tara to taxes, so she seduces and marries her sister finance, so he can give her the tax money.

Unfortunately, Scarlett is at her best when things are bad.  When all is well, she is awful.  Guess that really says something.

Have you read Gone With the Wind?

What are your thoughts?

Hey there!  Hope you had a good weekend and now it’s time to check in to see what we are all up to!  It’s Monday!  What are you reading? is hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.  Head over there and check it out!

This week I finished-

Gone With the Wind

One of my favorite books!

I am reading–

The Fellowship of the Ring

A much needed reread!

Up Next-

The Namesake

For my bookclub that is moderated by teachers from my kids’ high school.  I love having the teacher puck and talk about books that mean something to them!

What are you reading now?

Hello all and Happy 2016!

I have been away from the blog these past few weeks, submerging myself in the holidays, which flew by. Now it is time to settle in and start fresh for the New Year-or restart, as I have decided to revisit some of my old favorites!  I just finished my reread of Gone With the Wind-more thoughts later- and have now turned my attentions to a much needed reread of The Lord of the Rings trilogy!

I am hoping to read as much of them as I can, with a sprinkling of other books thrown in.  Since almost everyone has read them- please don’t tell me you haven’t, just do it- I have decided to share some random thoughts as I go along, instead of traditional reviews.

I will go back to reviewing newer books, but I am really looking forward to changing things up a bit!

Also looking forward to- skiing for the first time this year, cuddling up with my book and my dog on the couch on these cold winter nights, and trying our my new recipes that I am sure will be healthier but that the children will hate.

Mostly, looking forward to maybe taking this blog in a slightly newer directions than pure reviews.  A little more interaction/real life?

So- a question to you-

What book are you dying to reread?  Is it a first time reread, or something you return to often?

I am Currently Reading…

(or Rereading)

Gone With the Wind 

by Margaret Mitchell

As the holidays approach, I find myself not reaching for any new books or ARCs, but instead grabbing an old favorite- Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.

I am not sure why, but I am happy to curl up when I have a few (very few) minutes to read with a book I know and love.  It gets so crazy this time of year, and I don’t want to feel anxious about solving the mystery or finding out what happens.

So, I will be enjoying my old friends Scarlett, Rhett, Mammy, and Miss Melly over the next week or so.

It might mean not getting any closer to my Goodreads goal, or missing a deadline for one or two ARCs, but it also means a more relaxed Christmas for me!

What are you reading?

Hello all and Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to reach out and wish everyone a very happy and healthy day.  I hope you are surrounded by loved one, that they do not drive you too crazy, that your pants have elastic waistbands, and that you have lots of yummy desserts!