Gone WIth the Wind: Chapter 21

Summary:
Melanie's baby is due and Scarlett is desperate to find medical assistance.  Scarlett sends Prissy to find anyone that will help but ,ost of the neighbors have evacuated and Mrs. Meade has gone to aid her wounded son.  When Prissy refuses to go to the depot to find Dr. Meade, because people are dying down there, Scarlett seizes the opportunity to escape the house for a short period of time.

She finds Dr. Meade in the midst of wounded and dying soldiers, unaware that his own son has been wounded and is most likely dying.  Scarlett begs the doctor to come back with her, he tells her that he can't possibly leave all of these desperate men and she's better off finding a woman to help with the birth.  Scarlett is concerned but is confident that Prissy will live up to her word and be able to take charge of the birth in his absence.

Upon her arrival home, Scarlett informs Prissy of the Doctor's reluctance to leave his patients.  Prissy becomes agitated and confesses that she's never been present at a birth.  Scarlett feels completely alone and helpless, yet shoulders the burden and goes upstairs to tell Melanie that they must struggle through without medical assistance.

Katiebug's Response:
This is the first true test of Scarlett's character and survival instincts.  Up to this point, she's had people make decisions for her or protect her from the harsh realities of life.  But now she is truly alone and, not one, but two lives are counting on her.  Her promises to Ashley, Aunt Pitty-Pat, and Melanie herself must be honored despite Scarlett's gut feeling.

We're also seeing how strong Scarlett really is.  Melanie would have crumpled under the pressure of this situation, though out of the goodness of her heart she would have tried, and Aunt Pitty-Pat would have been of no use at all.  But Scarlett sees the reality of the situation and knows the only way past the problem is to go through it.

Gone With the Wind: Chapter 20

The city of Atlanta is completely cut off from the outside world and the only news they've received is of fighting in Jonesboro. Scarlett worries that Tara has fallen victim to the war until a courier finally delivers a letter from her father. She learns that her mother has fallen ill with Typhoid and Scarlett frets that she will never see her again.

In the midst of this dread, Melanie illicits yet another promise from the already put-upon Scarlett. Melanie isn't afraid of dying in childbirth, she's more afraid that her child will be born an orphan with no one to look after it. Melanie makes Scarlett promise to take care of her child should something happen. As Scarlett reluctantly agrees, Melanie reveals that her labor pains have already started.

Katiebugs Response:

I am starting to wonder if maybe Scarlett doesn't hate Melanie as much as she claims.  Obviously, doing anything for Melanie will win Scarlett favor with Ashley, but it seems that she is taking on an awful lot of responsibility for just the possibility that Ashley will show her a little affection.  Maybe her love for this absent man really is that strong, but I can't help but feel there's a little more to it.

Gone With the Wind: Chapter 19

The beginning of the siege finds Scarlet jumping at the slightest sound and cursing both Ashley and Melanie for keeping her in Atlanta when she should be at Tara. Prissy assures Scarlett that she learned how to be midwife from her mother so even if the Doctor can't make it they'll be okay. The ladies do their best to help any soldiers who come knocking at their door.

One night it's Uncle Henry Hamilton they find on their porch, visiting on a four hour furlough. But they soon find that his two hour walk to town and back was not just to let them know his company was moving out, he came to tell them that John Wilkes had died in the siege. Uncle Henry leaves Mr. Wilkes' gold watch, his cuff buttons and a small portrait of his dead wife with Scarlett while charging her with the duty of telling Melanie the news.

Rhett Butler arrives later and is surprised to find that Scarlett has stayed behind with Melanie. They have a conversation about Melanie's condition and how odd it is that Scarlett isn't being selfish for once. Scarlett believes she has finally beaten Rhett and he will confess his undying love to her, but he asks her to be his mistress instead. Caught off guard and completely insulted Scarlett demands he leave the property and storms back into the house.

Katiebug's Response:

It seems that everyone is overly concerned about Melanie but can't really take on the duties of caring for her themselves.  Ashley asked Scarlett to look after Melanie, Aunt Pitty-Pat asked Scarlett to look after her, the Doctor asked Scarlett to look after her, and now, Uncle Henry Hamilton has thrust one more Melanie responsibility upon Scarlett's shoulders.  Seems he couldn't bring himself to tell Melanie the terrible news about her father-in-law in her delicate condition.  I find it just a little bit cruel that everyone is asking Scarlett to do the things they can't or won't do themselves.  But, for all of her supposed selfishness, she is willing to take on these burdens and truly sees them through.

Gone With The Wind: Chapter 18

Chapter 18 Summary:  The Battle has come to Atlanta and the Home Guard is being sent to the front.  Scarlett watches as they march out to battle and she notices several familiar faces.  Mr. Wilkes, Ashley's Father, is among them and he bids her farewell as if he will never return.  Scarlett's own father was prohibited from fighting due to his injured knee and instead has been given charge of Twelve Oaks in Mr. Wilkes' absence.  Old men and young boys are all Atlanta has left to send to the front and the battle is brought even closer to Atlanta.  The men prepare to defend the city from a siege and those that can leave for safer places. Scarlett, Melanie and Aunt PittyPat discuss leaving the city.  Scarlett wants to go home to Tara and Aunt Pitty wants to go to Macon.  Melanie doesn't want Scarlett to go without her and Aunt Pitty won't go without Melanie.  It's Dr. Meade that settles the matter when he declares Melanie is to be on bed-rest until her pregnancy is over.  Traveling is out of the question and she won't even be able to run up and down stairs to hide in the cellar if Atlanta should come under attack.  Dr. Meade charges Scarlett with looking after Melanie and even Melanie reminds Scarlett of the promise made to Ashley to look after her.  So Scarlett and her son, Wade, remain with their only servant, Prissy, while Aunt PittyPat goes to Macon with the rest of her household.

KatieBug's Response: Again, we have mention of the son Scarlett had with Charles.  It's kind of sad to see this child forgotten as he is; hiding out on the porch while the dying and wounded soldiers come trailing in, begging for water and aide.  He is clearly frightened by what is happening around him and yet no one seems to care, not even his own mother.  Only Melanie and Rhett have shown true affection for this child, when he's mentioned at all.  I can't even begin to comprehend living in any city while it's under siege, but Mitchell does an excellent job of conveying the panic and destruction.

Gone With the Wind: Chapter 17

Chapter 17 Summary:  May of 1864, the Yankees are in Georgia again though the people of Atlanta are confident General Johnston will repulse them yet again.  Aunt Pittypat decides to have a dinner party to share the last of her chickens with those less fortunate and Rhett Butler arrives just in time to wrangle a last minute invitation.  He is quiet all through the dinner but can't help but speak against Dr. Meade once they alight to the front porch.  In the meantime, the Yankees are leading "Old Joe" in a type of retreat, attempting to outflank him and causing him to pull his army back to protect the railroads.  The fighting is now as close as the Kennesaw Mountain, only 22 miles from Atlanta.  The people are concerned and complain bitterly about General Joe Johnston.  Scarlett tries to get out of nursing but is forced to stay in Atlanta.  One day she has had enough and manuevers her way out of the hospital to find Rhett Butler in a carriage.  She persuades him to drive her away from the hospital and they proceed to talk of the war.  On their journey they come across a bunch of slaves marching to the outskirts of the town.  Among these slaves, Scarlett recognizes Big Sam, Elijah, Apostle, and Prophet from Tara.  They were recruited to help dig trenches outside of the city in case of a siege.  Scarlett's concern over a possible siege is renewed and proceeds to occupy her thoughts until Rhett bets her a kiss that the Yankees will be in Atlanta within the month.  Rhett reveals that he has been waiting for Scarlett to grow up and forget Ashley before pursuing her properly.



from VintageWorks, LTD

 KatieBug's Response:  We finally see that famous line about how Scarlett needs to be kissed, though the movie has this reveal when he gifts the Green Hat.  It's worded a little bit differently than the movie but you get the idea:

But, Scarlett, you need kissing badly.  That's what's wrong with you.  All your beaux have respected you too much, though God knows why, or they have been too afraid of you to really do right by you.  The result is that you are unedurably uppity.  You should be kissed and by someone who knows how.

We are starting to see the desolation of the South during this war.  The people are still fighting but it's nearly a lost cause.  They don't have the resources to properly man and supply their army.

Reading List - June 2011

Just to make sure I keep track of everything here's what's on my plate right now -

For the Blog:
Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell - Started 05/04/11

Possible Choices for the Blog:
Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Personal Reading that could make its way to the blog:
The Writer's Tale: The Final Chapter by Russell T. Davies & Benjamin Cook (11/14/10) - Started 11/15/10
Changeless by Gail Carriger (10/16/10) - Started 10/24/10
Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas (6/01/10) -Started
A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin (08/01/10) - Started 10/25/10
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach

If there's anything you would like to see on this blog, please let me know and I'll consider adding it to my list.

Gone With The Wind: Chapter 16

Chapter 16 Summary: Rhett Butler made good on his word and sold all his boats when blockading becomes to hazardous.  His current profession as a food speculator has not gone over well with his former friends and neighbors.  Scarlett survives on the memory of her kiss with Ashley and dreams of how things will work out for them once the war is over until Melanie reveals that she is pregnant.  It is only the news that Ashley is missing, presumed dead, that brings the two women back together.  Melanie neglects her delicate condition, in search of news about Ashley, and Rhett Butler must escort her home after she faints in the telegraph office.  It is only with the promise to take care of herself and Ashley's unborn child that Rhett is willing to pull some strings to discover Ashley's fate which reveals that Ashley is alive but has been sent to Rock Island, Illinois, a Northern prison camp.  Abraham Lincoln refuses to allow prisoner exchanges, so there is no hope that Ashley will return before the end of the war.  Rhett tells Melanie that Ashley had an opportunity to escape the cruel treatment at the prison camp if only he'd agreed to denounce the Confederacy and join the Union in defending its Western border from Indians.  Of course, Ashley refused this offer and Melanie's heart is ready to burst with pride at her husband's choice even if it means he could die in prison before the war is over.

KatieBug's Response:  I would like to draw some attention to a specific paragraph in this chapter.  It's when Melanie and Scarlett learn that Ashley is missing and possibly dead.

Somehow, she was in Scarlett's arms, her small breasts heaving sobs, and somehow they were lying on the bed, holding each other close, and Scarlett was crying too, crying with her face pressed close to against Melanie's, the tears of one wetting the cheeks of the other.  It hurt so terribly to cry, but not so much as not being able to cry.  Ashley is dead - dead, she thought, and I have killed him by loving him!  Fresh sobs broke from her, and Melanie somehow feeling comfort in her tears tightened her arms about her neck.

In today's world, this scene could end up very differently.  After seeing the film, I do believe that it's really about the incredible friendship between Scarlett and Melanie more so than the romance between Scarlett and Rhett.  This paragraph really supports that theory and then some.   Maybe it's just me, but I find this scene far more entertaining than all the hats Rhett Butler could possibly buy.

We also start to see the differences between Rhett and Ashley as well as Scarlett and Melanie.  Rhett and Scarlett are opportunists and survivors and therefore, MFEO.  Melanie and Ashley are tied to their honor and duty before anything else.  One wonders how honor and duty will feed the children and keep a roof over their heads when the Yankees win.  Also, does Scarlett realize what Ashley's duty-bound personality means for her imagined future with him? No matter how many hearts, with their initials in it, she draws on her Trapper Keeper he is never going to leave Melanie.  Regardless of what he feels, if he feels what she thinks he feels, he made a commitment to Melanie and will stand by it til death they do part.

Gone With The Wind: Chapter 15

Chapter 15 Summary: Ashley comes home to the open arms of his family for Christmas.  Scarlett completely changes her holiday plans so she can stay in Atlanta and get a moment alone with her heart's desire.  She begs a hat off of Rhett Butler and turns it into a gift for Ashley, as well as repurposing a scarf so Ashley can have a sash.  He accepts these gifts with grace and enthusiasm before asking Scarlett to take care of Melanie.  She isn't able to let him go so easily and after promising to look after his wife declares she still has feelings for him.  Scarlett can't let him leave without a kiss goodbye and he obliges.

KatieBug's Response: We see that Scarlett doesn't quite understand Melanie is Ashley's wife until they go into their room that first night and shut the door.  It's also sad to see that Scarlett hasn't moved on from this heartbreak just yet.   I am quite angry with Ashley for kissing Scarlett at all.  He is sending her terribly mixes signals and even if he thought he was going off to die that is no reason to string her along like this.  On the other hand, Scarlett is doing what a typical young girl in love would do and is filling in the blanks of everything Ashley doesn't say to her.  If he were to tell her that he is absolutely in love with his wife and has no feelings for her whatsoever, Scarlett might be able to eventually move on.  But kissing her like that is all the proof she needs that he's married to the wrong person.  God, and then to ask her to "take care of" Melanie.  That is an awful lot of advantage he's taking right there.  Scarlett, you can do better.

Gone With The Wind: Chapter 14

Chapter 14 Summary: Summer of 1863, Atlanta is riding high on the victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorville and they expect another one at Gettysburg on the Yankee's home turf in Pennsylvania.  Letters home from Darcy Meade reveal that General Lee forbade looting and destruction of Yankee lands, which is more than the Union Army did for the Confederacy and has left the Confederate army without basic essentials.  Darcy begs for a new pair of boots and gives a few more details of the march north.  Then on July 3rd, Atlanta is left without any news whatsoever.  The citizens are in a panic to hear about their loved ones and the Wilkes/Hamilton family is no different.  Scarlett, Melanie, and Aunt PittyPat wait outside the Daily Examiner office for the printed lists of the Gettysburg dead.  Rhett Butler is able to provide a little more information and a list hot off the presses.  Even though Ashley is safe, Scarlett finds the names of all three Tarleton boys as well aws Raif Calvert, Joe Fontaine, and Lafe Munroe - all boys that she grew up with in the county.  It's then that Mrs. Meade discover's her son, Darcy's name on the list and has to make a quick exit.  Melanie and Scarlett head over to the Meade's residence to sit with the family and Melanie reveals that she's jealous of Scarlett's son, Wade.  She imagines what it would be like to lose Ashley in the war without some sort of child left to comfort her and tells Scarlett that she sometimes pretends little Wade is her own child.  Scarlett chides her for her tears and then sends her out to tend to the remaining Meade son, Phil.

KatieBug's Response: Remember that child that Scarlett and Charles had? No? Me either.  I had quite forgotten him, just as Scarlett seems to, until Melanie brings him up in conversation.   I can understand why the script writer's decided to leave him out of the movie entirely.  That being said, this reads pretty closely to the movie and we see Scarlett realize the true consequences of war.  She's lost friends, boys she grew up with, and she doesn't agree with any of it.

Gone With the Wind: Chapter 13

Chapter 13 Summary:  Dr. Meade is inspired to write a letter to the editor, at the insistence of Mrs. Merriweather, regarding the food speculators and blockaders who are taking advantage of their fellow Southerners.  The letter describes Rhett's actions to the letter and, without mentioning his name, lets the rest of society know Rhett is no longer welcome in Atlanta.  Scarlett and Melanie both continue to receive Rhett despite this.  Melanie because she genuinely believes Rhett has done nothing to deserve this treatment and Scarlett because she likes the gifts Rhett brings her.  Rhett tempts Scarlett to further abandon her mourning with the gift of a beautiful hat.  Melanie comes home very agitated because Belle Watling, a local prostitute, cornered her in the street.  Normally proper ladies do not converse with those of Belle's ill repute, but Belle wanted to donate money to the hospital and no one else would accept it.  Melanie, of course, does but is caught talking by Uncle Peter.  She goes to Scarlett for help and it's discovered that Belle's donation is wrapped up in one of Rhett Butler's handkerchiefs.  Scarlett bristles at the idea that Rhett's been visiting Belle as often as he's visited her and burns the handkerchief in the stove.

KatieBug's Response: ***Different from the movie: Rhett does kiss Scarlett after giving her the hat, but only on the cheek.  Melanie meets up with Belle Watling on a walk home from the hospital but without anyone else around.***  First of all, I was upset that Rhett chides Scarlett for reading the newspaper.  She is trying to argue on his level and he tells her that reading newspapers "addles women's brains."  It was really difficult to read that as a modern woman.

Gone With The Wind: Chapter 12

Chapter 12 Summary: Scarlett looks forward to a life without the bonds of widowhood.  We learn that Rhett calls on Scarlett quite regularly and even looks forward to his visits.  We get a quick description of the economic landscape in Atlanta at the time of the Civil War and a history of Rhett Butler's rise and subsequent decline in popularity amongst the gentry.  At first he is described as scandalous but able to get the things a person wants in these difficult times, thus giving him the romantic air of a pirate.  Then, as if growing bored, he stops courting their favor and proceeds to tell the most truthful things about the war.  It all comes to a head at Mrs. Elsing's party when he, once again, tells the truth behind the war.  The Southerners feel that Rhett is a traitor and the only home willing to accept him, after the party, is the Wilkes' residence.  Melanie refuses to exclude a man who expresses the same sentiments her husband expresses in his letters.  Scarlett finds it odd that a man like Ashley and a scoundrel like Rhett could have anything in common, then she realizes that Rhett isn't willing to die for something in which he doesn't believe.

Katiebug's Response: This entire section is omitted from the movie - We finally see the payoff for Scarlett reading Ashley's letters.  It was necessary for us to know what was in them in order for us to understand why Melanie would go against the rest of society.   Scarlett and Rhett's relationship develops, though Scarlett is not ready to admit that maybe she loves him.

Gone With The Wind: Chapter 11

Chapter 11 Summary: Remaining safely in Atlanta, we discover that Scarlett secretly reads Ashley's letters to his wife. The parts that Melanie keeps to herself were too much torment to Scarlett and she is intent upon learning if Ashley is in love with his wife. So far, her secret readings have not met Scarlett's definition of love and devotion. She is content that Ashley thinks of his wife as nothing more than a sister even though he unburdens his very soul to her. Ashley writes about his distaste for the war and how, even if they win, they'll still lose. Scarlett knows there is something she's missing in his letters and it's this quality that prevented her from landing him as a husband, but she has not yet figured out what that something is.

KatieBug's Response: This entire chapter is omitted from the movie.  I think this is an important part of Scarlett's character, we start to see her "put things off until tomorrow," as well as go to any length to buouy up her own theories.  It's also an excellent opportunity for the author to throw in some commentary about the Civil War.  She puts these words into Ashley's mouth, or rather letters, and has him lament the loss of their bucolic life.  He knows that winning the war will change civilization as they knew it just as much as losing will and life can never be the same.  Scarlett doesn't even finish reading the letter because she finds it boring and yet she is unable to understand why Ashley didn't choose her as a wife.  He wasn't lying when he told her that they were too different.  Here is the evidence for everyone, including Scarlett, to see and yet she is still blinded by her own fantasy.

Gone With The Wind: Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Summary: Scarlett, Melanie, and Aunt Pittypat discuss the status of Scarlett's reputation and are decided that Rhett Butler is a scoundrel when a letter arrives for Mrs. Wilkes. Rhett Butler has obtained her beloved wedding band and returned it to its rightful owner, thus securing his status as a gentleman and an invitation to supper the following Sunday. All seems well until a letter arrives from Ellen O'Hara severely admonishing her daughter and telling her that her father would arrive within the week to collect her and bring her home in disgrace. Melanie and Scarlett concoct a plan to keep Gerald off topic but it's Rhett Butler's ability to out drink the great Irishman, Gerald O'Hara that gives Scarlett the leverage she needs to stay in Atlanta.

Katiebug' Response: I don't remember if there is this type of discussion in the movie, but I was glad it was addressed in the book.  For all the talk of propriety and what Scarlett should and should not do, it was nice to see that there were actual consequences to her actions.  ***DIFFERENT FROM THE MOVIE: Only Melanie's ring is returned.  There is no post script with Scarlett's ring as an afterthought.***  I find it interesting that up to this point Gerald is known for his ability to drink and it's Rhett Butler that finally beats him at his own game.

Gone With The Wind: Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Summary:  Scarlett watches the young belles of Atlanta, unhappily from her window, as they go off to prepare for the evening's dance to benefit the hospital.  She laments the fact that she is only 17 and can't participate in this bit of fun with the other girls her age because she is a widow and must adhere to the strict rules of society.  Mrs. merriwether and Mrs. Elsing arrive as her saviors when they insist that Melanie and Scarlett take over a booth at the bazaar, due to the McLure girls being called away for a family emergency.  While everyone at the dance is swept up in patriotic pride, Scarlett realizes that she is not wholeheartedly behind the Cause.  She bears this new information well until Rhett Butler arrives and starts to flirt with her.  He tells her the truth behind his blockade running and Scarlett feels as if a veil has been lifted on the subject.  During the fund raising efforts, both Scarlett and Melanie offer up their wedding rings and Rhett Butler buys a dance with the not so grieving Mrs. Hamilton.  Much to her scandle, Scarlett throws off propriety, accepts Rhett's temptation and proceeds to dance the night away for "the Cause."

KatieBug's Response:  I find the banter between Scarlett and Rhett incredibly interesting.  We see here, that not only can Rhett read her like a book but that she can see through his act equally as well.  They both dislike the war effort and the constricting nature of the Southern Aristocracy, but Scarlett still tries to play by the rules unlike Rhett.  ***DIFFERENT FROM THE MOVIE*** Scarlett offers up her wedding ring first, when the wounded are collecting jewelry from the ladies  She can't stand the sight of the ring as it symbolizes all the reasons she can no longer have fun and rips it off her finger for the collection.  It is Melanie that is inspired by Scarlett's actions and gives up her own, precious, wedding band for the Cause.

Gone With the Wind: Chapter 8

Chapter 8 Summary: Scarlett arrives in Atlanta and is met by "Uncle" Peter.  We learn that Peter takes care of Aunt Pittypat and Melanie as if they were children and runs their household as firmly as Mammy runs Tara.  Scarlett is swept up into the social world of nursing the sick and volunteering for the war effort despite her lack of interest in anything connected with the war.  Little Wade has no end of attention with his Aunt Melanie and Great-Aunt Pittypat around and we learn a little about the home Charles grew up in and the fortune he's left behind.  Scarlett is very careful not to commit to moving to Atlanta permanently, but she has no problem extending her visit indefinitely.

KatieBug's Response:  A really nice bit of history about the city of Atlanta, I feel, and we learn that the city is only a little bit older than Scarlett.  Though her father tells her they are the same age because the official name, Atlanta, wasn't settled until the year she was born.  I had no idea it started as a train station and was as new as it was.  I think it's ironic that Scarlett is dragged into volunteering with two different hospital committees because she can't think of a good enough excuse to get out of doing it altogether.  We get a first-hand perspective on life in Atlanta during the war, turning out soldiers and goods as quickly as possible.  Whirlwind romances and weekly entertainment while the rest of the state is quiet.

SammiDrake's Response:

Gone With The Wind: Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Summary: Scarlett's married life is as short-lived as the wedding preparation as the men go off to war.  Despite her mother's concern, Scarlett moves her wedding date up so that she gets married the day before Ashley and Melanie.  She spends a total of two weeks with Charles Hamilton before he goes to war and his death is reported less than a month after that.  At the age of 16 Scarlett finds herself in the role of mother and a widow, neither of which suits her and she is faced with the reality of her hasty decisions.  She loses her appetite and interest in life since she has to confine herself to "grown-up" pursuits and life without Ashley.  Her mother recognizes this behavior, from her own heartbreak, and sends Scarlett on a Southern Tour of her maternal family.  This does nothing to ease her sorrow and it is decided she should stay with her Husband's Aunt Pittypat in Atlanta.  The idea of staying with Melanie isn't pleasing to Scarlett, but she is drawn to the excitement of life in Atlanta.



 KatieBug's Response:  I think this chapter moves as quickly as it feels for Scarlett.  She even says she doesn't remember much after she agreed to marry Charles and that it was all a blur.  MAJOR difference between this and the movie though: Scarlett and Charles have a son, Wade Hampton Hamilton, and she makes a tour of her own family before being sent to Atlanta.  She doesn't decide she wants to go to Atlanta either, but is told by her mother to go.  There isn't that hope that she'll see Ashley if he comes home from war and no wise advice from Mammy about being a "spider."  It's sad to see that Scarlett has no interest in her own child, but at the age of 16 I guess that's to be expected.  In this entire situation, knowing how the movie goes, the luckiest of them all right now is Charles Hamilton.  He dies at a young age without seeing anything of war and believing that the most beautiful girl in the county loved him.

SammiDrake's Response:

The All-New Nook

We interrupt Gone With the Wind for this very special news:

Well, Barnes and Noble has done it.  They've given me a reason to buy their product over the Kindle.  In my comparison of the NOOK and Kindle in previous entries , both here and in my 30th Year Blog, I liked the NOOK and all it had to offer except for that little itty bitty touch screen at the bottom.  I have said, on previous occasions, that if they offered an e-ink display with full touch screen technology it would make up my mind.

And now, they've introduced the All-New NOOK with the e-ink display and fully integrated touch screen.  For $139.

I really liked the global 3G wireless offered by Kindle, but I failed to commit to it before my Ireland trip and now there is very little reason for me to get it.  But this NOOK does offer the same wi-fi access as the basic Kindle with the added benefit of reading ePub documents which would allow me to borrow books from a library or import publications from other vendors.  (Though, I hear Amazon is going to offer the Kindle 3G at a discount with special offers and the really appealing part is that the 3G would really make it like the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.)

So many things to consider.  But it will depend on the actual NOOK product.  I intend to check it out in the stores as soon as possible and if I like the design and interface, I might just cave.  But what will Amazon answer back with in their next generation Kindle?

Gone with the Wind: Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Summary: The O'Hara Family finally arrives at Twelve Oaks for the Barbecue and Scarlett steals all the male attention with a flash of her smile.  Before she gets too far from the carriage, Scarlett sees Rhett Butler for the very first time and is immediately filled with conflicting emotions.  She is unable to get a moment alone with Ashley, during the barbecue, as he is completely monopolized by Miss Melanie.  There's a standoff between Gerald and John Wilkes as they discuss the possibility of war.  An old man tells everyone the truth about war from his own experience and Rhett Butler lays down the truth of the impending war.  Then whilst all the ladies are retiring for a nap, Scarlett launches her plan to capture Ashley's affection before it's too late.  She is unsuccessful in her attempt and her failure is witnessed by Rhett Butler.  Her pride forces her upstairs to pretend like nothing has happened, but she overhears Honey Wilkes and Melanie talking about her.  Honey is cruel and the Tarleton girls join in on the humiliation.  Only Melanie is above the pettiness of the others and comes to Scarlett's defense. In the meantime, war has officially come to Georgia and Charles Hamilton professes his love for Scarlett.  She accepts his proposal of marriage.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZteHUJVcMxb-AFV2ZTTj0pFcbKTpaHv59Jqmn14KLVJ8kToPVuKiK37HJXaNdpslS38BdE30p0pBRL8qsSXNI0cF22kaEbyfKAo_jSPA-x5Ahuc0Kmg1rGxoHwoEeGy6SgrXFNNTWTr-/s1600/Gone+With+the+Wind+movie+image+%25286%2529.jpg

KatieBug's Response: I think the most important thing in this chapter is the fact that Ashley doesn't have eyes for anyone but Melanie at the Barbecue.  He greets Scarlett but never leaves Melanie's side and Scarlett is very annoyed that all her carrying-on with the men doesn't even warrant a sideways glance from her beloved.  I also feel like Mitchell keeps making an big deal out of Rhett Butler seeing right through Scarlett.  In the hall, when she first sees him, she feels like he "knows what she looks like without her shimmy."  Then at the picnic, when she's desperately trying to catch Ashley's attention, Rhett seems to find humor in her distress even though everyone else thinks she is the Belle of the Barbecue.  I found it incredibly interesting that Scarlett's desire to accept Charles' marriage proposal stems from her spitefulness and desire to cause pain to Honey Wilkes and Melanie as well as the Tarleton girls for their catty conversation.  Her only reason to cause Melanie pain is that she is taking Ashley away from her.  It literally has nothing to do with making Ashley jealous anymore, it's all about her own pride and her ability to inflict the most damage to her enemies in one fell stroke.

Gone with the Wind: Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Summary: Scarlett gets ready for the Wilkes' Barbecue and decides to wear the green muslin that shows off her 17 inch waist, despite Mammy's protestation that a proper lady can't show her bosom before the afternoon. They have a bargaining match which ends in Scarlett eating some breakfast and Mammy not telling Ellen about Scarlett's dress choice. Unfortunately, Ellen is not going to the Barbecue, as she has to settle the books and go over accounts with Jonas Wilkerson before he leaves, which leaves Gerald on his own as he escorts his daughters to the Wilkes'. On the way to the picnic Gerald engages in a little harmless flirting with the red-headed Mrs. Tarleton which leads to a discussion about her horses before winding up in a debate about whether or not it's a good idea to marry one's cousins.

from http://www.cornel1801.com/1/g/GONE_WITH_THE_WIND/1_online_pictures_quotes.html

Katiebug's Response: This follows the movie pretty closely, especially my favorite part with Mammy and Scarlett bickering. We're still getting this description of the Wilkes' as a strange people, as viewed by the neighbors, and the first actual discussion about whether it's genetically a good idea to keep intermarrying in a family. Mrs. Tarleton even offers up her own story about how she escaped a marriage with a cousin and the possibility of weak, washed out children. She even goes so far as to suggest that Ashley would do better with someone like Scarlett or one of her own daughters which is just cruel seeing how we all know **SPOILER ALERT**Ashley will, in fact, still marry Melanie. Hopefully soon, too. We're five chapters into this novel and we have yet to meet the object of Scarlett's affection. Perhaps Mitchell is doing this intentionally so that we feel Scarlett is really blowing the whole thing out of proportion when we finally do meet this Ashley.


Sammidrake's Response: So this chapter sees us start our way to the bbq we've heard so much about since Chapter 1. We're about 100 pages into the novel, and guess what, we're still not there. I'd like to agree with Katiedid and think that this is all just because Mitchell is a crafty one and symbolically showing us that Scarlett is a teenage girl with this whole thing in her head . . . just like these first five chapters are. I will say, though, that I found this chapter much easier to get through than the others. I like to attribute that to the fact that we're, I don't know, doing something.

Gone With the Wind: Chapter 4

Summary Chapter 4: Ellen returns from the Slattery's house with bad news and tired eyes. The family pays little attention to her needs as they inundate her with the details and worries of their own lives. While reflecting on the saintliness of her mother, during the household's nightly prayers, Scarlett hatches a brilliant scheme to win Ashley away from Melanie. Before heading to bed for the evening, Scarlett overhears a conversation between her parents where her mother insists Jonas Wilkerson be dismissed from his post as overseer on Tara due to his being responsible for Emmie Slattery's ill-fated pregnancy. Despite the severity of this information, Scarlett is only able to think about her impending elopement with Ashley as she goes to sleep.

from http://www.cornel1801.com/1/g/GONE_WITH_THE_WIND/1_online_pictures_quotes.html



KatieBug's Response: In this chapter we see that Scarlett idolizes her mother and aspires to one day be like her, but not just yet. She even compares her mother with the Virgin Mary, telling us that she once believed her mother was one in the same. Ellen seems to take care of everyone in the household, from the slaves to her family. She balances the books, tends to the sick, mediates between the children, and listens to her husband's thoughts. Ellen O'Hara is the very heart of this family and plantation; sending out life-giving support and attention to everyone around her.

This also follows very closely with the movie. Scarlett gets the idea to win Ashley while in prayer with her family and it seems like a missive from God. A few things are switched around, like Ellen telling Mr. O'Hara to fire Jonas Wilkerson. This happens in the O'Hara's Bedroom, after prayers, instead of in the Study and without a word to Wilkerson on the way in the house, and Scarlett over hears the conversation, whereas in the movie I believe the audience is the only witness.

SammiDrake's Response: I'm having a bit of difficulty following dialogue when the slaves speak - but I mostly got the gist of this chapter. Scarlett's plotting a way to keep Ashley and, in all honesty, sounds a bit childish in her plot, really showing her age of sixteen. I anticipate that this only sets the stage to show how much she grows over the course of the novel. Or at least I hope so, I don't know that I can take 800 more pages of this prattling.

Gone with the Wind: Chapter 3

Summary Chapter 3: We get a little back story on the O'Hara family in this chapter. Ellen O'Hara is a great lady from a respected family in Savannah. The love of her life was her cousin, Philippe, until his untimely death in a New Orleans brawl. Blaming her family for driving him away, she agreed to marry Gerald O'Hara or enter a nunnery. Neither knowing, nor caring about the reason for Ellen's acceptance of his proposal, Gerald has counted himself as incredibly lucky ever since. Gerald, we discover, is a self-made man after his flight from legal troubles in Ireland. His luck also brought him Tara in a card game, but it was his honest hard work that built it into a proper, and successful, plantation.



Katiebug's Response: What I find most interesting is the description of Ellen's "quiet voice" that's "obeyed instantly" where Gerald's is disregarded. We learn that both Gerald and Ellen are well loved in the neighborhood for their friendly and generous natures. Gerald is kind of heart, loud of mouth, and free with his pocket book. While Ellen ministers to the sick and devotes herself as she would have done in the nunnery. I dislike the way she talks about a woman job in a marriage, it's like she's settling or giving up.

SammiDrake's Response: So you definitely should NOT marry someone who's into their cousins and is very different from you. Definitely don't marry that type of person . . . oh wait. I found it kind of hypocritical for Gerald to tell Scarlett in Chapter 2 that Ashely is a lame-o she need not waste her time on because suitors will not want her if she's hung up on a lame guy. But wait, how did he score his hot wife again? Also, let's talk about the creepy factor of his wife was 16 when he married her . . . he's what, a year short of collecting his senior citizen discount, right? Regardless, this chapter was more backstory which is great and wonderful - but I'm ready for the story already.

Gone With the Wind: Chapter 2

Summary: We learn that the secret behind Scarlett's changed behavior, with the Tarleton twins, is due to her massive crush on Ashley Wilkes. She refuses to believe what the boys have told her and goes to wait for her father to return from the Wilkes' Plantation where he was bargaining to purchase the wife of his Valet(?). We see that Gerald O'Hara is as stubborn as his daughter and they share a special bond due to their mutual nature. Mr. O'Hara tells us that the Wilkes Family is seen as something peculiar in the neighborhood as they care most about education, art, and higher forms of entertainment instead of the more practical things like hunting and gambling.

from http://krishnnaleela.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/gone-with-wind.jpg?w=468&h=391

KatieBug's Response: This is a chapter where we get to see the wheel's turning in Scarlett's head. She developed her infatuation with Ashley at a young age and has tried to manuever herself into being his wife ever since. Her father tries to explain that the Wilkes' are simply a different kind of "folk" and she wouldn't truly be happy with him in the end. I think he has a point, though I find it incredibly awkward that the Wilkes' always marry their cousins, it's almost like they're royalty. There's a certain amount of inbreeding there that I'm just not comfortable with.

Again, I find this part of the book incredibly similar to the opening of the movie and I have a new found respect for the screenwriters.

SammiDrake's Response: I think the book is slightly different from the movie in this chapter in how it paints Scarlett's love for Ashley. In the movie, we see a woman who wants Ashley simply because she can't have him . . . but you never really understand the big deal about Ashley. Seriously, why him? Now we find out, she's been jonesing on him for about two years now and he's just so different from all the other boys.

But Cher to Nick Cage-style, Gerald says "Snap out of it!" to Scarlett. But here, yet again, is where we start to see *theme* that Scarlett just isn't quite like the other girls in North Georgia. Gerald insists no other boy will want his daughter if she's moon-eyed over some lame guy who won't have her which, *spoiler alert* is really funny when you think about how Gerald scored his hot wife.

Gone With the Wind: Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Summary: Scarlett entertains the Tarleton twins upon them being expelled from the University of Georgia. Ever anxious to please Scarlett, the boys reveal a bit of gossip that is anything but pleasing to her ears; Ashley Wilkes is going to marry Melanie Hamilton. Sent away without the customary Southern Hospitality, Brent and Stuart Tarleton wonder what caused the sudden change in the object of their mutual affection. Afraid to go home, to face their mother's wrath, the boys discuss their possible dinner options giving the reader a short history of "the Troop."

from Full Movie Review

Katiebug's Response: The first thing I want to comment on is how similar the movie is to the book thus far, except for the 17 inch waist. We're getting the lay of the land, literally and figuratively, in this first chapter. There are the beautiful descriptions of Tara and the surrounding lands as well as details about the local "armies" being raised after the secession of the state. All the men seem preoccupied with the idea of war with the Union, while the women are concerned with the day-to-day problems like school and marriages.

I am a little surprised by the description of the master/slave relationships. It's not overtly tyrannical as I was expecting, it's much more subtle than that. (True, there are words used that my modern sensibilities are just not comfortable with.) It's the way the Tarleton boys regard their personal slave as they discuss where to go for dinner. But what I find really interesting is the way Jeems, a slave himself, talks about the slaves of lesser planters. It seems like the separation of the social classes extends to the slaves as well as the owners.

SammiDrake's Response: Yet again, the Tartletons prove just how low the admissions standards are for UGA and UVA showing that time really hasn't changed the schools of the South. (ZING!) That said, the first chapter is almost lifted entirely for the first scene of the film adaptation. It's setting up the idea that Scarlett is something special and unique in this Southern world *theme alert*.

Living just minutes away from the Margaret Mitchell House, I am well aware of the legacy this novel has in the South (particularly in Atlanta). I know this is the best-selling book behind the Bible (please fact check me) and often considered one of the best films of all time. It truly does capture the essence of the South in the mid-1800's . . . but I really don't find that a good enough excuse to explain how this book was written in 1936 (67 years after black men were given the right to vote) with the language and disregard for blacks that it uses.

It's no surprise - we all know that the US had slaves and we all know that slaveowners treated their slaves in a way that makes us cringe now. But the narrative of the novel also takes on this tone which makes it particularly difficult for me to get through.

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

I finished reading Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt, during my flight home from Ireland this past week.  I have to say that I had a hard time putting this down.  Though the subject matter is anything but cheerful, the way the story is told is very entertaining.  It's almost a stream of consciousness narrative.  McCourt tells the stories of his life as if he were sitting in the room with you.

Frank McCourt details his childhood, growing up in Limerick, Ireland, amidst extreme poverty.  His father is an alcoholic who spends most of the what little money he earns in the pubs.  The mother struggles to keep everyone clothed and fed as much as possible, even if it means surviving on tea and bread.  His mother relies on charity to get them through, as there weren't many jobs for women at the time, and when McCourt is old enough he goes to work to help support the family.  This novel ends with McCourt's journey back to America and I may pick up the sequel to see how it all comes out.

One of the saddest passages for me to read was the one where he is certain that he caused the eternal damnation of a girl's soul.  His prayers for her miraculous recovery went unanswered and he was sure their sexual relationship had damned her.  It's only when he confesses everything about his life to a sympathetic clergyman that he's able to get some peace.  This moment, with him crying on the floor of the church, just brought tears to my eyes.  With everything else he had to deal with in his life this is where it all came spilling out of him.

I would definitely recommend reading this one.  Though, be warned, it is not a happy go lucky read and deals with some very depressing subject matter.  But it is beautifully done.

Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point

Ever since my undergraduate studies, I’ve been extremely interested in the application of economics. Taking the suggestion of my Globalization professor in my MBA program, I decided to pick up Malcolm Gladwell’s 2000 book, The Tipping Point.

Don’t be scurred of the book simply because I started off with my declaration of love for economics – you don’t have to be an economist or even think like one to understand Gladwell. He writes more about everyday events from a sociologist perspective as opposed to an economist perspective. So fear not.

As taken from Wikipedia, The Tipping Point can be loosely defined as "the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point." And Gladwell takes events such as the syphilis outbreak in Baltimore in the mid-1990s or the drop in New York City’s crime-rate or the resurgence of Hush Puppies popularity and describes how each event reached a point where an epidemic broke loose. Each event has some sort of, dare I say, tipping point that keeps all metaphorical hell from breaking loose. Once you reach that point, syphilis outbreaks or crime drops or hipsters aren’t the only ones wearing Hush Puppies anymore.

When change as such happens – it happens fast. To apply an economic principle, as Gladwell does, 80% of the work is accomplished by 20% of the people. Examples he provides are 80% of beer is consumed by 20% of beer drinkers, 80% of car accidents are because of 20% of drivers, so on and so forth. A small few wear Hush Puppies, a small few practice unsafe sex in combination with other things to pass on syphilis, a small few decide to straighten up and fly right in New York – and an epidemic breaks loose once it reaches a certain boiling point.

Want to know more about the Stickiness Factor as practiced by Sesame Street or Blue’s Clues? The Power of Context in Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood? Check out the book if for no other reason than to sound smart to your friends.

April Updates

I'm going to head across the pond next week and I intend to finish a book before I come back.  I had Angela's Ashes recommended to me and, since I am going to Ireland for 10 days, I thought I would read that on the plane.  So check back and see how that goes.

Also, my sister and I had a pretty in depth discussion of the movie, Gone With The Wind, the other day and we decided to read through the book together.  Hopefully this will start in May, one of us will read a chapter and then post, then the other will read the next chapter and post.  We'll comment on each other's entries, hopefully, and encourage anyone who wants to to read along.  Sort of reviving the online book club format I had with my friends a while back.

One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde

Budgetary overruns almost buried the remaking before the planning stage, until relief came from an unexpected quarter. A spate of dodgy accounting practices in the Outland necessitated a new genre in Fiction: Creative Accountancy. Shunned by many as `not a proper genre at all,' the members' skills at turning thin air into billion-dollar profits were suddenly of huge use, and the remaking went ahead as planned. Enron may have been a pit of vipers in the Outland, but they quite literally saved the BookWorld.

Bradshaw's BookWorld Companion (16th edition)



from http://www.jasperfforde.com/



When I first received this book in the mail, from Amazon of course, I was excited to see a map drawn on the first few pages.  Every since I read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, it's been one of my favorite things to see in a book.  I love to compare the location of things as I am reading through the story.  I have to admit I was somewhat confused by the map in this novel since readers of the series know that the layout of bookworld isn't entirely known to the reader or its inhabitants.  After reading the first few chapters I discovered the reason:  Bookworld was being reorganized to more closely resemble the Outland, or Real World.

Told from the point of view of the Written Thursday, what I really like about this novel is that Fforde is not afraid to completely change what we know about this world he's created.  He starts out with a different Thursday as his main character then reshapes the Bookworld.  It really keeps a reader on his or her toes and challenges what we have come to expect from this series.  I feel like I should have gone back and read First Among Sequels before diving into One of Our Thursdays is Missing as a few plot points from the previous novel were fuzzy and I was looking for answers in the new one.  This is clearly my own memory fault and not that of the author's.

Undoubtedly, this is still one of my favorite series and I highly recommend it to anyone.  The basic premise of the series is a character who lives in an alternate-reality Swindon, UK and has the ability to jump into novels and interact with the characters as if they were actors in a play.  Using Written Thursday as the POV on this one allows the reader to learn a little bit more about what it means to be a book character in the Nextian Universe.  Fforde pulls in a lot of our current events into this narrative and even touches on what the invention of e-readers has done to their environment. 

My other favorite quote from the book:

This was the annoying side of the feedback loop; irrespective of how she had once looked or even wanted to look, [the lady of shallot] was now a pre-raphaelite beauty... She wasn't the only one to be physically morphed by reader expectation....Harry Potter was seriously pissed off that he'd have to spend the rest of his life looking like Daniel Radcliffe.

The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy

The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy . . . how can 336 pages about the microeconomic look at how a t-shirt is made (from the beginnings of the US cotton industry to the cotton mills of yesteryear to sweatshops in Asia) and how the history of t-shirt production can be a good way of looking at globalization and the effects of free trade NOT be awesome.

Yes, markets and percentages of GDP and currency fluctuation and Cold War vs Globalization can be confusing if you’re not an MBA student (or hell, sometimes even if you are), but Pietra Rivoli does a pretty decent job offering a narrative that most anyone can understand what she’s talking about.

The big question is – even if you get what she’s talking about, will you find it interesting? Good question. The book starts off a little slow with a specific, detailed, micro look at the cotton industry and its origins in the United States, but really does make you sit back and think about where the t-shirt on your back came from. Whose sweat is responsible for that? Why did the US dominate the cotton industry? Some truths are tragic, others make you realize how great our country has become.

Cotton subsidies, yeah they screw over poor farmers in Africa who don’t have US subsidies and university resources, but at the same time, these poor African countries have their countries working against them (rather than for them as in the US). Sure the US cotton industry came about because of free labor in the form of slavery, but look at what’s it’s developed into and the people its helped.

The poor conditions of US cotton mills matched the poor conditions of British cotton mills decades before and holds a surprising resemblance to cotton mills in Asia at the moment. Are these Asian cotton mills entirely horrible if they eventually lead to skill enhancement and better lives (in the long run) for its people? In Britain and the US, cotton mills led to child labor laws and fair employment laws – whose to say that what led to the independence and well-being of so many people won’t lead to the same for their present-day counterparts?


The author does a great job of remaining impartial – instead of telling the reader that Chinese sweatshops are horrible or that using slavery to advance the cotton industry is bad bad bad – she lets you draw your own conclusion. These things are bad on a humane level, but they led/can lead to greater things.

Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman




Image from Amazon.com

  My boyfriend suggested the Dragonlance Chronicles, by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, as an interesting read.  I was hesitant to start this series as I have been burned by similar suggestions from former boyfriends.  However, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised and plan to willingly continue the series.

I knew that the series was based on the Dungeons & Dragons Role-Playing Game and I was wary of how this would translate into a novel.  (I had read a few books based on a similar Vampire RPG and found it repetitive and dry.)  There were a few things that were clearly game based, i.e. the mage's limitations when it came to spell casting, but they weren't so glaringly obvious that I would have noticed if I hadn't been looking for them.

The descriptions of setting were my favorite part of this book.  The authors didn't get lost in them, à la Tolkien, but they certainly painted a vivid picture.  The beginning description of the town of Solace and the Valenwood Forest was so crisp I felt as if I could actually go there to see these massive giants and the town nestled within the branches.  Xak Tsaroth's description makes me feel like I am at the base of Niagra Falls once more, but with an aging city all around me.  Beautiful detail that envelopes the reader and engages the imagination.

The development of characters is a little predictable at times, but no less interesting.  The complicated back stories of Tanis Half-Elven and Raistlin Majere are enticing enough that I want to read more of the series and unravel the mysteries surrounding them.  These two characters, as well, are interesting in their decisions and motivations throughout the novel.  Some of the minor characters in this first book are two dimensional but I hope they are further developed in later novels.

Definitely a book I would recommend to anyone looking for a new fantasy series to read.

February Reading List

January had me unsuccessful in cleaning out the book queue.  I started reading a series that was recommended to me by my boyfriend, so that has taken precedence. To recap, here are the books I have carried over from last year:
The Writer's Tale: The Final Chapter by Russell T. Davies & Benjamin Cook (11/14/10) - Started 11/15/10
Changeless by Gail Carriger (10/16/10) - Started 10/24/10
Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas (6/01/10) -Started
A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin (08/01/10) - Started 10/25/10

Here are the new ones I added in January:

Dragonland Chronicles, Volume I: Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach

Now I just need to stick to it and finish these before heading off-plan again.

"Do As I Say..." Webseries

Okay this is not exactly a book and I am changing the point of my blog to write about this.  But, my sister's high school friend, Andrea Schwartz, and her friend, Kim Kalish, are finished the pre-production on their web-series, "Do As I Say..."  Andrea started talking about it at Cinco de Mayo last year and it sounded really interesting.  Three friends, one of them pregnant with their first child, looking back on their early twenties and deciding to do a video advice gift for the baby.  I'm not sure if that is still the premise, but it's still about ladies in their twenties navigating their way through life, love, and professions in New York City.

One of my favorite parts about their website is their profile description

Kim and Andrea met in college where they majored in Theatre with a minor in Unemployment. In New York, they studied improv and sketch comedy with Upright Citizen's Brigade. They spend most of their time watching cat videos on Youtube.

They are lined up with a professional director, camera crew, lights, etc. so I can't wait to see the finished product.  I am very, very excited for them.  I know it's something on which Andrea has worked very hard and I love it when people see their labors rewarded.  It makes me feel like there is some sort of balance to the universe, or a legitimate reason to try for difficult goals.  Even if they don't fully succeed in this endeavor, for some unknown reason, the experience will be invaluable.  If only to know that you tried to reach that. unreachable. star.....wait this is sounding familiar.

I just really want them to succeed, okay?  If I could take everything that is in my heart right now and turn it into felix felicis, I would.  I am so very proud of Andrea for everything that she is doing.  So please consider visiting their website and backing the development of their series.

I'm Super Girl and I'm Here to Save the World

I’ve always been a dabbler in the comic book world. I know enough to get by in a conversation about the difference between the movie and the comic book (be that X-Men or Batman, so on and so forth).

However, recently I’ve discovered there’s so much more to the comic book world than the simple Batman, Superman, Spiderman, X-Men. Much more. The comic that I’m currently enjoying is the critically acclaimed event 52. 52 was a year-long weekly comic detailing the events of the year after Infinite Crisis in the DC Universe when there is no Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman. We learn more of the lesser known heroes (Booster Gold, the Question, Black Adam, etc) and see how their lives and stories are all woven together in the DC Universe.

No worries - I won't give away any of the plot since we all hate *spoiler alert* spoilers.

The beauty of the overall story is that you experience the events of the DCU in real-time since each issue took place over a week and was issued every week. There are so many plot-twists and rich character developments that you can’t help but get lost in the story. Not to insult any hard-core comics fans, but the comic reads like a soap opera. You jump into an episode of All My Children and you know who Erica Kane is . . . but Greenlee and Jackson, how do they all fit together? You keep watching and realize everyone in Pine Valley is connected and their stories more complex than you could imagine. Gotham and Metropolis don’t appear to be much different than Pine Valley.

Right so. To sum: politics, mythology, globalization, commercialism, homosexuality, inter-galactic bounty-hunting, and spandex. Lots of spandex.

New Year, New Friends

I have invited a couple of my friends to start posting.  I am hoping that it will bring a little bit of diversity to the blog.  Please let me know if you have any suggestions

Like Me by Chely Wright - Final

I finally finished this biography in its entirety.  I have a great amount of respect for Country Singer, Chely Wright right now.  Though I am a little concerned that at the time the book was written, Chely had not yet come out to her mother.  I hope that she was able to tell her before the book was on store shelves, though I know it was probably difficult.

As I said before, I would recommend this for anyone struggling with their own issues.  Whether it's coming out to your family or having had a family member come out to you.  This isn't a how-to manual, but it does show that there are, indeed, people like you.

Editing Twain

Yesterday afternoon, I was listening to NPR and I heard a very interesting conversation.  It has to do with this new edition of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, by New South Books,where the N-word is replaced with the word, "slave."  (If you've followed the link I attached to "NPR" it's down towards the bottom of the transcript after the discussion about the Health Care bill.)  I know this is the Hot-Topic in literature right now, but the NPR article really raised a lot of questions I felt were interesting. 

1) Is it better to change one aspect of the book so that it will be read or to keep it as written and risk the message being lost?

2) Does changing offensive language allow us, as a culture, to forget the mistakes in our history? And do we run the risk of leaving ourselves open to future problems?  Or is it a way to eradicate that type of prejudice from society?

I am personally concerned that we run the risk of over-sanitizing our lives, just like with germs and bacteria in our physical world.  If we do not build up a natural immunity to certain illnesses, there is a chance we will always being at risk for infection.  Or as with certain medications, the viruses and bacteria evolve to a point that the old remedies don't work anymore.  Is this change in Huckleberry Finn merely a temporary remedy for a much larger problem?

On the other hand, in college, there was a girl who could not get through Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.  Not because the language was difficult to navigate, but because the language choice personally offended her.  She had suffered a lot at the hands and words of others during high school.  So much so that reading Heart of Darkness made her physically ill and she could not continue reading.  I remember her tears in our discussion and I felt so sad that someone had had to endure that kind of torment; that this level of hate existed in our current society.  So I can definitely understand how a message can be lost because of a few words.

But had those words not been there, the opportunity to discuss that specific issue would not have happened.  She would not have been able to share her story and let the rest of us see how thoughtless words and actions will affect someone negatively.  If these words are removed from a classroom textbook, where is the opportunity to talk about it and safely instruct the next generation on the history and connotations.  Can we hope that parents will have this discussion with their children outside of the classroom?  If we remove these words from our life altogether, will they lose their power?  Words only have the power that we, as a society, give them.  By removing them from a text, do you think that gives them more, or less power? 

To Kindle, or not to Kindle?

For some strange reason I have gotten it into my head that I want an e-reader.  I don't know why exactly as I am a pretty hard-core physical book person.  (Bad days can be better with a simple trip to the library or bookstore.  Something about the smell just eases any tension.)  It might have something to do with the XKCD Comic, actually.  Ever since they linked it to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I've been a little obsessed with the idea.  Then, with my plans to travel to Europe in the near future, I have these wonderful visions of how useful it will be. 

Imagine standing by an old church on a street in London, for example.  The sign says, Temple Church, but you've never seen/read the DaVinci Code and have no idea what it is.  Pull out the Kindle, go to the search feature and type in Temple Church on the "use Wikipedia" feature and Voila!  All the information that public forum of knowledge has to offer on Temple Church, PLUS links to other interesting sites in the area.  Not to mention, one could download a travel guide (if one is offered on Amazon) as well as any books to read on the journey.

And yet, I went to Target and I held a Kindle in my hands.  I seriously thought about buying the 3G version, but I just couldn't get excited about it.  I went to Barnes & Noble and looked at their Nook.  I found the touch screen at the bottom neat but not as easy to use as I would like.  If there is touch screen, I want to be able to touch the whole screen not just part of it and the 5-way rocker button on the Kindle is more natural to me for some reason.  Now the Nook Color, could be be more natural to me than the 5-way rocker button but it's not exactly in my price range.  I held the Nook in my hands and I couldn't get excited about it.  The ideas of what I could do with either device, see Temple Church above, are exciting.  But the actual device itself did not induce the same impulse-buy feeling I get when I see a new book.  Still, I have plenty of time before I take my European Vacation and that should give me time to make up my mind about whether or not to get one.

Comments Encouraged

Since we're starting off a new year, I thought I might open up the floor to book suggestions.  I'm really looking for a new series to read, though any book is welcome.  Typically, I would pick a fiction book over a non-fiction but I will always make an exception for something interesting.

Is there a book that has really captured your attention?  Something that you just couldn't put down?  Maybe an old favorite you wish people read more often...Let me know and maybe I'll check it out.

K

New Year, New Lists

Okay, I am starting this year with a brand new reading list.  I will start with all the books I am currently reading and then add ones I actually intend to read.  Not like last year where I listed things for the fun of it.

The Writer's Tale: The Final Chapter by Russell T. Davies & Benjamin Cook (11/14/10) - Started 11/15/10
Changeless by Gail Carriger (10/16/10) - Started 10/24/10
Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas (6/01/10) -Started
A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin (08/01/10) - Started 10/25/10

I just need to clear these out of the queue and then I can start adding new and exciting books.