Long time, no blog

Hi Fellow 'Feasters,

I agree with Beverly's assessment of the Bryson book on Willie the Shake. It wasn't as good as I'd expected, but I was still glad I read it. My favorite part, besides his wry humor, is the great stuff about Shakespeare's contributions to language (chapter five.) I had a list before, but this one is much better.

Having attended Ellin Keene's seminar last week, I am all fired up about her newest book, TO UNDERSTAND. I'll bring it tomorrow night for you to see how elegant it is. We may chose to read it after next month's WWII epistolary read.

I now feel better; I have honored the blog.

Best to all,
Amy

Shakespeare

I'm certainly going to have to send out a BLOG reminder. I thought I was remiss, as it's been almost 2 months since I posted, and now I see I was also the latest contributor.
So--SHAKESPEARE by Bill Bryson. He didn't shed a lot of new light on the subject, but he did a good job of bringing the time period to life and entertaining me at the same time. I would read most anything written by Bryson and also recommend his audios, especially his memoir, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE THUNDERBOLT KID. If this one doesn't make you laugh out loud, something is wrong with you.
My favorite observation in SHAKESPEARE was his comment that everyone can immediately recognize a likeness of Shakespeare yet no one knows what he looked like.

The Lace Reader Revisited

I do think having this blog adds a richness to our book club. It's interesting to reads your posts after I've already written about the book. They always give me something new to think about.

I haven't started the Shakespeare book yet, but I'm a huge fan of Bill Bryson. Don't know quite what to expect from this one, as Bryson is usually terrifically funny, but from what I've heard, he takes a rather serious approach in this one. However, coming from him, it should not be heavily academic.

The Lace Reader

I finished the Lace Reader on Friday during third block while I was reading with my students; I love my 30 minutes of independent reading each block. I am most upset with this book and the way it ended. I feel like you get to the end and you question everything you read and what can you believe. It feels like Towner just made everything up in her mind! Also, what is up with May not being her mother. Despite my frustrations, I still look forward to discussing the book further later this month. Beverly, I loved your post, and all of the problems you had with the book. I read the blog as soon as I finished the book, and then I told my students that I was irritated with the book's ending. It was a great teaching moment, because many of them then mentioned books that they had read that didn't end the way they thought they should have.

Lace Reader

Beverly, I just read your post and it sounds as if that sense of confusion may get worse as I go along. I haven't read much yet (only to page 121) because I didn't get the book until late. So far, though, I'm not annoyed. Seems almost as if I'm supposed to be confused! I'm reminded of the feeling I'd get as a kid if I went in the house of mirrors at a carnival.

Lace Reader

I am fascinated by this book! I have been reading very carefully because of all the warnings from the rest of you, and I don't think I have misread anything or overlooked any important connections. And yet, I constantly have the feeling that I'm missing something - that there is something going on beneath the surface that I haven't figured out yet. I can't wait to get back to it!

Mimi

Do, Beverly!

I enjoyed reading your take on LACE and agree. It wasn't a total loss, since the novel did provide some memorable scenes (such as the well-endowed statue) and inspired one of our best-ever "bookfeasts."

My overall impression was that if she could self-publish THAT and do so amazingly well, surely each of us should get cracking on a book!

Best to all,
Amy