Hannah's comments
(member since Sep 19, 2008)
Hannah's comments from the Chicks On Lit group.
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House of Leaves - Mark Danielewski
money
I was discouraged by how long the book was at first, but the suspense of it held my attention all the way through. I had trouble putting it down every night. I loved the historical detail & it truly creeped me out & kept me awake thinking about it several nights! I'm usually not crazy about historical fiction but the author was such a great storyteller IMO. I would love to visit that area after reading about it.
Amazing!
Oh yay! Sweet baby Jane. :)
I have a twitter acount too! https://twitter.com/mybuzzabee
Holli,
I don't like using the Twitter app on my phone either...facebook on my phone is much easier to update.
This is the Time Traveler's Wife June discussion with spoilers. I have included some discussion questions from the book to start with. Please feel free to add any questions that you wish to talk about. I will add my thoughts later this week. :)
Among the curiosities of the book is the way chrono-displacement occasionally causes its protagonists to split and double. How do Henry and Clare view their younger and older selves? Why, for one thing, aren't they ever jealous of them? And what are this novel's implications about the relationship between time and the self?
In theory Henry's time traveling should make him omniscient - at least as far as his own timeline is concerned - but Clare knows things about him that he does not. What accounts for this? What role does the characters' knowledge and the gaps in their knowledge play in the novel?
Closely related to the theme of foreknowledge is the idea of free will. Does Henry's chrono-instability give him a freedom that Clare lacks, or does it make him more powerless? Discuss Henry's observation that "there is only free will when you are in time, in the present" (p. 57).
Along with his frequent trips backward and forward in time, the critical event in Henry's life is the hideous death of his mother, which he witnesses as a child and revisits compulsively as an adult. How has this event helped shape him and how does it foreshadow other events in the novel?
How does the author use time travel as a metaphor: for love, for loss and absence, for fate, for aging, for death? To what extent are Clare and Henry a "normal" couple?
This is the Time Traveler's Wife June discussion without spoilers. I have included some discussion questions from the book to start with. Please feel free to add any questions that you wish to talk about. Although I read this a few years ago, I'm still finishing the story for the 2nd time to refresh my memory so I will add my thoughts later this week. :)
What is the particular significance of Henry's job as a librarian? What connection do you see between his choice of career and his childhood fascination with the Field Museum (pp. 27-34)?
The Time Traveler's Wife is ultimately an enduring love story. What trials and tribulations do Henry and Clare face that are the same as or different from other "normal" relationships?
Henry and Clare know each other for years before they fall in love as adults. How does Clare cope with the knowledge that at a young age she knows that Henry is the man she will eventually marry?
How does the writer introduce the reader to the concept of time travel as a realistic occurrence? Does she succeed?
Heather wrote: "Hi, I'm Heather. I used to read all the time when I was younger and just started getting back to it in the past year. Books, oh how I've missed you... My 1 year old and I frequent our local library..."
Heather, I'm so glad you finally joined! You'll love it here. :)
Okay. Thanks, Tera!
When do I need to start the discussion for the June book (Time Traveler's Wife)? I missed the decision on when we're doing discussions.
Holli,
You'll love it if you do move there plus no more OH snow! LOL I lived in Amarillo & hated it but we have family in Austin and Ft. Worth & we looove San Antonio. I would move there if I could. :)
Angie,
I believe you usually have to pay a fee but I think the fee normally goes to a charity. Some cities have higher fees than others.
Mary, congrats on the NYC marathon! I would love to be able to do that. Running is hard on my knees too so I'm not sure if I'll do it again.
Kat,
I'll check to see what music I had on my marathon playlist & let you know! Itunes has a lot of workout & running playlists that people have created too.
Kat,
My 5k wasn't too bad but the half-marathon took a lot of training to prepare for! And I'll be honest, I think I trained too hard (in a park with tons of hills) because it kind of sucked for me. However, it made the marathon really enjoyable for me since I was so prepared. I'm not a runner but once I got into a routine & the motivation of my ipod, running became easier to overcome.
As for the shoes, if you're going to be doing a lot of running I really recommend going to a running store where they actually watch you run on a treadmill and choose certain types of shoes for you. This is what I did & I love, love, love my shoes!
Kristie Faye,
I just watched that movie & now I'm curious to read the book! The movie was pretty good & very moving.
Kat,
I trained & ran my first half-marathon last April. What motivated me was actually signing up for a run and knowing I had a deadline to train for it. Maybe you could sign up for a 5k and set a goal for training? Like Sydney said, music definitely motivates me too. Also, running outside is much better than the treadmill.
Once you get into the habit of running, it's more downhill after that. Good luck!
I like Wanda's idea too & like Jo, I have not been able to keep up w/the discussions lately. I'm just now starting Edgar Sawtelle! However, I will still lead my June pick.
Welcome, everyone!
Yay, Cindy! You're looking great! It's good to hear from you. :)
